Lisa: We’re so pleased to have author Elvira Bell joining us today on the tour for her latest release, Astray, book one in the Wavesongs series. Welcome, Elvira! Let’s start right out with a question about the book. What’s your favorite scene in Astray, and what makes it a fave?

Elvira: One of my faves is the first kiss between Nick and Christopher. Not very original, I know, but it’s just one of those scenes that will always be special to me.

Lisa: Being a big fan of the first kiss, that makes perfect sense to me. If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?

Elvira: Goldie, who becomes Nick’s best friend when he joins the pirate crew. He’s an easy-going and chatty person who takes care of his friends and is a lot of fun to be around.

Lisa: And on the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?

Elvira: There are a lot of unpleasant characters in this book, since it takes place among pirates and since the story is quite dark. I love villains in stories, but I certainly wouldn’t go anywhere near them in real life.

Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, do you have a favorite genre?

Elvira: Angst, and drama, and then some more angst. I love dark storylines, plot twists, cliffhangers, and unreliable narrators. My favorite genres are horror and gothic romance, but I read most genres.

Lisa: What books and authors would you say influenced you to become a writer yourself?

Elvira: Apart from a great deal of Swedish female authors I’ve adored since childhood, Virginia Andrews was an early source of inspiration for me. I was also heavily influenced by soap operas – I’ve always liked writing stories with a large amount of characters and complicated relationships.

Lisa: What are your least and most favorite things about being an author?

Elvira: Least favorite: Exposing myself and my writing to people is really, really scary. But, well, it is the only way to get readers.

Most favorite: I just love writing stories and spending time with my characters.

Lisa: What’s the one book you’ve read in your lifetime that you wish you’d written? Why did this particular book leave such a lasting impact on you?

Elvira: Donna Tartt’s The Secret History affected me greatly and made me envious of her talent. I haven’t read it since I was a teen, though, so I don’t know if I would feel as strongly about it today.

Lisa: If I were to interview Nick and Christopher, what would they say about you?

Elvira: Probably that I’m horrible for making them go through such hardships. I’m not always nice to my main characters, but they will get their happy ending. They’ll just have to wait for it.

Lisa: If you could sit down to dinner with any author, past or present, who would you choose, and why? What are some things you’d want to chat about?

Elvira: H. P. Lovecraft, since he is one of my favorite authors, and it would be fascinating to hear all about the ideas behind some of his stories.

Lisa: If you had to choose between becoming a superhero or supervillain, which would you choose and why?

What would your superpower be?

Elvira: A supervillain, since I love villains. My power would be some sort of mind control, that’d be cool I think.

Lisa: If James Corden invited you to Carpool Karaoke, what song(s) would you insist on singing?

Elvira: “Let it go” from Frozen.

Lisa: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you choose? Why?

Elvira: A cat, since I love them and have nearly always had cats at home. I could learn a thing or two from cats about relaxing and getting enough sleep…

Lisa: If you could travel back in time, with all your years of experience and wisdom intact, what advice would you give to your teenage self?

Elvira: To have patience – soon enough you’ll find people who understand you and share your interests.

Lisa: Star Trek, Star Wars, both or neither? Explain.

Elvira: I like both, but I don’t have a strong opinion on either of them. And I’ve only watched the original three Star Wars movies so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do there.

Lisa: Thanks very much for stopping by today, Elvira, it’s been nice chatting with you!

About the Book

Title: Astray
Series: Wavesongs: Book One
Author: Elvira Bell
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 99,500 words
Genre: Romance, Historical fiction, LGBT, M/M, Coming of age, Pirates, Age gap
Goodreads
Buy Link: AMAZON
Blurb: Nick Andrews has grown up in poverty in a tiny village. All his life he’s been told that he’s useless. After getting one scolding too many he decides to go far away, off to sea. But his experience as a farmhand has done little to prepare him for the hardships of a sailor’s life.

When his ship is attacked by pirates, Nick’s life is miraculously spared by the notorious pirate captain, Christopher Hart—a man in charge of a crew feared for their brutality. Nick is forced to join the pirates, and he dreads finding out for what reason the captain has saved him.

But Hart is nothing like his reputation suggests, and Nick soon finds himself entangled in a relationship that could endanger both their lives. Unless Nick can help Hart on his quest to find a long lost treasure, their forbidden love may tear his new life apart.

Warning: This book ends with a cliffhanger, and it does not have a happy ending. The series as a whole will have a HEA ending.

Content note: This book contains dark themes and depictions of torture, murder, and rape.

Tour Excerpt

Nick enters the cabin to find Hart sitting at the table. A book is open in front of him. Red-tinted sunlight floods the windows, casting a burnt orange glow over his hair and coat. He doesn’t look up as Nick steps inside and closes the door behind him.

“What did you want with me, sir?”

Hart sighs. Gives Nick a brief glance. “Ah, yes. My boots need a cleaning. Over there.” He points to the boots, neatly placed next to the door. “You should find what you need in that chest opposite them.”

Nick glances at the clogs on his own feet. Hart has not just one pair of footwear, but two—on his feet instead of the jackboots are black leather shoes. Sinking down to his knees, Nick gets to work. He grabs one of the boots, reaching for the cloth he’s found. His stomach clenches. All he can think of is that pool of blood around Stubbs’ head. He worries that Hart’s soles will be red, stained with the cabin boy’s blood. Thankfully, they aren’t. In fact, there’s not a trace of blood on them—almost as if they have been cleaned before.

Nick glances over to Hart. Did he clean his own boots before calling Nick in here? And if so, why? It makes no sense that he has wiped away the blood himself, when he could have made Nick do it.

Hart sighs and scribbles in the book. It’s unnerving to be alone with him and Nick feels relief surge through him when both boots are spotless and shiny.

“All done, sir.” He puts the boots back by the wall and stands up, turning to face Hart again.

The Captain doesn’t look at him. “Thank you.” Outside the window, the glowing sun has turned to just a sliver on the horizon. “That will be all.”

About the Author

Elvira Bell lives in Sweden and spends most of her time writing, reading or watching movies. Her weaknesses include, but are not limited to: vintage jazz, musicals, kittens, oversized tea cups, men in suits, the 18th century, and anything sparkly.

Elvira writes m/m fiction with a touch of romance and has a penchant for historical settings. She adores all things gothic and will put her characters through hell from time to time because she just loves watching them suffer. It makes the happy endings so much sweeter, after all.

Author Links: Website || Twitter || Goodreads || Email