CJane Elliott’s Sex, Love, and Videogames

I’m quite excited to have CJane Elliott back on my blog today. She’s always a joy to have. Her latest book came out two weeks ago and it sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to read Sex, Love, and Videogames. She stops by today for a super fun interview. It’s always a joy to sit down and ask her crazy questions. After the interview, be sure to read all about the book and an excerpt that is sweet and shows how wonderful the characters are in the story. At the very bottom, enter for a chance to win a copy of any book in the Serpentine series.

Amanda C. Stone: Good morning CJane! It’s wonderful having you here again today!
CJane Elliott: Hi Amanda, it’s great to be back on your blog! I always enjoy the questions you come up with. Thanks also for giving me a chance to share my newest book, Sex, Love, and Videogames, the third novel in the Serpentine Series. Each book is a standalone but the series has recurring characters. Sex, Love, and Videogames is the story of Jed Carter, who we first met in Serpentine Walls, and Charlie Ambrose, a new character to the series.
ACS: It sounds like a fabulous book and I cannot wait to read it. So now on to the crazy questions! Do you have a library card and know where it is?
CJE: Bite your tongue, Amanda, of course I do! No self-respecting writer should be without a library card.
ACS: I do agree with that. Assuming they live close enough to a library to utilize it of course.
CJE: Mine’s in my wallet. The only problem is now that I have a Kindle and it’s so easy to buy ebooks, I’m much more likely to be reading on that. And with Google at my fingertips, I do most of my research online. But nothing can match the feeling of a library (or a bookstore) with all those lovely books just waiting to be read.
ACS: Agreed! I love having an actual book in my hands and the experience of going to a library to find what I’m looking for. Who would you want to have as a stripper at your birthday party?
CJE: Mmm, every one of the hunks from Magic Mike XXL. Have you seen that movie yet? If not, do!
ACS: I haven’t yet! It’s definitely on my list to watch when there’s some mythical free time. Anyone in particular you’d enjoy having?
CJE: I would especially single out Matt Bomer (the perfect man) and Channing Tatum. Drool!
ACS: Two men that are too sexy for words. Name 3 things on your Bucket List.
CJE: Going to Italy, doing a workshop at Esalen (in Big Sur, California), and learning to dance the tango with an exquisite Brazilian. Let me back up on that Esalen thing. It was the place back in the seventies where people did encounter groups and Gestalt therapy and all this “far out” stuff, and I always wanted to go there. It’s on the Pacific Ocean. At this point I don’t care all that much about doing a workshop, I just want to soak in the natural hot springs that overlook the sea. And they have public access to the hot springs from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. every night! Here’s the link, if you don’t believe me: http://www.esalen.org/page/public-night-hot-springs-access-831-667-3047
ACS: Oh my gosh! That looks like so much fun. Though trying to stay awake that late at night might be hard to do. What song do you love to dance to?
CJE: Michael Jackson’s “Bad”. One, because I love Michael Jackson and think he’s a musical genius, and two, because it’s my theme song. “Because I’m bad, I’m bad…”
ACS: I love dancing to Michael Jackson!
CJE: Are you going to GRL, Amanda? I’m looking forward to dancing and showing everyone my wild side!
ACS: I sure am! We’ll have to request the song at the Juke Joint so we can get up and go crazy together! If your house was on fire and you could grab only 3 things before leaving, what would they be?
CJE: My husband, my son, and my computer. As long as I have my family, the rest is replaceable. But not having my computer would be a pain in the butt. If it’s cheating to say people instead of things, then the two other things would be my purse and a bra. I’d hate to be talking to firemen with no bra on.
ACS: Gotta look good for those super hot firemen. No pun intended of course. Thank you so much for joining me today CJane. I loved all of your answers.
CJE: Thanks again for your questions. There’s something about what you ask that brings out my goofy side, so thanks for putting up with me today, and also letting me share about my newest novel, Sex, Love, and Videogames. I love Jed and Charlie—they’re both such sweet, shy guys—and I hope you all will love them too.
ACS: Aww! I’m so glad you like my goofy ways. I’ll definitely let you know how much I enjoy Jed and Charlie after I read them.

Blurb:
Shy guy Jed Carter has always felt invisible next to his charismatic older brother, Kent. Kent’s master plan for Jed is simple: University of Virginia, business, sports, and ladies’ man. None of it is Jed, except for playing on the rugby team, which he joins in defiance of soccer-loving Kent. Jed comes out in his sophomore year and starts seeing Pete, an attractive junior, who uses him for sex and videogames. Jed wants more—in life and in love—and starts making his own plans. First on the list: getting to know Charlie, the handsome guy working at the local videogame arcade.

Charlie Ambrose has always felt like an oddball, and not just for his tendency to stutter. Being gay sets him apart from his African-American community, and as a “townie,” he doesn’t fit in with the college crowd. Charlie’s inspiration is his cousin, Morocco, who’s transgender and doesn’t give a fig about fitting in. Art is Charlie’s passion, and when a local videogame designer discovers him, Charlie’s living a dream. The only thing he’s missing is love. But the last person Charlie expects to find it with is a cute, white U.Va. rugby player named Jed.

Excerpt:
“Okay, warm up laps!” Beau led the rugby team in a slow circuit around the perimeter of Mad Bowl. After a few laps, he stopped and had them do stretching exercises.

The other team did their warming up, and when they moved to take positions, Jed noticed a pair of people standing on the sidelines. His breathing stopped for a second. Charlie stood, hands in his pockets, shifting from foot to foot, while Morocco, a vision in a pink track suit, set up a camp chair (apt name, that) and sat down. Morocco saw Jed looking and waved. Charlie turned and gave a small wave himself, and Jed waved back, heart beating faster.

“Who’re they?” Bud asked, squinting over at them.

“Um, Charlie’s a guy who works at Lucky’s. In the gaming area. And the other is his cousin.”

“Hmm. Townies?”

“Yep.”

“She’s cute.”

“Um, well, about that….” Jed cut himself off because the referee blew the whistle. Time to play ball and hope he did well in front of those two.

The game proved the usual testosterone-fest, with lots of grunting and body contact. When Jed scored some points, Morocco produced pom poms that matched her outfit and waved them wildly.

At the break, Jed ran over to them for a minute to say hi—fuck what the rest of the team thought.

“Jed, child, my word!” Morocco fanned her chest. “Y’all are such manly men! Rugby is going to be my new obsession, I just know it!”

“I like it. My mom never let me play contact sports in high school, so I kinda love ramming into people.” Jed felt his cheeks flame at what he had said. Crap-a-doodle.

But Morocco laughed and Charlie faked a cough so he could smile behind his fist.

“So, hey, thanks for coming. I gotta go back now.”

Charlie nodded as Morocco said, “We’ll see you after the game.” She picked up her pom poms. “Wa-hoo-wa!”

When the team huddled before the second half, a homophobe named Welburn said with a sneer, “Who are those freaks on the sidelines?”

Another guy laughed. “Yeah. I thought all the he-shes lived in San Francisco.”

“What’re you talking about?” Bud peered over toward Charlie and Morocco. “That girl?”

Welburn spit on the ground. “That girl is no she. She’s a he. What the hell are they doing here?”

Beau raised his voice. “Hey, concentrate, guys. We need to win this game.”

Jed held up a hand to stop Beau from continuing. “Before we do that, you all need to know that those are some friends of mine. So shut your fucking faces before I shut them for you.” He leveled a lethal glare at Welburn and his compatriot.

Fueled by his anger, Jed played an amazing second half, and the team pulled out a victory on the strength of his points alone. After their team high five, he trotted over to Charlie and Morocco. Charlie smiled broadly while Morocco jumped up and down. “Jed, Jed, Jed! Wa-hoo-wa! Thass right!”

“Okay, okay.” Jed couldn’t help laughing at Morocco’s outrageous enthusiasm. “Thanks for coming to the game.”

“It was fun. I’m glad we came.” Charlie took a step back, seemingly surprised to have gotten two stutter-free sentences out.

“I’m glad too.” They gazed tentatively at each other, and Morocco suddenly got busy folding up the camp chair.

About CJane:
After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.

CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.

In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott
E-mail: cjaneelliott@gmail.com
Website: http://www.cjaneelliott.com

Buy Links:
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6757
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sexloveandvideogames-1859747-149.html

Tour Stops:
21-Aug: Boys on the Brink Reviews, Divine Magazine, Jessie G. Books, Bayou Book Junkie
28-Aug: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Happily Ever Chapter
4-Sep: Amanda C. Stone, MM Good Book Reviews
11-Sep: V’s Reads, Bike Book Reviews, The Novel Approach
18-Sep: Hearts on Fire, Love Bytes
25-Sep: The Jena Wade, My Fiction Nook
2-Oct: Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog
9-Oct: Prism Book Alliance, Molly Lolly, Velvet Panic

Giveaway:
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