Author Name: Cate Ashwood
Book Name: The Storm Before The Calm
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: Anna Sikorska
Release
Date: June 5, 2015
Blurb:
Charlie has one
passion in life: dancing. It’s his salvation when it feels like the world is
swallowing him whole. When his mom secretly secures him a spot in the summer
intensive at the Free Rein Dance Company in New York, he is thrilled. He knows
that once the summer ends, he'll have to return to Beacon to get a job and help
support his family, but for those two months, he can spread his wings.
In New York he
meets Max, a junior instructor who is everything Charlie wishes he could be.
Bold and self-assured, Max radiates pride in who he is. As they spend time
together, Max shows Charlie what life can be like past the walls of his
closed-minded home town. But Charlie doesn’t know if he’s ready to show the
world who he truly is when standing in the spotlight is the last thing he
wants.
Pages or Words: 62,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction,
M/M Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
My fingers tugged at the edge of the
cardboard cozy wrapped around the cup as I waited for him to speak. The silence
between us felt heavy, and the awkwardness settled in around me as he stared at
me, his mouth quirked in a playful expression.
“What?” I asked finally.
“Nothing,” he replied, smiling. “So I
guess we should get started.”
“Sure.”
“I think maybe just one, two songs at
most. The festival isn’t until the end of the summer, so we have lots of time.”
“What festival is it again?” I asked.
“OutShine,” he responded.
“What kind of festival is that?” I
asked.
“It’s a big arts festival that takes
place throughout the city, mostly in parks. There are exhibits and
performances, and a huge celebration at the end. It was started a few years ago
to raise awareness and money for gay rights.”
“Oh. Are you… I mean….”
“Gay?” Max supplied.
“Yeah.”
“Yes. Are you?”
“I… no, uh I…,” I stuttered. I was
stunned by how nonchalant and completely unapologetic he’d been about his
sexuality, as though admitting to me he was gay was the most ordinary thing in
the whole world. A part of me wished I could do that. I could nod and say the
words like it was as natural as telling him I was blond or I liked chocolate
ice cream.
“It’s okay, Charlie. No big deal. You
don’t have to be gay to participate. Originally, all the artists were gay, but
it has grown and evolved now to include everyone, which is how it should be,”
Max said, shooting me an understanding look.
I should have corrected him. I should
have told him, but I’d never said the words out loud. Hell, it was hard enough
for me to form that three-word sentence in my head. Even as I sat there, my
brain rebelled, doing its own version of sticking its fingers in its ears and
humming. So instead of being honest with him about who I was, I let him assume
I was something else.
Sales Links:
About the
author:
Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder
when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first
successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her
best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily
ever after.
Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous
roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver,
British Columbia with her husband, her brand new little boy, and her two cats.
Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.
Where to find the author:
Tour
Dates & Stops:
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Prize: E-copy of ‘The Storm Before the Calm’ by Cate Ashwood
Hi Cate! Congratulations on the new release! Looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cate! Congrats on the new release. This sounds great. I've added this to my TBR list and look forward to picking it up. Thanks for a chance in the giveaway.
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