New Release Spotlight/Giveaway: Acing the Game

Acing the Game
Carey PW
Publication date: February 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Is food really the way into a person’s heart?

Shep Lee thought he had it all. A successful restaurant, a loving husband who understood his asexuality, and most of all, the ability to be himself, a popular chef in the small town of Cloverleaf, Montana. That is, until his husband, Elmer Eshler, began pushing Shep more on sex.

Elmer doesn’t understand why he can’t turn his partner on—aren’t they perfect for each other? And Shep loves him, right? Shep, meanwhile, while confident with his body, is and forever will be sex indifferent. Why has Elmer suddenly changed his tune? But he doesn’t want to lose the man he loves so much. What can they do?

Shep convinces Elmer to try a polyamorous relationship. Elmer gets to have Shep and the sex life he’s always wanted. Shep gets a cooking buddy and a chance to experience a relationship and even try sex with a woman as his authentic gender. At first, Shep isn’t sure, but finds himself coming around—this feels safer than opening up the relationship. All three of them will be romantically involved, so that should ease any jealousy, right?

But when Willow Saint, a free-spirited, boisterous, and saucy young woman, comes into their lives, neither are prepared for the emotional and sexual rollercoaster that follows. Enthralled by Willow’s charm and kindness, Elmer and Shep struggle to understand what this means for their own bond. Can they become one happy family? Or will this ruin everything?

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Interview:

Tell us about your latest book, who are the main character (s) and what can we expect when we pick it up?

Acing the Game is a story of angsty love where the two main characters, Shep and Elmer, must overcome their own self-imposed insecurities or else lose each other. Navigating sex and relationships can be tricky for asexual people married to allosexuals, especially when they have differing ways of showing love. Shep loves Elmer and his cooking to a fault, and Elmer longs to explore himself as a sexual being without over-pressuring his husband. When the bold and sexually confident Willow walks into their lives, they both find themselves in a whirlwind adventure of romantic sexual discovery. Shep and Elmer both narrate, giving readers the opportunity to delve into each unique perspective.  

Fire off five words to describe your book.

Angsty but sweet, sensual, tender, and delicious.

Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook?

I never have the hook or title planned. I love cooking, so I wanted to integrate my passion for food into a novel. But I wasn’t sure how much it would play a role in Acing the Game. However, it became an essential part of Shep’s character, and many scenes take place at the Spare Tire restaurant that Shep owns. During one part, Elmer beautifully describes the way the diner embodies everything about Shep. Thus, the line, “Is food really the way to a person’s heart?” proved to be a natural fit.

Which of your characters would you want to share a campfire with and why?

I’m probably totally bias since I’m also a transgender person and a foodie, but I’d say Shep. I envision him finding a way to grill up some scrumptious, sizzling barbecue on the campfire, and he’d probably do some new take on S’mores. Knowing him, his graham crackers would be homemade with added nutmeg and maybe even some molasses. I’m not a fan of camping, but the food would keep me intrigued. Since we’re both runners, a nice trail run in the morning would wrap it all up nicely.

Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future?

Currently, I’m reviewing a book for an upcoming blog tour, The Litter by Kevin R. Doyle. It’s a horror novel, which isn’t a genre that I’ve read much, so I snatched it for something a little different. However, I’m interested in exploring White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton since I’ve seen people recommending it on social media. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is also on my reading list because it portrays issues in the publishing industry, and as an author, I don’t think I can resist that kind of plot.

What led you to becoming an author?

Writing is like breathing to me. My brain just works better when I do it, so the dream was always there. I had published academic journal articles, which were still exciting but rather dry. However, when a work friend of mine wrote a novel and self-published it, I got inspired to do the hard work involved in getting my first novel printed. After all, I could always go to self-publishing if that didn’t work. I also admitted to myself that I had made no effort to publish my writing; thus, I was the cause of my own failure. I researched publishers, formatted my manuscript, and sent it off. Fortunately, it worked. Therefore, I’d say what led to becoming an author was my own stubborn persistence. That’s also what’s kept me an author, too.

Name one song or artist that gets you fired up.

While punk, new wave, and goth are some of my favorite genres, I’d have to say Madonna for this question. An extremely hard worker, she’s unapologetically herself, and her lyrics convey it. As an asexual and transgender person, that message and her embodiment of it inspire me. It makes me want to tell all my haters to f*** off.

What’s next for you, do you have any exciting projects coming up? Are you writing another book?

I’m halfway through drafting the second book in my Dark Pride series. It’s a dark fantasy romance that’s way different than Acing the Game. At the same time, the characters must still overcome their own internal conflicts to truly accept their authentic selves. Themes of forbidden love and anti-heroism run strong through it, leaving the reader guessing who’s good and who’s evil. The premise is that all LGBTQIA+ people earn shapeshifting powers on their twenty-first birthdays and are part of an underground society created to protect humans and all lifeforms. Thus, these identities are seen as gifts, something that I hope counters the negativity that can surround the queer community.

 

A tale of family dysfunction in a decrepit city neighborhood where ravenous rabid-like children stalk the streets for their next meal. With the name, I figured I’d read about some creepy demonic kids. But the author had more in store for me.

 

Bodies of homeless people shredded to bloody pieces are found in the Zone’s alleys, a dangerous part of the city that most avoid unless they’re up to no good. It’s clear early on that the police and locals suspect something weird, but like many people, they ignore the blatant truth. After all, how many packs of wild animals terrorize urban communities? And after the medical examiner discovers wounds made from children’s teeth, who’d believe it? Cops are tight-lipped, which fuels Karen’s hatred of the entire force, who carelessly shot her fiancé in a store robbery gone awry. I appreciated that the author left few questions answered about this litter of youngsters until closer to the end of the story. Most works would’ve revealed the truth beforehand, but I enjoyed being teased and dragged along. However, I would’ve liked more development in the “sire” character. Villains interest me way more than heroes, and I wanted more of a taste here. Altogether, I would’ve liked to have spent more time with everyone, but that also means that I enjoyed the characters.

 

Growls, putrid breath, and black teeth, these demonic critters linger in my mind, making me want to avoid any dark shadows that dance along city streets. If readers are looking for a book that’ll create a new phobia for diabolic toddlers, this one will do it. With lots of remaining plot ends, I’m sure the author will return to give us more. 

Author Bio:

Carey PW (he/they) is an author, college instructor, and mental health counselor.

Carey currently lives in Montana, and identifies as nonbinary, transmasculine (AFAB) and panromantic asexual. Carey has discovered that writing about his lived experiences is a therapeutic outlet for him and hopes that his readers relate to his own personal struggles and triumphs shared through his characters’ narratives. He has also worked as a high school and college writing instructor, earning a B.A. in English Literature, a M.Ed. in English Education, and Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education all from the University of Georgia. In 2020, Carey earned his second M.Ed. in Counselor Education and works as a licensed clinical professional counselor, LCPC.

Readers can learn more about Carey from his blog, www.careypw.com. When he is not writing, Carey is busy training for marathons, parenting his six cats, sharing his culinary talents on social media, and serving on the board for the nonprofit Center for Studies of the Person (CSP).

Carey PW loves to hear from readers. You can find his contact information, website and author biography at www.extasybooks.com.

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