Welcome to author Mickie B. Ashling and the tour for her brand new release from Dreamspinner Press, Being with Him. Mickie comes bearing gifts today–a lovely recipe and the chance to win a $25 Dreamspinner Gift Card!
Happy Holidays and thank you for helping me celebrate the release of my Christmas novella, Being With Him. This is a standalone featuring Zeb and Alex, the newest members of the Horizons family.
As part of my 12 Days of Christmas blog tour, I bring you a different recipe each day from Alex’s kitchen aka Southern Living. This man can cook and Zeb is the lucky recipient of his vast culinary arsenal.
There’s also a $25.00 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate for one lucky winner.
The Recipe
Printable .PDF
[pdfviewer width=”400px” height=”500px” beta=”true/false”]http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Recipe.pdf[/pdfviewer]
About the Book
Title: Being With Him
Series: A Horizons Series Novella
Author: Mickie B. Ashling
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: 12/27/17
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 145 Pages
Genre: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Transgender
Book Links: Goodreads || Dreamspinner Press
Blurb: A Horizons Series Novella
Zeb Araneda leaves his privileged but closely supervised life in the Philippines to study architecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where his new roommate is openly gay Luca Dilorio.
Alex Boulet is a successful print model who appears to have it all, but on closer inspection, the ready smile never reaches his mesmerizing green eyes. Tired of living alone, Alex moves in with fellow model Chyna Davidson, Luca’s boyfriend.
Away from his father’s watchful eye, and with Luca’s help, Zeb learns to navigate his new environment, and experiences freedom of choice for the first time. This fresh perspective allows him to step out of his comfort zone and act on his attraction to Alex.
The holiday season has always been difficult for Alex. Sappy commercials tug at his heart, and storefront windows depict idealized scenes that remind him of what he’ll never have: a loving partner willing to accept his truth. Will this Christmas be another disappointment, or will Santa finally make his wish come true?
Tour Excerpt (non-exclusive)
December
Zeb Araneda tried to concentrate on his roommate’s queer tutorial. With gay dads who led by example—and his own out and proud status—Luca Dilorio knew a lot about being in a same-sex relationship, and felt duty bound to teach him the basics.
Because Zeb was clueless.
And a recently hatched queer.
In love with Alex Boulet, the stunning trans guy who graced this month’s cover of GQ magazine.
“Dude, are you listening?” Luca asked when Zeb didn’t respond.
“Sorry—what?”
“Repeat after me so I’ll know you understand.”
“Quit it,” Zeb grumbled. “I might be new at this relationship, but I’m a smart guy.”
“In case you need a refresher,” Luca persisted. “Rule number one, no PDAs, rule number….”
Zeb sighed and allowed Luca’s words of wisdom to trail off to another section of his brain. Great at compartmentalizing, Zeb tucked away today’s lessons, having every intention of revisiting at a later date.
He realized knowledge was crucial to the success of his romance, but right then, he couldn’t focus for shit. All he wanted to do was pack his bag and catch the bus to Manhattan to start Christmas Break with his lover.
Luca and his boyfriend, Chyna, Alex’s roommate, were flying off to Grand Turk Island to meet up with assorted family members. Which meant he and Alex would have the entire apartment to themselves—for seven days!
Zeb’s friendship with Luca had gotten off to a rocky start back in late August when they’d first laid eyes on each other. He could still remember the outrage in Luca’s voice.
“Dude! You’ll have to downsize. There’s no room for all your crap.”
“Right,” Zeb agreed. “Poor planning on my part.”
“I’m Luca,” he offered, sinking down on a bed. “We’re stuck with each other for a year, so let’s try and make the most of it. Why not start with some ground rules?”
“My name is Zeb, and rules work for me.”
“Good,” Luca said absently, glancing at his phone. He tossed it to the side. “Da fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Zeb asked. “Girlfriend troubles already?”
“Boyfriend,” Luca clarified. “He’s not picking up his phone or answering my texts.”
Zeb blinked and did his best not to react to the revelation that Luca was gay. It was the last thing he’d expected but a huge relief. Maybe he’d finally get some answers to the questions that had been plaguing him for a while.
“Where is he?” Zeb asked.
“Manhattan.”
“What’s he doing there?”
“Modeling.”
“Wow.” Zeb approved. “Sure beats college.”
Luca studied Zeb. “What are you doing here if you’d rather be somewhere else?”
“My parents decided I was going to be an architect the minute I was born. No one bothered to ask if that’s what I wanted.”
“That blows,” Luca said sympathetically.
“Back home it’s like that,” Zeb explained.
“Where’s home?”
“The Philippines.”
“My mom’s Filipino,” Luca mentioned. “She can be a bit Napoleonic at times. Drives my dad nuts.”
Zeb hooted. “Are they still married?”
“They never were.”
“Ouch. How come?”
“My dad’s gay,” Luca said evenly. “I was an accident, but he says it was the best thing that ever happened to him.”
About the Author
Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.
By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.
She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut-wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.
Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.
Author Links: Facebook || Twitter || Goodreads || Email || Blog
The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Follow the Tour
12/14 My Fiction Nook
12/15 Divine Magazine
12/16 BFD Book Blog
12/17 Stories That Make You Smile
12/18 Love Bytes
12/19 Dawn’s Reading Nook
12/20 MM Good Book Reviews
12/21 The Blogger Girls
12/22 Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
12/23 Bayou Book Junkie
12/24 Bending the Bookshelf
12/25 The Novel Approach
Thank you for the recipe! Congrats on the new book. Happy Holidays!