GayRomLit 2017 Blog Tour Welcomes Author CJane Elliott
Hello,
All!
I’m
looking forward to being with old friends and making new ones at GayRomLit2017.
I’ve been at GRL twice now, once as a Supporting Author in San Diego and once
as a Featured Author in Kansas City. Of the two, I enjoyed last year’s GRL in
Kansas City the best. I wasn’t suffering from “ohmigod what do I do?” nerves
and I had one of my best friends, Kathleen, with me. Kathleen is a funny gal.
She maintains she has no talents, usually after she tells me what a talented
writer I am, and I just laugh. Because Kathleen’s talent is for making friends
wherever she goes (in person and on Facebook). I know she made friends with
several of you GRL types last year. Here she is with fellow Dreamspinner author
Ben Brock.
I
also enjoyed the Author Lounges last year. I met so many readers and bloggers,
and loved being able to talk with you. And of course, because I’m quite a ham,
I loved the Author Reading I got to do. Too bad they didn’t give me more time!
(I see Amy DiMartino right now, pointing at her watch, and me being “What,
already? I was just getting started!”)
And
I can’t forget the dancing! I live for the GRL dance nights, especially when I
can rope K-Lee Klein into hitting the dance floor with me. Here we are as
naughty witches last year, probably catching our breath before dancing for
another hour or two.
This
year, I have a new novella called In Over
Our Heads, to be published by Dreamspinner Press in mid-October. It’s a second-chance story that takes
place after the events in my cruise ship story, All the Way to Shore, and features Anthony Vallen from that book. I
set it in Key West, which is one of the most romantic places I’ve ever been.
Here’s a picture from my recent vacation there, taken on a walk. There are
vistas like this around every corner in Key West.
I’m
planning to read from the story during my Author Spotlight at GRL. Until then,
here’s an excerpt. Walter is the guy who broke Anthony’s heart in high school
and who just happens to own the dive shop Anthony and his friends are using in
Key West:
EXCERPT
Miles
led us onto the boat and murmured to me as we were getting settled, “You guys
are getting the special treatment. Walter doesn’t usually sail the cruise
excursions any more. I’m kind of surprised he’s doing it.”
“Miles.”
Walter frowned at him, jerking his head back in a come here gesture.
“Oops.
Duty calls.” Miles gave me a wink and went to help Walter with the jibs or
sails or lines or whatever.
I
tried to relax and get into vacation mode. What had I told Jonathan mere hours
before? I wasn’t going to give Walter Elkins one more thought! It was hard to
keep that vow, though, with Walter right there, his hunky body on display,
muscles bunching then lengthening as he knelt and reached and got things ready
with his usual fierce concentration. Though I knew fuck all about sailing, I
was willing to bet that Walter’s preparations were being done rigorously,
completely, and perfectly. Even Miles had grown serious and attentive, watching
Walter, responding to his terse directions like it was a military operation.
Meanwhile,
I became aware of something happening in my body. It was the oddest thing. I’m
usually a bundle of nerves and on the manic end of the energy scale. But as I
watched Walter, my muscles began to loosen, like they were letting down their
guard. A memory darted in of Walter at the end of high school chemistry class,
restoring everything to order in his methodical way, me chattering nonstop as I
watched him, and all being right with the world. It had felt safe being around
Walter. Like he would take care of everything—slowly and patiently. I could be
my fluttery self—a butterfly flitting all over—because I knew Walter would be
there when I needed to land.
Suddenly
Walter lifted his eyes and gazed right at me. To my horror, I found myself
smiling fondly at him, still in the glow of that long-ago time. I was probably
making stupid goo-goo eyes too. He went red and dropped something on the deck
with a clang.
ABOUT CJANE ELLIOTT:
After
years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally
decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by
training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the
human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her
characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find
what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane
is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out
stories. In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or
watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying
out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.
CJane
is the author of the award-winning Serpentine Series, New Adult contemporary
novels set at the University of Virginia. Serpentine
Walls was a 2014 Rainbow Awards finalist, Aidan’s Journey was a 2015 EPIC Awards finalist, and Sex, Love, and Videogames won first
place in the New Adult category in the 2016 Swirl Awards and first place in Contemporary Fiction in the
2017 EPIC eBook Awards.
E-mail:
cjaneelliott@gmail.com
Website:
http://www.cjaneelliott.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott
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