The last author Love Bytes welcome to their blog for their GRL Blog Tour is author A.E Via
Miss Via talks to us about her experiences with GRL, shares an exclusive excerpt of her latest release “Prophesy” and brought with her a fantastic giveaway!
Welcome A.E 🙂
I didn’t want to use this post to promote a recent release or anything I have upcoming, instead I wanted to explain why GayRomLit is one book convention that I don’t miss and you shouldn’t either.
Since I had to miss GRL last year due to personal health issues, I am beyond excited to have secured a featured author spot this year! I’ve never been to Denver so I’m praying life doesn’t throw me a curveball in the meantime, because GRL is my favorite con and I would be so hurt to miss it again. The organization of the convention is flawless – which can’t be easy since it’s always in a different city – but also the activities are so unique and exciting. Like the Luau in San Diego!
My first GRL was in Chicago – I went as a reader – and it was everything I expected and more. I’ll never forget listening to a personally-inspired reading by Rick Reed that had the entire audience in tears. The readings, panels, all of it, gets better year after year. My first year, I think I’d only written two books at the time and wasn’t sure if I’d even feel like I belonged there. But I was immediately welcomed in and made a part of an amazing family. I don’t know why I’m repeatedly asked about switching genres… that s**t’s just never…ever… going to happen. Nothing against those that do, I simply can’t. I’m too in love with MM.
It’s such an awesome feeling to go to GRL and connect with so many that share the same interest as me. I don’t know about most of you, but at home I don’t get to talk much about gay romance. And writing is such an isolated profession, that as an author, I yearn to be able to talk about my passion with others sometime. So coming to these conventions, especially one that caters to our audience is a huge deal for me. I’m never concerned with book sales as much as I’m concerned with getting a chance to speak and interact with EVERYONE.
If I schedule no other conventions for the year, I make it a mission to be at GRL. It feels like going home. Like a family reunion. If you love this amazing genre as much as the rest of us, then come this year. You’ll be so glad you did and you won’t miss another. If you think you might not fit in – like I felt my first attendance – you most certainly won’t feel like that after only being there a few hours. So, let me thank Morticia Knight and T.M. Smith for my amazing welcome at GRL Chicago. After I fan-girled’ on them for a while, we clicked immediately and we’ve been best friends ever since. Imagine who you can meet and make a connection with when you come.
I thank GRL for my new friends and family and I’m looking forward to making many more over the years.
I’ll see you there ❤
Adrienne (A.E.) Via
An Enemies to Lovers
Shifter, Vampire True Mates story.
Justice Volkov is the youngest Alpha Zenith to ever lead the wolf shifters. Following in his father’s large paw prints was a responsibility he met head on. Now at age thirty-three, he is alpha of the alphas. As a direct descendant of the original Siberian pack, his wolf is bigger and stronger than Justice, himself is sometimes able to control.
His wolf howled long and hard but Justice kept it inside. It felt like a bass drum beating against his rib cage. The harsh breaths, angry snarls and the determined pacing inside him was overtaking him.
Justice takes his role of leadership and his legacy very seriously. He has little time for romance, not to mention a true mate. His packs are his priority. With a human government trying to regulate them, an uprising of rogue shifters, and a violent team of scientists trying to experiment on them, Justice has his hands way too full.
Chadwick ‘Wick’ Bentley is not enthusiastic when the captain of his escort tells him he has to leave his comfortable London home and go back to the States. As the Vampire King, he has no choice but to get his species back in line before they cause anymore chaos. At over one-hundred years old, Wick is no one to trifle with, but his smooth, charismatic manner makes him quite unique, despite the negative reputation vampires have. Wick has had nothing but time up to this point. He doesn’t feel the need to make issues pressing. Nothing is urgent in his life. Until he meets Justice. His beloved.
“Natural enemies can’t be mates.” Or so Justice thought. He knows his skepticism and rejection is hurting his mate, so while he fights their connection, Wick gets help from a source very close to Justice to help him win his beloved’s heart. Wick is a force all on his own, but when he’s blessed with a special gift from the Mother herself, not even Justice’s powerful wolf can prevent the prophesy from being fulfilled.
This story DOES NOT contain/mention MPREG.
No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. It ends with a very HFN.
Warning: This book is MM paranormal: If you DO NOT like hot, alpha men shifting into large wolves, or vampires feeding from their mates, this may not be your read.
Links
Since he didn’t feed much when they made love this afternoon, he was feeling his hunger again, which would definitely wake Justice. Wick sat up quickly, an impulsive idea forming in his head. He threw his towel off and hurried inside, making a hard beeline for the kitchen. Hell, if Henry can master cooking in twenty-four hours, then I can probably do it in two. I’ll make my mate a late lunch. He couldn’t wait for Justice to look at him so appreciatively when he was the one to place a huge plate of food in front of him. Wick gave himself a pep talk while he scrolled through his phone for a chicken recipe, since that’s all Henry had defrosted in the refrigerator.
He found what he thought was a simple enough one – a grilled chicken sandwich. He read through the instructions once right before his phone died. Instead of going upstairs and getting the charger, he figured he had it.
Wick took out what he felt was the right pan and dropped the meat into it like dead weight. Disgusting. He grimaced. It stinks, too. How can he eat this? Well, he probably wonders why I almost come from drinking his blood.
Wick sat there staring at the pan, waiting. Then he remembered: seasoning. Did he remember exactly how much…? Not so much. Wick raised his brow and shrugged. It probably didn’t really matter. He looked around in a few cabinets and found where Henry put his spices. It looked like he was enjoying his trips to the grocery stores now. The man had somehow filled up the owner’s cupboards, pantry, and fridge within a week.
It took Wick a moment to get the range on, but when he did, he quickly had the house smelling liked cooked meat. He tried to remember each instruction and just remembered to flip it over and cook it on both sides. It took him a few tries to turn the slippery meat with the flat-looking utensil he’d seen Henry use on the vegetables. It was annoying and time-consuming. Wick sucked his teeth impatiently and turned the temperature all the way up to high. The meat really began to sizzle and pop, the pungent aroma permeating the entire downstairs. Before he knew it, the meat was done… well done. Wick began to nod because he remembered reading chicken had to be thoroughly cooked. He didn’t want to make his Beloved sick. Justice was going to be so surprised to see his mate in the kitchen being all domestic.
He took out the lettuce and cut a few uneven hunks off, stacking them on a thick piece of bread and the chicken on the other. The texture made his fingers itch, and the smell of the tomatoes almost made him gag. However, when Justice bounded into the room and yanked Wick up in his arms, he dropped the knife he was just about to cut the sandwich with and let his mate spin him around.
“What are you doing, crazy! Put me down,” Wick hollered.
Justice kissed all over the back of Wick’s neck, rubbing his three-day old beard along his sensitive skin. “What am I doing? What in the hell are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m making my mate some food. I took a lot out of him today.” Wick gave him a firm look. “Henry isn’t the only one that can satisfy your robust appetite.”
“Mmm. That sounds sexy and slightly jealous… my Lord.” Justice moaned the last words, pushing his hardness against Wick’s ass.
He saw Justice survey the sandwich with a perplexed and slightly skeptical look.
“What’s wrong? It doesn’t look right? I followed the recipe.”
Justice’s expression softened and a warm smile caressed his handsome face. “It looks perfect. I’ve been meaning to try blackened chicken.”
“Marvelous.” Wick clapped once. “Go, sit. I’ll bring you your plate and water.”
Justice sat at the high-top, watching Wick like a man in love.
He set the plate down and took up his usual seat so he could watch with satisfaction. After the first huge bite, Justice chewed slowly like he was savoring all the flavors. Wick was used to that. It was his favorite part. He loved how vocal Justice was about food and his appreciation of it when it was prepared well. Wick sat patiently waiting for his compliments. When none came after the second bite, Wick began to wonder.
Justice looked up at him and winked, his mouth sealed tight as he worked the food down. Ah, Wick understood now. It was so good and his mate was so surprised, he was speechless.
Justice would probably always want him to prepare his meals now. No way.
Wick crossed his arms charmingly. “I see you winking and smiling, love. Well don’t get used to it. I know you American men and your archaic ways. Don’t think because I prepared one successful meal that you’re turning me into a chamber-maid and having me slaving in the kitchen, butt-naked with an apron that says My Buns Taste Better, while you handle the business. Whereas for me, you only call when you want me to satisfy your raunchy needs or get fed. I bloody refuse.”
A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for four years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over fifteen years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great new up and coming MM authors.
A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to me. Writing.
A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her hardcore, play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, I do like to push myself to step out of my comfort zone, exploring with different tropes, but I won’t push myself into a whole other genre. I’m head over heels for gay romance and I have tons of more hot stories to tell.
Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.
Author Official Website: http://authoraevia.com
A.E. Newsletter Signup: https://goo.gl/4hfuMh
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAEVia
A.E brought with her a $20 kindle egiftcard for one Lucky reader!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hear fun stuff about GRL (both from authors and readers) and saw a bunch of pictures to that effects. Perhaps someday, if I ever got a chance to visit US again I’d love to come to GRL.
Wish you great times at the event, AE. And thanks (also congratulations!) for sharing your new book, too.
would love to attend a GRL one day….*sighhh*
loved Prophesy <3
Congratulations on the new book. Loved the excerpt.
I would love to attend GRL someday but it is just too far for me. Have fun.
I love reading the posts from GRL. One of these days I’ll get to go. Have a safe trip and an awesome time
Have fun at GRL! I loved the little excerpt you gave us. So funny!
Congrats on the new book! I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to attend (too far). Sounds like fun, though!
Thanks for the great interview! Can’t wait to pick it up. See you at GRL!
I cannot wait! I have been planning this for over a year and I am so glad you are going to be there! I can’t wait to meet you!
GRL is one of my bucket list items, I really hope I can make it to one one of these days!!
I would love to go to GRL someday!
A Siberian wolf shifter + a vampire. What a sizzling couple!
Enjoy Denver. It’s beautiful this time of year!
I kind of want to attend GRL one day but the introvert in me is shuddering at the thought of social interaction.
I am so excited that this year I am finally going to attend my first GRL!!
I can’t wait to meet A.E.!
I’m so excited to read this book. It’s on my TBR list! Love the post.
I’m so excited to be attending my first GRL this year. I can’t wait!
loved the excerpt! thanks so much for sharing.
I hope I’ll be able to attend one GRL one day…
I really enjoyed reading the entire post today. This is a new author for me so thank you for the reveal!
I’ve just stumbled on this blog…I’m so excited…I love reading books I normally wouldn’t find on my own