A warm welcome to author Garrett Leigh joining us today to talk about the release of “Strays”, book 2 in the Urban Soul series.

Garrett kindly answered some questions and there is a giveaway to participate in!

Welcome Garrett 🙂

Tell us about the return to the Urban Soul universe. What was the motivation? Was this always in the works?

 

I didn’t mean to write this book. Nero always intrigued me, but I didn’t think I’d ever get round to properly exploring him.

 

Was there anything you really wanted to include in the book, but had to cut for some reason?

 

Erm…yes, but I can’t give it away just yet, LOL.

 

You’re known for putting your characters (and readers!) through the wringer. Was there ever an idea that was too much for even you? What was it?

 

God yes. But I might still write it any way…so…That aside, What Remains just about killed me.

 

What one song or album would you say most represents Strays?

 

Nero likes Pearl Jam and Chili Peppers style music. Lenny is big into his club music. He dances to Erasure in one scene, but I don’t think I got round to naming the song (A Little Respect)

 

What weather setting would you recommend readings Strays in? Is it a rainy day read, or a bright and sunny beach read? Or something else entirely?

 

It’s warm in London in the book, so I think it’s the perfect read for RIGHT NOW.

 

Do you ever go to book readings, signings, or book conferences? If so, where can we see you next?

 

I’m not attending anything this year, but will be in Cardiff for a signing next summer, and also the UK Meet if everything works out <3

 

How much do you write in a day?

Usually around 2k, but I have lots of other commitments, so it varies.

 

Do you have a guilty pleasure? What is it?

 

Everything is my guilty pleasure. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.

 

What one food or drink can you never resist?

 

Avocados/raspberries/dark chocolate/blue cheese

 

What one language do you currently not speak that you would love to learn?

 

Japanese.

About Strays

 

Work, sleep, work, repeat. Nero’s lonely life suits him just fine until his best friend, Cass, asks him to take on a new apprentice—a beautiful young man who’s never set foot in a professional kitchen. Despite his irritation and his lifelong ability to shut the world out, Nero is mesmerised by the vibrant stray, especially when he learns what drove him to seek sanctuary on Nero’s battered old couch.

 

Lenny Mitchell is living under a cloud of fear. Pursued by a stalker, he has nowhere left to run until Nero offers him a port in a storm—a job at the hottest restaurant in Shepherd’s Bush. Kitchen life proves heady and addictive, and it’s not long before he finds himself falling hard and fast for the man who has taken him in.

 

Fast-forward a month and neither man can imagine life without the other, but one thing stands in their way: a lifetime of horrors Nero can’t bring himself to share with Lenny. Or can he? For the first time ever, happiness is there for the taking, and Nero must learn to embrace it before fate steps in and rips it away.

 

Now available from

Riptide Publishing

Amazon

 

About Garrett Leigh

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Social media: Website: http://garrettleigh.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks

Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

 

To celebrate the release of Strays, one lucky winner will receive $25 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 1, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!