Out now: Off the Ice by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
Release date: March 25, 2019
Publisher: Carina Press
Blurb:
Previously published; newly refreshed by the authors
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He’s hot for teacher
NHL star Tristan Holt may be at the top of his game, but he’s already thinking one play ahead. Hitting the books in the off-season means he’ll have a business degree to fall back on when it’s time to hang up his hockey skates.
But his straightforward plan is complicated by his undeniable attraction to his sexy sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.
Impressed by Tristan’s brain as well as his brawn, Sebastian can’t help lusting after the gorgeous jock. With tenure on the line, Sebastian won’t break the rules by becoming involved with one of his students—at least, not until the end of term. Once final grades are posted, though, their naughty mutual fantasies can become reality.
Tristan’s not sure he’s up for being the poster boy for openly gay hockey players, but Sebastian’s never been the type of man to keep his sexuality—or his relationships—in the closet. For Tristan, being with Sebastian might mean risking more than just his heart.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
As part of the release of Off the Ice, authors Piper Vaughn and Avon Gale are thrilled to be on LoveBytes with a Q&A about how they write, why they write, and some fun facts you didn’t know about them! Thanks for hosting, LoveBytes!
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Piper Vaughn Interview Questions
What comes first, the plot or characters?
For me, I’d say it’s about 50/50. I’ve had plots spring into my head almost fully formed and developed characters to fit those stories, but I’ve also had ideas sparked by certain types of people or after asking myself a hypothetical “what if?” question. Like, what if this young city type inherits his grandpa’s old farm and moves out to the country? (Hey, can you tell I’ve been playing a lot of Stardew Valley lately? Hehe. But seriously, I’ve been nursing an idea like this for a while, so don’t be surprised if you see it in the future!)
When you’re writing an emotionally draining (or sexy, or sad, etc) scene, how do you get in the mood?
With music. I normally make playlists for each book and the songs within those playlists are chosen specifically to fit the general mood or tone of the book. When I start writing, I have the playlist on repeat. This means there are lots of songs out there that remind me of particular stories, scenes, or characters and it always makes me nostalgic whenever I happen to hear them.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
So many! One of them is about a pair of friends/roommates who have to fake an engagement after a situation that started as a joke accidentally goes viral and all of their family thinks they’re getting married. I won’t say much more so as not to give it all away, but I’ve been wanting to write a tropetastic fake engagement or fake boyfriends story for ages, and I’m really excited to dive into this one. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.
Avon Gale Interview Questions
Favorite artist and favourite song?
My favorite artist is Murder by Death, who are an indie, dark folk/Americana rock band. They’re amazing and I highly recommend everyone listen to them and fall in love with their music! My favorite song of theirs is “Good Morning, Magpie,” and I have a lyric of that song as a tattoo.
If you could only have one season, what would it be?
Fall! My dream is basically crisp weather, autumn colors, and hoodies and boots forever. I don’t mind Spring (in fact, I’d really enjoy it if it would show up soon) but I’m usually not a huge fan of Summer or Winter. Autumn is the best!
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Genuine, Extroverted, Creative
Tristan pulled the cap off as heat gathered in his face. He tossed it atop his book bag and combed his fingers through his hair. No doubt it looked a mess after being damp and crushed under his hat for the past hour. “Sorry, sir.”
Professor Cruz ignored him and kept talking. Or rather, ranting. Tristan groaned inwardly. Great. Another hard-ass who ran his classroom like some kind of drill sergeant. Tristan hated the type, but whatever. He’d survived coaches who would make Sebastian Cruz resemble a cuddly little lamb. Tristan couldn’t be intimidated easily, even if, yeah, it embarrassed him to be scolded like a high schooler in front of his peers.
Eh, you win some, you lose some in the professor roulette. If there was one thing hockey had taught Tristan, it was self-discipline. He enjoyed sociology and thought the classes would be beneficial to him as a potential businessman. Tristan could cope with Mr. Don’t-Expect-Me-to-Be-Your-Buddy for seven weeks.
“So power and inequality,” Professor Cruz was saying, “let’s talk about how that relates to blue-blooded Manhattanites and me, growing up as a Puerto Rican welfare kid in the Bronx.”
Well, he didn’t waste any time, did he?
Tristan flipped open his MacBook and started taking notes as Professor Cruz lectured. Warm and fuzzy the guy was not, but he certainly didn’t lack in passion for the subject matter. Soon, Tristan was fascinated. Professor Cruz absolutely came alive as he spoke. True, he suffered from a bad case of Resting Asshole Face, and Tristan wouldn’t go so far as to call him handsome, not exactly. Still, there was something compelling. Professor Cruz—tall and whipcord lean with warm golden-brown skin and wavy raven-black hair—definitely qualified as eye candy.
Avon Gale:
Avon Gale lives in a liberal Midwestern college town, where she spends her days getting heavily invested in everything from craft projects to video games. She likes road trips by car, rock concerts, thunderstorms, IPAs, Kentucky bourbon and tattoos. As a queer author, Avon is committed to providing happy endings for all and loves to tell stories that focus on found families, strong and open communication, and friendship. She loves writing about quirky people who might not be perfect, but always find a place where they belong. In her former life, Avon wrote fanfiction at her desk while ostensibly doing work in non-profit fundraising for public radio and women’s liberal arts education, and worked on her books in between haircuts and highlights as a stylist. Now she’s a full-time writer, delighted to be able to tell stories for a living.
Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
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Piper Vaughn:
Piper Vaughn is a queer Latinx author and longtime romance reader. Since writing their first love story at age eleven, they’ve known writing in some form was exactly what they wanted to do. A reader to the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book.
Piper grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago and loves putting faces and characters of every ethnicity in their stories, making their fictional worlds as colorful as the real one. Above all, Piper believes there’s no one way to have an HEA, and every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page.
Connect with Piper:
Website: pipervaughn.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pipervaughn
Twitter: twitter.com/pipervaughn
Instagram: instagram.com/piper.vaughn