A warm welcome to author Amy Lane joining us today to talk about her newest release “Fish on a Bicycle”, book 5 in her succesfull Fish Out of Water series.
Welcome Amy 🙂
Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle by Amy Lane
I know the expression from the U2 song, “Run to You”, but it was around before that, I’m sure. “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”—it can’t get any clearer than that.
A mate is not required. Companions and dependents are weird and awkward and unnecessary.
Forever lovers—who needs them?
Of course, to some extent the idea is empowering—the old idea that a woman needs to marry to be self-sufficient is no longer a thing.
But the idea that all relationships are awkward and weird and unnecessary… well, that’s not a lot of fun either, particularly not in romance.
Unless… well, unless you’ve got characters in an established relationship, when one of them has always been sure he’s not worthy. And suddenly, he’s living with a guy and he’s trying to be a better person and trying to take care of himself and just when he thinks he’s got it, he starts backsliding and…
And things get awkward and weird again.
And the other character has control issues, and he’s having a hard time living with someone in his house that he can’t control and just when he thinks they’ve got a rhythm he realizes he’s got a temper because this person in his home could hurt his soul if they fail the relationship and…
And things get awkward and weird again.
And suddenly—because we know these guys love each other, and have through four books—our fish on a bicycle idea isn’t sad, because we have faith, right? That these particular fish will learn to ride that damned bicycle. They’ll be good at it.
They’ll be great.
And it fits, too—because the metaphor of the first book, Fish Out of Water was never just about one guy. Ellery was the Fish Out of Water in terms of experience—he’d been born with a silver spoon and was trying to fast track his career. Dealing with someone like Jackson, who’d been born at the bottom and had been fighting his way for free air put him in a totally different pond. Jackson was the Fish in terms of relationships. Ellery believed that’s how you lived your life—romance led to a relationship and Jackson had worked really hard not to let anybody get that close.
Both men were the fish. Both of them had different ponds to introduce the other into.
And that’s been true for the rest of the books—different experiences, different approaches to life—different fish.
And in this case, two different fish managing to navigate the same relationship.
The relationship is the bicycle.
So, as a romantic suspense book, our guys are dealing with a new case, with new people, and a bicycle that neither of them is sure how to drive.
Let’s see how they crash!
Blurb:
Fish Out of Water: Book Five
Jackson Rivers has always bucked the rules—and bucking the rules of recovery is no exception. Now that he and Ellery are starting their own law firm, there’s no reason he can’t rush into trouble and take the same risks as always, right?
Maybe not. Their first case is a doozy, involving porn stars, drug empires, and daddy issues, and their client, Henry Worrall, wants to be an active participant in his own defense. As Henry and Jackson fight the bad guys and each other to find out who dumped the porn star in the trash can, Jackson must reexamine his assumptions that four months of rest and a few good conversations have made him all better inside.
Jackson keeps crashing his bicycle of self-care and a successful relationship, and Ellery wonders what’s going to give out first—Jackson’s health or Ellery’s patience. Jackson’s body hasn’t forgiven him for past crimes. Can Ellery forgive him for his current sins? And can they keep Henry from going to jail for sleeping with the wrong guy at the wrong time?
