Fool of Main Beach(Love of Laguna Series, Bk #5)by Tara LainBlurb:Merle Justice wants to reach for the stars, but it’s tough to get respect when playing a teenybopper vampire on TV. Then he meets a famous director anxious to give him all he thinks he wants—and maybe a bit more. Everything’s looking up until a life-threatening encounter with some homophobes on Main Beach puts Merle face-to-face with a Sasquatch-sized hero in a pink puffer coat.Tom Henry defies description. As unsophisticated and simple as an angel, he walks through life content with who he is and asking for very little except to care for his sister, Lily, and the dogs he loves. Then he meets Merle, the embodiment of dreams he barely knows he has. Merle knows the people who hold his future in their hands might love Tom—but they’ll never understand Merle and Tom together. Tom knows it too. With lives this far apart, who’s really the fool of Main Beach?
For the Love of Big-eared Dogs
Hi. I’m so delighted to be here today to celebrate the release of my new romance, Fool of Main Beach. In this novel, my unique hero, Tom Henry, really loves dogs and dogs play a big role in the story. I love all animals (even snakes!), but about 6 years ago I got my dog, a Papillon named Jolie. That critter has made such a place for herself in our lives, that I totally understand the unique quality of dog love!
At allaboutdogsandcats.com they say this, “Although the origins of today’s dog are shrouded in the mysteries of time, archaeological evidence suggests that dogs had been domesticated as far back as 10,000 BC. Early remains have been found in present-day Denmark and West Germany. Very likely, the canine is the result of a mixing of genes from the many different types of canids, which is the family of which the dog is a member. Other members include wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingos and foxes, all of which can interbreed. There are over 30 different species of canids. They exist everywhere – from the jungles of South America to the glaciers of Arctic Canada.” Based on this history, I wonder if my dog’s breed doesn’t include genes from the fennec fox!
My dog, of course, is the best dog ever. Here are a few facts about this interesting breed – the Papillon.
- The Papillon is a very intelligent and self-assured dog that has a very easy time learning new tricks.
- The most iconic aspect of the Papillon is its ears, which are large and well fringed, giving them a butterfly wing-like appearance.
- The history of the Papillon is traced through works of art. The earliest toy spaniels resembling the papillon are found in Italy. Tiziano Vicelli painted these small dogs in many famous paintings beginning around 1500[9] including the Venus of Urbino (1542). Other well-known artists who included them in paintings are Watteau,[10] Gonzales Coques, Fragonard, Paolo Veronese,[9] and Mignard.[9] In a painting after Largillierre in the Wallace Collection in London, a Papillon is clearly shown in a family portrait of Louis XIV. Papillons are also in paintings of royal families around Europe and paintings of merchant class families. The breed was popular in England, France, and Belgium, which are considered countries of origin by the FCI.
- Marie Antoinette is said to have walked to the guillotine clutching her small dog under her arm–likely an apocryphal tale.
My dog, Jolie, thinks she is Marie Antoinette — the Queen of everything. Hold the guillotine! Like all Papillons, she is highly “informative” meaning she thinks it’s her job to let you know everything that’s going on in her territory. She marks her territory by dropping her much-loved toys all over the neighborhood. I’m sure my hero, Tom Henry, would love her as much as we do!
I hope you fall in love with Fool of Main Beach. : )
Tom sat on the side of the double bed that Merle kept for company. “This is nice.”
“I’ll have a better place when my house is done. The bathroom is across the hall. The towels are clean. I’ll see if I have an extra toothbrush.”
Tom looked up with those big eyes. “Thank you for saving me.”
“I’m just glad you called.”
“I didn’t know who else to call. I was thinking maybe Billy if I couldn’t get you.” He looked at his hands folded in his lap. “I figured you’d be with Renee.”
“No. We left right after you did, and I came here.”
Tom glanced up quickly and then back down.
Merle swallowed a little too loudly. “I might have some pajama bottoms that will fit you, but they’ll be way too short.”
“That’s okay. I’ll wear my undies.”
“So, uh, sleep well.” He turned and practically raced to his own room before his nobility faded.
Tom stared at his hands some more. Merle sure did want to go back to sleep. I must have bothered him. But I’m still happy he came to get me. I didn’t want to fuck Aaron or even suck his cock like he said.
Tom stood and walked to the bathroom across the hall. He glanced toward the other door just a little way away. That’s where Merle is. Light still showed under the door. Not asleep yet.
No toothbrush. Merle forgot. But Tom found some toothpaste in a drawer and put some on his finger and slid it around. After rinsing, he peed, washed his hands and face, and went back into the bedroom, stripped to his boxer briefs, and hung his jeans and shirt and jacket on hangers in the closet.
He pulled back the covers and found nice white sheets, then crawled in and flipped off the light beside the bed. Wonder if Merle’s asleep? I hope the boys are okay and don’t miss me too much. He almost never left them overnight. Mrs. A. wouldn’t like it if he did it very much. The boys wouldn’t like it either.
He sighed and stretched his hands behind his head. I shouldn’t have said I’d go dancing with Aaron. Why did I do that?
He followed the patterns of headlights streaking across the wall through a gap in the curtains. I like to dance. His lips compressed in a line. I wanted to dance, but not with Aaron. I wanted to dance with Merle. He smiled. I got to and it was rad. Merle’s the best dancer ever.
Oh boy. He shook his head. I really like Merle. I never should’ve said I’d go with Aaron when I wanted to go with Merle. That was dumb. And not very nice. He blew out his breath in a long stream and felt it tickle his chest. But Merle didn’t ask me.
Flipping to his side, he stroked the soft sheets. But maybe Merle wants me to ask him. When I called him, he came right away like—like nobody ever has. What would he do if I just told him?
Thank you for having me and my puppy and my guys! : )
I always look forward to the papillons during the dog shows on TV!
I’ve enjoyed the Laguna series and was already looking forward to Fool of Main Beach, but you’ve won me over even more because of Tom and the dogs in the story. Thank you for sharing personal pics of Jolie!
Thank you for the post and for sharing those cute pics of Jolie.