Blog Tour Stop including Excerpt, Author Q&A and Giveaway - The Right Time by Lane Hayes ~ BFD Book Blog

Author Name: Lane Hayes

Book Name: The Right Time

Series: Right & Wrong Stories

Book number: 3

Can be read as a standalone

Release Date: June 26, 2015

Blurb:

Workaholic Nate Erickson is a successful real estate developer who thrives on long hours and stress. When a Los Angeles project prompts him to relocate to Santa Monica, he welcomes the change of scenery. Nate has always considered romantic entanglements trouble, but his sexy next-door neighbor isn’t easy to ignore. Which makes no sense, because Nate is straight… or so he’s always thought.

Alex Reyes is a retired professional soccer player turned West Hollywood business owner with an insatiable lust for life. He loves his family, friends, and work. But there’s one life challenge left to accomplish: coming out publically. Respect for traditional Latino values has kept him in the closet, but Alex begins to think he and his new neighbor might help one another combat their fears. As Alex and Nate forge a strong friendship, they soon realize facing their personal demons will take more courage than either man bargained. The reward is immeasurable… if the timing is right.

Pages or Words: 225 pages, 80,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

I hadn’t worked out with a professional in years, and it felt foreign to wait for someone else’s direction.

“Any issues with your shoulders or arms? Any injuries I should know about?” he asked, handing me the weights.

“No, I’m good.”

“Great. Start with your palms facing your thighs, lift them both over your chest, then lower the left. Good. And now the right.”

He stood over me diligently, making slight corrections when needed. My supine position gave me an interesting perspective. When I looked up, I noted how his strong brow offset his twinkling eyes. I swallowed uncomfortably and turned my head, only to find myself staring at his crotch. His dark shorts seemed to hint they were covering a generous package.

Holy fuck.

“You doing okay?”

“Uh yeah. Hey, weren’t you going to tell me about your Friday night?” I needed him to talk. I didn’t trust my thoughts anymore, and I was stuck in my current position crazily aware of a man in a way I hadn’t been in over fifteen fucking years. Diversion in any form was welcome.

Alex snorted. “I already told you. I went dancing, and oh yeah, I did get lucky.”

He added the last part with a hearty chuckle, no doubt catching my wide-eyed expression. I hadn’t expected that.

“Oh.”

“You asked.”

“Right.” I did? The strong flash of jealousy took me by surprise, but I pressed on. “Did you go back to the beach to get those girls’ numbers last weekend?”

He looked confused for a second, but a slow cocky grin soon spread across his handsome features as he crouched so his face was close to mine.

“No, I told you they weren’t my type.”

I gulped and watched his eyes lower to my throat. He licked his top lip and reached out to adjust my wrist.

“Lift ’em both at the same time, Nate. That’s it. Push it. Harder.”

I sent up a quick prayer I wasn’t sporting a tent in my shorts. Alex’s voice, touch, and yeah, the unintentional innuendos were making me nuts. And horny. I felt terribly out of my element. I wasn’t sure what we were talking about anymore, but the potent silence made me more uncomfortable than speech. Keep talking, I thought.

“So a dance partner?”

“What? Oh. Yeah, I think so. I can’t remember. It was just one of those things, you know? Sit up. Let’s give your arms a break.”

“Just one of those things?”

“Yeah. One night. No numbers exchanged. No hassle, no fuss.”

I had no words. Literally.

Alex chuckled gleefully as he led the way to a leg machine. He gave instructions and stood back to observe me for a moment.

“It’s not necessarily my favorite kind of sex, but hey….” He shrugged his shoulders with his hands outstretched as if to say “what’s a guy to do?”

I recognized this cue. It was my opportunity to commiserate about the trials and tribulations of being a single man with a healthy sexual appetite. Now was my chance to admit it was nice every once in a while to have sex of the nonsolo variety with someone who knew the score. But I was tongue-tied and equally aware of a completely different undercurrent. One I wasn’t brave enough to explore.

“You can stop having fun at my expense any time.”

Alex squeezed my shoulder and smirked playfully. “You’re easily rattled.”

“How so?”

“You seem like someone who has a place for everything and likes everything in its place. You have a routine, and you don’t appreciate any deviation. I should be flattered you came to the gym with me at the spur of the moment.” He paused, running his tongue over his plump bottom lip. “If you’re not careful, I’m gonna think you like me.”

The air between us crackled. Alex leaned forward so his handsome face was mere inches from mine. His proximity alone seemed to issue a challenge. Daring me to confess I was more than I appeared to be. I doubt he expected any revelations, but his intent was certainly to… how had he put it, rattle me. And damn, it was working.

Sales Links:

eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6462

Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6463

About the author:

Lane Hayes is finally doing what she loves best. Writing! An avid reader from an early age, Lane has always been drawn to romance novels. She truly believes there is nothing more inspiring than a well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Lane discovered the M/M genre a fews ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel, Better Than Good, was a 2013 Rainbow Awards finalist. She loves travel, chocolate, and wine (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and their very old dog in an almost empty nest.

Thank you Lane Hayes for spending the time with us and answering our questions!

Q: I see you live in SoCal…I’m from there. Do you do any writing on/near the beach? It seems like being near the ocean would be a great place to clear your head and get some writing done!

A: Well hello, fellow Californian! Where are you from? I live in Orange County very near the beach (pretty close to where Michael & Luke from The Right Words live J). It’s a beautiful area with clean air and gorgeous scenery. The perfect place to write. But alas…I actually do all my writing at home. I’m more likely to go for a walk near the water to clear my head than try to get any quality work done there. I require peace and quiet when I write. (High maintenance author here! Lol)

Q: Who was your favorite between Nate and Alex? Who was harder to write?

A: I know I shouldn’t have favorites but God, Alex is hard not to love. He’s fun and vivacious with a killer body and a gorgeous smile. *Swoon. His openness and kind nature made him easier character to write by far. Nate was a challenge. He’s set in his ways and difficult to know. While Alex is the first to tell you what’s on his mind, Nate keeps his secrets guarded. The two men are polar opposites in ways that make you appreciate the finer points of relationships (I hope!). They are by far the most complex pairing I’ve written to date. I’m very proud of them. 🙂

Q: I loved your Mothers’ Day post on your blog. You didn’t mention your son’s reaction to first learning about your book. Can you share that with us?

For those of you that haven’t seen or read this post, you can read it here.

A: Thank you! And thank you for sharing the post with your readers. My son was shocked! Lol. J He was the first of my three kids I told for obvious reasons. We went on a walk together by the water when he was home for his first Thanksgiving break from college. My first book, Better Than Good, had been released a few months before and the second book in the series, Better Than Chance was due out soon after. The timing was right. He was mature enough not to be freaked out by my revelation and hopefully even to see my writing as a show of support. He thinks it’s pretty darn cool (so do his younger brother and sister). Even if he never reads my books, he knows my intent has always been to show support and write a message of hope and love for him and the entire LGBT community. A lofty goal, I know, but Moms tough birds!

Q: Are there any LGBT organizations you support personally that you want to share with us and give us more information about?

A: Thank you for asking this question! In Book 1 of Right & Wrong Stories, Michael opens an LGBT Center for Latino youth. In The Right Time, the center is featured prominently because Alex helps coach soccer with the teens. He consistently acknowledges how fortunate he is and he’s determined to make a difference for those in need, particularly the LGBT youth.

LGBT Youth centers are vital. As the mother of an LGBT youth (now 21 year old son) I cannot fathom the cruelty I know some kids endure in their own homes for their sexuality. It is beyond heartless. These children are the voices of tomorrow. They are important, valuable members of society who deserve our support. I love the work Cyndi Lauper has done for the True Colors Fund. http://truecolorsfund.org

Her message is simple but significant:

“That is one of the reasons why we founded the True Colors Fund, to lend a helping hand in encouraging my straight peers to get informed and give a damn about equality.”

I provided a short list to be printed at the beginning of The Right Time. Here are the organizations I listed.

Lifeworks in LA: http://www.lifeworksla.org/

The YEAH! program in Berkeley: http://www.yeah-berkeley.org/index.php

The Castro Youth Housing Initiative in San Francisco: http://www.larkinstreetyouth.org/programs/housing/castro-youth-initiative/

The Billy DeFrank Center in San José: http://www.defrankcenter.org/

Q: Your bio mentions you love travel…what are some of the best places you’ve visited? Have any of them influenced any of your stories?

A: I love travel! I’ve been to quite a few places in the US, Canada and Europe. Some of my favorite places are Paris (my husband and I were engaged thereJ), Florence, Munich and London. In the US, I love San Francisco, Santa Fe and yes… New York City! My list could get out of control pretty darn fast so I’ll stop here. Lol!

Travel is the best form of education there is. I think every place I’ve visited has influenced my writing to some degree. I may not write a specific story about the time I was caught in a rainstorm in Rome but I can evoke the feeling easily because I was ultra-aware of my surroundings. When I can get to those places in my head, I know what I write comes from the heart. Simply put, travel inspires me.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: Lane Hayes https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008562883399&fref=ts

Facebook Author Page: LaneHayesauthor

Twitter: LaneHayes3 https://twitter.com/LaneHayes3

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7125719.Lane_Hayes

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press