Jan
2015
Garrett Leigh’s Rare
I’m so excited to have Garrett Leigh back with me today. Her second book in the Roads series, Rare, is out on audiobook now! Instead of talking about the characters and the series again like I did last time she joined me, I asked a whole bunch of fun and crazy questions. After the interview, read all about the book and an excerpt you won’t want to miss. At the very bottom, enter for a chance to win an audio copy of the book.
Amanda C. Stone: Welcome back Garrett! Since we talked about the series the last time you joined me, I wanted to do a fun interview instead. You’re going to a naughty costume party, what do you go as?
Garrett Leigh: Er, probably a sexy fox, if there is such a thing. I’ve been told a lot recently that there is, but that’s a story for another day, hehe 😛
ACS: There are “sexy” versions of every kind of costume you can think of. But now I’m curious what the story behind that is! You are a super hero! What’s your super hero name and secret talent?
GL: I reckon I’d call myself Super Daisy after my cat and live in her body for a day or two…see what she really gets up to. Not much of a talent, but my curiosity would get the better of me. She disappears for hours and hours in the summer months, and I’d love to know where she goes.
ACS: That sounds like it’d be fun. I wonder if your cat would wear one of those collar cams so you can see what she does all day long. Anyone can buy the rights to name a star. What would you name a star bought for you?
GL: Ah, now I reckon I’d be torn between something profound and ridiculous, and knowing me, ridiculous would win out and I’d end up calling it ‘Bob’ or ‘Melvin’. Failing that, I’d probably ask my brother to name it for me as he is far funnier than I’ll ever be.
ACS: A star named “Bob” would be pretty fun. You’ll have to ask your brother what he’d come up with though and share it with us. You are on a deserted island and can have only one book with you. What book would it be?
GL: Junk, by Melvin Burgess. It’s a book that resonates with me for many reasons, and probably the one book I read as a teenager that I’d happily still read over and over today.
ACS: I’m going to have to check out that book. I’ve never read it before. Last question! If you could travel anywhere all expenses paid where would you go? Name one thing you’d see or do there.
GL: I’d love to go to Iceland. It’s so clean and beautiful over there, not like the slushy grey snow we get here. I want to sit in one of those volcanic pools. It must be so strange to sit in warm water while surrounded by snow and ice.
ACS: If you go, I’m sneaking into your suitcase. I’d love to go there as well one day. I agree it is beautiful from all of the pictures I’ve seen. Thank you so much for joining me today, I loved having you!
Blurb:
Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.
Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.
Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted.
Excerpt:
PETE HAD been busy while I’d been gone. I stood in front of the shiny new door to his apartment and wondered for a moment if I’d come home to the right place. Then I remembered the coarse message he’d sent me a few days ago, telling me in no uncertain terms what a bitch the new door had been to fit. A separate message—perhaps an afterthought—told me he’d left a key on top of the frame.
I reached for it and turned it over in my hand. It was silver and shiny. The old one was battered brass, bruised and familiar. It felt heavy in my pocket as I slid the new key into the lock. I considered the fate of the old key now that the door it belonged to was no longer there. Pete said I pondered the strangest things.
The new door swung open with a whisper. It felt odd after two years with a door that crunched like a gearbox. The new door was like a ghost, all shimmery and silent. I wasn’t sure I liked it.
A wry grin crept over my face. Really? Four days without Pete and you’re worried about a door? I took a tentative step forward. The door closed with a quiet click, and this time, I paid it no heed.
I glanced around the apartment. It was quiet and still. No TV, stereo, or signs of life. That was no surprise. I was a few hours early. Despite hating every moment of the flight between Chicago and Philadelphia, I’d caught an earlier plane home. Pete wasn’t expecting me, but I could feel in my bones that he was home. The invisible cord between us pulled me along, and a minute later, I found him passed out in our bed. He was asleep on his stomach, something he only did when he was alone or too tired to notice. It used to make me uneasy—sometimes it still did—but not today. Today his bare back was exactly what I needed to see. I sat down by his head and brushed my fingers over his stubbly jaw. He didn’t stir, even when I leaned down and breathed in the clean smell of his skin.
About Garrett:
Rainbow Award winner Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Black Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken, and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.
When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her boys work for it.
Garrett also works as a freelance cover artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Garrett-Leigh/484336074987986
Instagram: http://instagram.com/garrett_leigh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rare-Roads-Book-Garrett-Leigh-ebook/dp/B00HWVKGJ0/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420201738&sr=1-2&keywords=garrett+leigh
Tour Stops:
27-Jan: The Novel Approach, Velvet Panic, Amanda C. Stone
29-Jan: Rainbow Gold Reviews, Prism Book Alliance
3-Feb: Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Smoocher’s Voice, My Fiction Nook, Molly Lolly
5-Feb: Hearts on Fire, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons
10-Feb: Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews
12-Feb: Fallen Angel Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
17-Feb: Love Bytes, BFD Book Blog
19-Feb: Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, Sinfully Sexy
Giveaway:
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Wow ! Congratulations on the new audio book! Loved this book and would love to listen to it!