Love Bytes is giving a warm welcome to author Kelly Jensen joining us today to talk about her new release “Counting on You”, part of the Counting series.

Kelly shares with us her behind the book story and brought a giveaway for people following her tour!

Welcome Kelly 🙂

Behind the Book

One of my favourite posts to write for every tour is “Behind the Book.” As a reader, I always like knowing why someone wrote a particular book. As a writer I enjoy sharing the same!

I wrote Counting on You for two reasons. The first was that Henry and Marc’s story obviously didn’t finish with Counting Down. (And I wrote Counting Down because the story really only got started with Counting Fence Posts!) So, this was a bit of an accidental series if you want to look at it that way. I wrote a novella, fell in love with the characters, wrote another novella, and then decided these guys really deserved as happy an ever after as I could give them.

Though very tempted to continue writing adventures for these guys involving stuck elevators, locked closet doors, abandoned warehouses, metro tunnels, Amtrak bathrooms, and secret rooms in government buildings and I considered all of these possibilities I didn’t want to overplay the gimmick, amusing as it was, of sticking these guys in a small space together and seeing what happened. Instead, I explored emotional sticking points, which brings me to the second reason I wrote Counting on You: Henry and Marc were doing fine in close, dark quarters, but how would they do day to day, in the light?

Were they fit for a real relationship?

As with any couple, both Henry and Marc each turned up with their own packed lunch. Marc has been aggressively building a life for himself that is everything his parents didn’t want for him. Henry has been concentrating on his career to the point of ignoring his social life. The big question for this book was “Why?”

Why did Marc dislike his parents so much? Why was Henry afraid of falling in love?

So I sent the guys to DC, ignoring sticky bathroom doors, malfunctioning elevators, boardrooms, hotel basements, and laundries. I resisted the impulse to have a cab driver kidnap them, or to stage a hostage situation in the Metro. It was hard! Instead, I let these guys trap themselves with actions and words, and then sat back (metaphorically) to see how they’d work their way back out. The result is my favourite novella in the series. I hope you all love it as much as I do!

If you’re new to the Counting series, the first two novellas are discounted through the end of November at all retailers, making this a great time to get stuck with Henry and Marc.

Thanks for following my tour! At the end of every post, I’ll be asking a question. Leave a comment with your answer (and your email address), and complete the Rafflecopter to enter! There are two prizes, both available internationally. One winner will receive $15 (US or equivalent) to spend at the Dreamspinner Press store. A second winner will receive the entire Counting series in ebook format, gifted through the Dreamspinner Press store.

Question: Should I have kept locking Henry and Marc in small spaces or was it time for a happy ever after? (Locked ’em up or Happy Ever After)

 

Henry and Marc can’t seem to catch a break. They’ve had two disastrous dates, the first trapped in a car during a blizzard and the second locked in a basement, followed by nearly two months apart. Even though they work for the same firm, their relationship is held together by flying visits, phone calls, and text messages. A joint assignment in Washington D.C. might be more togetherness than they can handle, however.

Henry is still battling insecurity, and this assignment is too important to his career to mess up. Marc is committed. He’s falling for Henry and looks forward to having him permanently on his team and at his side. But the real test isn’t the assignment. When Marc finally lays his heart on the line, can he count on Henry to be there for him, in every way that matters? And can he do the same for Henry when Henry needs it the most?

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Dreamspinner Press

 

If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.

Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas and short stories, including the Chaos Station series, co-written with Jenn Burke. Some of what she writes is speculative in nature, but mostly it; s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.

Connect with Kelly: Twitter | Facebook | Website

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

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