Blog Tour: Intro, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway Mickie B Asling – Gnarly

Love Bytes says hello and welcome to author Mickie B Asling joining us today to talk about her newest release “Gnarly”, part of Dreamspinner Press “World of Love Collection.

Welcome Mickie 🙂

Hi, everyone! I’d like to thank you for stopping by to help me celebrate my latest release, Gnarly, which is part of Dreamspinner’s World of Love collection. The setting for this long novella is San Sebastian, Spain, a seaside town in the Basque Country. Those who know me are aware I’m half Basque and have already written a series (Loving Edits, Tono, Momentos: Mick’s Journey) with the Basque Country playing a prominent role.

Gnarly is a standalone. The only similarity to the other series is that it’s m/m/m. There’s something about the area that compels me to write polyamorous relationships. I’m not certain why. My best guess is the overabundance of eye candy. I had the opportunity to spend six weeks visiting family last summer and left San Sebastian with a small arsenal of plot bunnies.

The main characters in this story—Ed, Javi, and Iker—are more mature and have one thing in common. They’re at a crossroads, and opting for the road less traveled might be their best option. I’m looking forward to sharing their unique story.

Before I go, I’d like to thank Dani at Love Bytes for hosting my blog tour visit, and my wonderful publicist J for her help in organizing everything.

 

Title: Gnarly

Author: Mickie B. Ashling

Series: Dreamspinner’s World of Love collection (Spain)

Genre: M/M/M, Contemporary Gay Romance

Length: 172 pages

Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Release Date: June 21, 2017

BLURB:

Dr. Ed Hollingsworth, widowed for five years, returns to San Sebastián, Spain, after a thirty-year absence. He seeks out his first and only male lover, pro surfer Javi Elizalde.

After surviving a near-fatal shark attack, Javi turned his back on the sport he loves and became a recluse.

Iker Lizaso, professional jai alai player, finds himself at loose ends now that his contract has expired. Forced to retire at thirty-eight, he returned to his home in the Basque Country to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

Three different men, encumbered by their past, converge in a city famous for its food, summer festivals, and romantic promenades. Can they find happiness together? It’ll be difficult, maybe even improbable, considering their backgrounds, but Cupid’s arrow usually hits the mark, and this particular strike might be epic.

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Ed walked back to his apartment deep in thought. It was one thing to feel an attraction toward Javi. They had a history, after all, and it was easier to justify. But Iker? Seriously. What in God’s name was he thinking? Even if, and that was a major sticking point, if the kid… no, goddammit, make that man. Even if Ed was older, Iker had to be in his late twenties or early thirties, right? Okay, now that he’d cleared up that minor niggle, what if Iker felt the same pull? Would Ed have the audacity to do something about it?

He was distracted with thoughts of Iker and the possible repercussions of meeting for a drink when he crash-landed into Javi, who was going in the opposite direction. They fell onto the cobblestones in a tangle of limbs.

“¡Joder!” Javi exclaimed loudly. “What the hell, Ed?”

“Sorry. Good grief, man. Are you hurt?” Ed asked, helping Javi back up.

“I’m fine,” Javi said, still scowling. “What’s the big hurry? You have a date?”

Ed stared into Javi’s mocking face and something clicked in his lizard brain. “Actually, I do.”

Eyes wide, Javi asked, “Male or female?”

“Really?” Ed replied.

Javi shrugged. “I’m curious; that’s all.”

Ed’s upper lip curled into a satisfied grin. “If you must know, I have a hot date with a guy who looks a lot like you when you were his age.”

“Who?” Javi challenged.

“Jealous much?”

“Fuck off, Ed.”

“That’s what I plan on doing shortly,” Ed said, unable to stop the charade. The anger on Javi’s face was worth the unadulterated bullshit. “See you around.”

Ed stomped off toward his building, and this time he kept his eye on the road. After a few seconds, he turned to see if Javi was watching his progress. The ex-surfer hadn’t budged. He continued to track Ed until he reached his building and turned the key. Mission fucking accomplished.

In his apartment, Ed downed a bottle of mineral water, stripped, and headed for the shower. He scrubbed his body with a loofah and the good bath gel he’d bought at Neiman Marcus before leaving home. The smell of sandalwood and lemon was subtle but intoxicating and made up for the outrageous price. He hoped it would work its magic on Iker.

Glancing down at his rising cock, he could see it was totally on board with the idea. Why the fuck not? He was unencumbered, and no one in the area, except Javi and his father, would ever know. Why not dive back into the pond headfirst? At the very least, he’d add a pleasurable experience to his memory banks. The worst-case scenario would be falling for the guy, but the probability of that happening was remote now that Javi’s stubborn ass had taken up residence in his brain.

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.

By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.

Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

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