The Outfielders

By Robert P. Rowe

Blurb:

Sometimes love can come out of left field.

Tony was waiting until he went away to college to come out to his parents and start his new gay life. Unfortunately, at twenty-four, it doesn’t look like college is going to happen after all. Stuck in a dead-end job in a small town and still living at home, with all the arrested development that entails, he finds escape in playing for the company baseball team and lusting after his straight outfielder crush, Alex. But Tony’s best friend, Jennifer, thinks she’s found a plan in the pages of gay romance novels. All Tony has to do is convince Alex he’s gay for you… or for Tony. It’s easy—just find some excuse to be alone in bed together and let nature take its course. What could possibly go wrong?

You can’t get to first base if you don’t take a chance and step up to the plate.

 

Robert P. Rowe has spent his entire career as a storyteller making an incredible leap from Disneyland ride operator to show-designer and art director at Walt Disney Imagineering. Immersive storytelling presents a distinctive challenge unlike that of live theater, film, radio, or print media. Although he currently freelances, his work can be found around the world, primarily in Disney and Universal Studios parks. The theme park industry is a very cyclical business where it’s either feast or famine. For Rowe his active imagination can’t seem to take any time off. When he’s not designing fantastic worlds he’s writing about the characters who live there. Additionally his outside interests include all aspects of architecture with a specific fascination for the theatrical design of homes from mid-century movies and television. He has a keen enthusiasm for mid-century science fiction.

Author Website: http://www.robertprowe.com/

Where to buy:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Barns and Noble

Kobo

Hi. I’m Robert P. Rowe and I really like to tease my readers. I start the process with a blurb that is intentionally more mysterious than revealing. I read a lot of gay romance novels, but when it comes to buying I’m impatient and I don’t have time to read long blurbs. When I come across a blurb that looks more like the “Cliff Notes” to a story I move on. I like clever blurbs that set the tone and give nothing more than the general story set-up. If I want to know more I’ll take a look inside.

In the case of The Outfielders the first scene tells the readers all that they really need to know. If I can’t grab you in my first five hundred words then you really should move on. Of course once I have you it’s my job to keep you turning pages. That’s where the real teasing comes in. Readers follow along with main character, Tony, as he stumbles through romance. Tony wonders if romance will ever happen and readers are left to wonder too. Of course this is a HEA, so fear not.

The next big tease in the book is an inside joke for readers of gay romance. The tease centers around the whole gay-for-you trope along with romance books in generally. Of course everyone knows that art simply imitates life and almost anything is possible.

People often ask me where I get the ideas for my stories. In this case I was looking for characters that would be average all-American guys. Well, what’s more all-American than baseball? And it doesn’t hurt that baseball players happen to be hot.

My main character, Tony, is not the brightest. He’s been hiding his secret crush, and the fact that he’s gay, for years. He hides another secret too. He really likes to bake cookies. With that in mind I’ve included one of Tony’s favorite recipes here. There’s no better way to curl up with a good book than to have a batch of fresh baked cookies nearby. Enjoy.

 

Baseball Lover’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip with Walnuts

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups oatmeal, uncooked

1 package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

 

1. Cream shortening and sugars together.
2. Add eggs, vanilla and water. Mix well.
3. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and soda. Mix well.
4. Add oatmeal, mix well
5. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.

 

Bake for 12-15 minutes.