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Buy Links for Blood & Milk and Gay Sex Club Stories
Earlier this week, I mentioned how the cogs were slow-turning, getting some books distributed to all retailers. Well, it’s finally happened!!
Blood & Milk is now available at:
iBooks: Book 1 Book 2
I don’t know how long they’ll be available at these sites before they go back to Amazon only, so be quick!!
<3
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Good Morning Monday! News, updates and Imagines
It’s almost April, and boy is it going to be a busy month for me. I have a release, a blog tour, a bookbub featured deal, and some other secret squirrel stuff happening, AND I’m also away for 20 days of it. I highly doubt I’ll be online much over the next month and would urge anyone who needs to reach me to email (not PM or tagging on FB because I just won’t see them). It also means I won’t get much writing done, so it will be a while before my next books come out. As frustrating as it is, these things can’t be helped, I guess.
My next book, which I hope to start this week, is Yanni’s Story. You might remember Yanni from the Spencer Cohen Series. I’m really looking forward to letting his story unfold. I imagine there will be some angst, but it will mostly be a story of healing, age-gap/daddy-kink 🙂
Imagines now has an official blurb!
Jack Brighton and Lawson Gale have been together for six months and are very much in love. Lawson’s work ensuring the survival of the Tillman Copper is demanding as ever, and Jack’s work with the regeneration of the bushfire-ravaged national park is just as hectic.
When Jack suggests they take a short trip, Lawson agrees. But then he is offered a two-week research position in tropical Queensland to help determine why the Ulysses butterfly is on the decline. Figuring they could combine work and pleasure, Jack and Lawson go on their first vacation together.
Working alongside renowned professor Piers Bonfils isn’t easy. But personal and professional differences aside, Lawson is offered a more permanent role in Queensland. Torn between his new life in Tasmania with Jack and a dying species of butterfly he feels compelled to save, Lawson has to decide where his fate lies.
But fate changes the rules. On a research expedition into the depths of the rainforest, suddenly it’s not only the butterflies’ existence that hangs in the balance
A butterfly’s life cycle never changes. From larvae to imago, their course is plotted by design. Jack and Lawson need to determine where they stand, if they live through it. Because the only thing more incredible than one imago is two.
RELEASE DATE: April 10th
I’ve also taken three books out of the Amazon exclusivity clause. This gives folks who don’t/can’t/won’t use Amazon to buy at other stores like iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc. I do try and move all my books around to keep it fair, though it’s not always an easy feat and sometimes I forget… (I blame writer-brain for that LOL)
First, my Gay Sex Club Stories, written as A. Voyeur, can now be found at the following outlets:
And Blood & Milk can now be found at the following outlets:
For some strange reason, Smashwords is taking aaaaaages to assess the files for distribution to iBooks, B&N, Kobo. Normally they’re super quick and only take a day or two, but these are going on five days without any word. Fingers crossed it won’t be much longer. I’ll post links ASAP.
In audio news, Red Dirt Heart 3 has been scheduled for October, and production for Cronin’s Key is due to start real soon! I’ll be sure to keep you posted on any updates I have!
That’s it for this week! I will try to keep posting updates during April though there may be a week or two where I can’t. Until next week…
<3
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Good Morning Monday ~ Interview with Julie Bozza and me!
An interview that turned into a conversation between N.R. Walker, author of Imago, and Julie Bozza, author of Butterfly Hunter, in which we talk about butterflies, Australia, and other transformative matters.
Julie: Congratulations on your new novel Imago! What was it that inspired you to write this story?
N.R.: I was scouting pre-made cover sites about a year beforehand (it’s my go-to procrastination hobby LOL) and found the striking cover with the butterfly. I had to have it, even though I didn’t have a story, or even an idea for one, at that point.
Twelve months later, when I was travelling around the US, I had a scene come to me of a guy at an airport who was going to miss an important meeting because there was a car-rental error, so another guy offers him a lift, and thus, the two characters meet.
I let that play around in my head for a bit, had descriptions, character names, all I needed was occupations… then I remembered the butterfly cover I’d bought, and presto!! Lawson was a lepidopterist! Then the whole story fell into place. It was perfect! But the idea of him being a butterfly expert was never paramount to my planning. It was the cover I found that set the whole thing into motion.
N.R.: How about you? What was the inspiration behind Butterfly Hunter?
Julie: I was going to say that I also had an odd source of inspiration for my story, but then I thought that maybe inspiration by its very nature is always somewhat unexpected.
My source was a throwaway remark by a kind person on Goodreads, who said she liked my writing so much that she’d read anything by me, even a story about two men chasing butterflies. She meant it as the most unlikely scenario possible from someone who’d written The Definitive Albert J. Sterne, and I took it as such and chuckled. But then of course a moment later I began thinking, well, how would that be…? I soon realised the idea would be a good match with a pair of characters who were already developing in my head, and it was perhaps a chance to write about an Australian setting – and from there it was as if the Muse was dictating the story to me. I love it when that happens!
Julie: What is the significance of butterflies to your characters or the story? Why butterflies and not … whales?
N.R.: LOL I know!! Truly it was the cover. But it suited Lawson’s quiet nature. I knew Jack was big and outdoorsy, the opposite of Lawson, but perfect for him in every way. As I decided on his career as a lepidopterist, his character growth arc became more prevalent to me. As Jack describes in Imago, Lawson started out like a caterpillar – head down, working hard, then tests himself until he’s finally able to let his wings show. That sounds really corny, but in my mind’s eye, that’s how I see Lawson.
But a book about whales is a great idea… *ponders the possibilities* 😉
Julie: LOL! That’s the creative process for you. I was the same: I wrote ‘whales’ as something that seemed the complete opposite of butterflies, and a moment later was pondering the possibilities. I can just see us doing this again in a year’s time, talking together about our whales stories!
But while we’re still on butterflies… The transformative nature of butterflies was certainly a theme I explored as well. I still find it astonishing that butterflies go through four entirely different forms in their lives! I don’t know if my characters can be said to transform in quite such a dramatic degree, but it’s true that they both emerge from a chrysalis and grow into their best selves.
The other theme I drew on was the butterflies’ brief lifespan, which can be as short as a few days for the adult butterfly. I definitely wanted to have my characters realise that life is too short and uncertain not to make the most of it while we can.
Julie: Australia itself seems vivid and colourful enough to count as a character in its own right. What do you like best (and least) about setting your stories there?
N.R.: Oh, I love it. It’s funny, because when I started writing, I first set all my books in the US. I don’t really even know why – I just did. Maybe because all the books I read were set there? I really don’t know. But then I wrote Red Dirt Heart, and totally fell in love with it. It was more natural for me to write, and I think that showed in my writing. So many reviewers told me they felt the landscape, Sutton Station, felt like another main character. And that to me was a huge compliment. The majority of my readers aren’t Australian, so I think there’s the exotic appeal for them as well.
My favourite parts about writing Australian are being true to myself. Though I find myself still writing US English sometimes. My American editor has to change some words back to Australian. LOL
But giving Australian gay characters an identity has become important to me.
The least favourite part? Hmm, trying to stay true to the Australian character and not sounding like Steve Irwin. LOL
Julie: My writing has been the same. I started with US settings, because the books and films I was inspired by at the time were set there. I was writing about serial killers, and mobsters, and it just all seemed to fit. Then someone in the biz challenged me to write an Australian story for him. And it was a challenge! But I decided to use that, to go with that. Make the problem part of the solution, you know? Hence the story that ultimately became Mitch Rebecki Gets a Life, in which an American investigative journalist is forced to live in Sydney for a while, and gets himself into trouble because he can’t take seriously the idea that Australia also has organised crime.
(BTW, it’s funny you should mention Steve Irwin, as my title Butterfly Hunter is a nod to his Crocodile Hunter. Crikey!)
N.R.: You had the regional dialect covered in Butterfly Hunter, being from both Australia and England yourself. I loved seeing the differences between the locations and how that reflected in the characters. Was having an English and Australian couple intentional for that reason?
Julie: Yes, it was. Having been a stranger in a strange land myself – twice, now, seeing as I came back to the UK after decades in Oz – I thought I’d make the most of that and let it inform the two characters. I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s always useful to have one character as a fish out of water, so that a certain amount of exposition just comes naturally.
And then there was the idea that things like the supernatural or spiritual might be at least partly informed by location. Hence Dave is connected to the Dreaming in Australia, in a modest way, but when in England he feels the stone circle near their honeymoon cottage is just interesting – while Nicholas gets a much more unsettling vibe from it.
Julie: I understand you have a sequel coming out soon. Did you always know that Lawson and Jack’s story would continue beyond Imago? What is it that prompted / insisted on more than one book?
N.R.: It’s weird, because I rarely know there will be a sequel until I get to the end of the first book and the characters tell me they’re not done yet. With Imago, I got to the end and I knew… there was more to tell. I guess it also helped that the entire timeline of Imago only spanned about three weeks LOL
I have finished the sequel, it’s currently with my editor, and I’m hoping to have it out around April 10th. But the second book is the last which people might not like too much LOL I mean, there’s at least a dozen butterfly expedition stories I could write, right?? LOL Well, possibly. But more importantly (to me at least) it’s also about the arc of their relationship. And for these boys, it was just two books.
The sequel is titled Imagines, which is the Latin plural for Imago.
N.R.: Was Butterfly Hunter always going to be a trilogy? Tell me about your writing process…
Julie: LOL! There’s nothing I like talking about more!
Butterfly Hunter was actually the first ‘proper’ romance I’d written, and I had no idea whether it would be a success or not. While I was writing it, in order to believe in Dave and Nicholas’s HEA, I had to think ahead into their future – and hence I’d already thought out the second volume which happens right away, with Dave following Nicholas to England, and then the third volume which looks ahead seven years into their more settled future. I had to know all that could happen for them, including the practicalities of visas and so on. (It’s no accident that Dave’s father was born in England!)
So I had the ideas thought out, but it was only when Butterfly Hunter proved quite popular, that I said to Manifold Press there’s another story or two here that I could write, if they want them. Luckily they did.
Julie: Final question! What are you working on now / next?
N.R.: I’m hoping to give Yanni, from my Spencer Cohen Series, his story. I’ve never actually done this – gone back to a completed series and given a secondary character his story. After I finished Spencer, I wondered if Yanni would speak to me. Apparently he wasn’t ready then – but he is now. Well, I have snippets of scenes, and that’s all. So I’m hoping he gets a bit more chatty before I start! It’s not set in Australia, so now my editor will be changing Australian words to American. She might possibly want to strangle me!
I have another series also playing in the back of my mind, but whether that storyline sees the light of day is something I’m debating. It’s a Sydney-based crime trilogy, that deals with some not-nice subject matter, but there is a real life case right now that is a little similar and that’s not something I feel comfortable with.
But I can only ever write the story the character tells me to write. We’ll just have to see how stubborn he is, and how much of his story he’s willing to change (to remove the real life connection). I already have his name, description, personality traits etc, so that’s usually a pretty good sign the story will happen. I’ll do Yanni’s story first and see how this new character feels then.
It’s kinda crazy that imaginary voices in our heads have so much power of us, isn’t it? LOL
Julie: It’s awesome, yes!
I have a novella coming out on 1 May which will be something a bit different, inspired by Francis Beaumont’s play The Knight of the Burning Pestle. To be honest, I have no idea how it will be received – but I had to write it, and usually that’s a good sign! {touch wood}
I’m also researching a romance set in India in the late 1700s / early 1800s. It’s another idea that has been with me for some time now, and won’t go away – so while it’s daunting to think of how much I need to get right, I have girded my loins and am preparing as much as I can.
Thank you for an awesome chat, N.R., and good luck with all your present and future stories!
<3
If you’d like to know more, please come find us and our books!
- N.R. on Twitter
- N.R on Facebook
- N.R.’s website
- Imago on Amazon US
- Julie on Twitter
- Julie’s Facebook page LIBRAtiger
- Julie’s blog
- Butterfly Hunter on Amazon US
And coming April 10th…
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Good Morning Monday ~ Imagines Cover and News!
Well, it’s been another super busy week! Despite being under the weather for most of the week, I finished the first draft of Imagines, did a read through, fixed some stuff, and it’s now in the hands of my editor. For those who missed it, the title of the sequel to Imago, is Imagines.
Finding the right title to follow on from Imago wasn’t easy, when it was so very specific to its meaning. So, going back to its origins, I found the the only thing better than one imago, was the plural… And so Imagines was so named.
The Latin plural of imago is imagines, and this is the term generally used by entomologists.
Now for the cover!!
In keeping with the original and how the Imago cover had the Tillman Copper on the cover, the cover of Imagines now represents the kind of butterfly Lawson is focused on in Imagines, which is the striking blue Ulysses. Harper By Design has done another outstanding job.
I’m hoping to have Imagines out April 10th, but this is subject to change.
I’ll have the blurb to share with you soon as well 🙂 Jack and Lawson have been such a treat to write – so very lovely, sweet boys, and I hope everyone loves the conclusion to their story.
Now for some shameless bragging, Imago spent FOURTEEN days at #1 in the US Gay Fiction (except for two days in which Switched (my December release) went to #1 after a BookBub featured deal – so I had the #1 and #2 spots) which is a HUGE feat! I was so shocked and humbled. And it really does prove that I have the BEST readers on the planet! <3
Imago has been Book of the Week at Love Bytes Reviews AND at Diverse Reader <3
Now, I know last week I said I wouldn’t have any books out in March… which has turned me into a liar. LOL Because the Rote Erde 2 (the German translation to Red Dirt Heart 2) is NOW LIVE!!
You can find it at the following outlets:
B&N
That’s it for this week! I will be away from home next weekend, so there probably won’t be a post. Until next time…
<3
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Guest Post ~ Posy Roberts and Momo My Everything.
My good friend Posy Roberts has a new book out! And the cover is gorgeous!
Brave the spotlight for the man he loves, or stay alone in the shadows…
William Harris is a reserved man, private and guarded. He has no one to go home to. He’s never found a man worth sticking around for. He’s never been in love. And he’s convinced he’s happy with his lone-wolf life.
Nate Kelly is William’s opposite, social and easy going. He comes into William’s life as the elegant geisha Momo. When William realizes Momo is a man in drag, he’s captivated.
From their first date, William’s world changes. Nate is nothing like his usual type. And William soon finds out being with this carefree man means always being on display and attracting attention, which makes him want to retreat. He tries to keep Nate at arm’s length, but it’s no use. Nate’s transformed his life in a matter of months and keeps drawing him back in.
If they stand a chance, William has to be comfortable standing next to someone so at home in the limelight. Their future together and William’s happiness depend on it. Is Nate the man finally worth giving up William’s solitary existence? Is he worth sticking around for?
Opposites Attract, Fluff, Internal Character Angst, 2+ hour read.Gay Romance, Contemporary, Multicultural Romance27,000 Words, 95 pagesKindle UnlimitedAmazon Universal Link: http://mybook.to/Momo
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