Guest Post and Giveaway: Runaway Rock Star by C.J. Anthony

Please join us in welcoming author C.J. Anthony to TNA today on the virtual tour for her newest release, Runaway Rock Star, a novella in Dreamspinner Press’s States of Love collection.

C.J. has written such a fun piece to share with us today, and there’s also a great giveaway, so be sure to check out the details on how to enter.

Welcome, C.J.!

Thank you Novel Approach for having me on the blog today! Join me as I hit the road on my Runaway Rock Star Road Blog Tour! —I’m going to be visiting some great blogs, sharing background about the book, about Ohio, and there may also be a fun interview with Lucas and Brandon along the way. The stops are listed below and any posts you comment on during the tour will enter you for a fun prize pack at the end that includes a $20 GC to the eBook retailer of your choice.

Runaway Rock Star is a part of the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press. A little background on the series for those who may not know what it is, the States of Love series is a series with one book about each state in the United States, all written by different authors.

So today I’m sharing with you a little “extra.” It’s NOT an excerpt from the book. It’s an interview Lucas Black, (the rock star in Runaway Rock Star) did with Rolling Stone later after the book ends.

LUCAS BLACK, M.I.A.

by Jason Taylor, Rolling Stone

Lucas Black has been on the music scene since puberty. He’s had too many hit records to count, his bank account’s more than the national income of some small third world countries and women all over the world fall at his feet. What more could a man want? Everyone wants his life, right?

Everyone except Black, it would seem. The last few months the singer has been mysteriously MIA. Reports are that he walked away from a new contract with his record label, but has not signed with anyone else. He has also cut all ties—business and familial—with his Manager/Father, Quentin Black.

Color me completely surprised when I got a call from some kid who said that he was Lucas Black’s new manager and that Black would like to do an interview with me. I was sure it had to be some kind of joke, but the journalist in me was too excited about the possibility of getting a juicy scoop. Where has Lucas Black been?  Is this another Britney-style meltdown from yet another child-star phenom, reeling from too much too soon? Will we see photos emerge of Black with a shaved head? Or see one of those hideous celebrity mug shots when he is arrested for any number of self-indulgences taken too far?

I arrive at the restaurant we are meeting at, ten minutes late because I fully expect to be kept waiting. The last time I interviewed him, he was a half-hour late and then barely wanted to talk to me. This time, however, I am surprised to see Black already there, sitting at the bar with another guy.

“Hey mate, good to see you again. This is my new manager, Brandon Harris. He’s the one who rang you up. Thanks for doing this.” Black appears very cordial and relaxed, much more so than he was the last time I interviewed him. He motions us over to a booth and when the waitress comes over he orders two burgers, an order of fries and onion rings and two Cokes.

“What’ll you have mate?” he looks expectantly at me and I finally order a chef salad.

“I believe the last time I met with you, you were on a strict diet of grilled chicken and broccoli.”

He makes a face. “I hate broccoli.” His face goes dark for a moment before easing again, and he smiles.

“So, is this cheat day? Or have you switched to the Elvis diet? Will we be seeing you in white jumpsuits soon?”

Black narrows his eyes but chuckles. “No, no jumpsuits. I just eat what I want now.”

I nod. He looks good, whatever he’s doing is working for him. His face, tight and taut before looks softer, more rested.

“Well you’re looking good. The time off has been good for you?”

He smiles, “Yes, it’s been great.”

He’s keeping it close to the cuff and I realize I’m going to have to ask the questions we’ve all been wanting to know.

“But where have you been, man? You finished your tour here in the states and then it was like you dropped off the planet. No one’s heard anything from you in months. No red carpet event photos, no new music. Did you really take a vacation?”

His fingers start drumming on the table top and his face grows serious. It’s clear I’ve hit on something.

“I just needed a break for a while. Look at Ed Sheeran, he took a whole year off right? Everyone thinks being a famous rock star is fantastic but it has it’s ups and downs just like any other life or career.”

“So where did you go? The Caribbean? The Mediterranean? Cannes? Private island?”

He grins broadly. “Ohio!”

“O…Ohio? Really?” I make a mental note to research all of the drug and alcohol rehab places in Ohio. “So what’s in Ohio?”

His eyes flicker to the bar area momentarily before concentrating back on me. “Ohio’s cool, mate. All kinds of stuff to do. Roller coasters and football games and parks and nature and stuff. Great food too.”

As if on cue, our food comes and Black tears into his food like wild crows attacking a dead carcass.

“Um…okay. So have you been working on new music, or strictly just getting your groove back?”

He laughs, after swallowing a huge bite of burger. “Both, mate. I’m really feeling a new freedom with the songs I’m writing. I’ve got a lot for the new record.”

“But you walked away from a new contract with your old label. Are you signing with another label?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t know, man. Might just go indie, do it all myself. Maybe I’ll start my own label. The sky’s the limit, now!” He looks young and excited as he speaks.

“And what does your father think of all this? You have a new manager and I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that the two of you had an ugly split.”

His face clouds over again. “Don’t care what he thinks. He’s not my manager anymore. So, yes we split. Creative differences.” He sneers while speaking those last two words.

“What about the father-son part of your relationship?”

“Let’s just say, I don’t have to buy any Father’s Day cards this year.” He wipes one last fry through some ketchup before popping it in his mouth and shoves the empty plate away. He wipes his hands on a paper napkin before crumpling it up and throwing it on the plate. I know body cues and he is effectively telling me he’s done with this interview. His new boy-wonder manager’s sudden appearance also sends a signal. We make our goodbyes, I tell the manager I’ll be in touch and I start to head for the door before I decide to hit the john first at the back of the restaurant.

When I’m leaving the bathroom, and back in the main eating area again, I finally see the real story of Lucas Black. Black is sitting at the bar…kissing his manager.

If you enjoyed this little “extra”, pick up the book, there are more shenanigans to be had. And the itinerary for my blog trip is listed below; I hope you’ll visit each blog along with me! Don’t forget to leave comments to be entered for the prize giveaway. Also be sure to check out the blurb and info about the book.

May 3  MM Good Book Reviews
May 10  My Fiction Nook
May 11  Love Bytes Reviews
May 12  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
May 15  Open Skye Book Reviews
May 17  The Novel Approach
May 18  Boy Meets Boy Reviews

About the Book

Just hours before Brandon Harris is supposed to head home to Cincinnati for a Labor Day family picnic, his boss at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame forces him into giving a private tour to bratty British pop rock star Lucas Black. Before he knows it, he finds himself swept up in a whirlwind road trip through Ohio with Lucas riding shotgun.

Lucas grabs hold of this wild opportunity to run away—even for a few precious days—from the gilded cage that is his carefully managed life. He’s just looking for a little fun and freedom as a normal person. From  roller coasters to a college football game, Brandon begins to see the real Lucas Black buried under the famous persona. But by the time he and Lucas discover their mutual attraction, they only have one night left before both of them have to go back to their real lives. The fun is over…unless Lucas can run away for real this time and keep their adventure going.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

About the Author

C.J. Anthony grew up watching soap operas and reading piles of books. She attributes her love of reading and romance to her mother, who not only taught her to read but also made countless trips to the library lugging piles of books home for her. It wasn’t a far jump to start writing her own stories, early childhood tales about flower families and traveling to the moon with her best friend.

C.J.’s favorite stories to read and write include “opposites attract” pairings—couples who appear to be an odd couple to the rest of the world, but fit together perfectly, finding their own happily-ever-after with a little hard work and a whole lot of love.

Not surprisingly, C.J. is a big lover of rom coms—she’ll gladly take Julia Roberts standing in front of Hugh Grant asking him to love her over car crashes and shoot-em-up movies any day. She also watches way too much TV and every singing reality show there is. She loves music of all genres and attending live concerts.

She spends most of her time juggling a day job and a commute and freelance and falling asleep on her couch, dreaming of a day when she can write all day in her pajamas while living in a house by the beach.

Connect with C.J.: E-mail || Blog || Facebook || Twitter: @C_J_Anthony