Author Name: Cate Ashwood
Book Name: The Storm Before The Calm
Release Date: June 5, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska
Pages or Words: 62,000 words
![cateStormBeforeTheCalm[The]FS](https://lovebytesreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/cateStormBeforeTheCalmTheFS.jpg)
Blurb:
Charlie has one passion in life: dancing. It’s his salvation when it feels like the world is swallowing him whole. When his mom secretly secures him a spot in the summer intensive at the Free Rein Dance Company in New York, he is thrilled. He knows that once the summer ends, he’ll have to return to Beacon to get a job and help support his family, but for those two months, he can spread his wings.
In New York he meets Max, a junior instructor who is everything Charlie wishes he could be. Bold and self-assured, Max radiates pride in who he is. As they spend time together, Max shows Charlie what life can be like past the walls of his closed-minded home town. But Charlie doesn’t know if he’s ready to show the world who he truly is when standing in the spotlight is the last thing he wants.
Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
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Are you tempted to write in other genres?
Sometimes I toy with the idea of branching out. I think it would be fun to explore other genres and see how the books turn out, but for now, I have so many m/m stories in my head, I can’t seem to keep up! I’d like to get those written first, but one day if a set of characters is really insistent, I might give other arenas a shot.
Do you read reviews? How do you deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly?
I do. I read all of them. How I deal with them really depends on what the review says. Truth be told, I used to be a lot better at dealing with the negative ones. I’ve found recently they sting just a little bit more and I’m not sure why. I am grateful for all my reviews though, both good and bad. The good ones always make me happy, and I feel like the negative ones, if they are true critiques, I am able to learn something and hopefully improve my writing.
Do you have an image in your mind of your characters before you start? Do you use photos or character interviews?
I used to. When I started writing, I would hunt down pictures to use as inspiration for each of my characters, but the more books I write, I find I need the photos less and less. Now, the characters I write are typically more of a feeling or general idea than a solid picture of a person. The only time I still use photos for characters is when I’m co-writing with someone. It’s always easier to get on the same page if you have something concrete to go off of.
What’s the process of your writing?
An idea comes to me for a book and sometimes I write it down, sometimes I trust that my failing memory won’t delete this particular idea. Most of the time I become borderline obsessed with a set of characters or a plot element and it’s all I can think about until I start writing.
Generally, I am not a planner at all. I write by the seat of my pants and hope for the best. It isn’t until I’m in the last few chapters that I create any sort of outline, and really, that’s just to motivate me to get to the end.
When you writer’s block strikes, how do you get unstuck?
Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with a lot of writer’s block lately and so far I haven’t come up with an easy way of getting unstuck. Most of the time I find that sprinting can help (and I have a few excellent sprinting partners). Sometimes working on something else will help clear a path for the story I’m supposed to be concentrating on, and sometimes the words won’t flow no matter what story I’m writing. When that happens, all I can do is take a day or two off and try again later
My fingers tugged at the edge of the cardboard cozy wrapped around the cup as I waited for him to speak. The silence between us felt heavy, and the awkwardness settled in around me as he stared at me, his mouth quirked in a playful expression.
“What?” I asked finally.
“Nothing,” he replied, smiling. “So I guess we should get started.”
“Sure.”
“I think maybe just one, two songs at most. The festival isn’t until the end of the summer, so we have lots of time.”
“What festival is it again?” I asked.
“OutShine,” he responded.
“What kind of festival is that?” I asked.
“It’s a big arts festival that takes place throughout the city, mostly in parks. There are exhibits and performances, and a huge celebration at the end. It was started a few years ago to raise awareness and money for gay rights.”
“Oh. Are you… I mean….”
“Gay?” Max supplied.
“Yeah.”
“Yes. Are you?”
“I… no, uh I…,” I stuttered. I was stunned by how nonchalant and completely unapologetic he’d been about his sexuality, as though admitting to me he was gay was the most ordinary thing in the whole world. A part of me wished I could do that. I could nod and say the words like it was as natural as telling him I was blond or I liked chocolate ice cream.
“It’s okay, Charlie. No big deal. You don’t have to be gay to participate. Originally, all the artists were gay, but it has grown and evolved now to include everyone, which is how it should be,” Max said, shooting me an understanding look.
I should have corrected him. I should have told him, but I’d never said the words out loud. Hell, it was hard enough for me to form that three-word sentence in my head. Even as I sat there, my brain rebelled, doing its own version of sticking its fingers in its ears and humming. So instead of being honest with him about who I was, I let him assume I was something else.
Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.
Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband, her brand new little boy, and her two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cate.ashwood
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Ashwood-Author/288329491267435?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cateashwood
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cateashwood/
Other: http://www.cateashwood.com
Tour Dates & Stops:
5-Jun
Because Two Men Are Better Than One
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
8-Jun
9 Juni
Cathy Brockman Romances
10-Jun
11-Jun
The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
12-Jun
15-Jun
16-Jun
17-Jun
18-Jun
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘The Storm Before the Calm’ by Cate Ashwood
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Hello Cate! Thanks for the giveaway! Can’t wait to read it!!
I’ve read a few of your book and look forward to this one. Thanks.
Can’t wait to read this, love your books.
Hi, Cate! Looking forward to this one!
HI Cate! I’m looking forward to reading this book.
Really Cate? No images when you start? I’m surprised, but we all do it a bit differently. Hope you’re having a chance to breathe with all the new stuff you’ve got coming out. (and of course spend time with Nugget who is now walking, running (?) and soon to be talking. 😀 Fun times.
Andy.