Bayou Book Junkie: Virtual Tour: Moment of Clarity by Karen Stivali ~ (5+ Star ARC Review, Guest Post + Giveaway)

Monday, May 11, 2015

Virtual Tour: Moment of Clarity by Karen Stivali ~ (5+ Star ARC Review, Guest Post + Giveaway)

Book Information:

Author Name: Karen Stivali

Book Name: Moment of Clarity

Series: Moments In Time Book 3 (Should be read in order)

Individual e-books available or paperback collection of all three titles

Release Date: May 6, 2015

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

Pages or Words: 145 pages (38,000 words)

Categories: M/M Romance, Gay Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

Buy The Book:

Blurb:

Blurb for MOMENT OF CLARITY:

Spending the summer together on Fire Island brought Collin and Tanner closer than ever, but back in their conservative college town, challenges confront them at every turn.

As they search for their new normal in their old environment, Collin's brother Sean surprises them with help when they need it most. But when word about their relationship gets out, trouble erupts with friends and family. When Collin's relationship with Tanner becomes an issue in his brother's custody battle, and Tanner struggles with his feelings for a heartbroken Wendy, Collin wonders if everyone he cares about would be better off without him in the picture. In order to save them both, Tanner must make it clear to Collin that their love for each other is all that matters.

Author Guest Post

We are so happy to have Karen here with us today to talk about what it's like to say goodbye to characters that you have spent so much time with, and know and love so well.

Karen,

I have loved these books and I absolutely loved Tanner and Collin. I am going to be so sad to say goodbye to them :(

What’s it like to say goodbye to characters who’ve meant so much to you?

When I wrote my first novel, Meant To Be, five years ago, I was terrified to finish writing the book. I thought doing so would mean I’d have to say goodbye to characters who’d been living in my mind with such intense clarity for the eight years since I’d first come up with the story and the four months I’d spent writing it for 10-20 hours a day. It was devastating to consider. I didn’t know how I was going to cope. Then I finished the book.

And a funny thing happened. After a brief, anxiety filled week of feeling depressed that I wasn’t spending every waking moment thinking about the characters, I realized they were still living in my head. In fact, they were still talking. They hadn’t gone anywhere. It was kind of a shock---I’d been so sure our time together was going to be “over”---but it wasn’t.

Not only did I spend months editing their story, I wound up writing a sequel and a few short stories about them. And now, five years and a dozen books about many other characters later, those two original characters still chatter in my mind every time I think about them (and sometimes when I’m not thinking about them).

That’s the beauty of characters you create. Unlike people in your real life who may come and go whether you want them to or not, characters go on inside your brain, forever. You may not spend the same amount of time with them that you did while writing their story, but you can still check in on them whenever you please. You can still hear the funny little quips they make when something happens that reminds you of them. And make no mistake, things will continue to remind you of them. A street sign with their last name on it. Their favorite food. A quirk they have. Little things will pop up in your real life that will eternally make you think “oh, that’s just like so-and-so….”

I’ve written over 120,000 words about Collin and Tanner in their three novellas. It’s safe to say I’m quite fond of them and equally safe to say they’re not going to be leaving my mind or my heart anytime soon. Because I know they’ll always be there, there’s always the possibility they’ll get more story at some point. For now, though, I know I left them in a safe and happy place. And I’ll be checking in on them in the very near future in some other books.

I just signed two new contracts with Dreamspinner Press. These new titles will be continuations of the Moments In Time series, but will star secondary characters from the series rather than Collin and Tanner. MOMENT OF SILENCE will feature Quinn (Collin's oldest brother) and Jason (Collin's Fire Island co-worker who developed a crush on him) and MOMENT OF FATE will be Bryan's story (Bryan was the musician housemate from Moment Of Truth). I'm very excited about both projects and I’m pretty sure Collin and Tanner will be making at least small guest appearances in both.

Note from Author:

"I just signed two new contracts with Dreamspinner Press. These new titles will be continuations of the Moments In Time series, but will star secondary characters from the series rather than Collin and Tanner. MOMENT OF SILENCE will feature Quinn (Collin's oldest brother) and Jason (Collin's Fire Island co-worker who developed a crush on him) and MOMENT OF FATE will be Bryan's story (Bryan was the musician housemate from Moment Of Truth). I'm very excited about both projects. I also have a m/f New Adult book that will be released from Bloomsbury in late 2015. Lots of books on the horizon!”

Blurb for MOMENTS IN TIME Books 1-3 (available in paperback)

Moment of Impact

eBook On sale for .99 Cents ~ Amazon
Beyond Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room, the students of his conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family who'd disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Tanner wants to show the world how much he loves Collin, but Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.

Moment of Truth

eBook On Sale for .99 Cents ~ Amazon

Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he's living in a beach house on Fire Island, and for the first time, he and Tanner can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being “out” takes some getting used to, and doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness. Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

Moment of Clarity

Spending the summer on Fire Island brought Collin and Tanner closer than ever, but back in their conservative college town, new challenges confront them.

When Collin's relationship with Tanner becomes an issue in his brother's custody battle and Tanner struggles with feelings for his heartbroken friend Wendy, Collin wonders if everyone would be better off without him. In order to save them both, Tanner must make it clear his love for Collin is all that matters.

Tracy's Review:

5++ Stars

*copy provided by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*

I wish I could give this more than 5 stars! This was an amazing end to Tanner and Collin's story. I'm so sad to say goodbye, but I know Karen is writing a few more books with some of the secondary characters, so hopefully we'll get future updates on Tanner and Collin.

Karen wove an angst filled, heartbreaking, yet beautiful and loving story, from the first page of "Moment of Impact" until the last page of "Moment of Clarity". She held me captivated and turning the pages to see what would happen next. I debated reading this slow. I didn't want Tanner and Collin's story to ever end. Some characters you just connect with and that's how these two are for me.

Karen managed to capture the chemistry between these young men so well. It is so electric sparks practically fly off the pages, and it was captured in all three installments. The sex is smoking hot, but also sweet and tender, and there's a LOT of it!

The prejudice and hate in this book makes me not only angry, but also sad. Sad that their are people out there in real life that are so closed minded and bigoted. It just leaves me shaking my head.

I could talk for days, but instead I'm just going to tell you if you haven't read these books, go get them. You won't be disappointed.

Karen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors in the m/m genre and I hope to see MUCH more from her the the future!!

About the author:

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies, and fictional British men. She's also the multiple award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romances. She writes novels about love...like real life, only hotter.

Karen's lifelong fascination with people has led her to careers ranging from hand-drawn animator, to party planner, to marriage and family counselor, but writing has always been her passion. Karen enjoys nothing more than following her characters on their journey toward love. Whether the couples are m/f or m/m, it’s guaranteed that Karen's novels are filled with food, friendship, love, and smoking hot sex—all the best things in life.

When Karen isn’t writing (and often when she is), she can be found on Twitter attempting witty banter and detailing the antics of her fruit-loving cat, BadKitteh. She loves to hear from readers (and other writers), so don't hesitate to contact/follow/like her at: [insert contact info here]

Where to find the author: