Blog Release Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway: Looking Past by Michael Bailey
Unconditional Series, Book 3
Ten years ago, Ben Worthington ran away from home after a violent confrontation with his father. He’s lived with the anger and resentment that confrontation caused ever since.
To the outside world, Dylan Barrows has it all together. But he struggles with the guilt from his inability to protect his older brother from his abuser.
Tragedy brings them together, and an unknown shared history threatens to tear them apart before they can begin looking past their issues…and finally find love.
Amazon
Toledo’s downtown had clearly seen better days, filled with empty and decaying buildings. Sure, it was on the rebound, but the years of neglect showed. Ann Arbor, on the other hand, was what I’d always envisioned a downtown should be. Even in March, the sidewalks were packed with pedestrians, mostly college aged. There was a youthful vibe to the entire area. Restaurants and shops lined the streets, catering to virtually any taste. Everything from used book and record stores to clothing retailers. I was in awe. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the city. The air was crisp, spring just around the corner. I was glad I’d brought a hoodie. Ben took me through The Diag, the centermost point of the University of Michigan. As we walked, he reached out and took my hand. Despite the nip in the air, my body heated at the contact. I nervously glanced around, sure that a passerby would have a few choice words seeing two guys holding hands. None came. “Ann Arbor is an incredibly liberal city,” Ben explained, seeming to sense my nerves. “You’re as likely to see two dudes holding hands as you are to see someone toking on a bong.” And so, we walked like that, hand-in-hand, through all of downtown Ann Arbor. We passed a comic shop that would have made my brother drool. I made a mental note to bring David once, just so he could experience not only the comic shop, but also the sense of freedom this town seemed to offer. The fact that I was experiencing this for the first time, with Ben no less, was not lost on me. I felt like Ben was showing me a completely different world; he was opening my eyes to possibilities I never knew existed. I felt at peace. I knew that was the reason Ben had decided to live here. He had found an oasis in the midst of his tumultuous life. I felt something bubble up inside me, a feeling that I honestly never thought I would have. It went beyond the sense of safety and peace. I was centered, being there with Ben. I felt like I could breathe, in a metaphorical sense, with him. As if the darkness of my own past had suddenly been shrouded in the brightest light. Somehow, I knew I could tell him the truth about what happened with Joshua, and he wouldn’t judge me. I had grown to care for this man, but now I felt something else. Something deeper and more meaningful. Something that made the turmoil of the last few years worth it. I wanted to tell him, but I had no idea how to put into words everything I was feeling for him. How do I explain the complete shift in what he meant to me when I didn’t quite understand how it happened? Instead, I leaned against him, pressing my shoulder against his. He looked down at me and smiled. He knew. He knew. 
To celebrate Michael’s new release, we are giving away 3 e-copies of Looking Past!
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About the Author
So, I tried to get away with a simple, “Hi, I’m Michael.” But, nnnnoooo, that wasn’t an option. So here we go.
Before getting into M/M romance, I was a total nerd. Sci-Fi, fantasy (not THAT. Sword, sorcery, that kind of thing), comics, toys. You name it, if it screamed dork, I probably did it. I was a homodork, and proud.
In addition to that, I’ve dreamed of writing since I was eleven years old when I wrote a truly awful Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. It sold exactly zero copies. My mother may have a copy lying around somewhere. Mothers keep that kind of thing. I also wrote fantasy (Yes, THAT kind: guy meets guy, they fall in love, have the white picket fence and live happily-ever-after)
I would walk into a book store and peruse all two shelves of their gay selection, and would always come away disappointed. The books were depressing, nothing spoke to me about love and happiness.
Then I read one book. I won’t tell you what book, but it had two handsome men and a dog on the cover. I read it in one sitting, and was hooked. I fell in love with the M/M genre to moment I read that first sentence, and I have been in love with it since.
I am astounded at the limitless story potential within one genre. You can literally do anything within the genre, from comedy to paranormal, mystery to sci-fi, fantasy to straight out romance, and everything in between.
Life took control, as it often does, and the dream of writing was put on hold. Then, in November of 2016, I took a leap of faith, and began writing my first novel as part of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition. The goal of the competition is to write a 50,000-word novel in a thirty-day period.
I failed.
However, on the advice of a friend, he “pushed through”. And so, in September of 2017, my first novel was be published.
I have always believed in the power of the written word, and the ability for one story to touch the reader in such a way that it can literally change the course of their life. This one book opened up a world of possibilities for a middle-aged guy from Toledo, Ohio, and is what ultimately led me here. And, I am happy to say, I never looked back.
Connect with Michael:
Newsletter – http://eepurl.com/gcByhf
Reader Group – Coffee with Bailey(s) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2123105577903296/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6949227-michael
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mikel71670/
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AEHIYNN76CO5PYMXCXMOLCJHXOYA?ie=UTF8&ref_=sv_ys_3
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015119775212
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Mikel701
