Book Title: Changing His Tune: Road to Rocktoberfest 2022
Author and Publisher: Blake Allwood
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Release Date: October 18, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Rock star romance, first love
Themes: Coming out
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 77 600 words
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Tired of being lonely, Hayden decides to take his music and his identity back. Will these transformations be worth the risk, or will they destroy everything he’s ever worked for?
Blurb
Hayden Koal’s life has been… different. He was just a boy living on his grandpa’s Iowa farm when his parents whisked him off to LA and thrust him into teenage stardom. Now that he’s an adult, he’s ready to make his own choices about his life, his career, and his lovelife.
Erik Anderson has it all. A great job, friends that he loves like family, and a love life that’s… well, okay maybe it isn’t perfect… but finding the right guy isn’t easy. All that changes when he unexpectedly meets his celebrity crush, Hayden Koal.
Their love affair is fraught with trouble from the moment they come together and both Hayden and Erik have tough decisions to make. Will they choose to upend their lives or sacrifice their love?
#rockstar #first love #coming out
“Let’s take a break,” Onslow said then, and considering how fast the band disappeared out the door, I guessed I might have overreacted a bit. I flopped onto a chair in the corner and pouted until I heard Erik come in.
I took a deep breath and leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. A moment later, Erik stroked my hair. “Hayden, baby, it wasn’t that bad.”
I chuckled without looking at him. “No, it was worse.”
“Hey, look at me,” he said, and I did, although I wanted to just break down and cry out of frustration. “When you first started singing, did you get the songs right the first time?”
“No, but Erik, we’ve practiced these songs over and over the past few weeks. I should be…”
“Hayden, stop. You’re changing direction, and this is new for you, so far outside what you’ve done before, and trust me, as your most adoring fan, I know how different this stuff is for you. But it’s wonderful, so much more heartfelt.”
He knelt down beside me and put his hands on my knees. “Listen to me, you’re starting from scratch here, in more ways than one. Give yourself a break, and more importantly, give your band a little leeway. You’re their leader. They will take the direction you lead them in.”
I sighed and shook my head. “It’s hard to lead when you don’t know where you’re going.”
Erik chuckled. “Welcome to my world. It’s the same every time I have a new performer come in or we’re creating a new program, but my team relies on me to keep my head.”
I sighed again. “And it’s a very pretty head too,” I said, which earned me a smirk from him. “I was kind of an ass, huh?”
“No, baby, no one would say that to your face.”
I snorted. “Did you really just say that?”
Erik’s smile slowly spread across his face. “You really weren’t that bad, just frustrated, but yeah, you probably need to give your band some words of encouragement when they come back in. And, sweetheart,” my boyfriend said, lifting his hand to my face, “it’s not that bad. Raw, yeah, fresh too… roll with it. Let yourself have fun, and stop worrying about doing it right, okay?”
I nodded and pulled him to me before planting a gentle kiss on this amazing man. No one had ever understood me like he did, let alone offered such encouragement and support. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but damn, whatever it was, I want to do more of it.”
Erik kissed me back, and for several moments, we just held each other while all of my pent-up frustration flowed out of me.
Almost on cue, the band began to pile back in after he and I pulled apart. I looked at Erik and winked, then said, “Okay, I’m out of whack, just like earlier. I guess I forgot what Angelika and Liz said, so let’s try again, but you know what? Fuck it, let’s just have fun. The more bizarre, the better!”
“Woo-hoo!” Angelika let out, and began banging on the drums.
“That’s the spirit,” I said, and grabbed the microphone. For the next thirty minutes, we totally let loose, and it was the most fun I’d ever had in a studio. I sang off-key, made up lyrics about how good dick was, and we laughed so hard we cried several times before wrapping things up.
“Okay, kids,” Onslow said when it became extremely rowdy. “Try ‘Redeemed’ one last time, this time not being ridiculous, then we’ll call it a night.”
I listened as Angelika started the drum solo that opened the song. I closed my eyes as Liz began the lead guitar part, and grabbed the microphone as Mo, Ted, and I started our parts together.
It was as if Springsteen possessed me for a moment, and images of my incredible boyfriend danced through my mind as I poured my heart and soul into the song. “Redeemed” was about him, after all, and finding myself after having been lost for so fucking long.
After the last note rang out, a hush enveloped the room. I looked to my band and saw the same shock I felt inside mirrored on their faces. All at once, we screamed and began jumping up and down, then embraced in a group hug.
“That was amazing, and I caught it all… wanna hear?” Onslow asked from the control room.
When I saw the tears streaming down Erik’s face, I knew I did, but I wanted him here with me. “Erik, come back in, please.”
As soon as he was in my arms, I asked Onslow to play it back.
We all stood in complete silence as Angelika’s opening drum solo filtered through the speakers. I held my man close and thanked God he was here, because my knees felt weak. I knew he was helping support me as the song played.
“Fuck,” Ted said behind us as the last note rang out. I nodded, taking it as a major endorsement, coming from him. The rest of the band wore knowing smiles, and I knew without saying a word that we’d all just created something really special together.
I glanced through the window into the control room to see Onslow grinning as well, as he leaned into the microphone. “Okay, that’s the breakthrough you all needed. Great work, everyone, now go back to the hotel and get some good sleep. I’ll see you here tomorrow morning for more of this.”
Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Lamoni, Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once gay marriage was legalized. In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.
Typically, Blake can be found relaxing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs demanding attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.
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