Blog Tour Stop including Excerpt, Author Guest Post & Giveaway - The Rules of Ever After by Killian B. Brewer ~ BFD Book Blog

Author Name: Killian B. Brewer

Book Name: The Rules of Ever After

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Blurb:

The rules of royal life have governed the kingdoms of Clarameer for thousands of years, but Prince Phillip and Prince Daniel know that these rules don’t provide for the happily ever after they seek.

A fateful, sleepless night brings the two young men together and sends them on a quest out into the kingdoms. On their travels, they encounter meddlesome fairies, an ambitious stepmother, disgruntled princesses and vengeful kings as they learn about life, love, friendship and family. Most of all, the two young men must learn how to write their own rules of ever after.

Pages or Words: 256 pages

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Young Adult

Excerpt:

“Phillip, don’t believe all those stories your scribe told you. Magic is not defeated by waiting for someone to come rescue you from it. You have to fight it.” Daniel paused and took a breath before reaching out to take Phillip’s hand again. “I sat around for two years waiting for someone to come along and fix my problems. No one came, and nothing changed. Then I realized that maybe the person I was waiting for was me. So I went out to find my own answers.”

“I’m not you. I don’t even know where to begin.” Phillip sat back on the edge of the bed.

“You begin the way everyone does,” Daniel explained, “one foot in front of the other.”

“I’ve barely been out of this castle. I don’t know what’s out there.”

“Well, you’re in luck. You know someone who does.”

“What? Who?” Phillip cocked his head and stared at Daniel in confusion.

“Me!” Daniel winked and pointed to his chest. “I know what’s out there. I’ve been wandering all over the kingdoms for months now. I’ve studied the maps and the histories. I know how to fight and how to survive.” Daniel stood up. “I’ll come with you,” he continued. “I’ll help you find her, and we’ll bring her down together. We will fix this.”

Daniel could almost see the wheels turn in Phillip’s head as he considered Daniel’s offer. He looked over at his father, then back down at his feet before glancing up to Daniel with a look of tentative hope. “Why would you do that?”

Daniel pondered the question for a moment, unsure of the answer himself. The pain in Phillip’s face touched Daniel’s heart and made him want to bring back the mischievous, laughing man he had met just two nights before. This was not his problem, and he had his own concerns to deal with, but looking at Phillip’s terrified face, he knew he wanted to help. He knew he had to.

“I’m not being completely selfless. I’m still going to be looking for my own answers. But I can help you look, too.” Daniel held his hand out to Phillip. “Come with me. Let’s go get you some food and make a plan.”

“You’re just saying this to get me to eat.”

“No. As I said, I feel responsible. If I hadn’t gotten in that bed—”

“But you did.” Phillip mumbled before turning to look at Daniel with his eyes wide. “And you passed the test. I thought for sure you were the answer—”

“The test? I still don’t understand about this test.”

“Yes. You were the first to spend the night in the bed and be kept awake by the pea under the mattresses. Okay, maybe some of the others could have passed if I hadn’t—”

“Phillip? You think a pea kept me awake?” Daniel stepped back and knitted his brows; he had clearly missed some element of that awful night’s events. Though he was glad to see some sign of activity from Phillip, Daniel was thoroughly confused. “Why was there a pea under—”

“Yes. You passed the test. Maybe it is a sign!” Phillip stood and turned to Daniel; excitement spread across his face. “Maybe you are here to help me.”

Sales Links: Amazon, Duet Website,

Interlude Web store: store.interludepress.com

About the author:

Killian B. Brewer grew up in a family where the best way to be heard was to tell a good story, therefore he developed an early love of storytelling, puns and wordplay. He began writing poetry and short fiction at 15 and continued in college where he earned a BA in English. He does not use this degree in his job in the banking industry.

He currently lives in Georgia with his partner of ten years and their dog. Growing up in the South gave him a funny accent and a love of grits. The Rules of Ever After is his first novel.

We loved Killian’s blog post entitled ‘Surprising myself’ about ‘The Rules’ and wanted to share it with you. You can see the post on Killian’s blog here.

Nothing pleases me more than when a book surprises me.

I must admit, however, that I didn’t expect that to happen with my own book. I mean, I’m the author. I knew where this was headed. I had the main plot and the characters all laid out when I first sat down. But in the process of writing it, my book surprised me.

I set out to write a simple, fairy-tale romance between two princes that turned the tropes of traditional fairy tales on its ear. In other words, I wanted to write a romance that broke all the rules while staying within the “rules.” What I hadn’t thought about–I’m a little ashamed to admit–was what the consequences of this rule-breaking would be for the fairy taleprincesses that would normally be wooed by the princes. By bending the rules for the male characters, I set off a ripple effect that changed the rules for my female characters too.

In traditional fairy tales, the princess is locked in a tower, perched on a stack of mattresses, or placed in a glass coffin to wait for a prince to rescue her. This serves two purposes: setting her on a pedestal to be an object of adoration and, sadly, preventing her from taking an active part in her own story. As one princess in my book, Monique, says, “Honey, don’t let those storytellers fool you. This princess life ain’t all it’s hyped up to be.”

But what if the prince she is waiting on breaks these “rules” by falling in love with another prince? What if he doesn’t show up? Suddenly, she can climb down from the tower, or off the mattresses, or out of the coffin and write out her own story. It allows her to abandon the rules and be active in her own tale.

In The Rules of Ever After, I had so much fun writing the six princesses who learn to break the rules too. Set free form the strict confines of typical fairy tales, each princess finds her own distinct path and forges her own story. This wasn’t something I expected when I began. While I’m happy I could write a tale of prince charming meeting his prince charming, I’m especially happy I was able to write six princesses finding out they are pretty darned charming themselves.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: Facebook.com/KillianBBewer

Twitter: @KillianBBrewer

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/KillianBBrewer

Home Page: killianbbrewer.com

Goodreads Link: Goodreads.com/KillianBBrewer

Publisher: Interlude Press