Guest Post and Giveaway: Angel Voices by Rowan Speedwell

A big welcome to author Rowan Speedwell, who’s joining us today on the tour for the re-release of her holiday romance, Angel Voices. Enjoy Rowan’s guest post and then be sure to check out the Riptide Publishing giveaway below.

Welcome, Rowan!

Hello! This is Rowan Speedwell checking in with more stuff about life, the universe, and Angel Voices, the second edition of my Christmas story, out November 28^th. Since it is the holiday season, what better way to celebrate than with a drawing for a $15 Riptide gift card? Here’s the catch—you can’t just comment randomly. No, you have to ask a question—one I can answer, no “what’s the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow” sort of thing. And no math. And keep it clean! I’ll answer you back and at the end of the blog tour do a drawing for the gift card from all the entries!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, when I was younger, always marked the beginning of the holiday season for my family. That was the day that the local community college put on their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. My dad participated in that performance for about 15 years, so the holiday season started with my whole family going to see—er, listen to him.

He was a baritone, but the Messiah only specifies tenors and basses, so he would sing whatever the director needed him to; he had a terrific range and could hit all but the highest tenor notes and the lowest bass notes. And even though he was just singing in the chorus, he would walk around the house for weeks beforehand, practicing. I think that even now, almost twenty years after his death, you could ask any one of us to sing any part of the oratorio and we’d be able to oblige.

That event, a few hours sitting on hard bleachers in the college gym listening to some of the most sublime music ever written, was the perfect start to the holidays. Afterwards, we’d go out to dinner sometimes, or go home and order pizza, but we’d do it as a family. And Dad would have stories about the rehearsals, or the stuff that went on behind the scenes, or how someone in the chorus had really screwed up—and sometimes it was a soloist—but since we weren’t on stage and weren’t as knowledgeable as he was, we wouldn’t have caught it. But Dad would. He knew that production inside out—not just the tenor and baritone parts, but the soprano and alto parts as well.

I’m not a big fan of Christmas these days; there’s too much sound and fury, and too high expectations. I prefer Thanksgiving, when the family can all get together with a minimum of hassle and just talk and enjoy each other’s company. We’ll spend it at Tim’s as usual, with contributions to the dinner table from each of us, ranging from traditional green bean casserole (me) to some funky recipe from my experimental brother (Jay).

This year will be the first year where there is no representative of my parents’ generation, and that’s going to be strange. But there will stories about them, so they’ll be there in spirit.

And on Sunday, I’ll start out the holiday season by listening to the Messiah again. And singing along—mostly in the tenor and bass parts…

About the Book

One frigid winter night a week before Christmas, college student Will stumbles into a church during choir practice, bruised by his own father’s hands. He’s out of the closet now—there’s no going back since his fundamentalist father learned the truth—but he’s also out of a home, a family, and a future. Will has nowhere to turn. No one to care.

Except . . . Will’s roommate, Quinn, cares. Maybe too much. He’s been attracted to Will since they moved in together, but never dreamed his crush was gay. With Will’s life in pieces, Quinn doesn’t want to push. He also knows he has more experience than Will, who’s never even been kissed.

Then Will’s father makes a reappearance, and Will has to learn to trust his heart more than the voices of his past. But it’s the season of miracles, faith, and hope, and Quinn is determined to teach Will how to love and be loved.

Buy the Book: Riptide Publishing

About the Author

An unrepentant biblioholic, Rowan Speedwell spends half her time pretending to be a law librarian, half her time pretending to be a database manager, half her time pretending to be a fifteenth-century Aragonese noblewoman, half her time . . . wait a minute . . .  Hmm.  Well, one thing she doesn’t pretend to be is good at math.  She is good at pretending, though.

In her copious spare time (hah) she does needlework, calligraphy and illumination, and makes jewelry.  She has a master’s degree in history from the University of Chicago, is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and lives in a Chicago suburb with the obligatory Writer’s Cat and way too many books.

Connect with Rowan: Website || Twitter @RowanSpeedwell || Goodreads

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Angel Voices, one lucky winner will receive $15 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with a thoughtful question and your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 3, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!