Guest Post and Giveaway: Wheels and Heels by Jaime Samms

We’re so pleased to welcome author Jaime Samms to The Novel Approach today to celebrate the release of her latest novel, Wheels and Heels. Jaime’s talking a bit about her MCs, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out that information below.

Welcome, Jaime!

As I was writing the posts for this blog tour, I realized I had a lot to say about Ira. He is, to be fair, a force in this book, and no doubt will continue to make his presence known throughout the series. He’s out, proud and, despite a shy streak, he’s highly visible.

He needed a foil.

Jed is that counterbalance to all of Ira’s vibrancy: he’s quiet, strong, steady and reliable. He’s the perfect boyfriend who seems to have been waiting quietly for the right guy to come along and claim him. On the surface, his story arc seems like a gentle curve, nothing very exciting or severe.

Consider that he’s a farm boy. He grew up in a small town with Catholic parents and went to church on Sundays. Now, he works with his hands. He drives a motorbike in the summer and an old beater pick-up in the winter. He wears Birkenstocks in public. With socks. And thinks there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s pretty much the essence of Canadian small town.

He meets Ira, and his view of the world flips on its ear. Here’s a guy in high heels and skirts. Here is a guy who struts on stage as an exotic dancer to pay rent in an apartment he shouldn’t even be living in. Here is an artist with nothing practical or down-to-earth about him.

Why doesn’t Jed freak out?

He’s in charge of the apartment building where Ira is squatting, so why doesn’t Jed kick him out? Why doesn’t he question the heels? Why doesn’t he insist Ira stop dancing immediately upon getting involved with him? Was he just born the most understanding and patient and open-minded person ever?

More importantly, why didn’t I make a big deal about any of these things from Jed’s point of view? Because Jed is stoic. Even if his feelings run deep, he doesn’t wear them on his sleeve. He doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about them. He feels them, then he acts on them. There is no in-between step to write about.

Jed is a man of action. If the neighbour Ruby needs a babysitter, Jed babysits, or walks Mrs. S.’s dog, or delivers groceries to Mr. Gauthier’s door. He fixes pipes, replaces light bulbs and carries beer cases up and down the stairs. He just does what he sees that people need.

So if Ira needs protection, Jed protects him. When Ira needs a job, Jed tries to help him find one, and when he pines for a fancy sketch book, and Jed can afford it, Jed buys it for him. If Jed feels love for Ira, then he loves him. he does all this quietly.

There is no reason why he would advertise his change in perspective when he meets Ira. Sure, maybe he always thought he knew how guys behave, how guys dress, how they make a living. With each new revelation about Ira and his life, Jed challenges his own assumptions as quietly as he does everything else. Because he does it quietly doesn’t mean he doesn’t do it, though. Jed’s growth is the growth of a sturdy tree next to the vibrant, fast and tangled growth of Ira’s flowering vines.

“Jed wandered the short walk from the kitchen to the couch and sat down. “What’s this?” He picked up the sketchbook where it was open to Ira’s sketch of their coats hanging on the hooks.

“Oh. I—” Ira reached for the book, but then stopped himself. Why not? Just a silly sketch.

Jed tilted his head as he gazed at the image. It wasn’t just their coats, of course. It was a fanciful depiction of something more. Jed’s heavy leather biker jacket was hung on the branch of a sturdy pine tree in the picture, while Ira’s coat was wrapped all around with the vines of a morning glory plant, snugged in next to Jed’s like it was seeking comfort. A brightly coloured butterfly lit on the buckle at the shoulder of Jed’s coat, the only bit of vibrancy in the otherwise black-and-white sketch.

“I like it,” Jed declared.

Just because a tree grows slowly and silently, and sends it’s roots deep doesn’t mean it doesn’t change.

About the Book

As a teenager, Ira Bedford fled a troubled home life and people who didn’t understand his penchant for feminine things. In the city, he fell in with Cedric, who found him work as an underage stripper. It took him years to escape Cedric’s influence and try to build a life of his own.

Now, he just wants to be left alone to create his art. But Cedric’s on-going harassment means Ira had to drop out of art school, is squatting in a friend’s apartment, and is still relying on his allure as a sexy, skirt-wearing exotic dancer to pay his bills.

Then he meets Jed. Part-time bartender and the apartment building’s superintendent, Jed is just the right mix of strong, kind, and protective to pull Ira out of hiding. He also welcomes Ira into his chosen family at the Hen and Hog Pub. But Ira yearns for more. Still, he doesn’t dare to hope that Jed will want him and his questionable past, his skirts and high heels, his hang-ups, and the profession he seems unable to escape. But Jed will do anything to prove him wrong.

[zilla_button url=”http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/wheels-and-heels” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available Now From Riptide Publishing [/zilla_button]

About the Author

Jaime has been writing for various publishers since the fall of 2008, although she’s been writing for herself far longer. Her Stories about men falling in love are the stories that she loves to read, so it seemed to make sense if she was going to write, they would also be the stories she wrote.

These days, you can find plenty of free reading on her website. She also writes for Various Publishers.

Spare time, when it can be found rolled into a ball at the back of the dryer or cavorting with the dust bunnies in the corners, is spent crocheting, drawing, gardening (weather permitting, of course, since she is Canadian!), or watching movies. She has a day job, as well, which she loves, and two kids, but thankfully, also a wonderful husband who shoulders more than his fair share of household and child-care responsibilities.

She graduated some time ago from college with a fine arts diploma, and a major in textile arts, which basically qualifies her to draw pictures and create things with string and fabric. One always needs an official slip of paper to fall back on after all . . .

Find Jaime: Website || facebook || Livejournal || Deviantart || Twitter || Amazon Author Page

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Wheels and Heels, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 17, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!