Guest Post and Giveaway: Living on the Edge by Taylor V. Donovan

Please help us welcome author Taylor V. Donovan today. She’s dropping in to celebrate the release of Living on the Edge, book one in her Caribbean Tales series. She’s also got an ARC of the book and a Kindle Fire 7 up for grabs, so be sure to check out the giveaway details below!

Welcome, Taylor!

Hey, guys! I’m Taylor, author of gay romantic fiction, and today I’m here to talk about my upcoming release, the first one in forever and a day. Thanks to The Novel Approach for having me over and giving me a platform to talk about Living on the Edge.

I’ve never been one to talk much about myself, but here are a few bits I’ve mentioned in the past to help you get to know me a bit. I’m a fierce supporter of civil rights, an even fiercer supporter of LGBTQ rights, and I’m Puerto Rican. Don’t let the pen name fool you. 😉 I’ve also talked about the beautiful island where I was born and raised, and given you all a little bit of background. Friendly people, family oriented, extremely lovable, and mostly Catholic. We have a very rich culture, and the folklore, the food, and the music are fantastic. It’s all spicy, tasty, and deeply rooted and ingrained, just as machismo, one of the negative sides of Latino culture. Today, I want to talk about something else—the fact that we are a bicultural nation.

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. We are natural-born US citizens, and, as rich as our cultural background is, it’s been heavily influenced by the United States as well, which is something we experience through the lives of Damián and Gael, the main characters from ‘Living on the Edge,’ Book 1 in my Caribbean Tales Series.

We Puerto Ricans often joke that we aren’t “ni de aquí, ni de allá.” It means we aren’t neither from here or there, and that feeling usually manifests when someone from Puerto Rico comes to live in the mainland (U.S. of A.) and when a Puerto Rican from the mainland moves to the island. Down there we call Puerto Ricans who are here “gringos.” We make jokes about it whenever those people say or do something that differs from the ways we say and do things on the island. No bad ill or hard feelings or anything like that, but the teasing is relentless. Islanders will tell mainlanders things like “Mira este, se cree que es gringo,” (“Look at this one, thinking he’s American.”) and mainlanders will tell islanders “Se te vé la mancha ’e plátano,” which means we’re clearly showing our roots and don’t know the American way.

In Living on the Edge, Damián starts dealing with this situation when he joins the Army. Up to that moment he had no identity problems. He was clear on what he was—Puerto Rican with an American passport. Citizenship wasn’t something he spent any time thinking about. He meets Puerto Rican guys who have never been to the island and he can’t relate to, guys who don’t understand the political relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S., and are convinced he enlisted so that the can get a green card, and guys who are blatantly resentful of brown guys born with the same rights they have. He faces discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. He’s sent to a war zone by a commander-in-chief he didn’t vote for. He feels scared and lost, and he starts questioning his decision of risking his life for a country that he’s been always told he’s part of but doesn’t really know.

Biculturalism is only one of the fine lines Damián walks in this story completely set in Puerto Rico. He’s a complex guy. Morally ambiguous at times. Willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He’s also deeply in love. Writing him has been a pleasure. He intrigued me as much as he intrigued Gael from the moment they met, and I can’t wait for you guys to get to know him. He’ll show you his home, and you’ll get to see him mature and discover his own idea of what it means to be a real man. J

Thanks again to The Novel Approach for having me over. Introduce yourself and share your favorite tropes for a chance to win an ARC, and don’t forget to enter my Kindle Fire giveaway!

Xoxo

Taylor

About the Book

Title: Living on the Edge
Series: Caribbean Tales Series, Book 1
Genre: Gay Romantic Fiction
Publisher: Desecheo Press
Release Date: September 15^th, 2017
Blurb: Meeting his soulmate, falling in love, and starting a relationship is only the beginning.

Lieutenant Damián Laporte Ortiz is well acquainted with deception. He’s also an expert at leading a double life. Most people know him as a war veteran and highly decorated cop working for F.U.R.A., a specialized police unit in Puerto Rico. Others know him as a crook. His family sees him as an honorable man and an exemplary single dad. The truth is he’s anything but. That’s why half of his friends believe he goes home with a different woman every chance he gets, while the other half knows for a fact he’s in a long-term relationship with a guy. His peace of mind, happiness, and survival depend on keeping his worlds apart. It isn’t until his professional career takes a series of unexpected turns that he’s forced to reconsider his priorities and stance.

Gay rights activist Gael Cisneros Beltrán dedicates his life to representing the marginalized LGBT community in a place he otherwise considers to be paradise. Fighting for their rights consumes his days. Going home to his closeted boyfriend replenishes him at night. Balancing their needs, goals, and responsibilities is a complicated act, but their commitment to each other continues to stand the test of time.

No challenge is too great to overcome. Nothing can tear them apart. Not until the past comes knocking and their carefully built parallel lives finally collide. Now they must decide what matters more—the common good or their love.

About the Author

Taylor V. Donovan is a compulsive reader and author of gay romance and suspense. She is optimistically cynical about humanity and a lover of history, museums, and all things 80s. She shamelessly indulges in mind-numbing reality television, is crazy about fashion, and passionate about civil rights and equality for all.

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The Giveaway

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