Author Name: A.M. Arthur
Book Name: The World As He Sees It
Series: Perspectives
Book: Two
Can be read as a standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor
Release
Date: October 20, 2015
Blurb:
Love knows no
limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.
Gabe
lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his
remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra
cash and regular safe sex without complications.
Yet
when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s
compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has
haunted him.
Tristan
Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury
three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks
and sticky note reminders.
A
month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting
with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men
crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.
Until
Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could
improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the
possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…
Pages or Words: 283 pages, 83,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M
Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
The late hour didn’t diminish the sweltering August heat, and Tristan worked up a good sweat walking. Shane and Noel both looked crazy sexy in their club clothes, and even sexier walking side by side. He was happy for Noel. Happy his best friend was in love and enjoying himself.
He stuck close with his stupid, insane jealousy because the
streets were teeming with people of all ages, heading into and out of the
different restaurants and clubs. They turned down a quieter side street that
was more like an alley. Halfway down the block a few guys hung out against a
stone wall, most of them smoking cigarettes. An industrial door with no sign or
markings was being guarded by a big, burly bear of a man in a black leather
vest.
“Hey, Officer Carlson,” the bouncer said. He had a deep
voice to match his broad body. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hi, Mr. Henson,” Noel said.
“Bear, son. Everyone calls me Bear.”
“Right. This is my friend Tristan Lavelle.”
“A right pleasure.”
Tristan shook Bear’s hand, surprised by the gentle grip. “Hi.”
He glanced at Shane, who didn’t seem at all annoyed at being left out. “Um,
that’s Shane. Noel’s boyfriend.”
Bear grinned. “Yeah, I know that one all right.”
“You do?” He reached for a notebook he didn’t have, then
looked at Noel for answers.
“Shane dances here once a week,” Noel said. “He got the job
through Bear’s son Gabe.”
“Oh.” He didn’t bother asking if he’d already been told
that. Probably. Every single piece of information that was mildly important to
his life had been repeated to him at least, oh, eighteen times. Minimum.
“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Bear said. “First drinks are on
the house.”
“Thank you,” Tristan replied.
Noel pulled the door, and what had been a distant bass
became an impressive thumpa-thumpa in Tristan’s chest. The interior of the club
was wide and deep, with a high ceiling decorated in strands of red and blue
lights. Strobes and other lighting flashed around the dance floor, which seemed
to make up most of the floor space. A small U-shaped bar stood to the right. In
the rear were what looked like raised platforms. Two hot guys in red
short-shorts were gyrating together on one of them.
This is the kind of
dancing Shane does? Shit.
He was probably twenty kinds of hot up there.
Someone jostled past them, reminding Tristan to keep moving
forward. Noel was hustling them straight for the bar. Tristan couldn’t drink
alcohol because of his antidepressants and anxiety medications, and Noel was
driving so the only person able to drink much was Shane.
Lucky bastard.
Not that Tristan was going to mourn his dry night. Men.
Everywhere around him, a sea of hot men. All kinds of eye candy. Every age,
height, weight, shape and body hair amount. He observed and mentally drooled
over the flesh on display. The air smelled of liquor and sweat and sex, and
good Lord he was starting to get lightheaded from it all.
Noel nudged them closer to the bar. A middle-aged man with
gray hair and a pink sequined vest gave them all a big, toothy smile. “Noel and
friends,” he said. “Richard Brightman, pleased to officially meet you, Tristan.”
“Hello,” Tristan said. Officially
meet you implied they’d interacted before, but the man’s name meant nothing
to him.
“I’m Bear’s husband. We own the place.”
“Oh. It’s a great place. I’m pretty sure this is my first
time. I like it.”
Noel flinched.
Okay that was wrong.
When was I here before?
“So what are we drinking tonight?” Richard asked. “First
round on the house. Samuel Adams for you, Shane?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Shane replied.
Richard knows because
Shane works here.
“I’ll have a vodka tonic,” Noel said. “Tris?”
“Virgin margarita,” Tristan said. He loved margaritas, and
while a virgin wasn’t as good as one with Patrón, he couldn’t mix with his
meds.
“Coming up,” Richard said.
The music changed to a faster, sharper beat. Tristan’s hips
rolled in tiny motions, instinct bringing out his love of club dancing. Of
getting into it with another dude, all writhing bodies and gyrating hips. Arms
and legs. Sweat and heavy breathing.
Wonderful arousal stirred in his gut, heating his blood
already. He might not be getting laid tonight, but damn it, he was going to
have some fun.
“Hey, you guys made it,” said a sexy, sultry voice.
Tristan glanced over his shoulder to see who the voice had
spoken to, only to find himself staring into a pair of kind, dark eyes. Kind,
dark eyes belonging to a stunningly handsome face. Black hair. Tan skin. Tall
and well-built. A walking wet dream who was smiling like they were old friends.
Holy fucking hell,
he’s gorgeous.
“Hey, Gabe,” Shane said.
Gabe.
Those kind, dark eyes never broke from his, and Tristan
couldn’t look away. Gabe was a stranger, and yet somehow familiar.
His eyes. The eyes I
see. We’ve met.
“We’ve met,” Tristan said before he could think twice.
Gabe’s eyebrows twitched. “Yes, we have. Do you remember
that?”
“I remember your eyes.”
Sales Links:
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5605/the-world-as-he-sees-it
http://www.amazon.com/World-As-He-Sees-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B015PMEGLQ/
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theworldasheseesit-1857908-149.html
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-world-as-he-sees-it-am-arthur/1122685089?ean=9781619230132
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-world-as-he-sees-it-1
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-world-as-he-sees-it/id1042542613?mt=11
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5605/the-world-as-he-sees-it
http://www.amazon.com/World-As-He-Sees-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B015PMEGLQ/
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theworldasheseesit-1857908-149.html
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-world-as-he-sees-it-am-arthur/1122685089?ean=9781619230132
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-world-as-he-sees-it-1
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-world-as-he-sees-it/id1042542613?mt=11
Q & A with author A.M. Arthur
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M.
Arthur, author of The World As He Sees It (Perspectives #2).
Hi A.M., thank you for agreeing to this
interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current
book.
Hello! I’m a
contemporary m/m romance author (who occasionally dips into paranormal). I hail
from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, equal distances from beaches and corn
fields, and I currently share my apartment with two rascals of kitties.
My current book,
The World As He Sees It, is the second in my Perspectives series with Samhain
Publishing. It’s Tristan and Gabe’s book, and anyone who read the first
Perspectives knows why Tristan is super special. He has severe short term
memory loss, which prevents him from living a fully realized life. Gabe spends
all of his time and money taking care of his alcoholic mother, which prevents
him, also, from living a fully realized life. I’m so excited for readers to
finally get their story.
1) How do you develop your plots and
characters?
Most
of the time I have the characters before I have a plot, because plot should be
influenced by your characters. Novels should be able to be broken down into
Hero wants This Thing but That is working against him, and he has to Do This to
get it. So I always sit down and write a character biography for my two heroes,
discovering who they are and what makes them tick. Knowing what it is they want
the most helps me figure out the steps they’ll take to get there.
For
example, going into writing The World As He Sees It, I knew ahead of time that
Tristan has a disability, but he’s determined to stop letting that disability
control him. He wants as normal a life as he can get. That is what drives him
throughout the book. Gabe, on the other hand, is actively avoiding a social
life and spends most of his time caretaking for other people, and trying not to
shake things up. Knowing these things about both men definitely helped
structure the subsequent plot and subplots of the book.
2) Who doesn’t love a good hero? Tell us
about your protagonist. Was there a real life inspiration behind them?
Oh Tristan. No,
there wasn’t a real life inspiration behind him. I’ve never known a Tristan,
but I’ve known folks who’ve suffered from memory loss (usually due to old age
or illness, not what Tristan went through). Tristan was one of those rare
characters who dropped into my lap fully formed, back story an open book, ready
to steal every single scene he’s in in The Truth As He Knows It (Perspectives
#1). I think at first, he’s endearing to readers because of his short term
memory loss. But as you see more of him, you see bits of that fun-loving,
flirtatious young man that has no outlet, and who’s dying a little inside.
3) What real-life inspirations do you use
when world building?
Fortunately,
I’ve spent a great deal of time in the two primary locations I write about
(Pennsylvania and Delaware). I went to college up around Harrisburg, so I was
able to get to know the city and surrounding rural areas. I’ve seen these
places, so it definitely helps when I’m describing a setting or a sense of
place. When I created the town of Stratton (Cost of Repairs), I pulled on all
of the tiny Pennsylvania towns I’d ever been in and sort of cobbled them
together.
4) Did you learn anything from this book and
what was it?
I
learned more about medical trials and how they work than I ever wanted to know.
There are all different kinds, they run in various ways, have differing lengths
of time, etc… That was the biggest thing I learned about.
5) It’s your last meal on earth. What do you
choose?
Ooooh, I’ve been
gluten-free for over a year now for pain management, and I would totally go
nuts: Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese, Hardee’s homemade chicken tenders, a
piece of my aunt’s carrot cake, and a brownie. Not necessarily in that order.
About the
author:
A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small
town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and
generational farmland. She's been
creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down
nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male
friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later
discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.
When
not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that
tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen,
pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others
with her cuisine experiments.
Contact
her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your
cooking tips (or book comments).
Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AM-Arthur/491929737588757
Twitter: http://twitter.com/am_arthur
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annearthur/
Other: Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur
Other: Blog http://amarthur.blogspot.com/
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Prize: Grand Prize Goodie Basket: 1 signed paperback of The
Truth As He Knows It, 1 signed paperback of The World As He Sees it, plus a
bunch of other goodies (notebooks, cute post-it’s, etc…).
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