Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Book Blast & Giveaway for What's in a Name?


Don't forget to enter the contest at the end of the post to be in the running for a starbucks gift card! Release day blast sponsered by Pride  Promotions.

Talking with author Pat Henshaw


What inspired 'What's in a Name?"?
Your guess is as good as mine.  Really!  My head is constantly filled with the little things I see happening around me.  When I sit down to write, these bits and pieces fall onto the page.  My guess is that this time I was probably listening to "Bad to the Bone," one of the songs I have on a car CD I made for myself.  I've always been intrigued by given names.  As a teacher, I came across some completely awful ones.  So I was probably thinking how ironic it is that the anthem for bad boys is sung by a guy named George (not a bad boy name).  This is compounded by his last name Thorogood.  Not only is he good, not bad, but thoroughly good.
The second factor is that one of my good friends lives in the Sierra Foothills area and has told me some of the resistance the older residents have shown to the influx of queers from the San Francisco Bay Area who've moved there.  I think that's a problem that needs to be addressed.

How long did it take you to get your rough draft finished on your latest release?
            I started writing the story at the beginning of 2014 and sold it to Dreamspinner Press in the summer.  So the rough draft probably took me a couple of months.

If you could be any paranormal creature what would you be?
            A good vampire like the one in my self-published novel, "The Vampire's Food Chain." 

What do you do when you’re not writing?
            Reading, reading, reading.  Oh, yes, I also like to make quarter inch miniature houses and furniture.

Are any of your characters like you?
            In "What's in a Name?", no.  In "The Vampire's Food Chain," yes, the protagonist Shawn.

What genres do you write in?
            Gay romance (emphasis on romance), paranormal, and mystery.

Is there anything you will never write about?
            I think all writers have something they won't write about, usually because they aren't interested in the topic or the type of writing.  I'm no different.  I'm tired of writing non-fiction interviews.  I'm no good at writing literary fiction.  I refuse to write about a protagonist who deliberately harms others either physically or psychologically.

Do you have a favorite quote from your book(s)?
            Yes.  From "What's in a Name?" when Jimmy and Guy are out riding on Guy's motorcycle:
"As we took a corner and I leaned with him into the turn, I saw the instinctive move as a reflection of our relationship. We moved together as one without comment or discussion. We knew ourselves and we knew each other."
            From "The Vampire's Food Chain":
“So many things are lost in the dark. A slight misstep and we lose our footing. A quick hand in a pocket and we lose our money. A coat hanger in a womb and we lose a fetus. A swift puncture and we lose a life.”

Is there anything you would tell aspiring writers?

            There's no great author "secret."  Writing is work.  Like any other form of work, the hardest part is sitting down and doing it.  The glorious upside is that in fiction writing, you can be as creative and wacky as you want.  All readers' really need is a beginning, middle, and end, and something happening at each step along the way.  And even that isn't absolute necessary--take author David Markson's novels, for example.  His books bend the fiction model and are great fun to read.  So anything's possible.  Be yourself.  Be unique.



What's in a Name? by Pat Henshaw
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyD

Blurb(s): Barista Jimmy Patterson thinks it's a good idea to get rip-roaring drunk on his birthday after he’s dumped by his boyfriend. When the burly owner of Stonewall’s Bar rescues Jimmy, the night starts to look up.

 Now Jimmy just wants to know the bartender's first name since he's worn a different name tag every time Jimmy's seen him. "Guy" Stone gives Jimmy seven guesses, one for each night he takes Jimmy out on a date.

 While Jimmy’s trying to come up with his name, he's distracted by the destruction of his coffee shop and what looks more and more like a hate crime.


Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:
Stonewall [Saloon] was chaos when I got there. Guy and another bartender were mixing drinks as fast as they could. I squeezed in at the end of the bar near the hatchway and sat on an abandoned stool there.

I didn’t think Guy had seen me come in, so when there was a lull in the frenetic pace and he was nearly within arm’s reach, I called out, “What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink in this place?”

Guy looked up, grinned at me, and yelled back, “Fuck the bartender.”

A slim man sitting next to me perked up, gave Guy the once-over, and yelled, “Okay!”

Guy’s startled gaze met mine, and we broke out laughing.

The man next to me sighed and slumped over his beer. “I knew it was too good to be true,” he mumbled.

I patted him on the shoulder.

“Maybe next time,” I commiserated with him.

“Right,” he answered glumly.


About the Author

Born in the Heartland of Nebraska, Pat Henshaw has made America hers by living in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California.  She has found joy in visiting Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and relishes trips to Rome, Italy, and Eugene, Oregon, to see family. 

Pat has spent her life surrounded by words:  Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.

Two of her fondest memories are touching time when she put her hands on the pyramids and experiencing pure whimsy when she interviewed Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch).  Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion.  Her supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away writing fiction.

Where can you find the author?:


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