A warm welcome to author Ashlyn Kane joining us today to talk about her new release “His Leading Man” which is part of Dreamspinner Press’ Dreamspun Desires series.

Welcome Ashlyn 🙂

Win a Date with Ashlyn Kane

Okay, just kidding. But I got your attention, right? Right?

 

In all honesty, I’ve been happily married eight years this July. But I’ll let you in on a secret—one that, if you’ve read a lot of my books, you might already have guessed: …I’m bad at dating.

 

Yes, married people date! In this case I’m talking about dating each other, you know, going out with your spouse and doing Stuff! Putting your phones away and talking to each other! Having someone else make you a meal! Watching a movie! Going for a walk! You know, Stuff! Ever since the weather got nice here in southern Ontario, my dates with my husband have consisted of working around the house or having drinks on our back patio. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes one does long for some variety.

 

This is something I’m coming to notice in my books too. My characters cook at home and eat at home because that’s what I usually do (and also because eating isn’t often very interesting to read about unless you’ve got a book about a chef). Takeout? Going out to dinner? Fancy black-tie events? Give me my pj’s and a Tupperware full of leftovers, I say. But in His Leading Man, I couldn’t really do that. A Hollywood romance deserves A-list dates, right? And I actually had the opportunity to give someone first-date jitters, which was a lot of fun. (Sorry not sorry, Steve.) There’s even a second dinner date, which I completely glossed over because, um, *redacted for spoilers.*

 

Obviously not everyone’s going to take their boo to a thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraising event at the Aquarium of the Pacific for a first date. That’s a lot of pressure! So what kind of dates will I be writing in the future?

 

Hey, they say to write what you know. So here are some cool date ideas that even I, a noted introvert and homebody, enjoyed.

 

1. Escape room. Add my competitive spirit (only an hour to get out? Psh), love of brain teasers, and the right crew (in this case my brother and future sister-in-law), and this evening was a blast. Teamwork, communication, and cooperation are key to a successful escape… so it would be extra fun to put people who are bad at those things in one.
2. A lecture or talk on an interesting subject. (Confession: I am secretly 400 years old.) I like learning about stuff and my husband commutes to work and gets sick of radio commercials, so he’s super into podcasts. Put those together and give us a lecture on a subject we’re interested in but don’t know much about, and it’s sure to result in stimulating intellectual discussion!
3. A concert. You can go see a mainstream band you like, sure… but what about something a little different? I’ve been to see Postmodern Jukebox and an orchestra covering songs from Woodstock this year, and they were both really cool. Both concerts featured songs I already love, but with a new twist. And of course there’s the possibility of… dancing. If there’s nothing good playing near you, or if tickets are outside your price range, you can always take a portable speaker to a park or just have a dance party in the living room.
4. Take a cooking class, or a bartending class, or a sausage-making class, or a woodworking class! Learning a new skill is interesting and keeps things fresh. Plus, who doesn’t like to be a more well-rounded human? Bonus: competence is sexy.
5. Netflix and chill. Look, the classics are classic for a reason, okay? Let’s not reinvent the wheel. There’s nothing wrong with having a routine as long as you don’t take out the o-i-n-e (get it? that spells “rut”?).

 

Now that you’ve seen the inner workings of my brain, you’re probably all very glad that none of you has to date me.  But maybe you’ll forgive me for being boring if I offer this excerpt from His Leading Man—the leadup to the first date.

“What do you think?” Steve asked, holding his phone at arm’s length and swapping the camera so his mom could see his full reflection. “Too much?”

“You look fabulous, darling. I know what people wear to these things. You’ll fit in.”

Sure, Steve knew he’d fit in with people. But Drew was still, despite their growing friendship, something of an unknown quantity, and he liked to stand out. “What if he shows up in designer jeans and a sports jacket?” He’d grumbled about having to wear a tuxedo—maybe he’d decide to buck the status quo. What would Drew think if he dressed casually and Steve wore a tux? No matter that it was a very nice tux with pants that flattered his ass and a jacket fitted to show off his broad shoulders. He didn’t want to give Drew the wrong idea.

Whatever that was.

“Send him home to change,” his mother suggested airily.

“Mom!” He switched the camera back. “My hair looks okay?”

“It’s fine, I promise.”

“Should I shave?”

“Do you have time?” she retorted. “Anyway, a little day-old stubble never hurt anyone. Well. Not seriously.”

Oh Lord, he’d opened the door for his mother to make innuendoes. “Mom.”

“I’m more worried about the practical matters. Did you brush your teeth? Are you wearing nice underwear? Remember it’s not safe to keep condoms in your wallet—”

He took a deep breath. “Mom. There’s such a thing as being too supportive.”

She laughed. “Ridiculous.”

The bands of anxiety around his chest eased a little, and he conceded. “You don’t think I’m making a mistake? What with….” He waved his hand, intending to encompass Drew, the date, the movie, his romantic past, hell, Hollywood in general.

“What if you were? Life’s about making mistakes. It’s not about getting everything perfect the first time.”

Easily said by a woman who hadn’t wanted for anything for most of her life. But he wasn’t sure she was wrong either. “I never said I wanted to be perfect.”

“You didn’t have to. I know you. And you like this man. So go on a date with him.”

“I liked the last guy too.”

“Not everyone in Hollywood is a self-absorbed backstabbing opportunist,” his mother reminded him. “But I have to go, baby. You’re not the only one with a date tonight. Have fun, okay? I love you.”

Of course. He could never expect his mother to stay in on a Saturday night. “I love you too. Bye, Mom. Take your own advice.”

“Always, darling. Oh, and if you see Rico tonight, avoid him. I broke up with him and he’s sulking.”

Steve tried to remember which one Rico was—had they met, maybe, one weekend at his mom’s place?—but it eluded him. “Thanks for the tip.”

The call disconnected, and Steve slipped his phone into his jacket pocket. The tailoring held up fine—no weird pulls or lines. You got what you paid for, Steve’s mom always said, and she insisted he pay top dollar.

“I am really going to do this,” he told his reflection.

His reflection looked back, flushed with anticipation. Had he remembered to put on deodorant?

In his pocket, his phone chirped, and he pulled it out to check the message. Be there in five.

Well, at least his panic now had a shelf life. Keys, wallet, phone… time to go downstairs. He locked his apartment, pocketed his key, and got in the elevator.

If this were a movie about his life, the doors sliding closed would have marked the end of act one.

 

If that excerpt strikes your fancy, here’s the blurb, the cover, and where you can get your paws on the book, which comes out today!

He wrote a comedy. Fate directed a romance.

Drew Beaumont is bored of the same old roles: action hero, supervillain, romantic lead. He’s not going to let a fresh gay buddy comedy languish just because they can’t find him the right costar. No, Drew bats his eyelashes and convinces everyone that the movie’s writer should play Drew’s not-so-straight man.

Aspiring writer Steve Sopol has never had a screenplay optioned. Now one of Hollywood’s hottest properties wants to be in a movie Steve hasn’t finished writing—and he wants Steve as his costar. Turns out the chemistry between them is undeniable—on and offscreen.

Drew swore off dating in the biz, but Steve is the whole package: sharp, funny, humble, and cute. For Steve, though, giving in to the movie magic means the end of the privacy he cherishes. Will the credits roll before their ride into the sunset?

Buy it on the Dreamspinner website or on Amazon.com.

 

ASHLYN KANE is a Canadian former expat and current hockey fan. She is a writer, editor, handyperson, dog mom, and friend—sometimes all at once.

On any given day, she can usually be found walking her ninety-pound baby chocolate lapdog, Indy, or holed up in her office avoiding housework. She has a deep and abiding love of romance-novel tropes, a habit of dropping too many f-bombs, and—fortunately—a very forgiving family.

Twitter: @ashlynkane

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashlyn.kane.94

Website: Ashlynkane.ca