Blog Tour Stop including Author Q&A and Giveaway - Here Without You by Mia Kerick ~ BFD Book Blog

Book Name: Here Without You

Book two of the Once Voice series. Can be read as a standalone, but not suggested.

Release Date: February

Author Name: Mia Kerick

Author Bio:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, and CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.

Mia is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights, especially marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Where to find Mia:

Blog: www.miakerick.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick

Dreamspinner Author Arcade: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/mia-kerick/bio/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474518.Mia_Kerick

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaKerick

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Q&A with Mia:

You just wrote your first F/F book ‘Come To My Window’. (we won’t talk about the publishing issues) How difficult was it to transition from 2 men to 2 women? It seems like that would be a completely different mindset to be in while creating.

I really had no difficulty at all transitioning from writing gay love stories to writing a lesbian love story. I think this is because the way I was inspired to write Come To My Window was the same as how I’ve been inspired to write many of my other books before it. As has happened to me before, I heard a song that moved me to write, and you might think it was Melissa Etheridge’s “Come To My Window”, but it was actually Mary Lambert’s “She Keeps Me Warm.” The feeling this song and its beautiful lyrics elicited in me were of warmth and safety, of coming home, and of permanence, but also of playfulness and a little bit of teasing. It is an inspiring song of love, and I wanted to create characters and a story in which two teenage girls would feel this way.

She says I smell like safety and home

I named both of her eyes “Forever” and “Please don’t go”

I could be a morning sunrise all the time, all the time yeah

This could be good, this could be good

And I can’t change, even if I tried

Even if I wanted to

And I can’t change, even if I tried

Even if I wanted to

My love, my love, my love, my love

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

What’s your middle name?

Do you hate your job?

Do you fall in love too easily?

What’s your favorite word?

You like kissing girls?

Can I call you baby?

Yeah, yeah

So, the mindset is the same. Some of the body parts are different, that’s all.

And thanks for not bringing up the publishing situation, as it was very difficult.

How hard was it to write about 3 men instead of 2? What was hard to adjust to add the 3^rd? I know that has to be another challenging dynamic in a story.

I feel like I am repeating my answer from the last question, but I’m not. I promise!

Writing Casey, Zander, and Nate’s love story felt easy and natural because they fell in love so naturally. There was never a Casey and Nate without a Zander, or a Zander and Casey without a Nate; their love blossomed spontaneously, in the hearts of all three of them, and before they knew it they were three boys in love. And they knew it was a perfect fit in every way. The key to the ease with which I wrote this love story, I think, is that I knew these characters so very well. So whether they were cooking together, or playing video games, or making love, I knew just what they’d do, when each young man would make a move, and when he would hold back and wait and watch.

Give us one of your favorite lines from one of your books.

I had to make it a short paragraph. Sorry that I bent the rules, but Here Without You is Kinda about bending the rules.

This is from Casey’s viewpoint:

All I knew was that I needed to get Nate and Zander together on our newly pushed-together almost-like-king-size bed. I needed to feel their skin surrounding me. The warmth. The safety. I needed to revel in the exquisite feeling of belonging that only existed when the three of us were together.

Your bio mentions your involvement with the Human Rights Campaign. How can people get involved with that campaign?

I have been a member of the Human Rights Campaign for the past few years. I was actually stopped in Chicago one hot day a few summers back as I walked along the Chicago Miracle Mile, by a HRC member, and I signed up right there and then. Since that day I have signed many campaigns and petitions and donated to various political funds. I am looking forward to when I am not quite so busy with my kids, and then I will attend some of the events in person. I am happy I am part of this campaign, and I will say it is easy to join if you are interested.

http://www.hrc.org

Cover Artist: Paul Richmond (Photograph by Dan Skinner)

Blurb(s):

With all of his scratched and dented heart, Nate DeMarco wants to be two places at once, but he’s been forced to make an unbearable choice. Having barely survived high school, Nate and his boyfriends, Casey Minton and Zander Zane, are ready to move forward in life. Casey and Zander have left home to attend Boston City College. Nate remains in New Hampshire to protect his volatile younger sister from their increasingly violent, alcoholic uncle. Nate suffers with anger, resentment, and loneliness as he battles what he wants against what he feels he must do.

Now separated, the young men fight to stay in contact. However, they’re each faced with their own separate issues. Casey must cope with residual fear from having been bullied in high school. Zander obsesses over the establishment of One Voice, the new gay-straight alliance at Boston City College. Nate fights for his sister’s very survival. Meanwhile, the intensity of the boys’ relationship increases, both sexually and emotionally, as happens in long distance relationships.

Nate’s futile effort to live two lives leads to tragedy, which blasts Nate, Casey, and Zander apart. Can the three young men find their way back to a united path before it’s too late?

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, New Adult, Romance

Excerpt:

2 NATE’S DIARY

August 23 (they only been gone about half a week now)

SO MAYBE this is a bit fucked up, but I’m gonna put it down on paper in black and white, and maybe when I read it back to myself, it’ll seem more normal.

Here’s the thing. Like Casey says, us three is a throuple. Three dudes in love. Whatever. Cuz I sure as shit love them guys, and nothin’s gonna change that. So, yeah. There’s two dudes in place A and one dude, alone, in place B. I just figured them two would be gettin’ busy in bed in their fancy dorm room whenever they had a chance—cuz that’s what guys do, right?

Well, apparently not so much. Last night they Skyped me. There them two were, sittin’ all cozy on Casey’s rainbow-colored bedspread. The floppy stuffed unicorn that me and Zander gave him for Christmas junior year was propped up behind ’em, starin’ at the computer, like it was lookin’ right at yours truly. I felt real alone and a little like a loser (fucked-up fact is they only been gone a couple days), but I leaned back on my bed and acted like I didn’t give a shit.

Casey said, in this adorable proper voice, “Nate, there’s a topic Zander and I feel it’s imperative we discuss. It’s a matter of great importance.” He already sounds like a doctor, and he’s only a freshman in college.

Zander was just starin’ into the computer at me, sorta studyin’ my I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-nothin’ expression.

“What’s such a big friggin’ deal, babe? Lay it on me.” That was pretty cool soundin’, I thought.

“Well, Zander and I want to have a discussion about…. Nate, we want to discuss physical intimacy. In that….”

Even on Skype I could see that two spots on Casey’s cheeks had turned bright pink. Looked like he was having trouble spittin’ this out. And he was the talker in our throuple.

“Zander and I are here together, without you, and we’ve talked about this—”

“I expect you two’ve been goin’ to town on each other every night since you got to college and are prob’ly itchin’ to strip each other down right now.” Both of my guys’ eyes popped open wide when I said that.

“Actually, Nate.” Zander spoke up cuz it seemed that Casey was suddenly at a loss for words. “We haven’t, and we’re not gonna.”

“Huh?” That just kinda flew outta my mouth. “Come again, guy?”

Casey found his voice. “We aren’t going to sleep together unless you’re with us. We discussed it, and neither of us think it would feel right.” He glanced at Zander, and them two nodded at each other. “We aren’t going to do anything in bed together until you’re here for a visit.”

Pages or Words: 216 pages