Blog
01
Oct
2015

Raine O’Tierney and Debbie McGowan’s Where The Grass Is Greener

I always love having Raine and Debbie on the blog. They are blast and there are usually shenanigans of some kind that happen. Today we’re talking about their latest release Where the Grass is Greener. I’ve got my copy and I can’t freaking wait to read it. It’s the sequel to their amazing book, Leaving Flowers and you can read all about the book here. After the interview is everything you need to know along with an excerpt that leaves you wanting to know what happens next. At the very bottom, enter for a chance to win a copy of one Debbie McGowan title and an e-copy of one Raine O’Tierney title, winner’s preference of file type and title.

Amanda C. Stone: Good morning ladies! I am beyond excited to have y’all here! I know this is going to be all kinds of fun so let me just start asking the questions. If you were a candy bar what would you taste like?
Raine O’Tierney: I would be super sweet and then there would be bitter layer you’d go through and then I would be REALLY fiery hot and then in the middle? Sweet again. 🙂
ACS: Of course you’re sweet in the middle Raine. What about you Debbie?
Debbie McGowan: Yeah, see, Raine’s definitely going to be the tastiest candy bar here. I’d be one of those heavy-on-the-cocoa dark chocolate bars that you either love or hate. Rich, or bitter? Hopefully rich. 😀
ACS: Dark chocolate tastes so good. I go with rich for sure. Do you have a library card and know where it is?
DM: I actually do have one and know where it is (checks to make sure that’s true…yup!) – got to admit, though, I haven’t taken any books out in a long time, because I suck at remembering to take them back, and the fines get out of control!
ACS: Oh my gosh yes! The fines can get brutal.
RO: I DO have a library card! And yep, I wear it around my neck with the keycard that gets me into the library… ‘cause that’s where I work <3
ACS: I bet you could do a whole interview just telling us crazy stories from working at the library. You are traveling with The Doctor (or any other time traveling person). Would you visit the past or the future?
DM: Think I’ll just go cruising with the Doctor, if that’s OK? Wherever he wants to take me, I’m game. Although if it can be Doctor IV or Doctor X, that would be super. 🙂
ACS: *sings* Cruisin… Wait sorry. Debbie, you are a girl after my own heart. Just going where the Doctor takes me would be epic!
RO: I would go back fifteen seconds in the past to keep myself from saying really awkward things.
ACS: OH! See now that’s a really good idea! Who would you want to have as a stripper at your birthday party?
RO: Do you think I could get Emma Stone to strip at my birthday party? Arg, but then it would ruin her good girl appeal! I’m so torn.
ACS: What if she did one of those vintage fan dance type shows? The kind where the whole point was to NOT see what was behind the fan? A teasing type. THOSE are more exciting to me than just getting naked. Use your imagination more and all the more erotic.
DM: Dean Winchester, by whom I mean Jensen Ackles, but not. Jensen’s a cutie, but Dean…tough, manly, Texan accent, cowboy boots, leather jacket…mmmm.
ACS: Am I invited, because I am all about the boots and jacket.
RO: So what she really means is she’d like to see our boy Chancey stripping at her party… 😉
ACS: I could get behind that for sure. If your house was on fire and you could grab only 3 things before leaving, what would they be?
RO: The pets, external hard drive, and… husband? I suppose? 😉
ACS: Meh, husband can get out on his own.
DM: I’ve actually been in this situation once (long time ago now) and it turned out I grabbed the dogs and my car keys. I did go back for my husband…
ACS: *high five* For helping the hubs out! They are helpful from time to time. Thank you so much ladies. It was a blast having you and getting to ask all these silly questions.

Blurb:
Mistakes were made, that’s for sure. But was it the night of passion? Or walking away afterward?

That’s the question Seamus Williams must face when he gets a late night phone call from someone he never expects to hear from again.

“I miss you, Shay.”

Chancey Bo Clearwater is a cowboy through and through. He spends his days finding work on whatever ranch will take him and his nights at the pool hall. He’s always done what needed doing and never thought much about what he wanted. ’Til that drunken night with Seamus.

A world of problems now stand between Seamus and Chancey exploring what might have been, the least of which being the Atlantic Ocean. On one side there’s Chancey’s daughter who mood swings from angel to demon in two seconds flat; on the other there’s the new lodger, hogging Shay’s telly and his cornflakes, and making private Skype time hard to come by.

Is this relationship doomed before it ever begins? Or can a surprise announcement from Seamus’s brother be enough to help the two find their second chance?

Where the Grass is Greener features Seamus Williams – the older brother of Patrick from Leaving Flowers.

Excerpt:
“You’re quiet today, Seamus. What’s up?” the landlord asked.

“Just tired, is all. Got a leaky roof and the fecker was drippin’ all the damn night. And didn’t I get up this morning and kick the bucket?”

“You look alive and well to me, so you do. I say well…you look like shite.”

“Yeah, thanks very much. Think I’ll go join the lads, see if I can’t get a few more insults thrown at me.”

Seamus gave the landlord a wry grin and went over to the others, who were already well into the first of the three games they got in every lunchtime. He watched one of them take a bad shot and accidentally pot the black, the clunking of the ball as it rolled its way through the machinery of the table setting Seamus’s teeth on edge. John was right: he was dog-tired and probably did look like shite. He’d barely slept after the missed call, trying to decide whether to return it or not. His mind played tricks on him, one minute convincing him it was urgent and he should call back, the next telling him to stay strong. He’d made the move. He’d come back to Ireland. That’s what he’d wanted all along.

He had wanted it. Ever since Mam died, his sights had been set on coming home. He’d only stayed for Paddy’s sake, and now Paddy had Aidan there was nothing to keep Seamus in the States, although he was no further away from his brother now than he had been in Kansas. Never mind that he’d already made the decision before he knew Aidan even existed. No. It was a good decision. He was just—

He already knew, before he pulled his phone from his pocket: same Kansas number, same caller. His thumb hovered over the red button. Reject the call. Reject the call.

He answered.

“Seamus Williams.”

“At last! I thought I was calling a wrong number. Man, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Er, yeah. Yours too. What’s up? Has something happened?”

“Nothing new. I just…”

The rapid-hard thump of Seamus’s heart filled the pause, two seconds, three, four, and more. He drew breath to speak, but there was nothing to be said. Or nothing he should say.

“I miss you, Shay.”

***

The first call had been a drunk dial. Thank the heavenly father that Seamus Williams hadn’t picked up. Lord, the shit that might have come tumbling out of Chancey’s mouth. Now he was dead sober, but only slightly more composed. Had he really just said he’d missed Seamus? He tried for a laugh. It sounded as fake as it felt. Well he had missed Seamus. Nothin’ wrong with that.

“You gonna say somethin’?” He knew he was putting on the accent. Drawing out his vowels, droppings his g’s. His grandmother—who was from south Texas and who had an accent so deep it was digging itself a hole to the centre of the Earth—used to yell at him when he’d get lazy with his words.

You jus’ sound ign’rant, Chancey Bo Clearwater. Full name, cue snickering cousins, and young Chancey sank down low in his chair, ashamed at the way he sounded despite the fact they all talked just alike. The accent followed him when he moved to Oklahoma, where he picked up a whole set of strange ‘O’s, and even having lived in Kansas now for the better part of his life, it was still there underneath, just waiting to crop up in stressful situations.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you, that’s all.”

“Surprise.” He was trying for friendly, for calm. Trying to keep the I wanna put my fist through the wall and did you really mean to let me find out through Lulu? out of his voice.

“Isn’t this call costing you a million dollars?”

“Skype. On my phone. I bought minutes, y’know?”

“Is that right then?”

“But I didn’t think. It’s probably charging you too.”

“It’s fine.”

Is it? Seamus sure as hell wasn’t saying much. There was a long pause as Chancey considered his next move. He’d called because he’d wanted to talk. Not talk. Not like that. Nothing to say on that front. Seamus had made it all as clear as crystal dropped in the mud when he’d left his parting message with Lulu down at the pool hall, Rack ’Em. In a last-ditch effort, Chancey said the only thing he could think: “Boss Tina asked after you the other day when I went around for work.”

That got a laugh out of Seamus, which gave Chancey more relief than he cared to admit.

About The Authors:
DEBBIE McGOWAN is an author and publisher based in a semi-rural corner of Lancashire, England. She writes character-driven, realist fiction, celebrating life, love and relationships. A working class girl, she ‘ran away’ to London at seventeen, was homeless, unemployed and then homeless again, interspersed with animal rights activism (all legal, honest ;)) and volunteer work as a mental health advocate. At twenty-five, she went back to college to study social science— tough with two toddlers, but they had a ‘stay at home’ dad, so it worked itself out. These days, the toddlers are young women (much to their chagrin), and Debbie teaches undergraduate students, writes novels and runs an independent publishing company, occasionally grabbing an hour of sleep where she can.
Twitter: twitter.com/writerdebmcg
Facebook: facebook.com/DebbieMcGowanAuthor and facebook.com/beatentrackpublishing
YouTube: youtube.com/deb248211
Tumblr: writerdebmcg.tumblr.com
LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/writerdebmcg
Google+: plus.google.com/+DebbieMcGowan
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/4401329.Debbie_McGowan
Website: debbiemcgowan.co.uk

RAINE O’TIERNEY wants to change the world…one sweet story at a time.

Known as “The Queen of the Sweetness” (well, a few people have said it anyway!) Raine loves writing sweet, character-driven stories about first loves, first times, fidelity, forever-endings and…friskiness? In addition to her solo works, she’s one half of a collaborative team with author Debbie McGowan.

When she’s not writing, Raine is either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. She believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers.

Contact her if you’re interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or discussing which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!
Website: Raineotierney.com
LGBT Author Interviews: raineotierneyhatparty.blogspot.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/RaineOTierneyAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/RaineOTierney
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/7770350.Raine_O_Tierney

Buy Links:
Beaten Track Publishing:
 http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/?n1=publications&id=175
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wherethegrassisgreener-1890311-149.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Grass-Greener-Seeds-Tyrone-ebook/dp/B015G4BGB6/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Grass-Greener-Seeds-Tyrone-ebook/dp/B015G4BGB6/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/577845

Tour Stops:
28-Sep:
Jessie G. Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Full Moon Dreaming
29-Sep: Velvet Panic, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My
30-Sep: All I Want and More Books
1-Oct: Amanda C. Stone, Michael Mandrake, Bayou Book Junkie
2-Oct: Divine Magazine, Mikky’s World of Books
5-Oct: Love Bytes, V’s Reads, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance
6-Oct: It’s Raining Men, Happily Ever Chapter
7-Oct: Louise Lyons, Hearts on Fire, Molly Lolly
8-Oct: BFD Book Blog, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Prism Book Alliance
9-Oct: My Fiction Nook, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, MM Good Book Reviews

Giveaway:
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