Author Name: Jude Sierra
Book Name: Hush
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Blurb:
Wren is one of “the gifted”—a college sophomore with the power to compel others’ feelings and desires. He uses his power as a game of sexual consent until Cameron, a naïve freshman, enters his life. As Cameron begins to understand his sexuality and gain confidence under Wren’s tutelage, Wren grows to recognize new and unexpected things about himself. Can their game become a relationship as the power shifts from teacher to student?
Pages or Words: 278 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Excerpt:
Wren looks… different. His eyes are wide in what seems almost like surprise. His lips, darker than Cam’s ever seen them, tremble. Cam doesn’t need any of Wren’s abilities to catch that Wren is overwhelmed. The only thing Cam knows how to offer is what he himself would want.
“Kiss me?” he asks.
Beautifully, Wren doesn’t resist. His clothes are rough against Cam’s skin all those zippers are so cold where Cam radiates heat. When Wren drapes himself on top of Cam, his body is heavier than Cam had imagined. Wren kisses Cam softly, seeking something, and Cam wants to believe it’s from a feeling of closeness, something sweet like the gratitude he feels right now. He cannot believe he just did that—that he let Wren do that. Hulled and shaking, Cam lets his hands wander because even after that perfect storm of pleasure, there is an itch under his skin for more.
About the author:
Jude Sierra first began writing poetry as a child in her home country of Brazil. Still a student of the form, she has expanded her repertoire with her first novel, Hush.
She began writing long-form fiction by tackling her first National Novel Writing Month project in 2007, and in 2011 began writing in online fan communities, where her stories have thousands of readers.
Interview with Jude Sierra:
Q: Where did you get your idea for ‘Hush’?
A: From Katy Perry’s song, Dark Horse. The first time I heard it, I fell in love with the sound – dark and sexy and powerful. The more I heard it the more the lyrics started to spark ideas. Personally I enjoyed the fantasy of having a lover who had the power to compel – not only your actions, but your pleasure. My brain isn’t always meant for quick fantasy though; sooner or later my questioning brain kicks in and wants to know why and how. I kept trying to construct a story and running into the problem of consent. Figuring out a way to make the fantasy come true and to have it happen with full consent, even while being compelled, is really where Hush was born.
Q: Which character was more challenging to write – Wren or Cam? Why?
A: Cam! Cam was my first character, but also the most elusive, frustrating, obtuse one as well. It took me a long time to peel back his layers to figure out what made him tick and why. The biggest part of that challenge is that he had no idea what made him tick or why either. Characters challenge me in many ways, but most of my characters have a sense of self they reveal to me as I write. With Cam we both were in the dark. While that did make him difficult to write, it also meant that as he came into himself I fell more and more in love with him. For all the hair pulling, teeth gnashing moments he provided me, he will always be really very special to me as well.
Q: What 5 books would you recommend to your readers?
A: Oh my god, I only get five???
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. A book with an intersex protagonist, which I never see, and also a wonderful interweaving of the history of Detroit, which is close to my heart. Beautifully, stunningly written.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. I love Young and New Adult books. This book is hilarious and irreverent and spot on. You root for Paul and Noah, you head palm over Paul’s fails, you fall in love with the secondary characters (especially Tony). My favorite of Levithan’s books, although they are all treasures.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. There is no universe in any dimension of existence in which I won’t insist you read this series (yes I cheated a little. Outlander is the first book. It’s a part of a series). I can’t even sum it up – it’s epic. History, a touch of sci-fi, romance, war, hot sex, men in kilts…
The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Again with the YA! This book has long been one of my favorites. It’s a coming age of story that’s poignant and painful; both in historical context (during and just after World War II) but also in what Danny and Revuen go through as they grow into men. The bedrock of the story – the friendship they develop and their relationship and friendship throughout – is so masterfully done, I still cry when I read it.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. I could go on for years about all the ways in which this book is so much more than people think: the complex themes of creation, religion, responsibility and philosophy. But I won’t. I’ll just kindly urge everyone to read it, ponder it, and read it again. And again.
Q: What is your favorite flavor of tea?
A: Okay so I have two I’ll share.
I’ll confess that my favorite tea is a blend of loose-leaf teas. I love Teavana’s Strawberry Paraiso, which is a white tea that has strawberry and papaya flavors (and popcorn! I know, weird. But awesome). I like to mix that with some of their Blueberry Bliss, which is a rubios tea (Teavana’s website tells me it combines the flavors of blueberry with grapes, currants and hibiscus…). Add some german rock sugar and BAM. Heaven in a cup.
If we’re talking bagged tea, there’s a wonderful tea called Lady Grey. It’s a black tea, like Earl Grey, but lighter, with lemon and orange peel flavors. There’s a cold brew bag and a hot brew, and it’s very soothing when you’re not feeling well. I discovered it in the early stages of my second pregnancy. It was summer and everything was gross. Cold brew Lady Grey made it all better, bless her.
Q: Do you have any terrible crochet stories to share with us? Maybe 2 sleeves that were different lengths or a head hole that wasn’t?
A: I’m pretty tame when I crochet – mostly because I lack the patience to count stitches to make anything really cool. My goal in life is to make a sweater like the one Katniss wears in Catching Fire, in the opening scene.
I did once make a baby blanket for my niece, before she was born. Lots of colors and an unusual pattern, but I didn’t count the stitches to start (see above on my fail), and I also somehow managed to steadily decrease tension as I went. By the time the blanket was done, it was more of a rhombus than a blanket. Luckily, being a newborn, she wasn’t the most critical of audiences.
Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JudeMSierra
Twitter: @judesierra
Goodreads Link: www.Goodreads.com/Jude_Sierra
Publisher: Consent, an imprint of Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Artist: Victoria A. with Cover Design by BuckeyeGrrl Designs
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Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card
Thank you for hosting, and for the fun interview (and a chance to try to convert people to tea drinking glory!)
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