AAD Meet and Greet: Author Samanth Kane: Tuesday Teaser + Giveaway + Interview

CHERRY PIE
by: Samantha Kane
contemporary m/m romance
coming from Loose Id on April 26.

John Ford packed up his life a year ago and moved from LA to small Mercury, North Carolina after the death of his long-term partner. He’s been living in a kind of suspended animation, fixing up the old house he bought there, reclusive and alone. Until the day Connor Meecham appears.

Conn Meecham has returned home, only to find it isn’t his anymore. Someone else owns his mother’s house now. But Conn needs that house to find the man he left behind more than eight years ago—before the drugs, before prison, before his life derailed. Lonely, desperate, lost, Conn finds in John a kindred soul.

Mercury is a dying town. But John sets out to change that when he learns what it means to Conn. Through home improvements, sex, old friends, sex, misunderstandings, sex, and homemade cherry pie, John and Conn may finally discover that where they are now can be heaven on earth if they want it to be.

Excerpt from CHERRY PIE

John’s coffee cup stopped halfway to his mouth, and then he lowered it and set it on the table. He walked over and opened the front door.



“You sleep there last night?” he asked Connor, who was sitting on the top porch step.


Connor dusted off the step, and John saw it was the one with a set of handprints embedded in the concrete. “Nah. I slept at Evan’s.”


“House or shelter?” John wasn’t sure why he asked that or why he cared.


“Shelter.”


“What time did you get here?”


Connor shrugged. “After sunrise.”


John laughed. “Had to be just barely. It’s only eight o’clock now, and you look like you’ve been here awhile.” He went over and got his coffee and stepped out on the porch, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the other side of the step, about two feet between him and Connor. “How’d you get here?”


Connor lifted his leg and shook his foot. “Walked.”


“You don’t talk much, do you?” John took a tentative sip of his coffee. Still too hot.


“Sure I do.”


When nothing else came from Connor, John smiled as he blew on his coffee to cool it. “Sure you do,” he agreed.


“I told Evan I was gonna look for a job today.”


“Did you?” John looked over at Connor. He didn’t seem in a rush to get to work.


“Yep.”


John sighed. “Where?” Now he was doing it.


“Here.” Connor looked at him then. “He was the last thing my daddy gave me before he died. Seeing that grave…” He looked away. “It was like losing them all again, right there.”


He was talking about the dog. John didn’t say anything for a minute or two. What was he supposed to say? “I could use help with the fence,” he finally offered.


“I thought you could,” Connor said.


They sat in silence while John finished his coffee.


“What am I supposed to pay you?” John asked while they were taking a break a few hours later. They were sitting in the shade of the live oak, drinking a Coke. Apparently a “Coke” was any kind of soft drink in the South. John wondered how much that kind of advertising cost.


“What do you want to pay me?” Connor asked. He didn’t sound as if he cared one way or the other. He was just content to dig postholes and hammer nails, sweating in the humidity. John wished he could be so agreeable.


“Nothing.”


Connor just grinned at him, showing him a dimple, and then took a drink from the sweating can. A drop of water ran down Connor’s pinkie and onto his wrist, and then John lost it in the dark hair on his forearm.


“What’s the going rate?” John asked, and then he took a drink too.


“For making an ex-con dig postholes in the midday heat? Room and board.”


John paused with his can halfway to his mouth and slanted a look at Connor. He was still sitting there all relaxed and casual, but there was a watchful stillness about him that told John he was expecting a refusal. He’d framed it like a joke. John could pretend that was how he took it. He went ahead and took the drink, looking away from Connor, giving himself time to think about it.


He didn’t think too long. Being in this house alone had been harder than John thought. Maybe he was being selfish and not thinking it through, things Steve had always accused him of. But he didn’t want to be alone anymore.


“All right,” he said, rolling to his knees and standing up. “But you’ve got to clean that room up.” He couldn’t do it. Moving Steve’s things in there had been hard enough.


“I don’t need much space.”


John had to laugh as he took in Connor’s six-plus feet as the other man stood up. “Nope, not much,” he agreed and was rewarded with the crooked smile and dimple again.


They walked back over to where the fence posts were piled in the yard. Connor picked one up and then shoved it in a hole he’d already dug. He worked it in by twisting it from side to side, and John had to pause to admire the muscles in his arms as they rippled with his movements. He was lean, but it was clear by the way he moved that those muscles had been around a long time.


“What are you gonna do with the stretch over there?” Connor asked, pointing at the far side of the yard. The fence was covered in vines.


“Cut it out, I suppose,” John answered. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. His new philosophy was taking it day by day. He hadn’t gone crazy yet under that plan. The look Connor gave him made him reassess that conclusion. “Or not?” he asked.


“You know what you got there?” Connor asked.


“Um, no,” John answered. “Clearly I do not.”


Connor shook his head and his lips flattened for moment. “That is a healthy wisteria vine,” Connor lectured him. “Took years to grow along the fence.” He pointed to the trees. “Now, you got to cut it off those trees, or it’ll kill ’em. Have you seen wisteria in bloom?”


John just shook his head.


Connor grinned, and John’s shoulders relaxed. Surprise skittered through him. He hadn’t realized he’d tensed up with Connor’s disapproval. He huffed a disgusted sigh at himself. He wasn’t supposed to let other people’s disapproval bother him anymore. Right.


“Big bunches of purple flowers,” Connor said, holding his hands apart in front of him with the fencepost held in place against his chest. “About this big. Look just like grape clusters.” Connor sniffed loudly with a look of pure bliss on his face. “Smell as pretty as anything. Prettier, even.”


John contemplated the fence so Connor wouldn’t catch him staring at him. John hadn’t seen him so animated since they’d met. He must really love those flowers. “Can we fix the fence without killing them?”


Connor leaned his crossed arms on the fencepost and nodded as he looked at the vine. “I think so. We need to trim it anyway. It’ll take over if you don’t tame it. If we slide the new posts in one at a time before we take out the old, it should be all right.”


John tipped his head to the side as he tried to imagine what Connor was saying. He nodded. “It might work.” He looked at Connor. “How do you know so much about it?”


Connor laughed and began to fill in the hole around the post. “Who do you think did the yard work around here? Mama supervised. I did the sweating.”


John grinned and squatted by the hole, packing the dirt around the post. “Yeah? Her own personal yard slave?”


Connor snorted. “Yard, house, you name it. We spent years fixin’ up this old house only to start all over again. First my dad, then me.” Connor wiped his face with the bottom of his T-shirt, the same faded one he’d worn yesterday. John froze as he came face-to-face with Connor’s flat, pale stomach, a line of dark hair slicing down the middle to the low-rider waist of his jeans. A strip of plaid boxers was visible above his waistband.


John’s mind went blank as his body sat up and pointed like a hunting dog. The shock of awareness that went through him actually made him jerk back from Connor, and he fell on his ass in a clumsy sprawl.


Connor gave him a funny look. “You all right? Maybe the heat’s gettin’ to you. People who aren’t used to it find they wear out pretty quickly.” Then, without any preamble, he whipped the shirt off over his head, wiped his face and neck with it, and tucked it into the back waistband of those damn faded jeans.


John found himself facing lean, hard pecs covered by a fine layer of dark, curly hair. His mouth went dry, and he scrambled to his feet.


“The heat. Yes. The goddamned heat.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his hand, backing away from Connor. “I need a minute. I’ll be back.” He turned and had to force himself not to run to the house.


Once inside he sat down at the kitchen table and put his head between his knees. The tears burned behind his eyes, and he welcomed the sting. Not since Steve… He couldn’t finish the thought. It was the heat, he convinced himself. It wasn’t Connor. It was the heat and the physical exertion and the unexpected sight of a naked man. Half-naked. Thank God, only half-naked.


After a few minutes he sat up, under control. This wouldn’t be a problem. It hadn’t been a problem in a long time. He could handle Connor being here. He was just so damn glad not to be alone anymore.


“You ready?” John asked.


It was early evening, and Connor was sitting on the back steps, drinking a bottle of water. He nodded. “Yeah.”


They were going to get Connor’s things from the shelter. John watched as Connor unraveled his tall body from the step and walked toward him. The sun was getting lower in the sky behind him, making it hard to see his face. It outlined his rangy frame perfectly, and John forced himself to turn away.


“I can walk over.”


John frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can drive.” He jerked a little when he felt Connor’s warm, rough hand wrap around his upper arm, stopping him.


“Are you sure you want me here?” Connor asked, and John looked from the large hand on him to Connor’s unsmiling face.


“Yes,” John lied. “I’m sure.”


Connor let go of him, and they walked to the garage.




About you:
Do you have any hobbies?
I love to knit. It's very zen. I haven't had to do much this year. But I'm working on a tea cozy, a little coat to keep your tea pot warm. I know. Wild and crazy, that's me.

What do you like to read?
I have a hard time reading genres I write, which is getting pretty tough since I write just about everything, lol. I love to read m/m and contemporary, but my favorite is paranormal because I don't write it! I can sit back and really enjoy a paranormal without analyzing it to death. Ask any writer, writing is murder on your reading habits. But I still love to read every chance I get. Right now my go-to gal is Nalini Singh. Love. Her. And I worship and adore the Warden, JR Ward. And I'm a long time Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan.

Can you tell us some of your favorite books you've read?
My list is eclectic. My favorite romance book is one that's out of print now, The Windflower by Laura London. I still have my original print copy I bought when I was 17. The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough is another obscure favorite, and A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. My favorite Jane Austen, in case anyone wants to know, is Persuasion.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Oops, answered above. Again, Nalini Singh, JR Ward, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. And I have to say that I adore how very naughty Jane Rylon is. She writes some of the dirtiest books I've ever read. I love her. Full disclosure: she's also a wonderful friend.

If you can meet any author in person dead or alive, who would it be and why him/her?
Boring answer: William Shakespeare because I want to know if he really wrote all that. Some people think he didn't. Also, Mark Twain. He was snarky before snarky was in style.

AAD:

What part of AAD are you most looking forward to?

Meeting people. I want to meet people I only know on Twitter and Facebook, and I want to meet new people. Readers especially. Sometimes I feel so isolated sitting in my writer cave, and while the internet is wonderful for making new friends, it's all kinds of wonderful to sit in a bar and talk books with other book lovers.

What do you hope to walk away with from AAD?

See above. New friends!!

Have you ever been to AAD before? If so what was your favorite part?

No, never. But last year I saw and heard how much fun everyone had there and looked at this years lineup, and I knew I wanted to go. I can't wait for the Steampunk Ball!

Are you on any panels? if so can you tell us which ones to look for you on?

Yes, a bunch.

Thursday:

4:00 Erotic Historical

Friday:

10:00 Otherworldly Heroes

11:00 Alpha/Beta (GLBT)

4:00 What kind of story turns you on? How subgenre affects the romance (GLBT)

And I'm a co-sponsor of the Blogger Chocolate Party

Saturday:

10:00 The Steam Revolution

11:00 Menage and More

Your Writing:
How did you first get into writing? Has it always been your dream?
Yes. I've been writing since I was a kid. I won a writing contest in the 4th grade with a poem about a man who kills his wife. Yikes. I write a little lighter now.

What genre do you write?
Romance, always. Sub-genres: m/m, menage, m/f, Historical, Science Fiction, Contemporary

Do you have any must haves when you sit down to write?
Just time! I have three kids under the age of 10. Finding the time to write is almost impossible.

Can you tell us how a typical writing day for you is?
Nope. Don't have one. One day I'll write for hours and get thousands of words on the page. The next, I barely have time to check email.

What is one thing you think sets you apart from other authors?
I think my stories are extremely emotional and character driven. ::shrugs:: I know there are a lot of other writers who would say that same thing. What sets me apart is that I'm Samantha Kane, and Nalini Singh is Nalini Singh and Shakespeare is Shakespeare. Every author brings their individuality and unique voice to what they write.

Your Books:

Right now I'm getting ready to pitch a mainstream steampunk I've co-written with Mari Freeman.

Can you share with us your first book ever published?

The first book I ever published was THE COURAGE TO LOVE, the first book in my Brothers In Arms series with Ellora's Cave. It was the second book I ever wrote. Before you ask, the first is in a drawer waiting to be revised. :-)

Can your share with us your most recent release, or a soon to be release?

CHERRY PIE is a contemporary m/m romance coming from Loose Id on April 26.

John Ford packed up his life a year ago and moved from LA to small Mercury, North Carolina after the death of his long-term partner. He’s been living in a kind of suspended animation, fixing up the old house he bought there, reclusive and alone. Until the day Connor Meecham appears.

Conn Meecham has returned home, only to find it isn’t his anymore. Someone else owns his mother’s house now. But Conn needs that house to find the man he left behind more than eight years ago—before the drugs, before prison, before his life derailed. Lonely, desperate, lost, Conn finds in John a kindred soul.

Mercury is a dying town. But John sets out to change that when he learns what it means to Conn. Through home improvements, sex, old friends, sex, misunderstandings, sex, and homemade cherry pie, John and Conn may finally discover that where they are now can be heaven on earth if they want it to be.

What has been your favorite book you have written so far? why is this one your favorite?

This is such a hard question! I love them all, for different reasons. But truthfully? The first book I wrote, the unpublished one, is my favorite. Because it's my first, and I learned so much writing it and it made me go out and meet other writers and learn the business. But also because they were the first characters that spoke to me. I sent that book chapter by chapter to my sister in Iraq as I was writing it and she read it aloud to her friends. They still ask, "What about that Liz Taylor book?" I know, timely, right? But she wasn't a character. The book is set in Hollywood in 1958 with a wild cast of characters. I'm going to revise it this year, I hope.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

I don't want to leave my other new release out! PRISONER OF LOVE, book 8 in the Brothers In Arms series (Very's book for die hard fans) will be out this summer. June is the tentative date right now. I'll certainly post everywhere when I get a firm release date.

Extras:
Where can readers find you?
http://samanthakane.us/
http://www.facebook.com/SamanthaKane.author
http://twitter.com/skaneauthor


Do you have a link to your book list?
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-263-samantha-kane.aspx


Do you have a newsletter?
No. No time for it, I'm afraid.


Would you like to stop by and chat with the commenter's in the comment section?
Yes, I'll be there!

*~* Giveaway *~*

 

~An ebook of my new release,

CHERRY PIE

*~* ANYWHERE *~*

**RULES**

- Must Tell me their perfect summer day. I'm ready for summer!
- Must leave a valid e-mail to contact the winner (please do not add your complete e-mail. we do not want it picked up by spammers. for Exp: leave DOT instead of . or AT instead of @ )


**Giveaway ends Sun night ( 4-10 ) at Midnight