Book Name: Aidan’s Journey
Author Name: Cjane Elliott
Author Bio: After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of gay equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.
In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.
Author Contact: You can contact CJane at cjaneelliott@gmail.com. Her website is http://www.cjaneelliott.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Blurb:
The star of the University of Virginia theater department, Aidan Emery is lusted after and admired for living out and proud. He uses his talent and good looks to his advantage and never sleeps with the same guy twice. But his glamorous patina has been carefully honed to hide the pain he carries inside.
Aidan wasn’t always such a player. He starts college naively romantic, hungry for the attention he can’t get from his workaholic father and mentally ill mother. Unfortunately, that leaves him ripe pickings for predatory professor Rodney Montgomery. Rodney’s flattering regard seduces Aidan into a dysfunctional relationship that destroys his innocence.
Life looks up for Aidan when he finally breaks free of Rodney’s pull and moves to New York City to make it as an actor. Meeting sweet fellow actor Patrick Jaymes seems like the start of a fairy tale. But before Aidan can rebuild his life into happily ever after, family secrets rip him wide open, leaving him easy prey when Rodney decides he’s not willing to let Aidan go.
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult
Pages: 326
Buy Links:
What was your inspiration for Aidan? For this story?
Aidan was inspired by many things. He’s a tall, handsome, charming actor with a killer voice. I had an early love of theater, particularly musical theater, and acted in plays throughout high school. I’ve always had a penchant for tall, handsome men, and I love performers, particularly singers.
When I first wrote Aidan’s character in my initial drafts of the novel Serpentine Walls, he was a charming cad who slept with guys right and left and had something going on with the sleazy Professor R. But as I continued to write, Aidan’s character got more and more dimensional and I could see he had a heart and a lot of pain under that gleaming surface. I started to wonder why he was the way he was and what had led him to be involved with Professor R. Being a therapist by profession, I’m fascinated with people’s psychology and what drives them. I also wanted to explore how Aidan could heal himself and get to his own happy ending. And that was the inspiration for Aidan’s Journey.
For readers not familiar with this series, what is the connection between the two books?
The Serpentine Series consists of contemporary stories whose main characters are students at the University of Virginia. All of the books in the series are stand-alone but feature recurring characters. Pete is the main character in the first book, Serpentine Walls, and he becomes one of Aidan’s many conquests. Pete is hung up on Aidan but Aidan isn’t available for a commitment. Because Serpentine Walls is told from Pete’s point of view, the reader never learns why Aidan is such a player, and Aidan’s Journey fills in those gaps. Several other characters from Serpentine Walls make an appearance in Aidan’s Journey, including Matthew (a favorite of many readers of the first book) and, of course, Professor R. (I’m proud to add that Serpentine Walls is a 2014 Rainbow Awards Finalist!)
Do you have more planned in the series?
Yes, I have at least two more books planned and a possible fifth book. My next novel in The Serpentine Series will be about Jed, the nice guy that Pete has a friends-with-benefits relationship with in Serpentine Walls. I wanted to give Jed a chance to shine and have his own happy ending, because he ends up being crushed by Pete’s indifference. Jed has an older brother, Kent, and Kent has an intriguing roommate, Tucker, and there will be a book featuring them after the Jed novel is done.
What is your favorite part about writing?
Getting into the world I’ve created and falling in love with my characters. Also, the times when I surprise myself with what comes out in the writing – stuff that was never planned but ends up being perfect.
What is your least favorite part?
Getting started is always the hardest part for me. I’m a terrible procrastinator.
What is your dream vacation?
Being at my sister’s vacation home at Cape Charles on the Chesapeake Bay, drinking wine, eating great food, and hanging out with my family, with time to read tons of books. It’s an introvert’s dream vacation!
Tell us about your next project?
I have a novella in the editing process at Dreamspinner Press, which should be released in December or January. It’s called Wild and Precious and is set in Washington, DC. It has the requisite tall and handsome man, Graham, who is the editor of an arts magazine, his cute employee Brent, who is an aspiring writer trying to figure out his sexuality, and a sexy bisexual musician guy, Cody, who’s helping Brent with his explorations. Although there are three main characters, it isn’t a ménage story, but a coming of age and happily ever after romance.
Every good story begins with a journey. Mine started on a June day in 2011 as the Amtrak train pulled out of Union Station in Washington, DC. Lee and I were bound for New York City, ready to dazzle ’em all with our acting and singing chops. Look out, Broadway, here come Aidan Emery and Lee Dunlap, the stars of the U.Va. drama department! Jazz hands!
I was leaving my family home—which I’d recently been kicked out of by my father. I was also leaving behind a long-term, toxic relationship. Yes! I felt pretty fucking victorious sitting on that train, talking and laughing with Lee. I’d done it! Left my past behind! Right? I was sure, with all the surety of a twenty-one-year-old, that my dragons had been slain and New York City was where the gold awaited.
Not so fast there, bucko, I want to tell myself now. You’ll get to the gold, but you have many more hard roads to travel before you arrive. Oh, but don’t despair—there is a Prince Charming at the end of it all.
Tour Dates/Stops:
October 14: Love Bytes
October 15: Amanda C. Stone
October 16: MM Good Book Reviews
October 17: Wicked Faeries Reviews
October 20: Tara Lain, Michael Mandrake
October 21: Parker Williams, Multitasking Mommas
October 22: Cate Ashwood
October 23: Inked Rainbow Reads, It’s Raining Men
October 24: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
October 27: Rebecca Cohen Writes, BFD Book Blog, Smoocher’s Voice
October 28: Prism Book Alliance, Jade Crystal
Rafflecopter Prize: eBook of one of my previous titles, including novel Serpentine Walls, or novellas
I haven’t taken many trips, so the best was the 4 week driving trip from Texas to Alaska. 🙂
A trip to Switzerland was my favorite!
A trip to Paris was one of my favorites!
My best trip was to New York with my hubby and most of my children. It was amazing.
Thanks for the post and contest!
It is hard to pick a favorite trip, but it is either my Hawaii trip or my Mexico trip.
I liked going to London and Glasgow!
Best trip I ever took was to Hawaii!
The best trip I ever took was a self-guided tour of Eastern Europe. I could have stayed in Prague forever! Thanks for the giveaway.
I guess my trip to Florida was the best one I ever took.
Best trip has got to be my daughter and I going to Williamsburg after she got interested on the American Girl dolls. It helped bring out her thirst of knowledge for history.
Queensland Gold Coast…I love theme parks
I’m in Sidney at the moment but my number one is Tokyo.
Berlin is my second home and there I have had the most beautiful moments of my life.
I loved the first book. Definitely looking forward to this one. My favorite trip was to Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula when I graduated high school back in 1998. It was gorgeous!