SERIES TOUR
THE CHRISTOPHER BOOKS
by
Stephen G Hardy
Follow Christopher as he explores various types of relationships and the impact he has on the lives of others.
The books need to be read in order.
Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame
AUTHOR NAME: Stephen G Hardy
Introduce yourself and your writing
I came to my writing later in life, having worked as a clothing designer for over twenty years, a stay-at-home dad when my husband and I adopted our two sons, a stint as a realtor, and finally, a writer. I began my first novel in the summer of 2019, and being my first, I spent four years editing, beta reading, honing my writing skills with a writing group, and submitting to agents for representation. Having been told that my manuscript wasn’t commercial enough, I opted to self-publish, and in late April 2023, Search for Complete was released. Even before publication, I had written the drafts for two sequels. The Price of Happiness was released in late November 2023, and When the Sun and Moon Touch, the final book in the Christopher Trilogy, was released on March 29th, 2024.
How long have you been an author?
- 4 ½ years.
What/who inspired you to start writing?
- I had often thought about writing a novel, but it wasn’t until a conversation with friends over brunch in May 2019 that I was inspired to write Search for Complete.
Tell us about your new release. What inspired you to write it?
- When the Sun and Moon Touch is the final book in the Christopher series. Before I finished the second book, The Price of Happiness, I knew I had to write a book that brought all the characters’ storylines to a close, not only for them but also for myself and my readers.
How did you decide on the title?
- The title, When the Sun and Moon Touch, was decided upon about halfway through writing the first draft. This is true for all three books. Christopher is a complete child of the moon, while Benjamin is the complete child of the Sun. The first time they kiss, Christopher has a vision of the sun and moon coming together. Thus came the title.
What are you working on at present? Would you like to share a snippet?
- I am currently working on a novel that is a far removed in genre and style from the Christopher series as may be possible. I am writing a prequel to Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, centered on the friendship of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. I know there are other prequels out there, but not that focuses on the relationship of these two men, nor are they written, as I am doing, in Austen’s vernacular. I have always been puzzled by the friendship of these two men, as it seems out of character for Darcy, so I wanted to explore it further— how they met, and what connected them?
What is the hardest part of writing any book?
- For me, the hardest part is determining if there is enough in a concept or idea to write an entire novel. I have several beginnings of works, but I struggle to make them go anywhere. So, they sit in my miscellaneous folder on my laptop.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
- Write what you know, not just facts but emotions. Be emotionally invested in the story and the characters, and don’t be afraid to share a part of yourself in it. In other words, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.
Why M/M?
- As a gay man, I can relate to this on a personal level. But I didn’t set out to write a m/m romance—it wrote itself. While all three books in the series can be classified as LGBTQ+, only the last is really an m/m romance. In truth, I want to write human stories and m/m is really no different than writing m/w or w/w.
What book/s are you reading at the moment?
- I am a history buff, and I am currently reading a biography of Francis the First, King of France.
Are any of your characters based on you or people you know?
- All my characters have some traits of people I know, either physical or behavioral.
Do you have a favourite character and/or book you’ve written? Who, what and why?
- This question is too easy to answer. Christopher, without a doubt. He is who I aspire to be. He is what would be called a decent person.
Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about and planning them?
- A character or plot pops into my head, and then I take time to actively think about them, and what I can do with them.
Are you a panster or a plotter?
- By nature I am a planner, but for writing, it depends on what I am writing. For the Christopher novels, I was more a pantser than a planner, letting the story unfold before me as I wrote. This became more evident with each book as I had gotten to know the characters so intimately that I knew what they would say or do in any given situation. The books practically wrote themselves.
I am currently working on a completely different style and type of novel, for which I have had to plan out the story as much as possible. Even here, the plan does deviate a bit as I write because I realize the order of events is wrong or that I am missing something that must happen first.
THANK YOU
BOOK DETAILS
BOOK 1
Book Title: Search for Complete
Cover Artist: Ryan Mulford
Length: 80 127 words /335 pages
Release Date: June 4, 2023
Genres: Contemporary LGBTQ+ Fiction with speculative elements.
Tropes: Friends to Platonic lovers
Themes: Interpersonal relationships, Conversations as Catalyst for Change
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
“Why do I get the feeling that Christopher is the type of man that would make the perfect husband for any woman and, at the same time, the perfect wife for any man?” Laura says shortly after Christopher begins his new job at the TV station. Laura’s statement would turn out to hold more truth than she could imagine. No one who meets Christopher, especially not Laura, as well as David, a gay man he meets at a party, understands what it is about him that draws them to him. They also don’t realize that Christopher is searching for something, a search complicated by their desires for him.
BOOK 2
Book Title: The Price of Happiness
Length: 84 447words/330 pages
Release Date: November 24, 2023
Genres: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Literary Fiction
Tropes: Love and loss
Themes: Parenthood, interpersonal relationships, finding oneself.
It is not a standalone story and end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
As Search for Complete left off, the birth of his twins had just completed Christopher. However, though he has what he had searched so long for, he now must deal with the associated costs, namely the unraveling of his relationship with Laura, the mother of his twins. The birth of the twins should have brought Laura joy, yet, instead, she finds herself on an intense emotional rollercoaster. Laura resents Christopher’s happiness—resents that he is a better mother than she is. But most of all, Laura resents that the twins are Christopher’s spitting image—nowhere does she see herself in them. Christopher fears his happiness in becoming a father has become Laura’s undoing. As he tries to help her adjust to the reality of their situation, Laura struggles to find herself in the tangled mess of their relationship.
In The Price of Happiness, Stephen Hardy has created a profound and moving novel on the themes of parenthood, identity, love and loss—and the cost of getting what we want.
BOOK 3
Book Title: When the Sun and Moon Touch
Length: 87 639 words/353 Pages
Release Date: March 29, 2024
Genres: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Literary Fiction
Tropes: M2M relationships
Themes: Finding oneself, forgiveness, love
The stories need to be read in order. This book does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Christopher has settled into life as a single father to his twins, Loren and Christine. Content with his life, he is contemplating the imminent return of their mother Laura, who has been traveling through Europe for nearly a year, when he meets Benjamin, a direct descendant of the sun. Suddenly, his contentment is upended as he tries to understand the reason for their meeting. Despite what Benjamin says, that they are meant to be together, Christopher initially tries to hold
Benjamin at arm’s length, believing that he is only to be for Benjamin what Joseph was to him—a friend and mentor.
I began to question accepting Laura’s invitation when I heard the noise coming from the backyard as we approached the house. I disliked crowds, and it sounded like an immense crowd was on the other side of the gate.
People were everywhere—seated on lounge chairs scattered around the patio or at the rectangular dining table or milling about in various groups—talking loudly over the blaring music. Laura’s voice broke through the noise.
“I don’t see Peter anywhere. He might be inside. Shall we find him?”
“By all means. I would feel uncomfortable attending his party without meeting him.”
I followed Laura into the house. As we passed through the living room, my eyes fell on a few framed photos of a handsome couple on the wall.
In the kitchen, a solitary male figure was removing a tray of croissants from the oven.
“Hello, Peter.”
As he turned around, I recognized Peter as one of the men in the photos. Tall and slender, with dark hair and a mustache waxed into handlebars, there was a dapperness to him that I found pleasing.
“Hey, Laura. Lovely to see you!”
After setting the hot tray down, Peter hugged her.
“Peter, I want you to meet Christopher. He just moved here from Seattle and works with me at the station.”
“How do you do, Peter?“
Having grown used to the reaction my presence caused, I smiled patiently as Peter, unable to speak right away, shook my offered hand.
“I hope you do not mind my crashing your party. Laura assured me that you would not object to her bringing me.”
“No, of course, I don’t mind.”
The words tumbled out one on top of the other.
“Is there anything we can do to assist you?”
“No, I have it all under control, thanks. Please help yourself to the food and drinks out on the patio.”
“We will. Thanks,” Laura said, taking my arm and steering me back through the living room.
“Peter is very nice,” I commented as we stepped through the doors and headed towards the drinks table. “Can I make you something?”
“A mimosa, thanks. Yes, Peter’s a sweetie.”
We stood sipping our drinks as I scanned the crowd of mostly men, a mix of young and old, before Laura took me around, introducing me to the people she knew.
I instinctively searched their eyes for the essence of another while ignoring Laura’s scrutinizing gaze.
Laura needed to use the bathroom, so she left me standing under the large Ficus tree where we had sought shade from the sun. Within minutes of her departure, I was surrounded by a large group of people vying for my attention. Carrying on multiple conversations was challenging, but I did my best to make each person feel they had my full attention.
He caught my attention on the periphery of my vision: tall and well-built, resembling the small statue of the god Mars that sat on the table in Joseph’s shop. Our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat, seeing something flash in his eyes. Smiling hopefully, I extended my hand to him.
“Hello, my name is Christopher Dunn.”
As he shook my hand, I took the opportunity to search his golden-brown eyes. My initial hope turned to disappointment, for while something was there, it was not another’s essence. Though disappointed, I was intrigued.
“Davidmartelli.”
He slurred the two names into one in his haste to get the words out.
As I gazed into his eyes, the feeling of a purpose to our meeting appeared—first Laura and now David.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, David Martelli,” I said, saying his name distinctly.
David blushed attractively, causing a twinge in my heart.
“Can I get you a drink?”
He looked so crestfallen when I held up my cup that I was tempted to down my drink and ask him for another.
“Oh, you have one.”
“I do, but I appreciate you asking.”
I gave him a smile to back up my words. It was apparent that David was struggling to find something to say, the frustration evident in his handsome features. I wanted to get him away from the people surrounding us and talk to him alone, but I did not see how I could do so without offending everyone else.
Conscious of the eyes watching us, David blushed again and backed away.
For some reason, I knew that this behavior was out of character for him. Watching him walk away, I hoped we would meet again as I wanted to discover what I saw in his eyes.
Stephen Hardy was born in the San Francisco Bay Area but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. His career as a fashion designer took him back to San Francisco before he headed to New York City, where he met his husband of twenty years. Tiring of the hectic pace of the fashion industry, Stephen gave up his career to become a stay-at-home dad for his and his husband’s two adopted sons and a quiet life in Connecticut. Now residing in Phoenix, Arizona, and with the kids grown, Stephen returned to university, where he rediscovered his love for writing. His focus is on contemporary fiction, examining social issues regarding gender, sexuality, and relationships. Search for Complete is his first novel.
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