A warm welcome to author Elizabeth Noble for joining us today to talk about new release “Whiskey and Moonshine”.

Welcome Elizabeth 🙂

Angels’ Share

 

I’d like to thank Dani and everyone at Love Bytes for hosting me today.

 

When I began writing a story involving a man who distills whiskey for a living I had a lot to learn. I barely drink and know next to nothing about the different types of whiskey or how they’re produced.

 

Turns out there’s quite a lot that goes into making that amber colored beverage!

 

There were a few very basics I already knew about, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I didn’t know.

 

One of those pleasant surprises was learning about something called Angels’ Share. What is Angels’ Share you ask? Well, before the reason behind Angels’ Share was completely understood, it was, simply, the portion of whiskey the angels took for themselves.

 

Hey, angels appreciate a good drink too!

 

Whiskey is aged in wooden barrels. Distillers get less out of those barrels than is first put inside. That’s where the angels come in. How could an amount of whiskey be siphoned out of a closed, wooden barrel? Angels took it, of course! The missing whiskey was considered a type of tax collected by whiskey-loving angels. The more time a batch of whiskey spent in a barrel, the more tax the angels collected.

 

In reality, because wood is porous, some of the whiskey evaporates out of the barrel. One result is the rackhouse—the building where the barrels of aging whiskey are stored—has a unique aroma. I even found candles claiming to smell like Angels’ Share online.

 

I’ve never been inside a big whiskey distillery, but I’d love to visit one someday. Have you experienced Angels’ Share for yourself?

Blurb:

 

Drunk on love.

Like a well-aged whiskey, master distiller and old-money entrepreneur Malone Kensington is elegant and refined. Unfortunately he’s also a perfectionist who is more dedicated to the success of his generations-old company than his own love life.

 

That company needs a public spokesman.

 

What Colton Hale lacks in sophistication, he more than makes up for with the charisma that’s allowed him to survive on the street from a young age and charm his way into the lucrative—if overwhelming—public position at the Kensington Distillery. When Mal takes Colt under his wing, hoping to polish off his rough edges, opposites attract and a passionate romance blossoms despite the differences in age and background. But can it survive a Kensington Board of Directors who believe Colt is nothing but a gold digger and a kidnapper determined to profit from the love of Mal’s life—dead or alive?

 

“My great-great-granddaddy owned a little piece of land he’d staked out and settled. It was about twice the size of what’s inside this fence. He had a small shack on the top of this hill, but it was what was under here that he was interested in. The best whiskey and moonshine comes from the purest water.” Mal pointed deeper into the cave, and Colt swung his flashlight in that direction. “A few hundred yards down is a spring. All this water comes from it. He didn’t know why, but it’s got a much cleaner taste.” He leaned down, scooped up a handful of the water, and sipped it.

Colt mimicked Mal’s actions. “Wow. I always thought it was a gimmick, but this water really does taste fresher, better. It’s cold.”

“That’s because the spring’s source is nearly a thousand feet down, where it’s cool. This whole area is littered with limestone, and when the water travels over it, the limestone leaches the impurities and iron from the water. He wasn’t the only one with the idea. Other distillers knew the same secret. My great-great-granddaddy and Jack Daniel, the man, grew up together. They both learned the craft together, and when

Daniel bought land with his spring, my great-great-granddaddy set out to find his own.” Mal shrugged. “Or so the legend goes.”

“So he landed here, and the rest is history?” Colt asked.

“Yep.” Mal nodded and laughed. “The one thing distillers like more than good ’shine or whiskey is a good tall tale. I’m sure it’s basically the truth, embellished.”

“This is an amazing place. Thank you for showing it to me,” Colt said.

“You’re welcome. It’s one of my favorite places, and it’s important to distilling whiskey and ’shine.”

Colt held up one finger and grinned. “A skill you did promise to teach me, and you are the best.”

“Oh geez.” Mal rolled his eyes and shook his head, but it was clear he liked Colt’s admiration. “I did indeed. We’ll need some downtime for that, and you’re getting quite popular. Have you seen the list of requests Audrey has?”

“No. She offered to show me, but honestly, I’d rather not know so I can concentrate on the ‘assignments’ she gives me. I do have a confession, however.” Colt ran one hand through his bangs and ducked his head a bit. “I hope you’re not angry.”

“Maybe you should confess, then let me decide?”

Colt made a face, then admitted, “I like the moonshine better than the whiskey. Especially all the wild berry flavors.”

“Well, then, that’s what you’ll learn first. I think it’s important to have a passion and genuine love of what you make. It’s the most important ingredient. I need an assistant distiller in training. Who knows, maybe if you stick around long enough, you’ll take over the moonshine line.” Mal bumped Colt’s elbow with his own and teased, “But don’t get cocky about it.” He stood, offered Colt his hand, and pulled him to his feet. “Time we should get back and be on the road.”

“Oh, Mr. Grice will love that part about the moonshine,” Colt grumbled. He rested his hand on Mal’s shoulder when Mal put his free hand on Colt’s hip.

Mal sighed. “Yeah, about Jeffery. He and some other members of the board are concerned about our relationship.”

“What does that mean?” Colt dropped his hands to his sides.

“It means people forget I’m a person, not simply a company. Negotiating the parts of my life that are private and the parts that are business can be like playing hopscotch in a damn minefield.”

“I’m not doing anything wrong.” Colt tried not to sound terse but didn’t succeed.

“No, you’re not. Neither am I. That’s the point,” Mal said. “You let me worry about Jeffery. He was probably born a grumpy old man, he’s still a grumpy old man, and someday he’ll be a really old grumpy old man. But he’s very good at his job.” He smirked. “However, so am I.” He leaned forward and pecked Colt’s cheek, clearly seeking forgiveness.

They stood there for another minute, silently looking at each other. Colt’s cock swelled enough to be uncomfortable inside his pants. His cheeks warmed, and he glanced away. “We… should….” He jerked the thumb of his free hand over his shoulder.

Mal let go of him slowly and nodded. “We should.” When he stepped away, Colt looked down out of reflex. Mal’s pants were a tad tight as well.

They walked back to the house in silence, though every few steps their hands brushed together or their shoulders bumped. Colt realized Mal was the first person he’d been so comfortable around in maybe his entire life.

 

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Goodreads

QueeRomance Ink

Mystery, action, chills, and thrills spiced with romance and desire. ELIZABETH NOBLE started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into books and fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with others is really a dream come true. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.

Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess, a spunky Welsh Corgi and their sidekick, tabby cat. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe and Cavs!). When she’s not writing she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.

Elizabeth has received a number of amateur writing awards. Since being published, several of her novels have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Jewel Cave was a runner-up in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category in the 2015 Rainbow Awards. Ringed Love was a winner in the Gay Fantasy Romance category of the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

Website Emotion in Motion
Newsletter Sign Up
Dreamspinner Page
Amazon
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @elizabethnoble1
Pinterest
Goodreads
QueeRomance Ink

Elizabeth brought a giveaway for our readers have a chance to win: Any ebook off her backlist published 2017 or earlier, anthologies and bundles excluded.
a Rafflecopter giveaway