I am very excited to have the authors KC Wells and Parker Williams here today to talk about their last book in the Collars and Cuffs Series, Endings & Beginnings. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win a Kindle Fire. The contest closes on August 5th. The tour is sponsored by Pride Promotions.
Now take it away guys....
Thank you to Dawn’s Reading Nook for hosting KC Wells and I
for ‘Endings and Beginnings’, the final book in the Collars & Cuffs series.
DRN: Could you tell me what it’s like collaborating together
on a series?
Parker: Well, for me it was a little daunting. See, KC
already had books in the series under her belt. In fact, An Unlocked Heart was
what introduced me to KC. I loved the book, and messaged her on Facebook to
talk about it. In the true English style she possesses, KC latched on like a
lamprey and refused to let go! (Kidding, but if you ever get a hug from this
woman, you’ll know exactly what I mean. She is an AWESOME hugger.)
KC: Awww. [blush]
Parker: She was thrilled with the fact that I enjoyed Leo
and Alex, and she told me she was going to be working on ‘Trusting Thomas’,
then wondered if I would be willing to talk through the plotting with her. Of
course I said yes. From those conversations, Peter was born in a broken shell
that needed desperately to be put back together. And Thomas, kind and gentle,
was just the man for the job. It amazed me watching her plot this world, from
Peter’s captor to his rescue, to his ultimate salvation.
KC: I loved those conversations. By the time I sat down to
work on this one, Peter was so real in my head because of them.
Parker: But see, the story didn’t stop there. In fact,
neither did Leo and Alex’s. She built on them in all of the books. When it came
time for book three, she asked if I wanted to write it with her. I immediately
said no, because I didn’t consider myself on par with her. But one night while
at work, I had a thought of a storyline that might be able to make our work
together more easy-going. I rushed home and got on Skype with her and we talked
about Scott and Ben, and how they would meet, what would happen to them, and
how their story would play out. We know some people weren’t happy with Ben, but
that’s the thing about this series. It’s about character growth. Ben messed up
big time in Someone to Keep Me, but he learned from his mistakes, and he grew.
So did Scott.
KC: I remember this conversation vividly. I was in the
kitchen, skyping on my phone. We had a great many more conversations, all of
which helped to solidify the story.
Parker: She did book four on her own, and I didn’t get to
help much with it, because my work schedule got all twisted up. But in book
five we were back together with a different type of story for the series. A
former Dom is given the responsibility to help someone from book three, who
desperately needed someone to put him on the straight and narrow. Problem? The
young man wasn’t a submissive. We looked into Domestic Discipline, and so did
Damian, who took Jeff in hand and helped to guide him through drugs and anger
issues.
KC: We spent a lot of time getting our heads around DD,
because that was important.
Parker: Book six was heartbreaking. It featured one of the
characters from book one, who people wanted to know more about. KC turned this
story into a heart tugging tome of a man who needed to soar, but could never
find the way. He was taken by a man who watched him, and understood what Dorian
needed. This one, I think, is one of the most heartbreaking stories in the
series.
KC: For me too. This one really took it out of me.
Parker: Book seven we again tried something different. This
time an older submissive, Jarod, who lost his master and how lost he was until
he found Eli. Now Eli, like Ben, made mistakes, but unlike Ben, he learned
quickly and realized that Jarod was his primary responsibility. Once he did
that, the two of them gelled together in an amazing and wonderful way. It seems
that Jarod struck a chord with many people, as did the love he was shown at
Collars & Cuffs (especially by a young redhead who latched onto him).
KC: I have to say something here. Jarod and Eli were always
Parker’s boys, right from the beginning. He was already thinking up scenes with
these two while I was writing #6. It makes me so proud when I read reviews
which say these are the readers’ favorite characters.
Parker: And that takes us to book eight. The final chapter
of the saga that is Collars & Cuffs. In book two we meet a man named
Darren, who helped Thomas during Peter’s ‘rebirth’ scene. It was tender and
moving, and left him in awe. Thomas, seeing a kindred soul in Darren, gave him
a card to Collars & Cuffs. Now, a few years later, Darren’s lover has left
and Darren is ready to take that step to see where the card will leave him.
It takes him on a journey of self-discovery, but also
teaches him what it means to be responsible for someone else who is more than a
lover. That person is Jeremy Justin (or JJ as he prefers to be called). And JJ
harbors a secret that is tearing him apart. It all has to do with the lies we
tell others to not hurt their feelings. Well, these lies have left JJ unsure
and hurt. Especially considering he’s come to Collars & Cuffs for one
purpose, but suddenly even that isn’t clear anymore.
KC: We knew it was going to be quite a feat to pull
everything together. It was important to revisit the couples from the series,
to show their growth. Hence why the book ended up being 121,000 words long!
---
Parker: I loved writing with KC. She’s got an amazing mind,
and she plots intricate details before she starts writing a book. In a series
as character heavy as Collars & Cuffs, how she kept all the facts straight
is totally beyond me, but she did it.
KC: I love the scenes Parker writes. I get these chat
messages, where he’s been writing – usually when I’m in the middle of writing
something completely different – and
my usual response is
J
and then SAVE IT!
If you haven’t read the series, now is the time to pick it
up. For those who say they’re not into BDSM, I leave you with a quote from a
review: This isn’t a series about BDSM, it’s a story of love that has some BDSM
to give it spice. But anyone who loves M/M books will fall in love with these
characters.”
And if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is. J
How about a sneak peek into Endings & Beginnings....
Series: Collars & Cuffs
Book: Eight
This is the final book in the series, which
should be read from Beginning to End. ;) (See what we did there?)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: Paul Richmond
Release
Date: July 18, 2016
In all his relationships,
Darren Fielding never found the level of intimacy he witnessed between Thomas
Williams and his sub, Peter, the day of Peter’s “rebirth.” Not only that, he
never realized such intimacy was possible. For two years, Thomas’s business
card has been burning a hole in his wallet. When Darren’s lover moves on, maybe
it’s finally time to see where that card takes him.
Collars & Cuffs’s new
barman, JJ Taylor, is really conflicted right now. He went to the club with a
very specific purpose, already convinced of what he’d find there. Except it’s
not what he expected at all. He certainly didn’t anticipate finding himself
drawn to the new wannabe Dom. Nor could he have guessed the direction that
attraction would lead him.
Old love, new love, vows,
pain, rage, moving in, moving on…. The members of Collars & Cuffs face an
event that touches some of them deeply, but it will only reinforce what they
already know: together they are stronger, and some bonds cannot be broken.
Pages or Words: 121,429
Categories: Contemporary, BDSM, Fiction, M/M
Romance
Excerpt:
“Honey, I’m home.”
Alex laughed and came out of
the kitchen to greet his husband. “We’ve talked about this, right? You do not
walk into this apartment and talk to me like I’m the little wife.”
Leo kissed him soundly on the
cheek. “Aw, but you’d look great in an apron, holding a glass of beer out for
your weary, hard-working hubby.” He smirked. “And besides, no one in their
right mind would call you little.”
Alex quirked his eyebrows.
“One, you don’t drink beer, which is why there’s a glass of chilled chardonnay
on the living room table, waiting for you. Two, excuse me—weary? Hard-working?
You’ve been standing around in leather chaps and a harness, watching while guys
do all manner of things to each other, which probably included a lot of
fucking, because, hey, it’s Saturday night, right?”
Leo sighed happily. “What can
I say? I love my job.”
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Meet
K.C. Wells:
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS
always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood
gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C.
discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led
to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012,
arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do
something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about
men in love was even hotter….
K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her
new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it
wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C
goes, it goes.
And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list
of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….
Where to find K.C. Wells:
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Meet Parker Williams (or at least his voices):
Good day! We are the
voices that live inside Will’s head. The ones who whisper to him constantly,
beckoning him to speak of our adventures, to tell of our love, and perhaps, if
we’re in a mood, kill a person or two.
We guide his hand as he
tells our tales where love is the most powerful force, but must be worked for,
molded, and finally, embraced. There can be no shortcuts or substitutions on
the path to a happily ever after.
We hope you will join
with us as Will fulfills his obligation to ensure our stories are told and, we
hope, enjoyed.
Where to find Parker Williams:
Connect with Parker on: Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor
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