Monday, July 09, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jamie Hill was born and raised in the Midwest, where she continues to live with her husband and two sons.

She juggles her spare time to include writing as much as possible, freelance editing, reading as she finds time, tinkering on the computer, listening to country music, as many naps as possible, and watching movies (especially scary movies) with her family. She also enjoys her favorite TV shows: Dog the Bounty Hunter, King of Cars, Gilmore Girls, ER and House.

For more information, visit her website at www.jamiehill.biz or her myspace at www.myspace.com/authorjamiehill


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Jeff Roberts' life is all planned out for him. He's engaged to the boss's daughter, and eventually he'll run the construction/real estate company he works for. It'll be the perfect life.

When Kurt Lacey joins the construction crew, Jeff is suddenly fighting urges he'd forced himself to repress. There were male lovers in his past, but deciding that wasn't what he wanted, Jeff proceeded to 'go straight'. Kurt has other ideas, and one night together has Jeff rethinking his life. Does he want to be secure, responsible and boring? Wild, exciting and nontraditional seems like lots more fun. It all comes down to the flip of a coin—and whether Jeff chooses Heads or Tails.


EXCERPT:

Kurt smiled. "So, I have a question for you. I heard a nasty rumor about you at work."

Jeff was surprised. He got along well with everyone at Birdwell, what kind of rumor could there be? "Really?"

"Yeah." Kurt took another sip and then smiled almost shyly. "I heard you were engaged to the boss's daughter…what's her name, Laura?"

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. He hated being the subject of gossip, and went out of his way to avoid it. "Lana. Yeah, I am. We got engaged about six months ago."

"Is that so?" Kurt asked thoughtfully and took a long, slow drink.

"Yep. I've worked at Birdwell about three years. She's a year younger, so she graduated from college a year after me. She's been there about two years…" he trailed off. Kurt watched him with amusement as he rambled. "You don't care about all this."

"Sure I do. It's very interesting. Perplexing, too."

"What do you mean?" Jeff took a sip of his beer, suddenly feeling nervous.

Kurt gestured with his hands as he spoke. "See, I pride myself on being a good judge of people. I had you sized up the first time I saw you—or so I thought. Apparently my 'gay-dar' was off track this time."

"Gay-dar?" Jeff repeated slowly, glancing around. For the first time he realized there were other couples in the bar, talking quietly like they were, and all of them were men. They were in a gay bar. "Oh, Jesus." He took another quick drink.

Kurt grinned. "I'm really sorry, man. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just assumed—well, never mind. Then I heard a couple people talking about you and Laura today, and I discovered I might have made a mistake."

"Lana," Jeff said slowly.

"Whatever." Kurt tossed his head back and polished off his beer. "Let's have one more before we hit the road. Two's my limit when I'm driving." He glanced around. "I need something to eat. Where's that popcorn?" There was a bowl farther down the bar, and he stood and reached across Jeff to get it. "Two more beers over here!" he called.

Kurt's thighs and ass were practically in Jeff's face, and he stifled a groan. His cock stiffened for about the tenth time that day. It'd happened once when he thought about Lana, and about nine times thinking of Kurt. He watched the good-looking man settle back onto his stool and grab a handful of popcorn. "I…uh, you weren't completely wrong."

"Hmm?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. They paused as the bartender placed two new bottles of beer before them.

Jeff watched the man walk away before stating, "It's just that—well, I'm not gay." He wanted to make that perfectly clear. Putting the rest of his thoughts into words wasn't as easy. "I've had a couple encounters—with guys, that is—but I'm really straight. I'm marrying Laura. I mean…Lana!" The other man had him totally flustered.

"Is that so?" Kurt appeared thoughtful as he took a pull on his beer. "Really straight, you say? I wonder about that."

Jeff was embarrassed, but had to try and explain. "I had this relationship…in college…but it never felt quite right. I mean, it felt good—" He was flustered again. If his face wasn't beet red before, it had to be now.

Kurt simply looked at him, an amused half-smile on his face.

"Shit. I don't know what I mean anymore." Jeff took a long drink, finishing off his beer. He shoved the bottle aside and reached for the fresh one.

"Don't be embarrassed." Kurt nudged elbows with him. "There's always some awkwardness at the beginning of a new relationship, whether men or women are involved. Personally, I think it's more complicated with women."

"You've dated women?" Jeff was surprised. He figured guys were either gay or straight, and he was the only one sitting on the fence.

Kurt shrugged. "A couple. It's not really my thing. Had to give it a shot, though, to see what I might be missing out on." He chuckled and Jeff laughed.

"That's funny."

With another shrug, Kurt added, "Pretty common. Most people struggle with their sexuality at some point. I finally decided to stop struggling. I know what I like, and I go after it." He gave Jeff the once-over with his eyes.

It caused another flush, and he felt the heat not only in his face but also lower. His cock twitched when he saw the look of desire on Kurt's face. His emotions tugged at him. "I wasn't really looking for a new relationship. I was thinking—"

Kurt spun to face him, planting his hands on Jeff's knees. "In the immortal words of some great country singer, 'This ain't no thinkin' thing'."

Surprised, Jeff looked at him. Conflicted emotions raced through him, and all he could think to say was, "Oh, God. You like country music? Could we be any more different?"

Leaning in, Kurt said softly, "We're alike in ways that count. I'm attracted to you, man. I have been since the first time I saw you."

With a muffled groan, Jeff's words rushed forth. "I feel the same way! I couldn't keep from staring out my window, hoping to get a glimpse of you every day."

Kurt smiled and moved his face closer for a kiss. Jeff's mind screamed protest, but remembered they were in a gay bar, and realized it was probably commonplace behavior there. He stopped thinking when Kurt's face drew closer and his eyes closed. His lips pressed against Jeff's and both men sighed.


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I started writing in about the fifth grade, long scrolling love stories in spiral notebooks. When I got older, I wrote screenplays for my favorite TV shows. I picked up the writing again about fifteen years ago, but only seriously tried getting published in the past two or three years.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love telling a story in my own way, and having someone relate to it and tell me they enjoyed it. That's the best part. The hardest part is promotion. Getting my name out there takes so much more time than writing!

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
That's tricky. I get up an hour early to answer email and handle promotion, and try to find an hour or two during the day, usually over my lunch hour, to write. If I can squeeze another hour into the evening I'm lucky, with a family that doesn't always happen.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Usually the plot comes first, but occasionally a character sticks in my head.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write contemporary erotic romance. Sometimes I add paranormal or horror elements, but I always stick to the present day. Writing historical is much too complicated for me! Plus, I love to read contemporary stuff.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Fragments of them come from real people, but I've never based one character on any one person.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Jack Dunlevy and Crystal Cartwright from my first novel, Family Secrets, will always have a special place in my heart. He was handsome and kind, and I fell for him! Crystal was a lucky woman!

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
A happy feeling, that they invested some time in my book and it was worthwhile. Also, the feeling that I understand people, and write them realistically.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Just do it. Write as much and as often as you can, until you're satisfied with the story. Then, study the market you're submitting to, because they are all very different. Most importantly, find a critique partner who can help you with grammar and editing, and listen to them. It's very important to submit a polished piece of work.

What are you reading right now?
A young adult novel I got at a recent Kansas authors book signing, Airball by L.D. Harkrader. And of course, I'm waiting for the next Harry Potter novel, and will be fighting my sons for first dibs!

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
A thinner, wealthier version of me. For more information about the current version of me, visit my website: http://www.jamiehill.biz



Phaze Fantasies, Vol. III by Jamie Hill,
James Buchanan, Jade Falconer, Eliza Gayle,
Selah March, Yeva Wiest
ISBN 1-59426-544-5
Length: Quasar (114K words)
Rating: 4 Novas
Release Date: July 2007
$7.00 from Phaze



Purchase Phaze Fantasies, Vol. III by Jamie Hill, et al HERE!!