Hi everyone-- I think it's significant that we got "Fixed" before we got "Broken". I'm so excited to have Jessica Freely here today with her marvelous new book with the fantabulous P.L.Nunn cover. First, let me tell you that we have been announcing the winners of the books directly to them by email, so if you haven't heard yet, keep trying. And if you have already won, you can win again! Jessica is kindly offering a copy of Broken to one lucky commenter! Remember, too, that when you comment you also get entered in the drawing on Sept 27 for my new book, Golden Dancer. So make sure to leave a comment. Now, here's Jessica!
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Hi
everyone! Big thanks to Tara for having me here today. It's a treat to share
with you an excerpt from my new m/m romantic suspense novel from Loose Id,
Broken , and my inspiration for it.
First, a few announcements:
I'm running a contest today! To enter, please leave a
comment with your email addy and you might be the lucky winner of a free copy
of Broken! http://www.loose-id.com/Broken.aspx
I also want to mention that I have an audio excerpt of the
first chapter of Broken up on my newsletter group. Here's the information on
that. <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely/>
And, every Tues. and Thurs. on my blog I'm running a Behind Broken
mini-podcast, featuring snippets of audio notes I took while writing the book.
Consider it your big chance to listen to me talking to myself in funny voices.
<http://www.friskbiskit.com/behind-broken/>
Finally, it's a tragic fact that slavery still exists.
Polaris Project <http://www.polarisproject.org/index.php>
takes a comprehensive approach to the problem of human trafficking by providing
direct assistance to those in need and helping create systemic changes to
combat it. For the first four months of Broken's sales, I'm donating half of my
proceeds to this worthwhile organization.
And now, on to the fun and games!
People say that women aren't turned on by visual images. I
say that's just because most of the time, nobody gives us anything worth
looking at. I know that when it comes to writing I can find great inspiration
in the visual. That was the case with the character of Xiu in Broken.
I had the basic idea for this book -- a closeted mob
enforcer falls for the boss's new male prostitute -- for a long time, but it
wasn't until I went to a sneak preview of The Green Hornet last
winter that the whole thing really came together for me.
It's all Jay Chou's fault, really. He plays Kato
in the film.
I was instantly captivated.
Can you see why?
My other protag, Eben, reads yaoi manga on the sly, and in the beginning of the book, I had fun playing around with
that. Here's an excerpt from the novel that illustrates what I’m talking about. ------
Song Xiu hoped whoever had bought him this time would come
across with his taste in a hurry. It had been a long flight and his blood
itched. He wasn't going to be any good to anybody like this. His hand trembled
as he unfastened his seat belt. He forced himself to move quickly despite the
nausea that curled in the pit of his stomach like a whipped dog.
It was chilly in the access ramp and he cursed this
ridiculous outfit Uncle Lao had made him wear. He was twenty now, but back home
in Hong Kong they called him Xiusheng -- The Schoolboy. He'd traded on his
youthful appearance with great success but would this be what the Americans
wanted? Goose bumps broke out across his bare legs.
The Starbucks near baggage claim in the Boston Logan Airport
was the saddest coffeehouse Xiu had ever seen. Small and dim, it offered little
to distract him from his dope sickness. But it did have a bakery case. Xiu had
a monster sweet tooth. He stared at the pecan-encrusted sweet buns and wondered
what the person who'd bought his contract would be like.
Uncle Lao wouldn't tell him who it was. Xiu didn't even know
if he was going to a pimp or someone who wanted a full-time
"companion." He'd had thirty-six hours to contemplate the two
alternatives and he still wasn't sure which would be better.
Being stuck with just one guy sounded boring, and he'd have
to put up with whatever the perv dished out. That could get ugly, unless of
course Xiu could manipulate him, in which case, it might turn out to be a
pretty sweet deal.
On the other hand, if some pimp or syndicate had bought his
contract, he'd be getting lots of screened clients and he'd have the
opportunity to distinguish himself in the operation -- which he would. Xiu may
not have gotten into this life by choice, but he'd decided early on that if he
had to be a whore, he was going to be a top notch one.
He smoothed out a crease on his shorts and adopted the
demure pose that had earned so much money for Uncle Lao.
* * * * *
“He'll be in a school uniform. He's Chinese.”
Eben hadn't expected a vision straight out of a yaoi manga,
but there he was, standing beside the bakery case in a navy blue jacket with
white trim, a white shirt, a red tie, and navy blue shorts. Shorts.
Eben took a deep breath and tried to get himself under
control. It wasn't easy when the "package" his brother had sent him
to pick up turned around and Eben got a look at his face -- a perfect oval with
dark, hooded eyes and a Cupid's bow mouth. Damn.
"Are you" -- Legal? A dream? An
illegal dream I should be shot for even having? -- "here with
International Cultural Exchange?"
"Yes. My name is Song Xiu. You are my liaison?"
Eben wasn't sure what that was, but it sounded like it had
'lay' in it and that sent his mind even further down the wrong track. "I'm
here for you."
They stood staring at one another for a moment.
Eben shifted his weight.
The other guy glanced at the bakery case.
Finally, Eben remembered his manners. "Oh. I'm Eben.
Welcome to the States." He held out his hand, forgetting what a mess it
was. He colored at the sight of his split and swollen knuckles. Now this guy
would know exactly what kind of a person Eben was. But it was too late. It
would be rude to pull his hand back now.
"You've injured
your hand." Song took Eben's hand in both of his.
Eben tried not to notice how gentle his hands were, like the
wings of a dove.
Song ghosted one thumb over Eben's knuckles. "It must
be painful." He only came to Eben's shoulder. He looked up into Eben's
face, searching with dark brown eyes. His lips parted, ever so slightly. He was
so freakin' beautiful.
Eben pulled his hand away before he got himself in trouble.
"It's nothing. Nice to meet you, Song."
"Ah… Eben is your surname?"
"My what?"
"Your family name?"
"Oh! No. That's Flannery. I'm Eben Flannery."
"I see." Song bowed. "Excuse me. I made a
mistake. I should say my name is Xiu Song." He looked up at Eben with a
tentative half-smile.
"Shoe Song?"
The half smile grew to a whole one and a dimple appeared in
his right cheek.
Eben's heart sped up.
"Yes. Song is my family name. In China, we say family
name first. But you give me your first name, so I should do the same,
correct?"
Eben was confused.
"If I call you Eben, you should call me Xiu,
right?"
"Oh! So you mean your first name is Shoe."
"Xiu."
"Shoe?"
"Xiu."
"Oh, I get it. Shoe!" said Eben.
Shoe's smile widened. "Yes. Just so. Shoe." Again
he glanced at the bakery case.
"Hey, are you hungry? I can get you something."
Shoe's larynx bobbed up and down as he swallowed. "Oh
no. Thank you."
"You sure?" Eben noticed the sharp angle of Shoe's
jaw and the prominence of his wrist and knee bones. "You look a little
thin."
The look that got him seemed a bit more intense than Eben
would have expected.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to get personal. You look great.
I mean -- fine. You know. I wasn't trying to bust your balls, I just--"
Finally he managed to shut his trap.
Shoe stared at him a moment more and then, that smile broke
out again. "Please. Do not worry. You can't offend me. You are very kind
to offer and to be concerned for my health." He bowed again.
"Oh, that's nothing. Nicky pays me plenty. You want a
sweet roll or something? It would be my pleasure. Sort of a…you know, a welcome
to America thing."
More bowing. "No, please, I --"
"Aw, come on. You're staring at that case like a dog at
a butcher shop window." Eben waved off Shoe's protest and went to the
counter. "Two sweet rolls, please. And a coffee. You want a coffee? Do you
drink coffee? I mean, not 'cause you're Chinese, 'cause… Are you old enough to
drink coffee?"
Shoe tilted his head down and looked up at Eben. He had one
hip cocked and he traced the ground with his toe. "Do you think I'm old
enough?"
Something about the way he did that made Eben feel queasy.
Frowning, he leaned in and took a good long look at Shoe. "I don't know.
How old are you?"
Shoe straightened up, his smile gone. His cheeks went pink.
His voice was barely a whisper. "I'm twenty. I'm old enough." He
didn't meet Eben's gaze.
What the hell? Why was Shoe acting scared all of a sudden?
Why had he been acting like one of Nicky's girls a second ago? Eben was all too
familiar with the feeling that a game was being played and everyone else knew
the rules but him. He was about to ask Shoe what was going on when the
barista's audible sigh brought him back to the matter at hand. "Two
coffees, please."
Thanks again for joining me today, and don't forget to leave
a comment and enter to win a free copy of Broken!
Hugs,
Jessica
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Published at Loose Id: http://bit.ly/cOS8xj
And i hope all of you who don't win will buy Jessica's book in the first four months and benefit the Polaris Project. Leave your comment and Good Luck! Thank you for visiting the blog. : )
Hi everyone-- My longtime friend, Suzanne Forster, is a New York Times bestselling author of fantastic romances like The Devil and Miss Moody, Shameless, Blush, and a gazillion others. Suzanne received the award for Best Contemporary Romantic Suspense and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. Now, some of her wonderful titles are being made available in e-book!
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