A DIFFERENT LIGHT
A Begin Again Novel Book 1
MORNINGSTAR ASHLEY
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 12.18.17
Cover Artist: Kelley York/ X-Potion Designs
Photographer: David Velez Fotografia
Model: João Pombeiro
BLURB
Bennett Cole had lived next door to Mitchell “Mac” Campbell, III for eighteen years of his life, in the small town of White Acre. They’d never gotten along, never seen eye to eye, and never understood one another…not that they’d ever cared to try.
But when Bennett’s so-called buddies ditched him at a party in the woods where he was assaulted and left for dead, Bennett pulled through. The emotional scars rendered him too terrified to go back to school and face his “friends” or his attackers. With little choice, his family packed up and left town.
Ten years later—at the request of his mother—Bennett returned to the place he’d grown up and the home he’d once felt safe, to oversee the repairs before his childhood house was sold. The contractor? None other than Mac, the once annoying boy next door, who still lives there in the home his parents gifted him.
Being in such close proximity—working together every day, to repair the Coles’ family home—Bennett and Mac’s contentious relationship goes from bad to worse as their personalities continue to clash. But their heated exchanges may not be as antagonistic as they seem. And when new information is revealed, can the men begin to see each other in a different light?
My Two Make Believe Worlds
I think answering the question “Why do you write?” can either be super complicated or really simple. For me, it’s simple.
There are stories in my head that I need to tell. Sometimes the telling is because writing is an escape for me as much as reading can be. I can wrap myself in someone else’s life and work through their problem, then give them the happy ending all the while in my real life the bills are still coming in the mail, my daughter is still as sassy as ever, and my 13-year-old son has a girlfriend *cries* LOL.
Other times the telling is because I love giving real people a bit of happy for a while and if in that happy is wrapped a life lesson or a story showing them that men falling in love is no different than when I fell in love with my husband, then mission accomplished.
That escape, that beauty in the words I write also comes through in the covers I design. When I’m at my computer creating a picture for a cover, whether it be a pre-made one that I’ve conjured by pure magic 😉 or a custom cover built based off the wonderful imagination of an author, I escape into story, an idea that I’m trying to create. I love the unity covers can bring to a story. Matching the font to the emotion of the story, matching the characters who are tough and brooding, or happy and romantic to the colors and pictures I chose brings me my own bit of happy. And when I can do that for new authors, just starting out, or just creating their first book…there’s no greater feeling for me.
Covers aren’t always easy either. Like writing there’s a process and if something just isn’t working I can tweak for hours (or my overthinking brain perks up and takes over LOL), and there’s just something that isn’t clicking, but sometimes every piece just fits, and I sit and stare in awe of what I created.
I feel lucky to be able to do two things I love so much in my life. Every day I sit at my desk and get lost in worlds that are make-believe. And every day—bad days too—when I come out those worlds I never get upset things didn’t go as I wanted. I just sit back and know that I get to do it all over again the next day.
“Neither of us have ever been in this spot. But I think we owe it to ourselves to take the risk and see this through. I know you’ll leave and nothing can change that. You have that dream job waiting for you, but can’t we just enjoy it while we have it?”
“I’m not ready to walk away.” That was Mac’s answer. It was the answer that he wanted and needed and hoped for, and now he just wanted to kiss the hell out of his geek.
Stepping completely into Bennett’s personal space, he placed his hands on either side of his neck, gently pulling his face to his as he locked his eyes onto the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. Flicking his tongue out, he kept his eyes open, not moving them away from Bennett’s. His tongue traced a wet path from one corner of Bennett’s lips to other corner and back. Bennett moaned and grabbed at his shirt, holding on but letting Mac guide the kiss.
Then Mac was kissing him with everything he was, and Bennett was hungrily kissing him back. A tremor rocked through Bennett’s body and it echoed in Mac’s. It was a moment that felt so huge, so deep that Mac wanted to rip it open and expose it all, soak in every last ripple of love and arousal that flowed out.
Mac moved them back toward the large glass wall that overlooked the backyard. Step by step until they hit the glass, but never once stopping the assault on Bennett’s mouth. He thrust his tongue and nipped at his lips until a filthy groan escaped from Bennett.
Once he had Bennett’s back braced against the window, their kisses turned frantic. Hands moved and pulled at shirts until they were tossed. Then it was skin meeting skin, chest against chest. Fingers played restlessly over bodies, never settling. They were learning each other by touch. Finding new spots that they hadn’t found the other times they’d been naked together. Everything felt heightened, felt more. It was like using touch to express the words they could never find.
Mac tried to pour all the love he had for Bennett out of his body into any and every part that touched and pleasured Bennett, but it never felt like enough. Moving back just a half step, he grabbed at Bennett’s zipper and pulled until his pants were loose around his hips. Mac slid his hands up his flat abs and around his sides to reach under Bennett’s pants and grabbed his ass. God, how he loved that tight ass. Wanted it wrapped around him, his heat enveloping him while he fucked into him.
“Please, Mac.” Bennett was pleading, wanting more. Well, Mac had an idea how to give him more. Stepping back, he pushed and pulled until Bennett stood leaning against the glass, completely naked.
“Okay, Princess. You stay right there and wrap your hand around that gorgeous cock and stroke it slowly for me.” Mac ended his demand with a kiss. A sigh left Bennett’s body, unbidden.
Bennett had no way of knowing what Mac had planned, but he saw where Mac was going.
“Mac? What are you doing?”
Throwing a wink over his shoulder, Mac walked over to the cabinet that held all his paints. Opening the door that housed the watercolors, he pulled out the palette for the paint, a thick paint brush, a small glass jar for water, and three tube watercolors. He squeezed a small amount of each color onto his palette then filled the jar before making his way back over to Bennett. He watched as Bennett stroked his cock ever so slowly, just as Mac asked of him. His chest was rising and falling with short, sharp intakes of breath. He was fucking gorgeous.
He placed the jar of water and the palette on the nearby stand before turning back to Bennett with a smirk. “Can I play with you, Princess?”
Morningstar Ashley is a transplant from the Yankee-controlled territory of New York, and now finds herself in the heartland of cowboys and longhorns—Texas. Armed with her imagination, wit, and trusty sidekicks in the form of her two crazy kids, devoted dorky husband, big lap dog, and rambunctious cats, Morningstar spends her time reading the books she loves, crafting her own characters, and arguing the merits of hot chocolate over the bitter brew known as coffee (Hot chocolate wins, FYI.).
Morningstar loves graphic design, so much so she returned to school for a degree and regularly tromps her exams and maintains a stellar GPA that occasionally leaves her confounded and pleased. She can while away the hours on new designs, and perfection isn’t too much to hope for when it comes to her art.
Her ideal career would be full-time artist and author, and so far, she hasn’t come up against anything to stop her on her journey. A fierce and devoted friend, Morningstar tries her best to always be kind, always be learning, and always improving. Giving up isn’t an option, and her greatest talent may be in her ability to convince others not to give up, either. After a lifetime of trying to get people to realize her first name wasn’t Ashley, Morningstar decided the best way to settle the debate was to put her name on a book cover. An avid reader and fiction reviewer for the blog and site Diverse Reader, Morningstar harbored a dream to one day join the ranks of her heroes, and she sweeps into the contemporary gay romance genre with her debut novel, LETTING GO. With plans to conquer gay, lesbian and LGBTQA+ romance, Morningstar has her gaze set on the horizon, her determination her own guiding star.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/morningstar.ashley
TWITTER: @starzehashley
COVER DESIGN: Five Star Design
