We’re so pleased to have author Zane Riley here with us today to celebrate the release of his new book from Interlude Press, When It’s Time, with an exclusive teaser from the book, as well as the chance to win some great prizes.
Welcome, Zane!
About the Book
Title: When It’s Time (Go Your Own Way #3)
Author: Zane Riley
Publisher: Interlude Press
Release Date: January 18, 2018
Subgenre: LGBT/Romance/Interracial/New Adult
Blurb: In the New Adult series that began with Go Your Own Way, Will Osbourne and Lennox McAvoy must now face the challenges of a long distance relationship that will determine their future. Despite the fulfillment of his childhood dream, Will is suffocating in too-loud, too-dirty, too-busy New York City. Lennox, who has always relied on Will for guidance, is thriving in Boston without him. As Lennox embraces his promising new life and rediscovers old family, Will searches for a future of his own that won’t tear them apart.
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The Excerpt
Lennox led Will back to his dorm room. Darkness swallowed them as the door shut behind them. Will went right to his wardrobe, opened it, dug through his clothes, and kept wiping at his nose and eyes. His eyes were puffy, lined red from his tears. Lennox climbed into the bed and watched him.
“I’m sorry.” Will peered around the wardrobe door, but still didn’t make eye contact. He pulled his sweatshirt off and traded it for a thermal shirt.
“I’m sorry, too.” And Lennox meant it. Mostly. He was sorry for rising to Will’s cruel bait and sorry that nothing Will had wanted or expected from college had happened so far. Will climbed into bed and settled into Lennox’s arms, but his torso was rigid.
“I’m not mad,” Lennox told him. He wrapped his arms tight around Will’s body and held him. “Relax, we’re fine. I’m here. Nothing between us has changed.”
Lennox felt Will go limp against him as he mulled over his own words. What else did Will have to ground him besides this? His classes were terrible, and he was failing half of them. So far his only friends hadn’t amounted to much. His attempts to connect with others had been met with derision and laughter. And New York— that sunrise Will had chased for almost a decade—was a sunset, still sinking past the rim of the earth.
“I didn’t mean it. About how you shouldn’t be happy and doing well at Berklee. I’m just… this is a lot harder than I thought it’d be. And, sometimes, seeing you doing so well makes me feel like I’m a big failure.”
“You aren’t,” Lennox said and he made Will twist to look at him. “You just picked the wrong school. Just like what you told me about people going through a bunch of majors. Sometimes you have to experience it to know it’s not right.”
Will shook his head. “I want to be here. I do. New York has been my dream forever, and if I can’t handle it, then…”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know. What good are dreams if I pick ones that are too much for me? I’m just a stupid country boy from some hick town who won’t ever make it in the city. So what if Sarah Lawrence accepted me? It’d be just as bad there. I’d be so close to New York that I’d still feel like I’d failed because I didn’t make it here.”
Lennox brushed Will’s hair with his fingers and let him curl into his chest. Dreams were such an odd phenomenon. His own little fantasies were new—putting together college bands, playing a solo at a campus concert, maybe joining a symphony or rocking out for a roaring, moshing crowd. For most of his life he’d never made time for them. The dreams he’d dared to think up as a kid had become tattered and worthless. His dad’s drinking had seen to that.
“Maybe you have to work at this one in a different way,” Lennox said. “Build up to it before you’re ready for New York. Or shelve it like you did with your box back at home.”
“I’ve run out of dreams to shove in that stupid box. I don’t feel like my life is going anywhere or doing anything, but I don’t know what to want besides this right now.”
“Take a semester off. Or focus on your friends and finding better ones. Just take your core classes for now until you think of another major to try.”
Will shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
“You already said that.”
“I know, but I feel like I need to keep saying it. I’m just jealous. I didn’t mean it.”
“Course you did. If you hadn’t meant it in some way, then you wouldn’t have said it. It’s fine. Everything has been easier for me. You’re right. It’s been so close to perfect it terrifies me.”
Lennox kissed his forehead. Will squeezed him tight and shivered. Beyond words, Lennox didn’t know how to help him. After all that Will had done for him, he’d give anything to make his life happier, to make sure that he returned all the caring and encouragement and commitment that Will had given to him.
About the Author
Zane Riley is a transgender writer who wrote his first work of fan fiction in the fourth grade. He is a recent transplant to Vancouver, Washington where he spends his time watching long-distance baseball games, hiking, and exploring the musical depths of the Internet. His first two novels, Go Your Own Way and With or Without You, were published by Interlude Press.
Connect with Zane Riley: Facebook || Tumblr || Twitter
The Giveaway
Join Zane Riley and Interlude Press as they celebrate the release of When It’s Time with a giveaway! Five eBook winners of the book plus a grand prize of the eBook +$25 IP Web Store gift card!
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This sounds like an amazing book. I can’t wait to see how Lennox and Will got to this point and how this emotional time is resolved.