Today we are happy to introduce you to our next author in our GRL featured author Blog Tour: Lynn Lorenz.

Lynn shars with us some toughts on her new upcoming release , shares an excerpt and she also brought with her a wonderful giveaway

Welcome Lynn 🙂

Thanks Dani, for letting me chat for a bit about my new release, from Dreamspinner Press on October 10^th, On The Streets of New Orleans. It’s up for preorder right now at DSP, but it should be available everywhere else after the 10^th.

This is actually two related novellas DSP is re-releasing, Breakfast at Tiffany’s Waffles and Wings and Charlie’s Mission. Both stories tell about two couples, dealing with homelessness, the destruction of the city after Hurricane Katrina, and rebuilding their lives.

In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Scott and Tony are homeless, struggling to just get by, in a city ravaged by the storm waters. They’ve both lost everything, and are searching, in their own way, to find love, companionship, and a better life.

In Charlie’s Mission, Charlie and Devon are each doing their part to help the city get back on its feet, but Charlie has a heavy burden to carry and Devon might not be the right person to lean on.

For those readers who’ve never read any of my stories before, you need to know I’m born and raised in New Orleans, and it’s my home town, despite living in Texas since 1989. It’s a very mixed family – my kids are Texans, my husband grew up in England and Australia, and I a Nola girl through and through.

In all of my books, that Nola heritage comes out, mostly in my writing about food. I love to describe the food my characters eat because when you’re from Nola, food is a big part of life. We talk about food all the time, all day long. We know when we get up to put a pot of rice on, what we’re having for breakfast, lunch and dinner and who we’ll be eating with, because a meal isn’t a meal without sharing it.

So, I thought I’d give you a taste of a meal from each story.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Waffles and Wings – Tony has followed Scott to where Scott works…

The kid had stopped running, and now he quick-footed it. Tony managed to get within a block of him. They were coming up on the Café du Monde, and when the smell of the frying beignets hit his nostrils, his tummy growled. Yeah, they sure would taste some good right about now. And he had the money to buy them. And a cup of good café au lait too.

He licked his lips as he paused on the sidewalk across from the place. All he had to do was cross the street, sit in a chair, and order up some. Tony glanced back at the kid. He’d crossed to the next block, and soon he’d be out of sight. With a deep inhale, Tony sucked in the aroma of the beignets, then took off down the block to catch up with the white guy. He’d get the food on the way back, for sure.

He closed the gap between them. Where the hell was this guy heading? Esplanade Avenue was just ahead, and once he crossed that, he’d be in the Faubourg Marigny. The kid stopped for a lone car, then crossed Esplanade, the shadows of the huge oaks plunging him into darkness.

For a moment Tony thought he’d lost the guy, but he stepped up on the far sidewalk and back into the light. Tony smiled and hurried on. Two blocks in, his target turned into an alley and disappeared. Halting, Tony stared at the sign over the two-story building, his mouth hanging open, watering at the sight and the smells.

Tiffany’s Waffles and Wings Breakfast served all day

What the hell? That was a damned long way to walk for some breakfast. What was the kid up to? Tony moved forward, scanning both sides of the street. Light poured out from the two large windows that fronted the sidewalk, the door to the place between them. Parked cars lined both sides of the street, belonging to either residents or customers; he didn’t know which. Didn’t care.

He crept to the window and peeked in. The place was crowded, not full, but at four in the morning, not bad at all. He glanced at the table nearest the window and moaned. The biggest, most bodacious waffle he’d ever seen sat on a huge platter, three pats of butter melting on it, surrounded by three of the most golden, succulent-looking, mouth-watering, crispy fried chicken wings.

Sweet Jesus.

He’d died and gone to heaven.

Now, from Charlie’s Mission – Devon and Charlie meet for dinner at a local restaurant….

Devon let him go and picked up the menu. “What’s good?”

“Can’t go wrong with the daily special

“White beans and ham on rice.” Devon nodded. “Sounds good.” He put his menu down. The waitress came by, took their orders—two daily specials and a beer for Devon—and then disappeared.

“How’s Billy?” Devon looked at him. He had dark brown eyes, black lashes, and thick black hair.

“He’s doing great. Be out of the infirmary in a day or so.”

“Good.” Devon nodded. “So, how long have you worked at the shelter?”

“Well, I started at the shelter near the business district. Ran it for about two years. Then Katrina hit.” He shook his head. “That was a hell. Got it back up and running again when they bused the men back from Baton Rouge once it was safe. There for the last two years, and I just moved over here about three months ago. They needed someone with experience to help set it up.” Charlie took another sip of his iced tea. “What do you do?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.” Devon shrugged, and his gaze slipped to the door of the restaurant.

Charlie sat back. “Okay.” He leaned forward and folded his hands on the tabletop. “Look, this bad boy attitude of yours is sexy as hell, but if you’re doing something illegal, it’s best if we just have dinner and call it quits.”

He couldn’t afford to be mixed up with a drug dealer. He’d worked too hard to get clean and stay clean. A man with a ready supply of coke would be too much temptation for Charlie. He might not be strong enough to keep from doing blow, but he was just strong enough to walk away from Devon. Which was the bigger threat?

“I can’t talk about it, but you don’t have to worry about that, okay? Can you trust me on it?” That dark gaze bored into Charlie, seeking agreement and understanding.

“Sure. As much as I can trust someone I just met and who wouldn’t even give me his first name, let alone his last name. Or tell me what he does for a living.” Charlie chuckled.

“About that.” Devon lifted a shoulder. “Had to check it out first, man. I can’t take chances, you know.”

“No, I don’t know, but that’s cool.” Charlie knew it was time to lay it on the line. “Look, why are you here? Why’d you come tonight?”

Devon stared at him, then dropped his gaze. “I liked what I saw the first night, the night I brought Billy to you. Only I thought you were a priest. Off limits.” His gaze flicked up to Charlie’s face.

“And now?”

“No reason not to have dinner, is there?” Devon looked around the bar, checking out the crowd. Charlie wanted to turn around to see what he was looking at, but he tamped it down.

“You need to know something about me.” Charlie cleared his throat. Here it was, ready or not, the big reveal. He made designs in the moisture on the outside of his glass with his finger.

“You’re not gay?” Devon’s eyebrow shot up.

“No, I’m gay. I’m a former addict. Cocaine. I did some time, some probation, and now I’m clean and clear. I don’t want any complications, you know?” He looked up, eyeing Devon. “And you look like one hell of a complication.”

Devon sat back and exhaled. “Damn. Maybe this was a mistake.”

The waitress brought their food, along with a large chunk of French bread and pats of butter. “Can the mistake wait until after dinner? I’m starved.” Charlie picked up his fork and dug into the creamy white beans. Large pieces of ham floated among them. He broke off about three inches of bread, laid on the butter, and took a bite. “Damn, that’s good.”

“Sure.” Devon laughed. “I can let a man eat.” He broke bread and buttered it.

 

Just a taste, as we say, to get you flavored up for more of my Nola stories. I hope you’ll enjoy them and sample a bit of my New Orleans.

Answer to the question asked by Meg Bawden: If you could give someone only
one piece of advice about life, what would it be and why?

– be kind. It takes nothing from you and gives others what they need.

My question to Pat Henshaw : What would your last meal be, if you could have anything, cooked by anyone?

 

Blurb:

2nd Edition

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Waffles and Wings

A year after Hurricane Katrina, Scott is back in the city he loves, the city that offered him sanctuary from rural Louisiana and its prejudices, but living in a homeless shelter can be almost as dangerous as the streets.

The storm cost Tony his family, his home, and his direction in life. Now he’s squatting and stealing to make ends meet, and he’s lost all hope of things getting better.

When Scott and Tony meet, they realize it’s time to stop merely surviving. It’s time to start living again. Together.

 

Charlie’s Mission

Charlie is an ex-addict plagued by memories of the past. He’s doing penance working at a homeless shelter, staying away from men, drugs, and anything resembling happiness. He’s convinced he doesn’t deserve more.

Devon is determined to keep the dealers out of his neighborhood. No one operates there without his permission. When he brings a sick young man who was selling drugs to the mission, he meets Charlie and can’t stop thinking of the man with the haunted eyes. He’s determined to give Charlie a taste of pleasure, despite Charlie’s claims that he’s not worthy of it.

First Edition of Charlie’s Mission published by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure, 2012.

First Edition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s published by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure, 2010

 

Pre order link : Dreamspinner Press

Lynn Lorenz is an award-winning and best-selling author who grew up in New Orleans but currently lives in Texas, where she’s a fan of all things Texan, like Longhorns, big hair, and cowboys in tight jeans. She’s never met a comma she didn’t like, and enjoys editing and brainstorming with other writers. Lynn spends most of her time writing about hot sex with even hotter heroes, plot twists, werewolves, and medieval swashbucklers. She’s currently at work on her latest book, making herself giggle and blush, and avoiding all the housework.

Lynn brought with her a copy of her new release “One The Streets” when it is released after oct 10th , to one Lucky winner!

Enter the giveaway 🙂
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