HEART 2 HEART ANTHOLOGY
May Archer * Charlie Cochet * Alison Hendricks * Sloane Kennedy *
Lucy Lennox * Ruthie Luhnow * Lily Morton * Chris Owen *
Poppy Dennison * Hailey Turner * A.E. Wasp
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 02.07.18
COVER DESIGN: AngstyG/www.angstyg.com
ANTHOLOGY EDITOR: Leslie Copeland
BUY LINK: http://getBook.at/Heart2Heart
BLURB
Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… What if a dating app that guaranteed you a love match broke down just in time for Valentine’s Day? What if you found yourself on a blind date with a random guy who might be your opposite in every single way? It could be a disaster. Or… When the code breaks down, fate just might take over.
Eleven of your favorite gay romance authors have joined forces to light up your Valentine’s Day with a collection of sweet, sexy, silly, and hot short stories, featuring a wacky cast of characters chosen from your reader suggestions! Morticians and magicians, superheroes and spies, lawyers and lobstermen, will all learn that love has nothing to do with algorithms… and sometimes you find it in the least-likely places.
And the best part? All proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!
It will only be available for 90 days, so Tuesday, May 8th will be the last time you can purchase this anthology.
Over 162k words total, contemporary MM romance
Sloane Kennedy
The Florist and the Lawyer
Can you tell us a little bit about your characters?
Nate is a femme florist who is both confident and insecure at the same time. He has no trouble attracting guys, but he hasn’t found any who want him beyond a physical relationship so he’s trying to turn over a new leaf and find a guy who will stick around and accept him for who he is 24/7. Harrison is a lawyer whose most recent relationship ended badly. He’s convinced Heart2Heart is a hook-up app his ex was using while they were together and sets out to prove it. When he discovers it isn’t, he has to deal with the realization that his ex was looking for someone else for a long-term relationship while he and Harrison were still together, leaving Harrison feeling like he wasn’t good enough for the long-term.
Was writing this story easy for you to do? Or was it a little bit outside of your normal writing zone?
It was outside my normal zone, but I had a lot of fun with it. I wouldn’t say it was easy exactly and while I will likely never be able to write light and fluffy stuff, this story had some humorous moments as well as some really sweet ones, so that was a lot of fun to explore.
The characters you had to choose from were readers’ submissions, correct? Were there any other characters you considered writing about before you chose this couple?
No, there really wasn’t. Something about these two characters just kind of called to me. Maybe because they were just everyday type guys so it meant I wouldn’t be too far outside my comfort zone when it came to that aspect of the story.
What were some of the reader submissions that stood out to you, and why?
I think some of the ones my fellow authors picked out are the ones that stand out. Assassins, dog walkers, superheroes, magicians, morticians…definitely not your typical characters
How did you come to be involved in the Heart2Heart Anthology?
I was approached by Leslie Copeland who spearheaded the entire endeavor
Since the anthology is only available for a limited time, (90 days) do you have any plans for your story after that?
I’m not sure yet. I may offer it as a freebie on my website
Have you ever been involved in a group project like this before? What were some of the challenges you had to face?
No, I haven’t. The hardest part was making sure my story fit the parameters of the anthology even though those weren’t 100% clear on day 1. I tend to constantly be thinking and planning my stories even before I’ve started writing so with a lot of unanswered questions, that part was a bit tricky for me.
What do you think of the line-up of authors? How does it feel to be in such great company?
They’re an amazing group and I’m honored I got to be included
Is this something you’d like to be a part of again in the future?
Absolutely
Other than your own, do you have a favorite story (or two) in the anthology?
I loved Lucy’s Uber Driver and Phone Sex Operator and also the set up story featuring the programmer who makes the mistake that leads to all this
You’re donating the entire proceeds to charity – can you tell us more about where the money is going?
It’s going to a few different LGBTQ themed charities. One of my personal favorites, The Trevor Project is included. I’m a big believer in kids needing the resources that organization provides so I’m so very happy we get to contribute to that even in such a small way
Have you ever been set up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?
I have not
Have you ever set someone else up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?
I have not
If Heart2Heart were to match you with someone, who do you think you’d get paired with?
LOL, I have no idea. Probably someone completely opposite from me. Outgoing and sociable – an A type personality
From Harrison’s perspective…
Nate intrigued me. Everything from the little stripes of neon color that were painted into his blond hair to the makeup he wore to the outrageously bright outfits that adorned his gorgeous body. Instead of embarrassing me or making me feel uncomfortable, I couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so… him.
But he was so much more, too. I’d gotten to see him interact with a couple of customers while I’d waited for him to take his lunch break and the way he spoke to people warmed me from the inside. He was just so genuinely happy when he interacted with them. Other people worked to live, but my guess was that Nate lived to work.
Just not in the same way as me.
I was a workaholic because I defined success by how much money was in my bank account. If Nate never had to work another day in his life, I suspected I’d still find him in the flower shop helping people pick out the perfect flowers to brighten their or someone else’s day, celebrate or grieve some occasion or say with the colorful blooms what they couldn’t say with their words – like me.
I wondered briefly what flower I’d have to give him to make him understand how special the last three days had been to me – that he’d become such a bright spot in my life in such a short amount of time that I was afraid of what would happen when he finally wised up and realized I wasn’t worth it.
CHARITIES
We are pleased to be donating 100% of our proceeds to 3 wonderful charities:
The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Bisexual Resource Centre: http://biresource.org/
One n Ten: http://onenten.org/
We encourage all readers to learn more about these groups and consider making a donation of your own. Every little bit helps.
BACKGROUND/TITLES
What began as a random idea quickly turned into a collaborative and completely voluntary effort from 11 authors, more than 130 readers, cover designer, 2 proofreaders, and one cat herder to keep it all together.
Readers were asked to submit ideas for characters, both typical and off-the-wall, and from that list, each author picked 2 seemingly mismatched guys and helped them find love.
May Archer – The Baker and the SEAL
Charlie Cochet – The Assassin and the Dog Walker
Poppy Dennison – The Electrician and the Event Planner
Alison Hendricks – The Professional Gamer and the Paranormal Photographer
Sloane Kennedy – The Florist and the Lawyer
Lucy Lennox – The Uber Drive and the Phone Sex Operator
Ruthie Luhnow – The Lawyer and the Lobsterman
Lily Morton – The Tattoo Artist and the Writer
Chris Owen – The Criminal and the Sommelier
Hailey Turner – The Superhero and the NSA Agent
AE Wasp – The Magician and the Mortician
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