Hi, I’m Barbara Bell, romance author extraordinaire, and welcome to the blog tour for my debut novella Cutie Pies! Over the next week I will be travelling the internet sharing some thoughts on my book. Follow along and join the discussion!

Ten Places You Might Find the Heroes of Cutie Pies

Cutie Pies stars Joey, a fun (but sometimes awkward) sales assistant working at the local sex shop, and Mick, a country kid who blushes when he talks about dildos. They’re an odd couple in many ways but they do have a lot of similarities as well. One of those similarities is they both live and work in my current hometown Sydney, Australia.

And, you can be sure they take full advantage of that.

There are a lot of places to be in Sydney but here are ten where I think this quirky couple could be caught hanging out.

10. Newtown

Newtown is one of my favourite places in Sydney. Small, charming, and more than a little bit gay, it’s the perfect place of Joey and Mick to hang out away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Mick might be new in town but it doesn’t take him long to discover the best milkshake in Sydney can be found in Newtown.

9. Bondi Beach

There are some good things about living in Australia. One of them is the beaches. Bondi might be crowded but that doesn’t stop it from being a really beautiful place to meet up, check out the lifesavers, and even make a sandcastle or two.

8. The Convention Centre

Mick is a geek. He loves superheroes, technology, and sci-fi. Therefore, you can bet he’ll drag Joey along to ever Supernova and Comic Con that comes to town. Joey on the other hand sells sex toys for a living. There is no way he’s missing this year’s Sexpo (an adult convention). Long story short? These two are no strangers to the local convention centre.

7. Kings Cross

Kings Cross was one Sydney’s red light district. Now it’s a delightfully sleazy night spot with more than a few venues worth spending some time in. While not their usual haunt you can be sure Joey and Mick have wandered down here once or twice on the hunt for a wild night out.

6. Hyde Park

Hyde Park is the oldest park in Australia. It’s also the park sitting between Oxford Street (where Joey works) and the financial district (where Mick works). Big, green, and patrolled by mounted policemen, it’s a lovely place to sit and have lunch (or scurry off into the bushes to have something else).

5. Stuck in Traffic

Joey and Mick live in Sydney, the biggest city in Australia. This means only one thing. They are sure to spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. The good news is it gives them time to hang out. The bad news is they don’t have the same taste in music. May the battle of the playlists commence!

4. Central Train Station

When the traffic is really bad there is always the trains (well, almost always, but that’s a story for another day). And where do the trains all lead? To Sydney Central Train Station. Both Joey and Mick have spent more than a little bit of time wandering between the platforms trying to figure out how the hell they’re going to get home.

3. At Home

Speaking of homes, there is nothing wrong with spending some time sitting on your sofa watching the TV, reading a book, or maybe breaking in a mattress or two. Joey and Mick are certainly not above a cosy night in.

2. Oxford Street

Oxford Street is the historic home of the LGBT community in Sydney. It’s also a damn nice place to hang out and is where Joey works. You could spot them walking home together, shopping, or having an after-work drink at one of the local pubs.

1. Cutie Pies

And finally, the number one place you would find Joey and Mick would be in Cutie Pies, the adult store that Joey works in and that Mick loves to visit. Cluttered, quirky, and queer, this place is a true Aladdin’s Cave of sex toys and the first place they met.

(And the reason why I named my novella Cutie Pies!)

Have you ever been to Sydney? If so, do you approve of Joey and Mick’s itinerary? If not, where in Sydney do you think you would like to visit? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to include your contact details for a chance to win an ecopy of the book.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

 

About Cutie Pies

Joey works at Cutie Pies, the smallest adult store in Sydney. After his parents kicked him out years ago, the haphazard shop became his home away from home and is the only place where he can embrace his queer, quirky, and—okay—sometimes a little awkward self.

When Mick, a new-to-town customer, walks in asking for a dildo, Joey thinks it’s all a part of the day’s work. Except Mick’s large dark eyes, shy smile, and kissable lips—along with the ten-inch dildo he bought—quickly win him a starring role in Joey’s nightly fantasies.

Joey can’t stop thinking about him, and Mick’s continued visits to the store make him even harder to forget. Mick is shy and sweet, but also secretive and uncertain. As the two grow closer together, Joey starts to wonder what Mick really wants from him, and whether he can risk falling in love with someone who might not be free to love him back.

 

Barbara Bell grew up on a sheep farm in rural Australia, moved to Brisbane when she was nineteen to study film, and now lives in Sydney with an ever changing cast of housemates and a colony of bees.

She is an avid traveller, a proud geek, and loves telling stories about human relationships and how strange and silly (but also beautiful) they can be. She began writing when she was eleven years old and believes it’s probably too late to break the habit now.

To celebrate this release, one lucky winner will receive a copy of Cutie Pies! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 24, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.