A warm welcome to author Mickie B. Ashling joining us today to share some exclusive content on her new re release “Mayon”.

There is also a giveaway to participate in!

Welcome Mickie 🙂

 

I’d like to thank Love Bytes for hosting my blog tour visit and giving me the opportunity to share an exclusive excerpt of my latest release, Mayon. This historical novel was originally published by Dreamspinner Press in 2012. In this second edition, published under the imprint of DSP Publications, you can expect some additional content in the form of a prologue as well as a thorough reedit. The year is 1946 and the setting is the Philippines, a country I called my home for thirty years. The beautiful new cover was created by Catt Ford. Kudos to J for the consistent good work in organizing all my blog tours.

ABOUT MAYON

The Philippines, 1946

After being discharged from the Marines, John Buchanan is offered a position as overseer for plantation owner Ignacio Saenz. The offer is unexpected, considering he knows nothing about coconut farming, but the presence of Mount Mayon, an active volcano within sight of the property, tips the scales in Ignacio’s favor. Finally John has a chance to put his lifelong passion for vulcanology into practice.

Gregorio Delgado, the current overseer, takes exception to this turn of events. He views John as an interloper and Ignacio’s offer as a thinly disguised excuse to marry off one of his six daughters. What neither of them expects is the powerful physical attraction that simmers between them. Could John be a kindred spirit, or is he just using Gregorio for his knowledge of farming to ingratiate himself with his potential father-in-law?

As John and Gregorio begin a tour of the haciendas, John discovers he has far more in common with his new acquaintance than he thought possible. Torn between honor and desire, John struggles to define who he is and what Gregorio could mean to him. Like the unpredictable volcano, equal parts beauty and danger, Gregorio becomes an obsession that could erupt at any minute and destroy them both.

“Listen to you,” Greg commented. “You talk about eruptions with such reverence.”

“I know,” John grinned. “I’m a volcaholic.”

“Did you just invent that word?”

“Yup.” John laughed, a little embarrassed by the admission. He really was obsessed with volcanoes. “We’d better get going or we’ll end up spending the night on this rock.”

“We’ll never make it back by nightfall. Why don’t we go back to our spot by the stream and see if I can catch something to eat.”

“Catch what?”

“Fish.”

“I am famished.”

“Well, move your giant carcass.”

“Your command of English is almost perfect.”

“For a Pinoy?”

“Don’t start with that crap.”

“I’ve already told you that I’m a college graduate,” Greg said defensively. “Just because I’ve spent the past four and a half years out in the provinces doesn’t mean I’m uneducated.”

“You finished college?”

“Prelaw.”

“But you’re so young.”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“I can’t believe we’re the same age; I feel like I’m a decade older.”

“You’re not,” Greg said with a shake of his head. “I graduated high school at sixteen and got my liberal arts degree in three and a half years by taking extra classes in the summer. I was going to enroll in law school, but that idea got blown out of the water along with the US fleet in Pearl Harbor.”

“It’s hard to guess a person’s age out here.”

“Why’s that?”

“You all seem so much younger.”

Greg raised an eyebrow. “Like we all look alike? Are you telling me that you can’t differentiate age or face because everyone is lumped into the ‘Oriental’ category? Can’t you tell the difference between a Filipino and a Chinese, for instance?”

“What is up with you and your racist comments?”

“You’re such a typical white boy.”

“You’re half white yourself,” John protested.

“Not mentally.”

“I don’t know what your problem is, Greg, but I can assure you that I have no prejudices.”

“Then you’re a rare man.”

“Perhaps this issue is a lot bigger in your head than necessary?”

“Perhaps,” Greg admitted. “Being on the fence all my life hasn’t been easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Spaniards don’t consider me a part of their world, even though my father was pure Castilian.”

“Would it have made a difference if he hadn’t died?”

“I might have been more welcome in the Spanish community, but who knows? In those days, Spaniards rarely married out of their social circle. Sure, they had Filipina mistresses, and bastards galore, but marrying a native was almost as shocking as two men having sex.”

“Shut up, Greg.”

“It’s true. Integrated marriages were not that common in the twenties. Things have gotten better since then.”

“What about the other side of the coin? Your grandfather was a respected lawyer in this region. Surely that must count for something.”

“He was the one with the degree, not me.”

“You’re his grandson and heir.”

“Heir? We’re not rich, John, just barely scraping by. If it were not for my position with Don Ignacio, we’d be destitute. And once again, being a mongrel doesn’t inspire a whole lot of respect among Filipinos. I’m the pretty boy who looks like a Spaniard but eats rice and fish like a native.”

“Didn’t your grandparents leave you anything?”

“They left us a little bit of money and what remained of their home after the Japanese dropped a bomb on it, but I wouldn’t call myself a catch. I’m going to have to work all my life.”

“So will I,” John said, amazed at his statement. “Who doesn’t work?”

Greg shrugged. “If my father had lived, I would probably be in Spain trying to earn a degree in law.”

“And then what would you do? Sit around and play cards all day?”

“What does it matter? He died at sea, and that was the end of my mother’s marriage and any hope for a better future for me.”

“You could go back to school and become a lawyer,” John suggested.

“And who’s going to pay for that and feed my mother while I’m doing it?”

“Why don’t you ask Don Ignacio to help? Don’t you think he’d be willing to invest in your education?”

“I don’t know,” Greg said sullenly. “Let’s talk about it later.” Greg turned toward the horses, saddled up, and cantered away, leaving a pensive John staring at his backside.

PURCHASE LINKS

DSP Publications | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.

By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.

Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

CONNECT WITH MICKIE

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Three winners will win a DSP Publications gift certificate OR one of two e-copies of Mayon. Contest open internationally. Must be 18 or older to enter.

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FOLLOW THE TOUR

Feb. 22 – The Novel Approach

Feb. 23 – Multitaskingmommas

Feb. 24 – Love Bytes

Feb. 25 – On Top Down Under Book Reviews

Feb. 26 – Prism Book Alliance

Feb. 29 – MM Good Book Reviews