Release Day + The Only-Half-Immortal Problem

Please welcome Rachel Haimowitz back to the backseat! Rachel is the author of the GLBT Fantasy series Song of the Fallen, starring elf-warrior Ayden Vaska and human-prince Freyrík Farr. And that leads us to her current conundrum: the only-half-immortal problem. The floor is yours, Rachel!

One of the first epic fantasy series I ever fell in love with was Marion Zimmer Bradley’s world of Darkover. For those not familiar, it’s a couple/few dozen books that all revolve around a single world (Darkover) and a vast cast of characters over a series of millennia. There were romances, and some carried over more than one book. There were favorite characters, and some of them carried over more than one book too. But in the end, everyone died, and everyone moved on, and though it was often quite sad for the reader, what else could you expect after a couple thousand years?

The reason I bring this up is that today is release day for the end of my (much shorter, two-book) Song of the Fallen series. It too was epic fantasy, and very much a love story. In Counterpoint, a more or less immortal elf and a decidedly not-immortal human meet and eventually fall in love. You know how it is: boy meets elf, boy lusts after elf, elf dreams of killing boy, elf realizes boy isn’t so bad after all, boy gets elf, and then rocks fall and everyone dies.

Well, just kidding about that last part, though at the beginning of Crescendo (book 2, available today), it may sort of look that way.

But the boys very much have their happily ever after in Crescendo, and that’s the end of the series… Or is it? See, here’s the part nobody wants to talk about—including me. Only one half of this couple is going to live forever.

And I could conveniently overlook that if the elf wasn’t still shouting in my ear that he has stories he wants me to tell. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that. Do I skip ahead three-hundred years, long after the human hero of the Song of the Fallen series is dead and our poor elf is alone again, and let him fall in love with someone else? Is there room in readers’ hearts for that? Or would the new hero forever be compared to the much-loved human who eventually died—comfortably, surrounded by family, held in his elf-lover’s arms, at a very ripe old age, of course—and therefore never accepted? I keep thinking back to the Darkover books, to how much it hurt to say goodbye to some of those beloved characters, to soldier on with those who were left behind. Yet at the same time, I keep thinking that if MZB had stopped when her first heroes had gone, I’d have missed the opportunity to read stacks and stacks of equally beloved books filled with characters I came to love and root for just as much as the first.

So, how about you?

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To buy a copy of Crescendo: Song of the Fallen Book II, head on over to Storm Moon Press. Available formats are PDF, Lit, ePub, Kindle, and Paperback. Happy reading!

Naughty Boys in the Backseat would like to welcome Aleksandr Voinov to the blog.  Aleksandr is here to talk about several books – Counterpunch and Lion of Kent and answer some questions!!

Naughty – Tell us about your latest book.

Aleksandr – “Counterpunch” is set in a world very much like ours – only, slavery was never abolished. Slavery is wide-spread and widely accepted, and most people never think twice about it – unless they suddenly lose their freedom and become slaves. Brooklyn Marshall, the main character, becomes a slave and fights to the blood – literally – to be free again. Here’s the blurb:

Fight like a man, or die like a slave.

Brooklyn Marshall used to be a policeman in London, with a wife and a promising future ahead of him. Then he accidentally killed a rioter whose father was a Member of Parliament and had him convicted of murder. To ease the burden on the overcrowded prison system, Brooklyn was sold into slavery rather than incarcerated. Now, he’s the “Mean Machine”, a boxer on the slave prizefighting circuit, pummelling other slaves for the entertainment of freemen and being rented out for the sexual service of his wealthier fans.

When Nathaniel Bishop purchases Brooklyn’s services for a night, it seems like any other assignation. But the pair form an unexpected bond that grows into something more. Brooklyn hesitates to call it “love”–such things do not exist between freemen and slaves–but when Nathaniel reveals that he wants to help get Brooklyn’s conviction overturned, he dares to hope. Then, an accident in the ring sends Brooklyn on the run, jeopardizing everything he has worked so hard to achieve and sending him into the most important fight of all–the fight for freedom.

Naughty – Tell me a little about yourself

Aleksandr – By day, I work as an editor in an investment bank in London, making sure that the stuff we send out to clients actually makes sense and isn’t riddled with typos (or share prices that are years out of date) – which is a lot more interesting than it sounds, really. I’m a recovering financial journalist, bought a house last year, which I’m currently busy filling with books, and when I’m not reading or writing, I talk about reading and writing, meet other writers in London, network, go to nice restaurants and cafes and inhale museums and art galleries.

Naughty – Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

Aleksandr – London is actually a great place to be as an artist. I like the diversity here, the many different cultures, and it never ever gets boring. So, it’s a great place to be when you’re young and need to work a day job and like museums and culture. I do hope to retire elsewhere, though, ideally a place with lots of culture and history (Italy, especially the middle of it – Tuscany or Rome – is a favourite for its quality of life and food) – there are many beautiful places in the world, though; I do like the Blekinge area of Sweden very much, and maybe I’d even return to my home country Germany in retirement. If money were no object, I’d like to have houses in Italy, Turkey, Southern Sweden and Berlin and just migrate with the seasons.

Naughty – Who are your cheerleaders? Who encourages you to continue to write?

Aleksandr – Equal parts fellow writers and readers. Writer friends are great when I run into problems with the plot or am just fed up. They put things back into perspective and remind me that writing can be fun, too. There are maybe less expectations, and you’re more willing to admit you have no clue or are depressed or down about a book than if you’re talking to readers. But readers play a big part, too, both those who clearly got what I wanted to say (like, in reviews) and those who write in and tell me I (or rather, my book) helped them through a difficult time in their lives. It’s great to know that people appreciate the extra mile I went there or that somebody out there was touched by my words (which is really magic).

Naughty – What is it you love most about writing? What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Aleksandr – I love being able to do completely whimsical research (exact type and number of weapons on a Soviet-era Hind helicopter, feed and care of medieval war horses, impact of the financial crisis on the US advertising industry, pre-industrial medicine – things like that). Another great thing is when you hit the “flow” and the book just happens while you watch (and type very, very fast).

The hard part comes into play when a book falls apart, you’ve written yourself into a corner, a book isn’t going anywhere, and you’re losing that battle of showing up every day to do your words for one reason or other. But then, writing is a cycle of ups and downs. The downs might be really horrible, but the ups make it all worthwhile.

Naughty – Who is your favorite character in your new release?

Aleksandr – Honestly, I love them all, even the villains. I admire Brooklyn for his fighting spirit. He’s got a long way to travel, becoming, at the same time, stronger and weaker. Stronger in his convictions and as a human being, even strong enough to admit feelings and emotions (and isn’t that the scariest challenge of them all?). I do like Nathaniel, because he’s so smart and selfish and selfless at the same time. For all the games he plays, deep down, he’s actually honest and loyal and real. Then there’s the trainer, Leslie, who is definitely not a “hero”, but I understand why he does what he does, and once you understand people, it’s really hard to hate them, even if they do horrible or wrong things. Then there are so many minor characters – I love the Cubans and am very tempted to write their story one day, and Cash, Brooklyn’s promoter is just an all-round nice, sweet guy – you can’t help loving him (he’s based on a salesman who sold me a phone, and the guy was just amazing). I guess the only character you really end up hating is Curtis, but since that guy is a sadistic bully, I completely agree. Nobody can love a bully who gets off on cruelty.

Naughty – Do you have an all time favorite book?

Aleksandr – That’s a question that can trigger major anxiety. How am I supposed to choose? I couldn’t even choose the favourite of my own, let alone all those that are out there. Easy answer: “No, I have many favourites.” Sometimes, you do find a book that is just exactly right for you at a given time, so while it’s not my favourite ever, I’m currently engrossed in the diaries of Ernst Juenger.

Naughty – How can readers stay in touch?

Aleksandr – Fastest way is twitter (@vashtan), then there’s my website: http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com/, and my blog: http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com/. My group on Goodreads is here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/38618.Aleksandr_Voinov_s_Group – I’m also on Facebook, but I’m not a big fan of FB (as they tend to randomly discriminate against m/m and gay writers and delete pages on a whim), but I can be reached there, too.

Naughty – Where is your work available?

Aleksandr – At publishers direct (like Storm Moon Press, Carina Press, Samhain, Riptide Publishing, Loose Id, Dreamspinner and Noble Romance) and the usual retailers like Amazon or ARe.

Naughty – Are you working on anything new and if so when can we expect to see it?

Aleksandr – I’m really working all the time, so, absolutely. I’m currently co-writing Lion’s Share with Kate Cotoner, which is the sequel to The Lion of Kent and I hope to finish that in the next couple months. After that, I’m hoping to finish my two WWII novels (which will likely take up all of 2012). Since none of these are done yet, I can’t say anything about release dates. The very next releases will be the Dark Soul stories, which I hope to publish until about March, Muses and publishers willing.

Naughty – Anything else you’d like to add?

Aleksandr – Thank you so much for hosting me!

Title: “Apples and Regret and Wasted Time”
Author: Cornelia Grey
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Release Date: May 27th, 2011

He lives in the shadows of the law. Now, wounded and stranded in the city after a job only he could do, he has no qualms about climbing through the window his old lover left open—or stealing his shampoo, at that. He has, however, not taken into account the possibility of being surprised in the shower.

Three years is a long time to go between visits, especially if you’ve left so much anger and hurt and desire unresolved. They try to negotiate a truce for one night—over Chinese takeaway leftovers and apples, and between the sheets.

Buy Link:
http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Apples-and-Regrets-and-Wasted-Time.aspx (May 2011)

Excerpt from Cornelia Grey’s “Apples and Regret and Wasted Time”

“Three years and the only reason you came to see me was because you needed a shower, idiot?”

I shrug. I close my eyes, letting the water wash over my face.

“You left the window open,” I say. He doesn’t reply.

When I turn around to face him, his hands are tucked in his pockets, his face tilted down, half-hidden in the shadow. He looks at me with quiet, dark eyes. I can feel my body tingle under his intense gaze, a shiver running down my abdomen and to my cock.

His eyes flicker down for the briefest of moments.

“You left the window open,” I repeat. It sounds almost like an accusation.

“That didn’t mean you had to come in. I didn’t put any sign saying Idiots welcome, let yourself in,” he retorts. I can glimpse the flash of a smile on his lips, but it disappears too quickly.

I can feel the memories stir in the back of my mind. His smile always made my blood pump faster. I can feel my face heating, and I hope the shadow is enough to hide it. “Maybe I was feeling nostalgic.”

“Right.” He unclips the holster and pulls out his gun, checking the safety before reaching to lay it on the sink. My knife is just out of sight, on the rim of the tub. It’s never out of my reach. I don’t move my hand toward it, don’t even look in its direction. I know I won’t need to use it.

His voice is tight when he says, “What are you doing here, really?”

It’s the city, that’s what it is, messing with my head. My nerves are rubbed raw.

“I don’t know,” I snap, harsh. “I’m just having a damn shower. Leave me alone. What do you even want?”

His arm shoots out, and he grabs me by the nape, hand clenching in my hair a fraction too hard. The water is quickly soaking his sleeve, staining it dark, spraying on his chest, his face. He doesn’t seem to notice.

“I want you to get out of here,” he says, voice dangerously low. “I want you to leave. I want to never see your face again.”

I wonder if he’s aware of how tightly he’s holding onto me. I wonder if he realizes that, while he’s telling me to go, his body is screaming don’t you dare move. I wonder if he even knows he wants me to stay.

His eyes are a sharp blue, mere inches from mine. Too close. They give away things I suspect he’d rather keep hidden.

Slowly, I reach to wrap my fingers around his tie. I pull him forward, pull him in. He has to brace his hand against the tiles in order not to fall, leaning awkwardly over the tub, the water now streaming down his face, soaking his shoulders.

I can see the anger fade from his eyes, washed away, leaving only a too-heavy weariness.

He doesn’t pull back when I lean forward and press my mouth to his. I trace his lips with my tongue, let it slip inside. I feel damn near intoxicated when he gives in to the kiss, tilting his head to the side to gain better access to my mouth as his tongue tangles with mine, sliding hot and wet between my lips. He tastes like apples and regret and wasted time.

Buy Links (to this work and two other works):
http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Apples-and-Regrets-and-Wasted-Time.aspx (May 2011)
http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Wild-Passions.aspx (June 17th, 2011 — NEW!)
http://store.samhainpublishing.com/the-mercenary-p-6272.html (March 2011)

Bio: Cornelia Grey is a student halfway through her creative writing degree with a penchant for fine arts and the blues. Born and raised in the hills of Northern Italy, where she collected her share of poetry and narrative prizes, she is now based in London. Her days are full and hectic: she reads, goes to flea markets, galleries, and the theater, and of course spends most of her time writing. When she’s at home, she likes to curl up with a book and the classic cup of tea and leaves chestnuts in the garden for the squirrel that comes around from time to time.