Author Name:
Claire Davis and Al Stewart
Victoria Milne
Dawn Sister
J P Walker
Caraway Carter
Ofelia Gränd
Debbie McGowan
Book Name: Love Unlocked
Release Date: February 14, 2016
Blurb:
Love Unlocked is a collection of seven short stories and novellas – unique LGBTQ romances inspired by the Love Lock Bridge.
THE STORIES:
The Trap by Claire Davis and Al Stewart
Writer’s Lock by Victoria Milne
Locked in the Moment by Dawn Sister
The Weekend by J P Walker
The Scarlet Lock by Caraway Carter
He Melted Us by Ofelia Gränd
Chain of Secrets by Debbie McGowan
THE TRAP by CLAIRE DAVIS AND AL STEWART
New job – sexy boss – fate – Art…
When Sal attends an open exam for an apprentice artist to work alongside the infamous Matthew Picard, the last thing he expects is to be the winner. But then his role is revealed and nothing is ever the same again. As he toils day and night on the unique sculpture, strange sensations begin to affect both him and the watching master artist.
Matthew Picard thought he was through with men and love. What he wanted was for Sal to help him create one final monstrous masterpiece – The Trap.
But as he observes his young apprentice, his focus shifts, and so do the very walls of the gallery.
Is it the beauty of art, or something more magical at work?
As the sculpture is created, a power is unlocked.
Can love save them, or will they be trapped forever?
Character Interview (Sal):
Q: What’s your job like?
A: I love it! It isn’t so much a job as my life. Each morning, I wake up next to The Trap, and can begin work. Every breath I take is full of its very fibres. Occasionally I go back to my flat, and I am shocked that the world goes on.
Q: Would you rather be respected or feared? Why?
A: I think both are very fearsome. Being respected reminds me of my mother, who made me attend lots of church sales so that I might fit in the village. But I never did. Feared… I fear Matthew, but not in the way you might think. I fear him because he is my focus, my star. Without him, I am lost. Sorry, I cannot really answer that question.
Q: What’s your favorite book?
A: I am not clever enough to read, and I cannot afford to buy books. But I love to read art books that feature Matthew Picard.
Q: If you could go anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?
A: I would love and adore to visit the sculptures Matthew and his ex lover made throughout the world – Paris, Rome, Venice.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: There is nothing to tell. I am nobody special.
WRITER’S LOCK by VICTORIA MILNE
Spending a month in Paris to write his romance novel had seemed like the perfect plan, but one week in, Phil Pearson is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. With barely a word written, he’s fed up and ready to cut his trip short.
When Laurent Marceau sees Phil in his café, it sends him hurtling into the past, opening old wounds and reminding him of the love he lost. But, after watching the aspiring writer struggle for inspiration, he surprises himself by offering to show him Paris through the eyes of a true Parisian.
Finally bursting with ideas, Phil is delighted to put pen to paper, albeit badly at first. As the writer finds himself falling in love for the first time, Laurent knows he needs to decide quickly if he’s strong enough to return his affections, or whether it would be better for them both if he walked away. He knows he may not have a choice, once Phil finds out the truth.
LOCKED IN THE MOMENT by DAWN SISTER
Due to a misunderstanding, the troll that lives underneath one of the most romantic bridges in Paris inadvertently unlocks every single padlock lovers have left there over the years. L’Authoritié de Fée Folklorique are up in arms. He has no idea what all the fuss is about. The noise was driving him mad. He just wanted a bit of peace and quiet.
A spell is cast, leaving the troll in a bit of a predicament. He is charged with the seemingly impossible task of fixing the locks before the spell can be reversed and he is allowed to return to his home. There are other complications, the least of which is the insistence and persistence of a fairy who is determined to help him against the wishes of his own people.
Now the troll has a dilemma. What is more important to him? The only home he has known for two thousand years, or a fairy he has just met?
Character Interview (Sol):
Q: What’s your job like?
A: I don’t ‘ave a job mate, unless you count living under the same bridge for two thousand years. I guess you could say I’m the guardian of the bridge, except I don’t think I’m very good at it. I tend to scare people away.
Q: Would you rather be respected or feared? Why?
A: I’ve always been on my own. That’s the way I like it. I’ve never given much thought to what others think of me. If being feared achieves that goal, then so be it. I think if I was respected I’d get visitors and people who wanted to talk to me. That would be hell.
Q: What’s your favorite book?
A: I can’t read. That’s never been a problem for me in the past. I mean, what would a troll want with a load of books anyway? It was kind of embarrassing when Lucien found out. He wasn’t shocked, though, just surprised, and he got this determined look in his eyes. I think he might be thinking about teaching me, lord help us.
Q: If you could go anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?
A: I just want to live in peace underneath my bridge. If that’s going to prove impossible then somewhere quiet, preferably with a bridge to look after. It wouldn’t be a vacation. I’d go and live there. Would I be brave enough to go on my own? I might need a little push in the right direction, but money ain’t ever been a problem for me. I never ‘ad any and never needed it. I’d just walk.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I’m a troll. I’m seven-foot-tall, covered in thick black, wiry hair, with a mono-brow and sticking out lower jaw. I’m ugly, scary and bad tempered. I cultivate the rumors that I’ll eat anything that trip-traps across my bridge, and people believe it, even though the first and only time I ever threatened that, I got head-butted off the bridge by a bloomin’ goat, and into the river.
I’m not really that scary. I just want to be left alone.
THE WEEKEND by J P WALKER
Nat’s been through a rough breakup and trust does not come easily. When she accompanies a group of friends to Paris for a hen weekend, she finds a connection she wasn’t looking for, in the form of beautiful, passionate Morgan. They quickly fall into a wonderful weekend fling and even engrave their initials into a lock and attach it to the most romantic bridge in the world, Love Lock Bridge.
But was that weekend fling all there was, or will news of the bridge being taken down lead to something more?
THE SCARLET LOCK by CARAWAY CARTER
Brandon Marshall, in Paris for his twin sister’s wedding, has a fling before the big day. At the end of a whirlwind week of discovering each other, Brandon and his lover place a scarlet lock on the Love Lock Bridge.
Follow Brandon through six years of letters – to the citizens of Paris, on everything from how to make love, to eating passionate fruit – and to the lover, who is now his brother-in-law.
The locks are being removed, the bridge refitted… What will be the fate to The Scarlet Lock?
HE MELTED US by OFELIA GRÄND
All Delron wants is to live his life with Phillipe, but when their love lock is stolen from Pont des Art, their relationship is in jeopardy. Without the lock holding them together, Delron is convinced they’ll crash and burn. The only way he can save their relationship is to find the stolen lock, and that is just what he plans to do, no matter what.
Phillipe loves Delron, he really does, but it’s driving him insane that Delron can’t see that a padlock is simply a piece of metal. The lock has nothing to do with them, not really. Up until the night the lock was stolen, their life was great, but Del’s crazy behaviour has Phillipe wondering if he has ever really known his boyfriend.
Delron’s search leads him through art-filled Paris, but will a symbol of love ever be enough to soothe the mistrust his quest has planted in Phillipe? Phillipe always thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Del, but who can live with anyone willing to break the law just to find a padlock when they can buy a new one in just about any shop?
CHAIN OF SECRETS by DEBBIE MCGOWAN
Josh and George have always shared the special bond of friendship. From days in primary school, to holidays spent riding their bikes along the canal, theirs is a promise to remain best friends forever.
But can that promise withstand the trials of adolescence, and the changes in their feelings towards each other?
Character interview (Josh):
Q: What’s your job like?
A: A bit tedious at times, but there are worse things I could be doing. I’m a psychotherapist, and it can be a bit samey, although I do have a few very interesting clients, including one who tells me he’s a 400-year-old vampire (consent granted to mention him here). I must confess, before I met George’s mother, I’d considered my job to be very worthwhile, vital, even. However, there’s ‘nowt’ like a dressing down from a working-class Mancunian to bring one to one’s senses.
Q: Would you rather be respected or feared? Why?
A: Respected, I suppose. One of my friends says she’s scared of me, because she thinks I can see into her head. I don’t think she looked me in the eye for the first thirty years we knew each other. She’s not as bad now. But I like the idea of being respected.
Q: What’s your favorite book?
A: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. George and I read it together in primary school. He’d never heard of Charles Dickens before.
Q: If you could go anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?
A: Austria; specifically Vienna. I’m a big fan of Freud and I’d like to go and visit his apartment there, which is a museum in itself. I’m told Vienna’s a beautiful city full of fascinating architecture and rich cultural history, particularly in relation to the arts. Then there’s the mountains – I don’t want to go skiing or anything like that. I’d be more than happy renting a little cabin somewhere and enjoying the view.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: My mum was French – she died when I was three – as is my grandma. My dad died when I was six, so my grandma raised me. As a child, I was what they called ‘gifted’: of higher than average intelligence. The powers-that-be, in their infinite ‘wisdom’, decided I would benefit from advancing a year in education. For a shy, introspective child, the cumulative effect of the above did not prove beneficial. Luckily, I had George.
Pages or Words: 156,000 words, 550 pages
Categories: Bisexual (1 story), Contemporary (7 stories), Fantasy (1 story), Gay Fiction (6 stories), Lesbian Romance (1 story), M/M Romance (6 stories), Romance (7 stories)
Excerpt:
(from Chain of Secrets by Debbie McGowan)
They stopped, chained their bikes together and collected their sweets and drinks before they clambered up the concrete slope. They often had a rest under this viaduct. Not that he’d told Josh, but George liked to think it was their secret place that no-one else ever came to. It wasn’t special, just a road over the canal. But it got them out of the sun, and it was a good place to rest up before they rode the last mile home.
For a few minutes, they lay on their backs, catching their breath and cooling down. Josh reached into the bag of sweets, pulled out two lollipops, and held one out to George. Sitting up straighter, George took the lollipop, and Josh settled back, with his hands behind his head and his knees up, using the traction of his shoes to stop himself from sliding down the slope. He rolled the lollipop around, and the stick slid from one side of his mouth to the other.
George was transfixed. The stick switched sides again. A car rumbled overhead. The sugar left a glossy coating on Josh’s lips, and George wondered what they would taste like, how it would feel to press his lips to Josh’s and…kiss him. George’s heart was hammering in his chest at the thought. He wanted to kiss Josh, more than anything else. He wanted to taste the lollipop on his lips, lick the stickiness away. He wanted it so much he couldn’t stop watching the stick bobbing. He could just reach over and snatch that stick, pluck the sweet from Josh’s mouth, and kiss him.
Josh looked at him in puzzlement. Had he said something?
“Huh?” George asked. His cheeks were burning. The moment had passed, and for now the desperate urge to kiss Josh was lost.
George replayed that moment all the way home, and for days, weeks, months afterwards. He couldn’t seem to get the thought out of his head. He had wanted to kiss Josh. He still wanted to kiss him. Did he know? Could he tell what George was thinking?
At Ellie’s house, Josh got out of the limousine and gasped at the sight of his friend in her beautiful, long blue dress. She smiled and blinked back tears. Three years of fighting bulimia, and counting. Josh could see the pain, hidden behind her flawless make-up and slight yet shapely figure. Another item to add to the list of things that must not be allowed to ruin what might be their last night out together, forever.
Josh waited for Ellie to settle into her seat and sat next to her. He could feel George watching him. The finality of the occasion threatened to overwhelm him, and he waited until George’s attention had shifted before glancing his way.
George. His best friend. The boy with the bubble of blonde hair, the little ruffian with the rusty bike.
George. The tall, handsome eighteen-year-old, star footballer with his own horse.
George.
Lifting the champagne flute to his lips, George tilted his head back to take some of the fizzy golden liquid into his mouth. He met Josh’s gaze, swallowed and smiled. A concerned smile. Josh smiled back. Suddenly, the enormous car was too small, the cooled air was too warm, George was too close, too…beautiful. How had he never noticed before?
Buy the book:
Love Unlocked Anthology –
The Trap by Claire Davis and Al Stewart – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/thetrap
Writer’s Lock by Victoria Milne – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/writerslock
Locked in the Moment by Dawn Sister – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/lockedinthemoment
The Weekend by J P Walker – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/theweekend
The Scarlet Lock by Caraway Carter – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/thescarletlock
He Melted Us by Ofelia Gränd – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/hemeltedus
Chain of Secrets by Debbie McGowan – http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/chainofsecrets
The authors and where to find them:
Claire Davis and Al Stewart
Al Stewart and Claire Davis write about people who are not perfect. Claire embraces the dark side, and Al the good side of the force. Their work is there for a fusion of both, mixed often with kink and humour.
Contact and Media
Website: http://astewartcdavisbook.wix.com/author
Goodreads:
goodreads.com/author/show/8328423.Claire_Davis
goodreads.com/author/show/8510218.Al_Stewart
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Claire-Davis-and-Al-Stewart/764501920298271
Beaten Track: beatentrackpublishing.com/clairedavisandalstewart
Victoria Milne
Many years ago, Victoria chose the words ‘watch this space’ to accompany her picture in the school yearbook and had no dreams of being a writer. Sixteen years later, after someone joked that she should be an author, she began the first page of her very first novel and realised how perfect those words had been.
As a latecomer to the world of creative writing, Victoria is now making up for lost time and enjoying every second of the experience.
In the rare moments these days when she’s not writing or dreaming up new plots, she can usually be found at either the ice rink or the dojo and all of these activities are done listening to loud music.
Victoria would love to hear from anyone who shares her passion for writing; and in particular from anyone who has tips on how to tame the editing fetish she has unwittingly acquired along the way.
Contact and Media:
Goodreads: goodreads.com/VMilne
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004591036789
Beaten Track: beatentrackpublishing.com/victoriamilne
Dawn Sister
Dawn is from the North East of England. Her life is spent juggling. The juggling balls are: children, husband, work (occasionally), voluntary work, professional knitting (notice she doesn’t class this as work), and writing. When she has time she actually sleeps.
The whole point of writing for Dawn is just to get it all off her chest and out of her head. If she doesn’t write it down then she ends up having long conversations with the characters out loud and her husband thinks she’s crazy.
Contact and Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnsister1
Tumblr: http://dawnsister.tumblr.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DawnSister
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/DawnSister
FictionPress: http://www.fictionpress.com/~dawnsister
Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~dawnsister
J P Walker
Jem Roche-Walker was born in Norwich and moved to the Northwest in order to attend Edge Hill University, studying Social Work Studies. After studying, she began working in rehabilitation for patients with acquired brain injuries and spent seven years writing her first novel, Knights of the Sun, (2013, Beaten Track).
She lives in Burscough with her wife and baby girl and loves spending family time with them.
Contact and Media
Goodreads: goodreads.com/JPWalker
Facebook: facebook.com/jpwalkerknightsofthesun
Beaten Track: beatentrackpublishing.com/jpwalker
Caraway Carter
Caraway Carter has worn numerous hats. He’s been a furniture salesman, a dresser, a costumer, an actor/waiter, a rabble rouser, a poet and most recently a writer. He married his husband on Halloween and they are the loving parents of two rambunctious cats. He loves words and stringing them together, he loves sex and sexy men. He loves seeing how far his muse will take him and he’s looking forward to entertaining you.
Contact and Media
Website: carawaycarter.com
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/13539002.Caraway_Carter
Beaten Track: beatentrackpublishing.com/carawaycarter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarawayCarter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarawayCarter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carawaycarter/
Ofelia Gränd
Ofelia Gränd is Swedish, which often shines through in her stories. She likes to write about everyday people ending up in not-so-everyday situations, and hopefully also getting out of them. She writes contemporary and paranormal, and dreams about one day writing a post-apocalyptic story—if that ever happens we’ll see.
Her books are written for readers who want to take a break from their everyday life for an hour or two.
When Ofelia manages to tear herself from the screen and sneak away from husband and children, she likes to take walks in the woods. She’s recently discovered the miracle of podcasts and spends her strolls listening to wise people talk.
If you want to know more, subscribe to Ofelia’s Mailing List:
http://ofeliagrand.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c080076874c9baaaee71b5ba1&id=75932554a5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874960.Ofelia_Gr_ndGoogle+
Facebook 1:
https://www.facebook.com/ofelia.grand
Facebook 2: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ofelia-Grand/1405427199716172
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ofeliagrand/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ofeliagrand
Website: http://ofeliagrand.com/
Debbie McGowan
Debbie McGowan is an author and publisher based in a semi-rural corner of Lancashire, England. She writes character-driven, realist fiction, celebrating life, love and relationships. A working class girl, she ‘ran away’ to London at seventeen, was homeless, unemployed and then homeless again, interspersed with animal rights activism (all legal, honest ;)) and volunteer work as a mental health advocate. At twenty-five, she went back to college to study social science—tough with two toddlers, but they had a ‘stay at home’ dad, so it worked itself out. These days, the toddlers are young women (much to their chagrin), and Debbie teaches undergraduate students, writes novels and runs an independent publishing company, occasionally grabbing an hour of sleep where she can.
Contact and Media
Twitter: @writerdebmcg
Facebook 1: facebook.com/DebbieMcGowanAuthor
Facebook 2: facebook.com/beatentrackpublishing
YouTube: youtube.com/deb248211
Tumblr: writerdebmcg.tumblr.com
LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/writerdebmcg
Google+: plus.google.com/+DebbieMcGowan
Goodreads: goodreads.com/DebbieMcGowan
Pinterest: pinterest.com/b10track
Website: debbiemcgowan.co.uk
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28506378-love-unlocked
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Cover Artist: Various
Tour Dates & Stops:
14-Feb
Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Hearts on Fire, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
15-Feb
Jessie G. Books, Divine Magazine, Caraway Carter
16-Feb
Multitasking Mommas, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, BFD Book Blog
17-Feb
Book Lovers 4Ever, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
18-Feb
19-Feb
Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, MM Good Book Reviews
20-Feb
Happily Ever Chapter, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
21-Feb
22-Feb
Wake Up Your Wild Side, Bayou Book Junkie
23-Feb
Boys on the Brink Reviews, A.M. Leibowitz, Inked Rainbow Reads
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of the anthology
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for the Q&A!
Pingback: Love Unlocked Anthology Tour | Pride-Promotions
Congratulations to all for the new release! I can’t wait to read it.