Book Name: Love and the Real Boy (Coming About, Book 2)
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22756605-love-and-the-real-boy
Author Name: J.K. Hogan
Author Bio: J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit www.jkhogan.com.
Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJKHogan, https://twitter.com/JK_Hogan, http://www.pinterest.com/jkhoganbooks/, http://officialjkhogan.tumblr.com/
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: JK Hogan (KHDGraphics.com)
Buy Links:
Why did you choose Seattle as your setting for Love and the Real Boy?
Shortly after Washington legalized gay marriage, I flew to Seattle with my husband and son for our friends’ wedding. I’d never been there before and I really loved the city. The first book in the series, I Survived Seattle, was loosely based on my trip and a lot of the things that happened to me, happen to the main character, Justice.
Love and the Real Boy is the sequel to that story, and the main character was one who was introduced in the first book, so naturally Seattle would be the setting for his story as well!
How do you research a location for a book?
That depends on how much detail I need to go into. I prefer to use locations that I’ve been to before and am familiar with, but it’s not always possible. The less I know about a place, the more research I have to do.
Google maps is a godsend. The street views are so detailed now, you can practically walk all over a city without ever leaving your desk. It’s a little scary actually, but perfect for a writer. It’s my number one research tool for location.
If I’m writing about somewhere other than where I live or have spent lots of time, I like to use someone I know who lives there as a sort of consultant. That’s perfect for all those mundane little questions like if you were going from here to here, would you take a cab or a bus?
According to your bio you are a music fan. What was on your playlist for this book?
My playlist for this book was all over the place. It was an emotional rollercoaster ride to write, so I’m pretty sure the playlist reflects that. There’s a lot of Eli Lieb on there, as well as Gin Wigmore, Adam Lambert, Brandon Flowers, etc. If you want to check out the whole playlist, you can visit this link: http://jkhogan.com/love-and-the-real-boy_playlist/
If you could have a musician or band perform a private concert for you, who would it be and why?
Oh honey, that’s the easiest question you could’ve asked me, and any of my close friends could answer it for you. I’m a big blues fan, especially folksy blues, and my absolute favorite musician is a man by the name of Tab Benoit. He’s the most amazing guitarist and performer I’ve ever witnessed and he never fails to give me chills.
Close second would be Jonny Lang, another fabulous blues guitarist. His was actually the first blues album I ever owned. My mom bought it for me because she thought I’d like it since I was into jazz classics like Billie Holliday and Miles Davis.
What are you working on next?
Well of course I’m working on book 3 in the Coming About series. I won’t say much about that one yet except we’ll get to see all our old friends from the first two books again in some capacity.
I’m also working on something a little different for me: it’s sort of an m/m romantic suspense crime thriller with a light paranormal element. I know it’s kind of a weird concept, there being varying degrees of paranormal, but since there are certain paranormal things that are commonly believed to exist in our real-life society—like psychics, ghosts, and such—it makes sense to me. So this story could probably be enjoyed by those who wouldn’t normally read paranormal. Keep an eye on my website www.jkhogan.com for more news.
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Oy, now that’s a hard one. I’ve been blessed to have been so many places in my 32 years. When it comes to beachy places, Magen’s Bay on St. Thomas is my favorite. I’m more of an outdoorsy, mountains-and-waterfalls kind of girl though, so I’m definitely going to have to go with the Isle of Arran in Scotland. My husband’s maternal grandparents are from there, and we were lucky enough to get to spend a week there a few years ago and it was wonderful. Can’t wait to go back!
Blurb:
How much heartache can one man take before he breaks? Rich Langston asks himself that question every day.
A Seattle advertising exec who uses his designer suit and showy car like a suit of armor, Rich refuses to let the world get to him. His traumatic childhood has ruined any faith he had in people, friendship, and love. After a meltdown that led to him alienating everyone in his life, Rich agrees to help with the restoration of an antique sailboat as a form of penance.
Roped into heading up with the boat repair by his mother, marine restorer Patrick O’Dowd finds himself having to babysit a moody, spoiled rich boy with absolutely no carpentry experience. His easy-going nature is sorely tested, but he quickly realizes that things are not always what they seem; sometimes a fancy suit is nothing but an elaborate deflection from what’s real.
Through unavoidable personality clashes and fierce attraction, both Rich and Patrick explore their hidden pain and inner demons, and they end up finding with what really matters—love.
Rich forced himself to relax. Why shouldn’t he give his brain a little mini-vacay? He was of a stressful nature—he had to constantly stress over work, over making enough money to keep himself in suits and expensive toys to remind himself he wasn’t homeless anymore, that he wasn’t going to end up like his mother. He stressed over the wrong people finding out he was gay, while stressing that he might just go mad from lack of companionship—and that was just the tip of the crazy-berg.
Underneath it all sat his pent-up grief, anger, and guilt from his stolen childhood, cowering like a beast in the dark, a sleeping monster. That was Rich’s biggest, most constant fear—that one day he would no longer be able to contain it. What would happen then? Would he lose his mind?
So all things considered, why shouldn’t he just let it go for one night? What was wrong with letting a big, burly Irishman take him in hand—heh—and drive the boat for a while.
Read Donna’s Review Here!
Tour Dates/Stops:
9/17: Havan Fellows
9/18: Iyana Jenna, Cathy Brockman Romances
9/19: Amanda C. Stone
9/22: Andrew Q. Gordon, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
9/23: Prism Book Alliance,
9/24: Butterfly-O-Meter
9/25: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/26: Parker Williams
9/29: Cathy Brockman Romances, Nic Starr
9/30: My Fiction Nook
10/1: Romance the Night
10/2: Jade Crystal
10/3: The Hat Party
10/6: Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
10/7: Love Bytes, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/8: Velvet Panic
10/9: Foxylutely Book Reviews
10/10: Multitasking Mommas
10/13: Queer Town Abbey
10/14: MM Good Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Love and the Real Boy’
Hi JK! Love the excerpt! Makes me want to know more.
Sailboats and hot men, what more can we ask for? Hope this is a great success for you!
Hi JK thanks for the giveaway.
It sounds like a fun one!
Hi JK! I love the sound of this one. Thanks for the giveaway. 🙂