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🌟 Please join me in welcoming author A.D. Ellis to Stories That Make You Smile! A.D. Is here today celebrating her brilliant opposites attract story, Hearts Ablaze! She’s brought along a nice excerpt, a generous giveaway, and took the time to sit down with us to answer a few questions! 🌟
Hearts Ablaze by A.D. Ellis
Hearts Ablaze is a steamy, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, bisexual awakening romance.
Series: Forged in the City (book #1)
Publisher: A.D. Ellis Publishing
Release Date: April 10, 2020
Length: Novel / 63k words / 220 pages
Pairing / Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance, questioning bisexual, bisexual awakening, friends-to-lovers, opposites attract
Series Blurb
Love will find you whether you’re ready for it or not. Join the men of the Forged in the City series as they navigate the twists and turns of falling in love when it’s least expected. This series contains steamy, M/M age-gap, opposites-attract, friends-to-lovers romance tropes.
Book Blurb
Chase Steele and Xander Copperfield are down on their luck, as similar as they are different, and ready for a love they didn’t even realize they’d been waiting on their whole lives.
With two gorgeous “tough guys” discovering and exploring their true selves, Hearts Ablaze is a steamy, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, bisexual awakening romance.
*This is the first book in the Forged in the City series.*
Excerpt
As I quietly opened the door, I was overcome with nervous anticipation. Sage and Bode were nice, they invited me to stay, there was no reason to feel like I was intruding or needed to sneak around.
Yet, I found myself just outside of the kitchen eavesdropping on Sage and Bode. I hadn’t meant to slink in the shadows and listen to their conversation, I just wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to be and their words caught my attention. Before I knew what was happening, I was spying like a damn spying spier.
“Think about it. It’s like fate. Remember when you didn’t want me to move in here? You did everything you could to convince the guys to pick someone else. But you ended up with me and it turned out to be fabulous.” Sage’s words were low and persuasive. “Ginny finds her long-lost nephew, he discovers his aunt and a sister he never knew, and it looked very much like he and Xan are totally hitting it off.”
“Babe, he’s a complete stranger.” Bode’s words were gruff.
“Ginny had his records checked. You checked his records—even had Mark check them which I’m still not okay with. We could run a complete check for employment.” Sage paused and I heard the soft noises of a gentle kiss.
Bode groaned.
I was a total perv hiding in the shadows and getting turned on knowing Sage and Bode were kissing.
“We need an employee. We have an extra room.” Sage was laying it on thick. “We could help bring two siblings together and maybe even strike a love connection.”
Bode began to speak, but I missed what he said because I nearly shit myself as Rosie gripped my hand and basically screamed, “Whatcha doin? Why you hidin?”
Sage and Bode stuck their heads out of the kitchen and I prayed to melt into a puddle right there. Rosie shrugged when she realized it wasn’t a game and went back to playing with Oliver.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in.” My words poured from me like the pathetic excuse they were. “Really, I came for coffee, heard Sage and didn’t want to interrupt. By the time I realized you were talking about me, it was too late and I was frozen.” I ran a hand over my face, my cheeks on fire. “Shit, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Sage assured and waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Coffee?”
Since I wasn’t lucky enough to die on the spot, I nodded and entered the kitchen. “Yes, please.”
“Well, what would you think?” Bode leaned against the counter.
“About?” I stammered.
Sage beamed at Bode. It was clear Sage had won. Something told me Sage often won when it came to winning over Bode.
“Sage is right. We do need an employee at The Lizard. We lost quite a few people to college graduation or busy school schedules.” Bode shrugged. “We planned on inviting you to be around as much as possible to build a relationship with Rosie. If you’d be willing to have a complete background check, the position and room are yours.”
I stared at him for years. Decades even.
“What’s wrong with him? Did I break him?” Bode scowled and spoke out of the corner of his mouth to Sage.
Sage chuckled and moved closer to me. He pushed my jaw up. “Close your mouth, sweetie.” He stepped between me and Bode. “Chase, would you like a job at The Salty Lizard? It’s not glamorous or exciting.” He frowned. “Actually, it can be kinda exciting sometimes. And it’s always fun. Great people.” He dipped his head to catch my eyes. “Chase? Job? You want it?”
I nodded and tried to work my sandpapery thick tongue. “Yes, yes, of course, I want it.” I tried to breathe, but my lungs seemed to be faltering.
“We have a room here. You’d pay rent, but it’s a decent price. We’d set some ground rules. You’d have to be okay living with kids.” Sage spoke slowly as if trying to explain quantum physics to me. “Would you like the room?”
“I, um, I just can’t. I mean, yes, of course I’d want the room, but I can’t ask you guys to give me a job, give me a room, and let me hang with my sister. It’s too much.” I moved to the right and leaned against the sink.
“Want to talk about the rent and salary? Make a decision from there?” Sage patted my arm.
I nodded mutely. Sage went to check on the kids and set them up with crayons and coloring books along with Kidz Bop on a tablet.
☆ Interview ☆
Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, why not?
I do. I’m a teacher. My students love to look me up on the internet. Because I write stories meant for ages 18 and older, I prefer that my students can’t find my work under my real name.
If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
Be yourself, don’t worry about what others think. Make your own decisions and don’t follow the crowd unless it’s what you feel is best for you. Oh, and don’t date him. Or him. Yeah, don’t date that one either. Also, you’re not fat.
How long do you write each day?
I’m an instructional coach/teacher so I’m at work all day. On the perfect school day, my kids don’t have after school activities, dinner is done by six, and I can write for a couple hours. Most days, I try to give myself 1-2 hours to write if possible.
Who has been your favorite character to write and why?
I adored writing Jay in Can’t Fight It. He was so sarcastic and sassy and over the top. He was just a lot of fun. I also loved writing Rhône in What Blooms Beneath because they were such an incredibly spectacular character and I learned a lot from their story. In Silver in the City, I loved writing grumpy Bode because watching him give in and fall in love was so great. Grandma Millie (Silver and Spice) is an absolute hoot and I hope I can be like here when I grow up.
What qualities do you and your characters share?
How much are you like them, or how different are they from you? If a character is sarcastic and a smartass, we have a lot in common. If they are impatient, we’re like twins. If they know the importance of downtime and self-care, they’re probably taking cues from me. I am not super social, so any of my characters who are socially comfortable are definitely not like me.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing my first book in 2013 and published it in April of 2014. So, six years as a published author now.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer?
How does that affect your writing? I’m an instructional coach/teacher so I kinda have the best of both worlds. I (hopefully!) get a couple of hours to write each day during the school year and I also get some extra writing time on breaks from school.
Are you a plotter or a pantster?
I’m a hybrid. I write down big ideas and where I think they may fall in a story, but I don’t write specific details for each chapter from first word to last word. I do spend a lot of time getting to know my characters and developing them before I start writing.
Do your books spring to life from a character first or an idea?
Most of the time, it’s a character who gives me inspiration, but occasionally, I’ll get an idea and then build characters into that idea.
What are your favorite parts of publishing?
I love readers getting to dive into my story and seeing them love it as much as I do. I love release day excitement. I love great reviews. I love readers telling me how much my story meant to them. I also love the friendships I’ve made throughout this journey.
What are your least favorite parts of publishing?
There are some tedious parts, some parts that can really weigh a person down. I’m also not a fan of hateful comments or nasty reviews that are clearly written to belittle or hurt. I don’t enjoy the drama that can come with the book world. But the positives outweigh the negatives for sure.
Name the book you like most among all you’ve written, and tell us why.
Why don’t you just ask me to pick my favorite between my children? Hahahaha. I seriously love each of my books for one reason or another. What Blooms Beneath was a challenge for me to step out of contemporary romance. Forever Better Together holds a special place in my heart. Sawyer was my first M/M book and brought one of my best friends into my life. The BJ Boys series and Bound to Fight specifically were born because a friend who has since passed away asked me if I ever wanted his help writing about the leather community to just let him know. One of my earlier stories, Loving Josie, was a very personal one for me to write. But honestly, every single book I’ve written holds a special place and they all mean something to me.
What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
I hope to have a romantic suspense finished by the time anyone reads this interview. I’m also working on a story that’s been banging around in my head for over six months and is probably my kinkiest one yet. I’m planning both of those stories to release in 2020.
Meet the Author
A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as an instructional coach/teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing school-aged children, and wondering how she and her husband of almost two decades have managed to not drive each other insane. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She loves chocolate, wine with friends, pizza, crocheting and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don’t leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.
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Also by A.D. Ellis
Giveaway
A.D. is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
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Ablaze – Afire – Aflame …you gotta love the titles!! ❤️
Right? Love the hot, fiery colors in the covers, too. 😁