A warm welcome to author J.R Gray visiting Love Bytes today to tal about his new release “Clouded Hell”.
Welcome J.R 🙂
Titles are hard. At least most authors I’ve talked to think so. Some names come to me easily, Legally Bound I had as I started writing the first scene. Clouded Hell’s name went through an evolution. I knew most people would associate a negative connotation to Clouded Hell. Since hell is used interchangeably with suffering. Dante isn’t usual. I tried to make him different, in not only his world view, but from how he interacted with his surroundings. Hell became a misdirection.
It’s an extremely emotional book. It was emotional to write, and it’s the same to read. I wanted to turn quite a few things on their head, and twist them around because I’ve found in life so many things we perceive as the worst possible thing end up being not so bad, while other times blessings turn out to be curses. If there was a theme to Clouded Hell it would be nothing is as it appears.
So I took Clouded Hell and made it into Remi and Dante’s Sanctuary. One of my favorite scenes from the book explains it perfectly:
“You’re a bastard.” I pulled at my hair. “It’s fucking hell being with you. Has anyone ever told you that?”
His grin broadened. “The whole world is hell, doll. At least with me you get a reprieve from the sun.”
“So this is hell at night?”
“I like to think of it as Clouded Hell. One of the rare cool days you’ve got to hold on to when everything else won’t quit.”
He lifted his hand again, and instead of smacking me like I expected, he cupped my cheek and brought his forehead to mine. I fucking melted, right there in his inner circle of hell, and I wouldn’t have changed it.
About Clouded Hell:
I survive on avoidance. Physical pain to avoid the mental. Disposable flesh to avoid relationships. Work to avoid attachment. My club became my empire of avoidance. Inside the ring millions are won and lost. The fight is confined to breaths, actions and reactions, fists and pain. Rules don’t exist. Only my opponent exists.
I’d been avoiding my needs for far too long when Remi stumbles into the Inferno and I’m hungry. The promise of a submissive with no attachment is far too tempting. I can’t resist him. He was only supposed to be a distraction, but I know I’ll never get over him. There isn’t a chance in this clouded hell.
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About J.R. Gray
When not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it’s half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.
Links:
J.R generously brought along a copy of his new release.
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(contest ends april 3rd)
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I hate titles most of the time, and blurbs.
This book sounds incredible!
Thanks for the post. I feel like book titles have to capture the essence of the book/story and that doesn’t seem like an easy thing to do.
this sounds amazing! on my wish list
Thank you for the post and look at your new book! I’m highly intrigued and am adding it to my wishlist. I can’t imagine how hard it is to find a title sometimes, or condense your story into a blurb that doesn’t give too much or too little away.
I’m sure that titles are very hard as is the blurb. You don’t want to give away much of the story but want the reader to be interested. Can’t wait to read this one and congratulations on the release!