Thank you for joining me to celebrate the release of my newest m/m contemporary romance, The Heights, and thank you to Love Bytes for having me!
Let’s talk tropes today. I wouldn’t call The Heights overly trope-y, but there are a few that I used over the course of its writing.
Adopted child: Quinn is adopted.
Big character/little character: Nat isn’t huge by any means, but he is tall compared to Quinn’s five-foot-seven.
Everyone is queer: No, seriously. Everybody is gay in this story.
Enemies to lovers: this story isn’t really an enemies to lovers one in its truest definition, but there is a bit of tension between Nat and Quinn at first for reasons that are made clear in the opening chapter.
I love “big character/little character” stories, and now that I think about it, a few of my books have that trope. The Heights. As Big As the Sky. On the Ice to a certain extent. It’s a fun trope and—clearly—one that I enjoy writing. I also like reading other books with this trope. Mary Calmes’s A Matter of Time series comes to mind, with Jory as the little character and Sam as the bigger one. Nell Iris’s Unexpected Christmas, which was one of my favourite holiday reads from 2017. K.A. Merikan’s The Devil’s Ride.
The “everyone is queer” trope sort of happened by accident. The secondary characters just presented themselves to be as queer or bisexual/pansexual and things just rolled from there. Before I knew it, all my men (except for one) were paired with other men. Or, more truthfully, they were paired with other men in my head…meaning they’ll get their story later on in the series. Avery Cockburn’s Glasgow Lads series is one of my favourites where everyone is queer. I guess that’s what happens when you’re on a queer-friendly soccer team. Anna Zabo’s Twisted Wishes series. The entire band is queer…well, the front man, drummer, and guitarist. With the fourth member of the group, it remains to be seen. Toni Griffin’s Holland Brothers series, where all four brothers are gay.
Like I said above, The Heights isn’t a true enemies to lovers book. Only slightly. And only in the beginning! But here are some of my favourite books with the trope: Anyta Sunday’s Scorpio Hates Virgo. In fact, her entire Signs of Love series is so great. Risky Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z., the first in their Bad Behavior series, every book of which I adored. Bad Judgment by Sidney Bell, which I’ve been dying to re-read but haven’t had time to. Avon Gale’s Empty Net, but to get the full effect of the enemies to lovers trope here, I’d recommend reading the previous book in the series, Power Play.
There are so many good books out there, and so little time. Thanks for joining me today on my tour stop! The Heights is out now and is available for purchase at Amazon, iBooks, B&N, and Kobo.
The Heights by Amy Aislin
Series: Lakeshore #1
Release Date (Print & Ebook): September 20, 2018
Length (Print & Ebook): approx. 75,000 words, or 320 pages
Subgenre: m/m contemporary romance
Reader warnings: one of the main characters suffers from panic attacks
Cover artist: Stacey Blake @ Champagne Book Design
Order here:
Book blurb:
Twenty-one years ago, a four-year old child was kidnapped from his front yard. He was never found. Until now.
All Nat Walker wants is to make his late father’s dream of running a father/son woodworking shop come true. And he had the perfect building in mind—until the new guy in town came in and bought the place right out from under him. The fact that the new guy is adorable means nothing. For all Nat cares, he can take his new dance studio and waltz back to New York City.
Professional dancer Quinn Carroll couldn’t be happier that he made the move to the small town of Lakeshore, Oregon. Sure, it’s not New York, but now he’ll be living closer to his adoptive brother. And since his studio will be the only one in the area, he should get enough business to keep him busy. Besides, there’s something about this place that seems familiar…
He doesn’t expect to fall hard for the local, grumpy woodworker who won’t even smile at him.
Or find out that his entire life is a lie.
“That’s also the most I’ve heard you talk since we met.”
He removed his stick from the fire and let his burned marshmallow cool. “I talk.”
“Not much.” Quinn assembled a second s’more and ate it in short order. “But that’s okay. You talk when it matters.”
Nat froze with the marshmallow halfway to his mouth.
Aloof. Uncommunicative. Grumpy. Words that had been used to describe him at various times in his life by people who hadn’t made an effort to get to know who he really was.
Quinn had him pegged in only a couple of weeks?
He ate his marshmallow, chewing slowly, half an eye on Quinn. Quinn, who was adorable and sweet and charming but who Nat had judged as flaky and immature. Turned out he was smart and exceptionally astute.
Quinn assembled yet another s’more, his foot tapping in tune to whatever song played in his head. Jesus, did he never sit still? The fingers of one hand drummed on his thigh as if playing a mental piano even as he attempted to eat a s’more one-handed.
He was like a coiled spring, tightly wound. What did Quinn do to expel all that energy besides dance? Soccer? Running? Hockey?
Sex?
Nope. Not going there.
Except now that his brain had gone there, it didn’t want to go anywhere but there.
About Amy Aislin:
Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking. She binge watches too much anime, and loves musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of Oakville, Ontario.
Connect with Amy Aislin:
Website: https://amyaislin.com/
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QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/amy-aislin/
LoveRomanceReads: https://www.loveromancereads.com/amyaislin.html
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/amy-aislin
Win a fantastic The Heights prize pack: signed paperback, one of a kind art print, and a set of wooden star ornaments.
