A warm welcome to author Diana Copland joining us for the release of her new novel “David, Renewed”.
Welcome Diana 🙂
Hello, all!!
My name is Diana Copland, and I have new novel, David, Renewed, just released on September 21st from Dreamspinner Press!
Before I go any further, I’d like to thank the lovely folks at Love Bytes Reviews for letting me do this post. Without bloggers and reviewers, I’m not sure how we’d get word out to readers about our books, and I’m very grateful.
The main characters of David, Renewed are David Snyder and his love interest Jackson Henry. While we see the action of the novel from David’s point of view, there are other really important characters who populate David and Jackson’s world. Their families, and their friends. Particularly their really good friends. I spoke with David’s best friend, Michael Crane, yesterday. Today, Gil Chandler, Jackson’s best friend, has agreed to meet me at the Red Robin downtown near the mall. I arrive early and take a table where I can see the door, ordering a Diet Coke as I wait. It doesn’t take long.
Whereas Michael is everything hipster and young and cute enough to be a twink, Gilbert Chandler is… not. He’s very tall and broad through the shoulders, perhaps six three or four, and there doesn’t look like there’s a soft place on him anywhere. He’s wearing a zippered hoodie, dark blue with Gonzaga on the front and paint spattered jeans with worn brown work boots. His head is shaved, and the over-all affect could be intimidating, except for the fact he looks like a man who smiles often. His hazel eyes shine when he sees me, and he grins as he slides into the seat across from me in the booth.
I offer my hand, and he shakes it, completely engulfing it in his giant paw. I’m looking forward to our conversation.
D: So, I lured you here with a promise of cheeseburgers so that we could discuss your best friend Jackson and his boyfriend.
G: So you said. (His voice is deep and his shoulders strain the hoodie. He leans his elbows on the table, linking his hands.) So, what can I tell you?
D: Why don’t we order lunch first? (I gesture the waitress over. I order the regular cheeseburger and fries and he orders the blue cheese burger and onion rings. He also gets the Diet Coke, grinning wryly.)
D: What?
G: Someone I know would accuse me of drinking brown, carbonated water.
D: Let me guess. Michael Crane. (He doesn’t even look surprised.) He accused me of drinking warm brown water when I ordered a non fat, no whip, sugar free mocha at Starbuck’s.
G: (Laughing) Of course he did.
(I notice how the smile lingers in his eyes, but decide to come back to that.)
D: So, you’ve been friends with Jackson Henry for a long time.
G: (Nodding) Since fifth grade. We even had the same teacher. Mrs. Pringle.
D: You liked her. (I watch him carefully. He shrugs but a pink stain spreads over high cheekbones.)
G: (He nods) She was nice. She let Jackson and I take PE with the other fifth grade class when it was time for square dancing.
D: You didn’t like square dancing?
G: (He laughs) She told us she was protecting the other kids toes. At the time we thought it was just a joke, but in retrospect…
D: Not much for the old do-si-do, huh?
G: Not much, no. (He rubs his hand over his jaw and I notice paint on the back of his index finger.) It was the whole holding hands with a girl thing. We got into junior high school before we figured out we were both checking out the new P.E. teacher in his tight little shorts.
D: So you were what? Thirteen, fourteen?
G: Fourteen, yeah. (I smile and he gives me a look) What? So we were slow.
D: Or maybe just…scared?
G: (Now he smiles) Shitless.
D: That’s understandable. So once you figured each other out, was there ever any attraction between the two of you? (He laughs, and it’s booming enough that other tables look over) What? You’re both attractive guys.
G: Oh, I had a huge crush on Jackson. Until he kissed me one Friday night under the bleachers at the junior high. We’d gone to one of those lame dances and snuck out early. (He shakes his head) That kiss convinced us both we’d be better off staying friends, because other than terror, neither of us felt anything.
D: So, you’ve known Jackson since you were both like, seven. Has he always been as quiet and thoughtful as he is now?
G: (For the first time his expression seems shuttered) He was never a rambunctious kid, not like I was. There were some good reasons for that.
D: His dad?
G: (He shrugs) His dad, his older brother, you pick.
D: His dad wanted him to be a lawyer, didn’t her?
G: Demanded he be one, more like. It took balls of steel to grow up in that house and still do what you wanted.
D: You didn’t like his dad, did you?
G: (His eyes harden) I thought his dad was an enormous asshole. I think his brother is an enormous asshole. I think the fact Jackson didn’t kill either of them is a fucking miracle.
D: Understood. So, when you guys were first coming out in what… high school?
G: Jackson yes, me – not so much. (I’m surprised by that and it shows) My parents had figured me out but I wasn’t really comfortable being out until I was older. I mean, I played football, was a big jock. And you know what high school is like.
D: But Jackson was out in high school?
G: Yeah, he was. But then, he’s always been braver than I am.
D: Did he date at all?
G: That would require someone else being brave, too, and there were more like me than like him.
D: He’s had relationships before David, though.
G: (He looks thoughtful) There have been a few, but I knew from the minute Jackson told me about David that he was different.
D: How?
G: (His slight smile is almost wistful) Just the way he said his name, you know? Like this person was important.
D: What did you think when you met him?
G: That he and Jackson were perfect for each other.
D: Really? Just like that?
G: (He nods) Yeah, just like that. They fit. I think Jackson sort of wanted my approval, but he never needed it. I’d like anyone he loved.
(Our lunch arrives, and Gil requests tarter sauce to go with his onion rings. I give him a hard time about it, but it’s something I noticed when I moved to the Pacific Northwest; Coke or Pepsi is ‘pop’, and a lot of people love tarter with their fries and onion rings. When we’re done eating, Gil wipes his mouth with his napkin.)
G: So, was there anything else you wanted to know?
D: (wiping my own lips) Just one thing. What’s the story with you and Michael?
G: (He paused in the act of tossing his napkin aside) Uhm, I thought this interview was about Jackson and David.
D: It is. But you’ve got to admit, there are sparks between the two of you.
G: (He laughs as he takes out his wallet. I wave his money away; after all, I invited him.) There’s sparks, all right. The kind that start fires and burn everything to the ground. (He stands) Thanks for lunch. I have to get back to work.
D: You really aren’t going to pursue your attraction to Michael?
G: (Gil arches a brow) That’s actually sort of up to you, isn’t it?
(I watch him leave the restaurant, thinking he’s absolutely right!!)
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy David, Renewed!!
Cheers!Diana Copland
Blurb DAVID, REINVENTED
When David Snyder buys the old house he is reeling with heartbreak and looking for somewhere to call home. Unfortunately, the house has problems; electrical, plumbing, heating, things David knows nothing about. He’s an interior designer and can make a home beautiful, but repairs are beyond him. David contacts a handyman, even as he pictures an overweight guy sporting filthy worn jeans, displaying a butt crack. When Jackson Henry arrives in time to save David from accidentally burning his house to the ground, he finds he could not have been more wrong. Jackson, dark-haired, lean and handsome, is an expert in construction and repairs, and just what David needs.
David knows he shouldn’t be attracted to the soft spoken handyman. His last partner was unfaithful, and jumping into a new relationship is a recipe for disaster. His ex is creating trouble, and David’s car has been vandalized sitting in his driveway. But as David spends more time with Jackson, he finds himself falling — hard. Is Jackson the love he’s hoped for? There’s only one way to know for sure, and that’s to try to trust what his heart is telling him in spite of the obstacles.
You can purchase David, Renewed at,
It’s also available at Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks!
Diana Copland began writing in the seventh grade, when she shamelessly combined elements of Jane Eyre and Dark Shadows to produce an overwrought Gothic tale that earned her an A- in creative writing, thanks entirely to the generosity of an indulgent teacher. She wrote for pure enjoyment for the next three decades before discovering LiveJournal and a wonderful group of supportive fanfiction writers who encouraged her to try her hand at original gay fiction. Born and raised in southern California, Diana moved to the Pacific Northwest after losing a beloved spouse to AIDS in 1995. She lives in eastern Washington with four horribly spoiled cats, near her two wonderful adult children who swear she doesn’t embarrass them. She thinks they’re so cute.
You can reach me at:
My email: diana.copland11@gmail.com
My Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/diana.copland.7
My Website, www.diana-copland11.com
My twitter, @dianacopland
My blog, http://diana-coplands-blog.blogspot.com/
My Pinterest, including my inspiration page for David, Renewed, https://www.pinterest.com/blamb10421/david-renewed-blue-collar-book-one/
I sense a series coming on 😉