Q&A
with Theo Stratis, the leading character in Finding
Armando,
Found At
Last series book 2
Theo, congratulations
on the release of your story Finding
Armando, Found At Last e-book 2, and the paperback novel of Found At Last (Finding Giorgio
& Finding Armando).
I feel so exposed. And I like it!
Since the readers can’t see you, what do you
look like?
I’m twenty-six, tall, with dark
hair and eyes, and a stocky build. I come from a long line of funny Greek
people. And I’m madly in love with Jamison Radames.
Tell us about Jamison.
Jamison’s
last name, Radames, means hero. It sure fits him. Coming from a Swedish and
Egyptian heritage, Jamison is twenty-eight, tall, very muscular, with crystal
blue eyes, peaches and cream complexion, a strong nose, and jet-black hair.
What
happened after the release of Finding
Giorgio, Found At Last series book 1?
My first story, Finding Giorgio, was a novella cherished by so many people. They
fell in love with Jamison, as I did. The readers also admired how Jamison and I
risked so much to reunite Nolan and Giorgio, who were separated at eighteen years
old by their homophobic parents. Thankfully, our story didn’t end there. As the
new owners of Nolan Giorgio’s Resort in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains, Jamison
and I have a new challenge. That’s the story of Finding Armando, Found At Last book 2.
Tell everyone the story
of Finding Armando.
Jamison and I embark on a second search, this
one for our friend, resort manager Asher’s lost love, Armando, separated from
him years ago under the military’s old Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.
Complicating matters further, Jamison’s playboy younger brother, Kendall, pays us
a visit on leave from the Navy, and a woman in need makes Jamison and me a
shocking offer.
Is the
second story also told through your perspective?
Of
course. It’s all about me!
Do you and Jamison
reunite the separated lovers again and find a happily-ever-after ending for yourselves?
My lips are sealed, but I will tell you this
second At Last story, like the first one, is full of humor, adventure, drama, surprises,
plot twists and turns, and of course sweet romance that will bring a tear to
your eyes and warm your heart.
Why are
the two Found At Last novellas so special?
Each of the two stories offers a
current romance and a past romance that will stay with you for a long time to come.
In Finding
Armando, we meet Jamison’s playboy younger brother Kendall and the resort’s
conservative assistant manager Phoenix. They seem like an unlikely couple.
And
theirs is a very rocky road to romance, which makes their storyline exciting,
humorous, and very sexy.
What else is special about Finding Armando?
The
story’s location in the Pennsylvania Poconos mountains is gorgeous with its log
cabins near stunning lakes surrounded by sun-kissed mountains. I especially like that both At Last stories also include
an older gay couple, which you don’t find much in MM literature.
Are your and Jamison’s
families back in Finding Armando?
They sure are, and they are as
entertaining as ever. I love my big Greek family, and readers do too!
Who is
your favorite character in Finding
Armando?
The resort manager, gray fox Asher
Hillel. In his younger days, Asher was taunted for being Jewish and gay. He was
separated from the love of his life in the Navy during the discriminatory Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Yet he made a success of himself.
Which
character is the sexiest?
Jamison of course! Next is Jamison’s
younger brother Kendall who is a bad boy on the brink of becoming a man.
Physically he is a younger version of Jamison, however, unlike Jamison he is
always on the lookout for fun and frolic.
I’m sure
you’ve been told Finding Armando would
make a terrific movie. How would you cast it?
Here’s my wish list to name a few:
Colton Haynes as me, Ezra Miller as Jamison, John Barrowman as Asher, Charlie
Carver as Kendall, and Shemar Moore as Phoenix. Come on, TV producers, make Joe
an offer!
Tell us
about Joe’s other books published by Dreamspinner Press.
Joe’s In My Heart series includes An Infatuation which was loosely based
on his high school years, and A Shooting
Star which was loosely based on his college years. The Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories are about distant cousins who meet
in Capri, Italy, fall in love, marry, and adopt a son. Finally, the Tales from Fairyland stories are Joe’s
comic gay take on my favorite fairytales. Jamison and I aren’t in any of them.
Joe also
wrote the popular Nicky and Noah mystery series, Cozzi Cove series, and Jana
Lane mystery series.
Yup. And
Jamison and I aren’t in any of them.
How can
your readers get their hands on the Finding
Armando e-book and the Found At Last (Finding Giorgio & Finding
Armando) paperback?
The purchase links are below.
Thank you, Theo, for interviewing
today.
My
pleasure. I hope everyone will read both Found
At Last stories at last. I’m sure,
like me, you will fall in love with Jamison as we bring together lost lovers
from the past. And I love to hear from readers. So contact me through Joe at http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
FINDING ARMANDO, Found At Last book two
an e-book novella by JOE COSENTINO, published by
Dreamspinner Press
Length: 127 pages
Language: English
Genre: MM, contemporary, romance, mystery, comedy, adventure
Cover Art: Paul Richmond
ASIN: B0873DFXZC
Release date: June 23, 2020
An
investigative adventure in search of an elderly man’s first love brought Theo
and Jamison together. Now they’re called to put their sleuthing skills to use
once again and reunite Pocono resort manager Asher with his lost love, Armando.
But the hunt through rural Pennsylvania won’t be easy with Jamison’s younger
brother locking horns with the resort’s assistant manager and a shocking offer
from the sous chef, Grace.
Excerpt from Finding Armando, Found
At Last book 2, by Joe Cosentino, published by Dreamspinner Press:
Asher appeared to be transported back in
time. “I always knew I was gay. Coming from a small farming town in
Pennsylvania, I never acted on it. After attending community college, I joined
the Navy and remained there for eight years. It was the best time of my life
until….” Sitting back, he said, “Let me start at the beginning. During boot
camp, I noticed another recruit from Pennsylvania. He had piercing, tortured
gray eyes like a wounded animal. The guy was always alone, never speaking to
anyone. I learned his name was Armando Caro.”
The name seemed familiar to me, but I
couldn’t place it.
“Armando had jet-black wavy hair and a
wide, strong build. Though we never spoke, he and I stole furtive glances at
each other during drills, meals, and before bed. I wondered who he was, what he
was thinking, and if he liked me.” He took in a shaky breath. “A bunch of the
other guys in boot camp weren’t thrilled about me being Jewish.”
I asked, “How did you know?”
“They called me Christ-killer, Jew-boy,
kike.”
“That would do it.”
“One night after lights out, they
dragged me from my bed into the latrine.” A look of terror filled his face.
“One guy held my hands behind my back. Another pressed down on my feet. Three
others pummeled my face and stomach. I’d never been so afraid in my life. I
screamed, thinking my life was over and wondering what my parents would do when
the Navy shipped home my dead body. Like an angel of mercy, Armando appeared
and threw them off me. I had never seen anyone fight like that. As if a
windmill in motion, he landed punch after punch until they fled back to their
beds. When Armando and I were alone, he rested my head on his shoulder, and he
asked me if I was all right. I told him, ‘I’m all right for the first time in
my life.’ Then he took a clean cloth, washed the blood off my face, and ran his
fingers through my hair. Finally, he held me in his strong arms and rocked me
back and forth. After that night, the others left me alone.”
“Armando was a true hero,” I said.
Asher nodded. “After boot camp, I
couldn’t believe my good fortune when Armando and I were stationed on the same
ship in the Middle East. One night after chow, he slid a piece of paper into my
pocket. It read, ‘Meet me in the storage room near the forecastle at 0200.’
When I arrived, without saying a word, Armando took off his uniform and
skivvies. Then he removed my clothes, and he gently rested me on top of some
old blankets. Covering me with his powerful mass, he kissed me softly and
tenderly. And I started to cry.”
“Why?”
“I had never felt anything so
wonderful.”
“What happened next?”
“Armando taught me how to make love. I’m
not talking only about the mechanics. I mean love itself.” He rubbed his
forehead. “My parents proved their love to me by working hard—my father as a
salesman and my mother as a bookkeeper and homemaker. As a kid, I heard a lot
about the importance of making ends meet, owning a presentable home, wearing
clean clothing, and having good manners. But my folks were never affectionate
to each other… or to me.”
“And Armando was different?”
“That’s an understatement. He hugged and
kissed me continuously throughout our lovemaking. Afterward, he pressed my back
against his strong chest, wrapped his arms around me, and whispered of his love
in my ear. Armando opened a whole new world for me, but it existed solely in
that storage room. I never wanted to leave it.”
“But you had to.”
Asher made eye contact with us again.
“Armando and I met in our secret place whenever we could get away, going mad
when we were apart and living for those precious hours together. We not only
made love, we shared our hopes and dreams for the future, and our fears too. I
told him about my family life and my goal to enter the business world. Armando
was from a poor neighborhood, and his family was very Catholic. His father was
a car mechanic. Armando was a champion boxer in high school, and he wanted to
have his own gymnasium someday. I told him I’d like to manage it. We both studied
and worked hard in the Navy. Like the other gay couples onboard ship, we kept
that side of our lives hidden, and nobody bothered us. Eventually Armando and I
were each promoted to chief petty officer.” His face hardened. “That’s when the
trouble started.”
“The trouble?” I asked.
Jamison was a step ahead of me. “You
were in the military during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”
AND!
FOUND AT LAST Anthology (Finding Giorgio &
Finding Armando)
a paperback novel by JOE COSENTINO, published by Dreamspinner
Press
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/found-at-last-by-joe-cosentino-11672-b
Theo and Jamison meet while volunteering
at a nursing home and come together on an investigative adventure to reunite
elderly Nolan with his first love, Giorgio. Their sleuthing skills are needed
again to create a second chance at happiness for resort manager Asher and his
first love, Armando. As they search for the men who got away, Theo and Jamison
grow closer, and the lessons of the past could change their lives—and their
future—forever.
Giveaway:
Post a comment about reuniting with a lost love. The one that tickles our heartstrings the most will win any backorder book by Joe Cosentino published by Dreamspinner Press! https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/searchresults?q=Joe+Cosentino
About the Author and Links:
Joe
Cosentino was voted Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of
the Year by the readers of Divine
Magazine for Drama Queen. He also
wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau,
Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama
Castle, Drama Dance, Drama Faerie, Drama Runway; the Dreamspinner Press
novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, the Bobby and Paolo
Holiday Stories: A Home for the
Holidays/The Perfect Gift/The First Noel, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland/Holiday Tales from
Fairyland, Found At Last: Finding Giorgio and Finding Armando; the Cozzi
Cove series (NineStar Press): Cozzi Cove:
Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving
Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi
Cove: New Beginnings, Cozzi Cove:
Happy Endings; and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll,
China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting
roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis,
Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is
currently Chair of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York,
and he is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT
Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books
have received numerous Favorite Book of the Month Awards and Rainbow Award
Honorable Mentions.
Web site:
http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino
Praise
for Joe Cosentino’s Books:
“Joe
Cosentino has a unique and fabulous gift. His writing is flawless…will have you
guessing until the very last page, which makes his books a joy to read. His
books are worth their weight in gold, and if you haven't discovered them yet
you are in for a rare treat.” Divine Magazine
“adventure,
mystery, and romance with every page….Funny, clever, and sweet.” Urban
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