Welcome to Love Bytes , Bru Baker 🙂
Thanks for joining me here on Love Bytes as I wrap up my tour for Hiding in Plain Sight, book three in the Camp H.O.W.L. trilogy.
Ending this trilogy is bittersweet because I love Camp H.O.W.L. and I’ll miss writing about the close-knit staff, the moody campers, and the gorgeous setting. Camp H.O.W.L. feels like a real place to me, and I’m sure Hiding in Plain Sight won’t be my last trip there, even though the series has ended.
I had so much fun coming up with classes and activities for the wolflings to do at Camp H.O.W.L. I love the absurdity of having SoulCycle classes and a Michelin-rated chef at a camp in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it’s not exactly your average camp, either. I’ve put together a Pinterest board with my inspiration photos for the series so you can get an idea of what the cabins and the grounds look like. The wolflings who attend Camp H.O.W.L. have every luxury they could want, and it’s a place I’d happily spend a month myself.
As much as I hate to leave Camp H.O.W.L. behind, I’m also excited about moving on to the next series, which follows several former Camp H.O.W.L. staffers to New York City, where they’ve joined the Connoll Pack. The challenges of keeping their nature a secret in a big city brings a new dynamic, and we’ll also delves deeper into the supernatural world since New York City is a much bigger place than a tiny werewolf training camp set in Southern Indiana.
Alpha Connoll’s first introduction was in the first Camp H.O.W.L. book. His son Ryan was a big thorn in Tate’s side when he was one of Tate’s campers. We get to know him a little bit better in Hiding in Plain Sight, and he’ll play a bigger part in the spin-off series. The Connoll Pack series picks up after Hiding in Plain Sight ends, and there will be plenty of familiar faces sprinkled throughout.
Of course, that doesn’t mean these urban wolves ignore the urge to run on the full moon. They just have to drive further to find a large open space to do it. I’m not big on the outdoors myself–I’m allergic to pretty much everything that flowers and grass gives me hives. But I do think places like the Hoosier National Forest, where Camp H.O.W.L. is set are extremely important to preserve, as well as the state and national parks you’ll see the Connoll Pack use in the next series.
I’ve donated a portion of the royalties from the Camp H.O.W.L. series to the National Parks Conservation Association to support its mission of advocating for our national parks to protect and nurture America’s national parks to ensure they’re still there for the next generation. This is so important, especially in the political climate the US is in right now. National parks are always high on the list of resources that get cut to balance the budget, and it’s even worse now as companies lobby to open up our national parks to mine the resources from them.
Blurb:
Hiding in Plain Sight: A Camp H.O.W.L. Novel
Happily ever after is right under their noses.
Harris has been keeping a big secret for years—his unrequited mate bond with his best friend, Jackson. He’s convinced himself that having Jackson in his life is enough. That, and his work at Camp H.O.W.L., keeps him going.
Things get complicated when Jackson applies for a high-ranking Tribunal job in New York City—far from Camp H.O.W.L. The position requires he relinquish all Pack bonds… and that’s when his wolf decides to choose a mate. Suddenly Jackson sees his best friend in a sizzling new light.
Their chemistry is through the roof, but they’re setting themselves up for broken hearts—and broken bonds—if Jackson can’t figure out a way to balance his career and the love that’s just been waiting for him to take notice.
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Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor.
Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now balances her time between writing and working at a Midwestern library in the reference department. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.
Visit Bru online at www.bru-baker.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.