Please join us in welcoming author Robert P. Rowe today, on the tour for his latest release from Dreamspinner Press, The Outfielders.
Welcome, Robert!
Hi. I’m Robert P. Rowe and I’ve just finished my latest novel for Dreamspinner Press entitled: The Outfielders. Unlike my first novel, Second-Story Man, this book is intentionally light.
I like stories that tease the reader. The Outfielders begins with a blurb that tells just enough to get the reader interested without revealing all of the stories plot details. Once inside the book the tease goes on as readers follow along with my main character, Tony, wondering if romance will ever happen for him. The big tease in the book is an inside joke for readers of gay romance and the whole gay for you genre.
People often ask me where I get the ideas for my stories. In this case I was looking for characters that would be average all-American guys. Well, what’s more all-American than baseball? And it doesn’t hurt that baseball players happen to be hot.
Speaking of average, I also like characters that lead average lives and face the same struggles as the rest of us. One of the major struggles in a bad economy is the fact that too many adult children can’t afford to move out on their own, or go away to college. This generation finds themselves still living with parents and too often still acting like children. The struggle becomes one of truly growing up and facing the challenges of the world. But as I mentioned, this story is light. The struggles remain a backdrop to the real challenges of romance.
I’m considering writing a few more stories centered in the fictional town of Groverville. In The Outfielders readers are introduced to an interesting cast of characters. It would be a shame if we never had a chance to learn more about them.
My various story interests are more endless than my time. I’ve just started a new job that has me pretty busy art directing theme park attractions. Still, I’m determined to find some time to tell a few more tales.
In The Outfielders my main character, Tony, is not the brightest. He’s been hiding his secret crush, and the fact that he’s gay, for years. He hides another secret too. He really likes to bake cookies. With that in mind I’ve included one of Tony’s favorite recipes here. There’s no better way to curl up with a good book than to have a batch of fresh baked cookies nearby. Enjoy.
Outfielder’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 package semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Creme sugars, butter, vanilla in bowl.
2. Stir in flour, soda, salt and flaxseed meal.
3. Add nuts and chocolate chips.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown.
About the Book
Sometimes love can come out of left field.
Tony was waiting until he went away to college to come out to his parents and start his new gay life. Unfortunately, at twenty-four, it doesn’t look like college is going to happen after all. Stuck in a dead-end job in a small town and still living at home, with all the arrested development that entails, he finds escape in playing for the company baseball team and lusting after his straight outfielder crush, Alex. But Tony’s best friend, Jennifer, thinks she’s found a plan in the pages of gay romance novels. All Tony has to do is convince Alex he’s gay for you… or for Tony. It’s easy—just find some excuse to be alone in bed together and let nature take its course. What could possibly go wrong?
You can’t get to first base if you don’t take a chance and step up to the plate.
Purchase Links: Dreamspinner Press || Amazon || All Romance eBooks || Barnes & Noble || Kobo || Google Books
About the Author
Robert P. Rowe has spent his entire career as a storyteller making an incredible leap from Disneyland ride operator to show-designer and art director at Walt Disney Imagineering. Immersive storytelling presents a distinctive challenge unlike that of live theater, film, radio, or print media. Although he currently freelances, his work can be found around the world, primarily in Disney and Universal Studios parks. The theme park industry is a very cyclical business where it’s either feast or famine. For Rowe his active imagination can’t seem to take any time off. When he’s not designing fantastic worlds he’s writing about the characters who live there. Additionally his outside interests include all aspects of architecture with a specific fascination for the theatrical design of homes from mid-century movies and television. He has a keen enthusiasm for mid-century science fiction.
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