Sep
2014
J.K. Hogan’s Love And The Real Boy
I had the pleasure of meeting J.K. Hogan last year at GRL. Plus she’s another North Carolina girl (love all the NC authors; y’all don’t mind me while I get excited about that). She has a few other books out already that you should check out. But Love And The Real Boy is one that I can’t wait to read. If you haven’t checked it out, there’s an excerpt below that you won’t want to miss. I was able to sit down with J.K. and ask her some fun questions (who wants boring questions anyway?!). Don’t forget, at the very bottom you can enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.
Amanda C. Stone: Good morning! I’m so excited you could join me today. If you could snap your fingers and have an invention to do anything you want, what would you want it to do?
J.K. Hogan: Hmm. Well for purely practical reasons, it would be wonderful to have some kind of machine or magic fairy godmother that would get my son in and out of his car seat for me. LOL
ACS: Oh man, that’s an amazing invention. Not having to deal with those stupid straps. Did I tighten them? Why won’t they loosen so I can actually GET my child out? Brilliant!
JKH: But for purely selfish reasons, I’d love if there was a Shazam type app for books, where you could put in vague references to tropes and plot points of a book you’re either trying to remember or trying to find one like. Then it would give you suggestions based on that, out of some mythical database of all the books in the world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
ACS: That’s the best idea for a program I’ve ever heard. So many times I remember bits and pieces of a book but can’t remember what book it was. Any tech people out there reading? Make it so! You are on a deserted island and can have only one book with you. What book would it be?
JKH: I always dread questions like this, because I’m not a re-reader whatsoever. If I read a book more than once, then I really, really liked the book. Even when that’s the case I don’t often re-read them. I don’t like to watch movies I’ve already seen either. Just one of my weird quirks, possibly somehow caused by my OCD. So yeah…the question… I think I’d have to say I’d like to take the biggest empty notebook known to man. That way I could make up my own stories when I get bored, and if worse came to worse, I wouldn’t feel bad about using a few pages for kindling. 😉
ACS: You know, using some blank paper as kindling isn’t a bad idea. I love the idea of writing your own books to pass the time. If you could be famous/infamous for one thing, what would you choose?
JKH: I don’t craze fame at all; I’m way too shy for all that, but I think we all have a little bit of the narcissist in us, so of course my #1 choice would be for my writing. *Or* for inventing the app from above! You know, because I’m so tech-savy. /sarcasm
Question 4: I’m about as tech savy as a slug. I’d likely be known for single handedly taking down the Internet without even trying. Anyone can buy the rights to name a star. What would you name a star bought for you?
JKH: Of course it would have to be Rowan MacAoidh, for my son. He’s my sun, moon, and stars. (And because I know you’ll probably wonder, in English that’s MacKay—pronounced Mac-EYE)
ACS: I love Gaelic names and trying to figure out how to pronounce it in English. (Oh and for those that don’t know her son is adorable!) Last question. If you could travel anywhere all expenses paid where would you go? Name one thing you’d see or do there.
JKH: I’ve been incredibly lucky to have traveled a lot in life already. I’ve been all over Italy, visited Paris, London, and the little island in Scotland where my husband’s family comes from (Arran), and to many places in the Caribbean. However, it’s always been a dream of mine to go to Tahiti—specifically to Bora Bora to stay in one of those grass huts that are built on pylons out in the water.
ACS: I bet it’s beautiful there in Bora Bora! I’m jealous of your Scottish and Italian travels though.
JKH: Close seconds would be Australia and Japan. My dad and I shared a bottle of Sake once and he told me about being deployed in Vietnam and going on leave to Japan and raising all kinds of hell. LOL It kinda made me want to go. And diving in Australia would be amazing!
ACS: I would love to travel to Japan and Australia. Your pretend trips sound amazing! Thank you so much for sitting down with me today. It was a pleasure having you.
Blurb:
How much heartache can one man take before he breaks? Rich Langston asks himself that question every day.
A Seattle advertising exec who uses his designer suit and showy car like a suit of armor, Rich refuses to let the world get to him. His traumatic childhood has ruined any faith he had in people, friendship, and love. After a meltdown that led to him alienating everyone in his life, Rich agrees to help with the restoration of an antique sailboat as a form of penance.
Roped into heading up with the boat repair by his mother, marine restorer Patrick O’Dowd finds himself having to babysit a moody, spoiled rich boy with absolutely no carpentry experience. His easy-going nature is sorely tested, but he quickly realizes that things are not always what they seem; sometimes a fancy suit is nothing but an elaborate deflection from what’s real.
Through unavoidable personality clashes and fierce attraction, both Rich and Patrick explore their hidden pain and inner demons, and they end up finding with what really matters—love.
Excerpt:
Rich forced himself to relax. Why shouldn’t he give his brain a little mini-vacay? He was of a stressful nature—he had to constantly stress over work, over making enough money to keep himself in suits and expensive toys to remind himself he wasn’t homeless anymore, that he wasn’t going to end up like his mother. He stressed over the wrong people finding out he was gay, while stressing that he might just go mad from lack of companionship—and that was just the tip of the crazy-berg.
Underneath it all sat his pent-up grief, anger, and guilt from his stolen childhood, cowering like a beast in the dark, a sleeping monster. That was Rich’s biggest, most constant fear—that one day he would no longer be able to contain it. What would happen then? Would he lose his mind?
So all things considered, why shouldn’t he just let it go for one night? What was wrong with letting a big, burly Irishman take him in hand—heh—and drive the boat for a while.
About J.K.:
J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit www.jkhogan.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJKHogan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JK_Hogan
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jkhoganbooks/
Tumblr: http://officialjkhogan.tumblr.com/
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHCFFPS/
Wilde City Press: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/love-and-the-real-boy-coming-about-book-2/
Tour Stops:
9/17: Havan Fellows
9/18: Iyana Jenna, Cathy Brockman Romances
9/19: Amanda C. Stone
9/22: Andrew Q. Gordon, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
9/23: Prism Book Alliance,
9/24: Butterfly-O-Meter
9/25: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/26: Parker Williams
9/29: Cathy Brockman Romances, Nic Starr
9/30: My Fiction Nook
10/1: Romance the Night
10/2: Jade Crystal
10/3: The Hat Party
10/6: Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
10/7: Love Bytes, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/8: Velvet Panic
10/9: Foxylutely Book Reviews
10/10: Multitasking Mommas
10/13: Queer Town Abbey
10/14: MM Good Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats JK on your new novel! Thanks for the giveaway.
Great interview, I enjoyed your answers I’m looking forward to reading your book.
WOOT!!!!! The blurb some interesting!!!!! Looking forward to the clashing of these two men!!!
Congrats!!!
Hugs, Z.
Thanks for stopping by guys!
And how cute is this blog, am I right?