Love Bytes gives a warm welcome to author Ariel Tachna who joins us today to talk about her new release “Rebuilt My Heart”, part of Dreamspinner Press their Dreamspun Desires series.
Welcome Ariel 🙂
One of the fun things about writing Rebuild My Heart was getting to design Henley’s Books, the LGBT bookstore owned by Owen Hensley (on the cover). Owen owns the building and lives in the upstairs of what was originally a duplex that had a door pierced through a staircase wall to allow entrance from the upstairs apartment to the downstairs, which is now his business space.
I started with the basic layout of a house I lived in for six years. Built in the late 1920s, it had more character than any ten modern houses combined, with little flourishes like a curved rather than a square door and a beautiful Rookwood fireplace in the living room. From there, I imagined finishing the basement, something we only did partially in our house, and adding what was supposed to be new living space so that Owen’s original apartment upstairs could be converted to office space, allowing him to open the entire main floor for more books.
After all, what writer wouldn’t love more books?
And that remodeling provided the vehicle for introducing Owen one of my favorite secondary characters from the Lexington Lovers series, Derek Jackson from Stage Two. Derek is a lot like Owen’s bookstore. Like the bookstore, Derek is a little older, not quite as young and fresh as he might be. He’s been around the block a time or two, and it’s given him character. He might have a few rough edges because of his colorful past, but it’s made him who he is, strong enough and settled enough now to appeal to Owen, who is somewhat rootless, by choice and circumstance. Derek’s strength and depth appeal to Owen the same way the graceful bones of the older house do. And as Derek works to put a fresh face on an old beauty, Owen finds himself falling harder and harder for Derek’s rough edges too.
Derek walked up the sidewalk to the old house that had been repurposed for the shop. The eaves had been repainted recently, probably in the past five years, but the concrete steps were crumbling in places. He made a mental note to address that with Hensley if he didn’t bring it up himself.
The front door had to be the original, with the unusual curved lintel. It was painted a bright, welcoming blue. Not quite Kentucky blue, but close. Another thing to check on. Did he want it UK blue? If so, Derek knew a good source for the university’s signature blue. He pushed the door open and walked inside to the cheerful chime of a bell. The big windows all along the front wall let in plenty of natural light, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled the room to the left, especially impressive with the twelve-foot ceilings. The shelves had to be custom-made. To the right, another room was set with several overstuffed armchairs in a grouping around a big fireplace—an actual wood fireplace, not a gas substitute. These walls were lined with the same tall bookshelves. Derek smiled at the welcoming ambience. He’d have to make sure to preserve that in the renovation plan. He wondered if Hensley had hired a designer or if this was his own work. If Hensley set it up himself, he had some talent for interior space, something Derek appreciated.
Blurb:
When Derek Jackson is hired to renovate the LGBT bookstore that’s also Owen Hensley’s home, opposites attract. Derek is a big burly blue-collar guy, about ten years older than slight, sweet, and bookish Owen. As they spend time together, it becomes clear that each handsome outside leads to a beautiful interior. Far from the shy twink he appears, Owen has a rock-solid foundation that helped him put himself through college and start his own business. Behind Derek’s strong façade waits a tender heart that’s been battered by a rough family past—something Owen understands.
When Owen’s runaway nephew lands on his doorstep, it throws a wrench in their plans. Derek can’t ask Owen to choose, but he doesn’t think he can take second place with his lover the way he always has with his family. Can they find a way to keep their romance standing?
Buy links:
When Ariel Tachna was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.
She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands). The cat pretends they’re all beneath her, no matter what language they’re speaking.
Visit Ariel:
Website: www.arieltachna.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna
Facebook group: www:facebook.com/AdventureswithAriel
Email: arieltachna@gmail.com