Full Moon Dreaming: Virtual Book Tour: Come What May

Friday, June 3, 2016

Virtual Book Tour: Come What May

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Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M. Arthur, author of Come What May.

Hi A.M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello! I’m an m/m romance author, who mostly writes contemporary but occasionally delves into paranormal. I live in Hicksville, USA with two rambunctious cats and a large collection of horror film DVDs.

My newest release, Come What May, is the first in a new NA romance series with Carina Press. Jonas Ashcroft is suspended from college after a fraternity prank goes wrong, and he’s stuck working in his aunt’s thrift store—his very first job ever. Tate Dawson runs an LGBT homeless shelter nearby, and when their paths cross, sparks fly. So do insults, misunderstandings, and smexy times.

1) What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about your writing? One of my favorite things to hear from readers is when they want to wrap one of my characters up in a blanket and feed them cookies until everything gets better. It shows that I’ve not only created a character who touches their emotions, but I’ve created someone who feels real to the reader. And that’s always my goal. Granted, many of my characters have gone through hell in their lives and deserve those cookies…

2) Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that impact your writing? As of January of this year, I am a full-time writer. It was an exciting decision to make (scary too), but I live alone with only two cats to support. I don’t know if it’s impacted my writing, exactly, but it’s definitely impacted my perception of productivity. I was so used to cramming in writing time on days off, or in those few hours before my work shift (rarely after, I was usually too tired). Now I have to tell myself it’s okay to take a day to do nothing. To read, or go take a long walk. I’m so used to working two jobs that having one again is wonderful.

3) What interested you about the theme of this book? I have always been a huge fan of the “found family/family doesn’t have to be blood” theme, and I used that, in part, to tell Tate and Jonas’s story. Tate found family with the Burkes, who aren’t related to him. Jonas has to learn to let go of his parents and be his own person. Plus, we get to see a familiar “family” unit from my Belonging series pop up a few times.

4) What is the most difficult part of writing for you? My own internal battles with self-doubt. I am constantly second-guessing choices I make, be it with a character’s history, or a plot arc. Will this turn off readers? Will my editor hate it? What if the whole thing is stupid and I just can’t see it? I can get very dramatic in my head. Generally, I have to step away for a while, re-center myself, and then try again.

5) Name your four most important food groups. Coffee, cheese, popcorn and vodka.

Author Name: A.M. Arthur

Book Name: Come What May

Series: All Saints

Book: One

Release Date: May 23, 2016

Blurb:

Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Or at least, he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He’s a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone—especially himself—didn’t leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.
Enter Tate. He’s smart, confident, and instantly sees right through Jonas’s surly exterior. Sure, he’s done things in life he’s not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he’s never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.
But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas’s old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn’t enough—and sometimes it’s exactly what you need.

Pages or Words: 70,000 words, 320 pages (print edition)

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance

Excerpt:

“It’s small,” Jonas said.

“Better than a cardboard box or foster care.” The sharpness in Tate’s voice echoed in his frown.

Jonas had never known anyone before who’d been in foster care, and saying so would probably make him the biggest douche on the planet. It also took the edge off some of his irritation over the total mindfuck that was Tate Dawson. “It’s way better than both of those things. You worked hard for this place, Tate. I haven’t worked hard for anything in my life.”

“I disagree.”

He blinked. “You do?”

“Yes, I do. I think you work very, very hard to convince yourself and the world that you’re something you’re not. I think you work very, very hard to be perfect when no one is, and the only thing anyone should ever do is just be her or himself. Be true to you, not to what others want from you.”

Jonas’s throat squeezed tight. “I can’t.”

Tate took a step closer, bringing a gentle waft of sweat and something sweet. “Why not?”

He saw the barest reflection of himself in Tate’s glasses and he didn’t like it. He stepped back. Tate snagged his wrist and held him there. The touch sent awareness buzzing across his skin, down his spine and straight to his balls. H needed to pull away before this got out of control.

And then his rebel brain decided it was a good idea to glance at Tate’s pink lips. Lips that Tate, the asshole, licked with slow swipes of his tongue.

Jonas yanked away his hand away so hard Tate stumbled. “I’m not gay, so you can get that ‘fuck the frat boy’ fantasy out of your head right now.”

Instead of being cowed, Tate planted both hands on his hips and said, “Who are you trying to convince? Because it’s just you and me in this room, and I’m not the one who brought up your sexuality. You did.”

Damn him. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”

Tate’s gaze drifted over his face as he sought for words. “Because every time we’re together I can tell you’re struggling with something. You put up this lone wolf front to keep people at arm’s length so you don’t have to work so hard to pretend, but it’s exhausting you. Jonas, you can be yourself with me. Whoever that is.”

“I can’t.” Talking was getting harder around the lump in his throat. His heart was kicking too fast and his chest ached.

“Look me in the eye.” Tate closed the three strides between them, then curled a warm hand around the back of Jonas’s neck. “Look me in the eye and say you don’t want to kiss me right now.”

Buy the book:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Come-What-May-All-Saints/dp/037300396X

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-what-may-am-arthur/1122856826

Meet the author:

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and SMP Swerve.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.