Love Bytes is proud and delighted to reveal to you the brand new cover to Heidi Champa her upcoming Dreamspinner Press release ”

This book is a real labor of love for me. I started writing it several years ago and many things kept me from finishing it, including an illness that really knocked me for a loop. I’m so happy to finally have “Clean Slate” ready to be sent out into the world and such to have such a wonderful cover to go along with the story.

 

Brook Albrecht, who made the cover for the book, really captured what I was trying to covey with the book. Wes and Sam, the main characters of my story, both have the desire to start over; to walk through a new door, but neither is entirely sure if they’re ready. And I think the cover really captures those feelings beautifully.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Blurb:

 

Wes Green keeps everyone at arm’s length, either by pushing buttons or simply pushing them away. When that doesn’t work, Wes runs, as far and as fast as he can. This time, bolting from his boyfriend also costs him his professional organizing job. His last resort is to retreat to his brother’s basement and try to pick up the pieces. The only bright spot in his new life is his niece, Kelsey.

 

One day, while in Kelsey’s school drop-off line, he meets Sam Montgomery, the father of Maya, Kelsey’s best friend. When Wes finds out Sam is gay and interested in some no-strings-attached fun, Wes thinks he’s hit the jackpot. With boundaries firmly in place, keeping Sam at a distance should be easy.

 

What starts out simple quickly gets complicated when fun turns to feelings between Wes and Sam. But the baggage both men carry threatens to stop things before they start. Can Wes stay put long enough to find real love, or will old habits be too hard to break?

 

Heidi Champa is a typical last-born child. Snarky, attention-seeking and rebellious, she started to create dirty stories to keep herself out of real trouble. Having tried her hand at a million terrible jobs, she bought herself a laptop and finally started typing up those handwritten tales. After much deliberation, she started to let other people read her work.

In addition to her flare with the written word, she knows every sentence of the movie Clue by heart and bakes a mean Funny Cake. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, hiking or filling her iPod with more music. Her life has taken her all over the world, but a piece of her heart will always be in Australia. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband.

Heidi kindle brought with her a giveaway of three pdf copies of her short story “Late Start” !

Enter the rafflecopter to participate 🙂
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“If you don’t date, then what are we doing here?” I asked.

He smiled and wiped away a bit of tomato sauce from his lips.

“Like I said before, I just know.”

His face was cryptic, and I squirmed in my seat as he stared.

“So, what is it you think you know about me, Sam?”

He gave a sly grin and continued to eat for a moment before he answered.

“Not much, actually. That’s why we’re here. I’m curious. And it’s been a long time since anyone’s made me curious.”

“So that’s why you decided to take a chance with me?”

“Pretty much,” he said, as if it required no further explanation.

His hand reached under the table and rested on my knee for a moment, until the waiter returned to check on us and Sam pulled back. I straightened up and pretended not to care, moving far enough away so he couldn’t reach me again.

“So then what else do you want to know about me, Sam?”

He sat back in his chair and messed with his napkin.

“I’m not sure where to start,” he said.

“Then maybe I should ask you a few things, you know, to keep it fair.”

He drummed his fingers against the table, making the water dance in our glasses.

“I might be willing to agree to that,” he said.

I smiled as I put my fork down, relishing the chance to get a few more tidbits from Sam.

“You sure?”

He nodded and I rubbed my hands together, putting on my best devious face.

“Okay… let’s see… when was the last time you had a boyfriend?” I asked, starting with something easy.

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. I had clearly hit a nerve, but I was dying to know. Sam was so cagey, it was maddening.

“I’ve, uh, well… it depends on what you mean by boyfriend?”

I paused. I’d never had to quantify the term boyfriend before. What were the standards? After a few seconds, I came up with what I thought was a good answer.

“Someone you’ve dated for more than a few months; someone you saw a future with.”

That seemed to satisfy him, and he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck before answering.

“Oh, well, in that case, the answer is easy. Never.”

I raised my eyebrows and tried to pretend I wasn’t stunned by his answer.

“You’ve never had a boyfriend?”

“By your definition, no.”

“Well, what about by your definition?” I asked.

He thought about it for a while, then shrugged with resignation.

“I mean, there’ve been guys I’ve dated, but none of them were ever very serious. Most of them only lasted a few weeks. It’s hard to find someone that I like and that I think is worth having Maya get to know. It really narrows the field. I mean, I can’t just think about me.”

More of that responsibility and maturity. God, he was so good. Pragmatic and steady. It should have turned me off, but it did just the opposite.

“Of course. That makes perfect sense,” I said, setting my napkin on the table.

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he cut me off.

“So now it’s my turn, Wes.”

I was wary, but they had been my rules, so I had to stick with them. I imagined the barrage of embarrassing questions Sam would pose, digging into my pathetic life. But fair was fair.

“Okay.”

He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. I got worried and felt sweat start to form on my back. I started to think of ways to bend the truth, to keep myself from being too exposed.

“There’s one thing I’ve been dying to know, Wes.”

“What’s that?”

He leaned forward a bit and put his elbows on the table.

“What it would be like to kiss you.”

If I’d had anything in my mouth at that moment, I would have spit it out. It was, literally, the last thing I expected to hear from him. He licked his lips, and the last of the air that was in my lungs disappeared. I tried to steady myself, but my words still came out a bit rough.

“Um, well, we might be able to answer that a little later. If you want.”

He smiled and leaned in a bit more, his voice just above a whisper. “In that case, do you mind if we skip dessert?”

After Sam insisted on paying the check, we walked to the parking lot and I followed him to his SUV. He turned to face me, neither of us making a move. His hands were still in his pockets, and it seemed by the look on his face that he might be having second thoughts about wanting that kiss. I knew I had to let him off the hook, and not just because it was the right thing to do. It was the best way to avoid disaster. Better to end it now, before things had gone too far.

“We don’t have to do this, you know,” I said as coolly as I could. The last thing I wanted him to know was how much I wanted him to kiss me.

“I brought it up,” he said, his eyes on the ground.

“So? It’s not like you can’t change your mind. I won’t be offended.”

He stepped toward me, the gravel crunching beneath his feet. We were focused on each other, and I was surprised by how fast my heart was pounding. I tried to keep my breathing slow and even, but it was getting difficult to keep pretending I didn’t want him. His snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me close, our lips meeting awkwardly, our chins bumping a bit too hard. Before I could move my mouth at all, he pulled back and looked away.

“Sorry. That was bad. This was a bad idea, Wes.”

Not one to give up, I grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him to me, pressing my lips to his as gently as I could. I moved slowly, taking my time, and allowed him to relax a bit. Once he did, he put his arms back around me, the kiss quickly turning from innocent to inappropriate for a public place. Without warning, he spun us around, easing me against the side of his car, our bodies pressed tight together. Sam’s tongue forced its way into my mouth, and I could tell how excited he was. A little encouragement seemed to be all he needed. But things were starting to get a little too heated, and I needed some air. He seemed surprised when I broke the kiss.

“Sam, maybe we should slow down a little bit.”

He smiled and ran his hands down my back.

“I’ve been taking things slow for the past sixteen years. I’m tired of it.”

“Okay, but….”

I didn’t get to say any more, because his mouth was on mine…