Please join us in welcoming author A.M. Leibowitz, here today on Love Bytes with their blog tour of Passing on Faith.
Author Name: A.M. Leibowitz
Book Name: Passing on Faith
Series: In Good Faith #2 (can be read as a standalone)
Release Date: November 1, 2015
Pages or Words: 276 pages, approximately 96,000 words
Publisher: Supposed Crimes LLC (Acquitted Books)
Cover Artist: Stacy O’Steen
Blurb:
Following his father’s death, Micah Forbes believes he can finally put the family who rejected him and their religious bigotry behind him. In a cruel twist, his older brother calls to tell him he’s inherited their father’s abandoned vacation home.
Micah discovers the house comes complete with a long list of repairs, boxes full of family secrets, and a handful of quirky neighbors. Despite not wanting to get in too deep, he can’t help the spark of interest stirred when the sexy redhead next door offers his help. Everything about the enigmatic Cat Rowland throws Micah off-balance, from his gender-bending sense of fashion to his handy repair skills to his deep spirituality. Before long, Micah is swept up by Cat and his friends, but Cat himself keeps his heart carefully protected.
When Micah’s past and his present collide in a painful way, his self-destructive coping habits threaten to overwhelm him. To save himself, he needs to open his soul and let someone in. Cat has the key to unlock him, if he can let down his guard and trust his faith enough to catch Micah as he falls.
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Trans*, Religious/Spiritual
Today I’m very happy to be interviewing A. M. Leibowitz, author of Passing on Faith. Hi, A. M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
I’m a spouse and parent from western New York State, living on the banks of Lake Ontario. That’s a fancy way of saying, “We get a lot of snow.” Fun fact: I’m in the same city where Susan B. Anthony lived, and Kodak cameras were invented here. In between writing novels, I’m also a freelance editor.
Passing on Faith is my second full-length novel. It’s a little about faith and a lot about forgiveness. The story was inspired by the fairy tale Puss in Boots. It starts with the youngest of three brothers discovering an inheritance worse than getting nothing. In dealing with the mess—literal and figurative—he makes some important discoveries about who he is and what he’s really looking for.
Do you buy a book because of the cover, the blurb, or something else?
My first reason to purchase a book is usually because I’ve read something else by the same author and liked it. After that, if a title grabs me, I’ll read the blurb and decide. I have zero sense of what makes “good” cover art, so that’s not likely to influence me.
What does ‘romance’ mean to you?
As a genre, romance to me usually means the relationship is the central focus of the story. As an element of storytelling, it means part of the plot involves a relationship between two characters.
What are your current projects?
I’m finishing up a novel (a real romance this time!) about a burned-out activist, editing the prequel to Passing on Faith, and writing a few short stories for upcoming anthologies. I’m also working on a novella about an odd couple which involves show tunes and accidentally coming out at a church potluck supper.
What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
Staying focused! I’m easily distracted, and my health issues also cause mental fogginess. Everything sounds great in my head…and then I have a hard time concentrating on getting it out on the page.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people.
For people who don’t know me in person, it might surprise them to learn I used to work as a pediatric nurse. I spent four years working in an elementary school, and I left with some great stories. As a result of some of the things I learned, when my own son was diagnosed with ADHD, we made the decision collaboratively with his doctor not to put him on medication. He is now an advocate for his own health, and he’s doing wonderfully. In fact, he was the one who suggested I give him a mention in my answer to this question!
Micah decided he would sit right there until he was struck with a brilliant plan for how to manage his misfortune. It might have been a whole two minutes before someone knocked on the front door. Huffing, he rose and went to answer it.
He nearly groaned when he saw who it was. Cat, his oddly chipper neighbor, was back. He had a glass of what might have been lemonade in his hand and a lopsided smile on his face. When he looked up at Micah, his expression changed. His smile slid away and his eyes widened.
“You okay?” he asked.
Micah ran a hand through his hair and contemplated telling Cat it was just allergies. Instead, something made him say, “No. I am not okay. But if you want to come in and sit on my couch, risking black lung from all the dust, by all means.” He stood aside and swept his hand, indicating Cat should join him.
Hesitantly, Cat stepped over the threshold. He extended the glass to Micah. “Thought you could use this. Maybe you need something stronger, though.”
Micah snorted. “Yeah, probably, except I don’t drink.” He accepted the lemonade and took a sip. The tart liquid was refreshingly cool against his burning throat. “Thanks for this.” He tilted the glass toward Cat.
Cat grinned. “I was a little worried for a minute there. Want to tell me about it?”
Micah sighed heavily. “I inherited this house. My father just died.”
“I’m sorry,” Cat said, his voice soft and warm.
“I’m not.”
Buy the book:
A.M. Leibowitz is a queer spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. She keeps warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing about life, relationships, hope, and happy-for-now endings. In between noveling and editing, she blogs coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, and her family.
Where to find the author:
Tour Dates & Stops:
2-Nov: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, MM Good Book Reviews
3-Nov: The Hat Party, My Fiction Nook
4-Nov: Velvet Panic, Love Bytes
5-Nov: Divine Magazine, Nephy Hart, Lee Brazil, Posy Roberts, Inked Rainbow Reads
6-Nov: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter
9-Nov: Bayou Book Junkie
10-Nov: Wake Up Your Wild Side
11-Nov: BFD Book Blog
12-Nov: Prism Book Alliance
13-Nov: Jessie G. Books, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews
Rafflecopter Prize: Signed print copy of ‘Passing on Faith’ by A.M. Leibowitz
Welcome, A.M., and good luck with the release!
congrats AM