Discover the world of author Zane Riley in With or Without You and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win some great prizes. Grand
Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card, 5 first prizes: e-Copy of ‘With Or
Without You’ by Zane Riley
The tour is sponsored by Pride Promotions and the contest closes on August 10th.
Talking with author Zane Riley
What started your interest in writing?
Reading fascinating stories as a kid. I
always had a vivid imagination, and reading grew that exponentially. I read the
stories and when they ended my brain kept going, popping off new ideas and
imagining what happened next to those characters. So naturally, I eventually
started to write those ideas out.
If zombies attacked what kind of
supplies would you want?
The
basic toiletries and a lot of alcohol. The toiletries are just to last me for
as long as I survive which probably won’t be very long. The alcohol, however,
is partially for myself and also for the zombies. I’ve always wondered if you
could get a zombie drunk, and how that would affect their behavior since
they’re already the undead. Maybe it would have the opposite effect that it
does on a living human. Only one way to find out.
If you could sit down with any author
dead or alive who would it be?
Sherman Alexie. I’ve read a few of
his books and I’m planning on getting more, but I really love what I’ve read of
his work. He writes about Native American characters, which isn’t something you
see a lot of in mainstream literature. One of my professors in college had one
of his books on our reading list and I loved it. It was about a boy growing up
on a reservation and then going to a white school off the reservation, and it
was so refreshing to see that perspective. Seeing both the external culture
clash and then his internal clash with conforming versus not versus trying to
maintain his identity when his history classes and classmates tried to erase
it.
Do you keep a notebook near your for
when new ideas pop into your head?
I try to, although lately I’ve been
failing at that. I’m about to move across the country, so everything I own is
in boxes. Or buried under boxes or stuffed behind something. My room’s a
disaster zone of cardboard cubes. Fortunately, I have a notes app on my phone
and a good memory so I’m managing to suffer the move with my new writing ideas
(mostly) still intact.
If you write a series do you reread your
previous books before you begin the new one?
Definitely. It gives me a chance to get
my head back into that world and reacquaint myself with the characters. I
reread Go Your Own Way when I wrote With or Without You, and I reread both for
the third one I just started writing. It drops me right back into the world as
I left it so it’s very easy to continue the story.
Is there anything you wish to say to
your readers?
“Thank you!” seems the obvious
choice, but it’s still the truest. So many of you have hung with me for years
while I’ve been writing online. You’ve been reading my work since I first
started posting and you’ve encouraged me countless times over the years. You’re
the reason I had the confidence to transform the original Go Your Own Way into
these books, so thank you. And to any new readers, welcome! I hope you love
these boys and their story as much as I do.
For readers who haven't tried your books
yet, how do you think your editor or loyal readers would describe your books?
Some
of my readers, especially those who have become friends over the years, would
probably shout a lot about me breaking their hearts with these boys or this
character. A lot of “How dare you!”
would be involved, because Lennox’s journey in these books isn’t an easy one as
he has a lot of ups and downs that can mess with your emotions.
My
editor would undoubtedly be more articulate. I love her to death, honestly,
she’s so wonderful. She would most likely wax poetic about the realism I bring
to my sex scenes. It’s becoming a stark characteristic of my writing from what
I’m told, and when I stop to consider it, I suppose it’s true. I don’t care to
write sex scenes that are continuously perfect or steeped with everyone have
the greatest orgasm on the face of the earth. I want my characters to be
themselves, regardless of whether or not they’re naked together or on stage
singing a duet. So I bring in their awkwardness, their clumsiness, their
uncertainties. I write the sex I expect and experience in real life which is
silly and fun and also romantic and emotional and sometimes unfinished. I like
to say I keep the story in the sex, because I read a lot where the sex scene
starts and it seems like everything else stops. As if the sex scene happens
inside of a bubble where nothing can go wrong.
I’m always looking for book
recommendations. What books have you been reading? Would you recommend them?
I’m actually pretty limited on books
right now since almost everything I own is in boxes. Moving is a pain
sometimes. I’ve reading two books at the moment on my Kindle. The first is A
Game of Thrones which I’m rereading out of boredom. The second book is Seven
Tears at High Tide which is adorable so far. I’d recommend it. It’s about two
teenage boys, Kevin and Morgan. Morgan is a selkie who comes on land to fulfill
Kevin’s wish to have a summer of love.
How often does your muse distract you
from day to day minutiae?
Too much in all honesty, ha ha.
Trying to answer a call at work? There’s Lennox all super excited about, like,
polka dots or something ridiculous. In the shower humming my favorite song?
Nope, say hi to Will chanting baseball statistics and running through all the
pitching signs so he doesn’t forget them. Time to go to sleep? Forget it. Every
night, some character wants to come join me with their greatest sadness at two
in the morning when I should be sleeping. I love my characters to bits, but
sometimes I just want a day of normalcy.
What do readers have to look forward to
in the future from you?
Oh, a third book for this series! It
isn’t named yet, officially or unofficially, but I’m in the process of writing
it. Most likely it’s going to be the final one, but I won’t say for sure.
Besides my Go Your Own Way series, I
have two other ideas I’m considering for longer stories. Both feature
transgender characters since that’s very important to me. The first is
tentatively called The Soulmate Cure and the other is still nameless. It’s a
story about a teenage boy who who’s struggling to deal with his brother’s death
and salvage his relationship with his parents.
Book Name: With or Without You
Sequel to ‘Go Your Own Way’
Should be read in order to appreciate the books
Publisher: Interlude Press
Release
Date: July 21, 2016
Goodreads
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28764212-with-or-without-you
In the much-anticipated sequel to Go Your Own Way, high school
seniors Lennox McAvoy and Will Osborne pick up right where they left
off—navigating the tumultuous waters of a new relationship and dealing with
Will’s disapproving father.
When a violent incident forces Lennox to give up his independent
ways, he must come to terms with his past just as Will is grappling with his
future. As Will’s college plans become reality, will Lennox have the courage to
go after the opportunities he doesn’t think he deserves?
Pages or Words: 348 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M
Romance, New Adult
Excerpt:
The band room
was empty when he pushed the door open, but the piano was set up like it was
almost every afternoon these days. Only Mr. Robinette and a music stand
littered with sheet music was absent.
"Hello?"
The silence struck Lennox as odd, but as he
sat down he also realized how strange it was to announce himself. So much had
changed since the first time he'd snuck in here to play on his own. Now he was
auditioning for some college he still couldn't fathom.
To make Will happy. And maybe a little bit
for himself.
"Ah, I wondered if you were going to
show up."
Mr. Robinette was behind him, the door to his
office now wide open. He'd taken off his tie and undone a few buttons on his
shirt like he did most afternoons when they practiced.
"You just want to play it through a few
times or mess around with something else?"
Lennox took a seat at the piano, but didn't
both opening his bag. He'd memorized the piece he was playing by Valentine's
Day and now, almost two weeks later, he could write it out measure for measure
on blank sheet music. But playing it was becoming repetitive. For two hours,
three times a week, almost nonstop with the same four pages and nothing else.
"I'd rather try something new. That
piece is getting a little old."
Mr. Robinette smiled and pulled a chair up
beside him. "I had a nightmare the other night and it was the theme song
while I ran around a haunted house Scooby Doo style."
"You didn't catch a ride in the Mystery
Machine, did you? I've always wanted that van."
"I've got a lunch box version of it. It
doesn't fit much though because it's too narrow. Anyway, play what you want.
I'll be here until about four-thirty, so it's all yours."
As Mr. Robinette returned to his office,
Lennox pulled what had become his music notebook out of his bag and opened it
to the latest page. He'd taken to composing during class when he should have
been taking notes, especially calculus where he had no reason to pay attention
anyway.
The latest page was a tune he'd come up with
while the other kids had been tapping their pencils and erasing answers. Every
moment of his life carried a rhythm, a melody, and an emotion he could create
with, and his notebook was becoming a testament to that. He played through
everything he'd jotted down over the past few days, but after several rounds he
kept coming back to one. It was a piano version he'd tried—and mostly failed—to
create of one of the songs Will had played on a loop a few weeks ago.
"I'm getting ready to lock up!"
Mr. Robinette's voice carried out of the
office and into the band room. A few minutes and several jingles of Mr.
Robinette's keys later, the office door was shut and Lennox was closing the
cover on the keys.
"That last piece you were playing, was
it a cover?"
Lennox shrugged as they headed for the door.
"It was supposed to be. Didn't sound
much like the song."
"Well, the others did. They were all
really good, even the ones that weren't covers."
"Uh, thanks."
Lennox watched him at the door to the parking
lot for a moment. He'd been a great help over the last month—all year if Lennox
was honest. Mr. Robinette had believed in him in his own way since school had
begun, and thanks to him he had a decent shot at this audition.
"Thanks for… all of this. I actually
feel like—just thanks."
Mr. Robinette gave him a genuine smile and
patted him on the shoulder.
"You're very welcome. Let me know how it
goes when you get back, okay? I'm rooting for you. Got all of my fingers and
limbs crossed. You deserve the chance. Don't doubt that or yourself."
"I-I won't."
It was funny to have so many people believing
in him after so long. Happiness was a strange feeling as well. Until he'd let
Will into his life he couldn't remember how to capture such a feeling in his
chest and keep it there.
Buy the book:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/29zP6Mq
Barnes & Noble: http://www.
Apple iBookstore: https://itunes.
Smashwords: https://www.
All Romance eBooks: https://www.
Tour Dates & Stops:
21-Jul:
Parker Williams, Unquietly
Me, Louise
Lyons, Joyfully
Jay, Velvet
Panic
27-Jul:
MM Book Escape, My
Fiction Nook, Prism
Book Alliance
1-Aug: Alpha
Book Club, Love
Bytes
3-Aug: V's
Reads, Molly Lolly
Meet the author:
Zane Riley is a transgender
writer who wrote his first work of fan fiction in the fourth grade. He is a
recent transplant to Vancouver, Washington where he spends his time watching
long distance baseball games, hiking, and exploring the musical depths of the
internet. His first novel, Go Your Own Way, was published by Interlude
Press in 2015.
Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/ZaneNebula
Twitter: @ZaneNebula
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‘With Or Without You’ by Zane Riley
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