Blog Tour ~ Dirk Tales, The Book by Dan Skinner ~ (Review, Blog Post and Giveaway)
Book: Dirk Tales, The Book: The Misadventures of Doc and Dirk
Author: Dan Skinner
Release Date: November 18, 2016
Length: 124 Pages
Dirk Tales, The Book includes previously released Misadventures of Doc & Dirk volumes, available now for the first time in paperback, an additional episode, and more!
He's a middle-aged, newly single, gay photographer starting life over. Along comes a freshly out nineteen-year-old, irreverent free spirit who wants to be his apprentice. Mismatched by more than a generation, what could possibly go wrong? Everything! And it's AWESOME!
Dirk's First Time: Every gay boy has his first experience. Usually it's a memorable, exciting personal time of discovery and intimacy between two young people. But two comic book characters? Is it horseplay or Cosplay?
The Boy At The Gym: First impressions can be deceiving. Sometimes that boy in the baggy clothes, talking to himself in the gym isn't as shy as he appears. Sometimes there's a deviant imp lurking beneath that freckled mask of innocence. Beware the Trojan Nerd!
A "Muse" ing: Most authors struggle with the voices or "muses" in their head when writing. Tuning that voice out becomes a little more challenging when your muse is a real-life nineteen-year-old who inhales espresso and turns out ideas at light speed. Danger Will Robinson!
Daddy and The Rent Boy: In sales, advertising is half the battle. That can become hazardous when you're in the company of an irreverent walking billboard.
Sex Dolls and Bad Dates: We’ve all had one of those dates where we think we've bitten off more than we can chew. The trick to know is Bite or Flight?
Dirk's Quirks: Everyone has idiosyncrasies; that's what makes us interesting. If you're lucky, you get a heaping helping and can share them with everyone.
Make it Naked: Teaching a nineteen-year-old walking hormone photography apprentice to shoot nudes is more than an adventure... It's a human obstacle
We are extremely happy to welcome Dan Skinner to Bayou Book Junkie today!
I think when we're young we picture our middle-aged years as that time when we’ll be settled down, relaxing, sipping our cocktails, and enjoying our Netflix. We probably believe we’ll have already done ALL the adventuresome, risky things we dared and properly placed those things behind us like preserved memories in a scrapbook to look at later and say "remember when we were young and foolish and tried....?"
I know I was one who, when he approached thirty, began looking at things and weighing their risks before even attempting anything. I read all the warnings and sidestepped what I deemed more befitting the fearlessness of youth. I said No a lot.
The strange thing is that I hadn't really lived anything that I would called an adventure in my life. From early on I had to work for everything I had, so my life, pictured by someone on the outside, would appear fairly humdrum. Nevertheless, I had settled into the dull quietude of my middle years not thinking anything could disturb the peaceful waters.
That was until a teenaged tsunami named Dirk barreled in on me and swept everything I thought was normal far out to sea. An apprentice who became a friend who became a muse. Before I knew it, I was doing things I'd never done: rock-climbing, zip gliding, even skateboarding. All things I'd never tried or considered in my life. I was taking on challenges that I'd normally be wary of, or even say no to. I found myself having adventure after adventure. And enjoying life as I had never before.
It was like catching a second wind; grasping a second chance to try it all over and do it right.
The moral of my story, of our little "Misadventures" tales is this: never say never to anything life offers. No one is ever too old to live it all again.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
I will start by saying that I didn't read the previous two volumes in The Misadventures of Doc and Dirk, and when I realized that I had been given an ARC for Volume III, I just hoped I wouldn't feel too over my head. However, Volume III starts with how Doc and Dirk met so even if I was a bit confused over the relationship between mentor and apprentice/muse, I knew enough not to feel too lost. That said, I really encourage you to go get the first two volumes and read them first, though, as I suspect reading them in order will make for a better reading experience!
This was my first book by Dan Skinner and I really enjoyed it, he has a fun, relaxed writing style that just engages the reader. Volume III consists of a series of snippets in which we see Doc and Dirk meeting up for the first time in The Nutshell... and the Nut, then exchanging stories of past sexual experiences in Sex Dolls and Bad Dates, some texts and skype conversations in Random Dirkisms and finally learning of some of Dirk's Quirks.
Both Dirk and Doc are very likable characters and they have a very nice rapport that makes for some very entertaining stories. I also loved Dirk's mom, who was so different than what I expected.
Overall, a recommendable, different read!
Rating: 4 Stars!!!
ABOUT DAN SKINNER
I’m a single gay man living in the Midwest. I write because I consider myself to be an old-fashioned storyteller. I’ve been a photographer for half my life, specializing in male romance cover art. My dream is to one day live on the beach with my dog and continue to tell tales that inspire and entertain.
Contact Dan on Facebook, Twitter, DeviantArt, and Tumblr (NSFW)
smooches... thank you so much from both of the "D's"
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