Eden Winters's Blog, page 31

A Matter of When Character Introductions - Jake

The minutes are ticking down, and A Matter of When will release on Monday, September 15, from Dreamspinner Press.

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Today I'll introduce the final member of the band that lead singer and protagonist Henri Lafontaine puts together to revamp his flagging career.

Bassist Jake Steadman is the senior member of the group. In his forties, he's passed by for younger, hotter musicians. But Henri was a huge fan, and jumps at the chance to have Jake's talent and experience as part of his new endeavor. Jake is equally eager to play again after his last group disbanded, and has a teenaged daughter who loves Henri's music.

Henri likens Jake to a young Keith Richards. And while Tessa, Colton, and Michael are new to the public eye, Jake's "been there, done that" attitude keeps the younger band mates grounded.

Stay tuned! Over the weekend I'll introduce lead protagonists Henri Lafontaine and Sebastian Under.

Now I'll leave you with a tribute to some of rock's greatest bass players. If you're seeing this on Goodreads or Amazon, you may need to track back to my site to view the embedded video.




A Matter of When is now available for pre-order at:
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
All Romance eBooks

A Matter of When, releasing September 15 from Dreamspinner Press.

A Matter of When - Character Introductions - Colton Ferguson

With less than a week until A Matter of When's release, it's time to introduce another character.

Henri Lafontaine's comeback to rock stardom hinges on him picking the right members for his new band. 

Colton Ferguson was a fun character to write. Heavily influenced by his adoration of Bruce Lee, he comes to rehearsal still dressed for the dojo, and attended his band audition in an "Enter the Dragon" T-shirt. And what better song than "Kung-Fu Fighting" to showcase his keyboarding skills? Oh, and he draws runes on himself before shows.

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And he's got a twin brother. Mr. Clean Living is the perfect foil for recovering party boy Henri, and Colton declares, "My body is a temple." A martial arts enthusiast, he swears to protect Henri from a crazed stalker fan.

Learn more about Henri Lafontaine and his band on Monday, September 15, when Dreamspinner Press will release A Matter of When.

Until then, the story is now available for preorder at Dreamspinner, Amazon, and All Romance Ebooks.

Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and Cocaine front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they've built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds...and shields them from malice.

How Do You Like Your Heroes?

How do you like your heroes? Perfect wash-board abs, dimpled chin, the knight in shining armor type? Join me on J.P. Barnaby's blog, to talk perfect vs real.

A Matter of When on Sale!

Though A Matter of When won't publish until September 15, it's currently available for preorder at Dreamspinner Press, and at a discount! If you've got your eye on this one, now's the time to buy!

Fabulous Five Author Blog Hop: What's Your Wrting Style?

I was invited by Sarah Madison to take place in the Fabulous Five Author Blog Hop. The idea is that we answer a specific set of questions and tag five more authors to do the same, and hopefully introduce you to new authors and their work. 

1. What am I working on? 

It's been a very long time in coming, it seems, but I'm in the final stages of polishing the fourth installment of the Diversion series: Manipulation. Lead protag Lucky's trafficking past wants him back.I'll be working on the fifth book immediately thereafter, as they were originally conceived as one volume, but the story grew too large and had to be split in two.

Also, on September 15, Dreamspinner Press will release A Matter of When, the story of a rocker caught in a downward spiral who must turn his life around. And who better to help him than the opera tenor hired to provide vocal training? 



2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I'm not sure how to answer this, other than I try to bring my unique perspective to the writing process. In the case of the Diversion series, I'm told the plot line is unique in that no one else seems to be writing about the drugs in the pharmaceutical supply chain going from legal to illegal, as opposed to illicit, more well known drugs like heroin and cocaine. The main points of each book are ripped directly from the headlines, with a lot of useful knowledge from pharmaceutical trade magazines, and the DEA and FDA websites.  Pills mills? Yes, they're real. And like in the book, joint efforts from law enforcement are working hard to bring them down. The drug shortage? Also, scarily real, as is "bath salts".

As far as my other works, I like to mix genres. A kilted Highlander in 1800's Scotland and a shy violin teacher from England? Why not cross the historical aspect with contemporary? Oh yeah, and lets throw in a paranormal twist to end up with Duet.

And what if my pirate from The Pirate's Gamble time traveled?

The Wish is a nice contemporary, enemies to lovers story. Hmmm... how will we get them together? I know! What if one of their uncles decides to match make? "But that's been done before," you say?

What if the uncle is a ghost?

Then there's my shifter novel, Naked Tails. By the light of the full moon, my hero turns into... a possum?

3. Why do I write what I do?

I sit  down at my computer, and let out the characters in my head. They lead me where they want to go. So many times I'm asked, "Why m/m?"

Why not?

I write stories about people. Former drug traffickers turned good, possum shifters, lonely men in search of love. The focus is to tell a great story. Oh, but my character is a man who loves another man. I'm hoping in the future that the story is what people see first, not the fact that my books involve gay characters and that "gay romance" is "romance". We're making strikes in equality, so I'm convinced that day will come.  I write folks I can identify with, and hopefully my readers will too. For that reason, I try to stay clear of rippling-abbed perfect gods, in favor of good-hearted computer geeks, and less then perfect men.

Will I ever write another genre? Maybe, if other characters speak to me.

When I was young and going through my gawky teenaged years, escaping in a book's pages was my favorite pastime, and helped me get through some tough growing pains. I'm active in my local PFLAG. I see our young folks, so in need of books and protagonists they can relate to, and I want to give them the same experience I had of reading about someone who could have been me. So I have a YA trilogy in the works about a unique individual that will be hard for some to define. 

4. How does my writing process work?

Ideas occur to me, whenever and wherever. I jot notes on Post-its at work, notebooks in my car, and a note pad in my purse. I dump the jumbled mess out, sort through, and start writing. I'm a "discovery" writer, also known as a "panster". Once I start writing, I let the story evolve as the characters become more and more real.

After the draft and self-edits, I have a team of readers and fellow authors who critique and help me polish the original concept. The writing part may take me two months. The polishing? About six months.

5. Who's next on the blog hop?

I tagged five people, but only heard back from two: P.D. Singer and Feliz Faber.

Enter to Win a Copy of A Matter of When

Got your eye on a copy of my upcoming novel, A Matter of When? Hurry on over to Stumbling Over Chaos to get your name in the hat for a copy.

Thanks to the fabulous Chris for hosting the contest. Gaze in awe and the lovely Mayhem and wily Chaos while you're there.

Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and cocaine. Front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they’ve built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds…and shields them from malice.

A Matter of When - Character Introductions - Michael Lindley

The man sits on a stool, face half hidden in shadow. Eyes closed, he caresses the strings of his guitar, not so much playing as encouraging the instrument to sing.
Fingers fast as lightning, he coaxes out melodies. Chills rise on your arms. Never in all your life has someone been able to move you with a few simple chords.
Tall, lanky, and dressed in a button-down shirt and khakis, he’d be few people’s idea of handsome. Yet when he holds a guitar, the rapture on his face transforms him into a angelic being.
Then he opens his eyes…and stops cold.
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In my upcoming novel, A Matter of When, protagonist Henri Lafontaine loses his band and must start another. Tired of having knives in his back, and wanting musicians who play from the heart, he recruits a former band mate whom he trusts, but who his manager had dismissed for not being pretty enough. Oh, and then there’s that whole stage fright thing.
As beautifully as Michael Lindley plays, he can’t hit a lick with an audience watching.
A problem Henri hopes to overcome. Michael WILL be his lead guitarist.
I leave you with a stunning example of a gifted musician to get you in the mood for some of Michael’s playing when A Matter of When releases September 15.Here's Eddie Van Halen and Eruption. 


If you’re reading this on Goodreads or Amazon, you’ll probably need to go to my blog to see the video. Sorry.
A Matter of When, now available for preorder at Dreamspinner Press.

Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and Cocaine front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they've built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds...and shields them from malice.

Another Chance to Win A Matter of When

Hey, y'all? Got your eye on a copy of my upcoming novel A Matter of When? Hurry on over to The Novel Approach and get your name in the hat!

A Matter of When - Character Introductions - Tessa Eklund

In preparation for the September 15 launch of A Matter of When, I'd like to begin introducing the characters.



 Let's start with the blurb, shall we?

Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and Cocaine front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they've built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds...and shields them from malice.

*** I'm saving leads Henri and Sebastian for last. Allow me, then, to introduce the secondary characters, starting with the members of Henri's new band, Mismatched Delusions.



If you've read Naked Tails, Duet, Settling the Score or Corruption, you know I like to mix in strong, supportive female characters. A Matter of When is no different. But while Erica from Settling the Score and Monica from Naked Tails were very in-your-face, and Loretta Johnson from Corruption was a muscular, imposing woman, twenty-eight year old Tessa Eklund is smaller in stature and has a quieter strength that rocker bad boy Henri depends on. Henry pictures her as a fairy, and indeed, she does appear in fairy costume on a few occasions.

A meditation therapist by trade, Tessa comes to Henri's attention during his stint in rehab. She doesn't fangirl, but impresses him with her nurturing spirit. Need your tarot cards read? Or to relax to the soothing sounds of her Tibetan bowls? The five-foot nothing whirlwind reaches out to Henri, and becomes more than a therapist, she becomes a friend, and one of the few people Henri trusts.

A trained percussionist who idolizes 80's star Sheila E., she's Henri's first pick when his old band crashes and burns and he needs to rebuild. What she lacks in experience as a drummer, she more than makes up for with determination and style.
"Meditation, not medication!" is her mantra. She brings calm to Henri's world and becomes the heart of  Mismatched Delusions. 
What? You've never heard of Tibetan bowls? While this gentleman is a far cry from petite Tessa, you'll get the idea. On a side note, I listened to so much of this music while writing that I broke down and bought my own Tibetan bowl. 




The link didn't transfer, so please come to my site for the meditation bowls.


A Matter of When , now available for pre-order from Dreamspinner Press.

Coming Soon! A Matter of When - Cover Reveal

I've been a bit quiet recently about what's in the pipeline, but the countdown is now on until A Matter of When's release on September 15, and I couldn't be prouder to introduce the lovely cover, created by the ultra-talented Reece Dante.

At the urging of a good friend who thought there weren't enough hot rockers in fiction, I took a break from writing drug crime novels for something a slight bit lighter, and extremely opposites attract. How about a tattooed front man for a rock band and a reserved opera tenor?

Sparks fly and music is made! I give you Henri and Sebastian!


Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and Cocaine front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they've built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds...and shields them from malice.

Excerpt::

As they’d done at the house, Sebastian took the lead, sweeping Henri a bit closer to his chest than he’d done in the music room. No matter how shy he appeared while dining, when singing or dancing he came into his own. Henri rested his head against Sebastian’s shoulder, swaying to something sultry and slow. Seb hummed along with the melody, his voice rumbling through his chest and into Henri’s ear.

Keeping their bodies tightly together shielded their rising erections from the violinist, and tantalized Henri with the brush of his cock against Seb’s. Still Seb kept rhythm, never faltering as Henri did, and never abandoning the dance to hump Henri’s thigh like Henri wanted desperately for him to do.

The song faded, and Henri pulled back. Seb stared down at him, eyes aglow and lips curled up the edges. If ever a moment cried out for kiss, this one did. If they were man and woman, nothing would stop them.

Oh screw it. Henri reached up, placed his hand against Seb’s cheek, and brought their lips together.

The violinist missed a note. Just one.



A Matter of When is now available for preorder from Dreamspinner Press. 


Ebook:

Print:

Happy reading, y'all!

In honor of the release, there's also a drawing for a giveaway that you can find at Pride Promotions and other participating websites.