✨ Interview ✨
Where did this book storyline come from?
Hawthorne Manor is a deeply personal story to me. I have a niece and nephew who are on the autism spectrum. They are incredibly beautiful people, who have endured more than they should have to. They are survivors, thriving in a world that doesn’t always understand them. So, when Elliot and Mikael came to me in my sleep, asking to tell their story, I couldn’t say no.
Who is your inspiration when you sit down to write?
I’ve always loved this question. It gives me an opportunity to pay homage to those great authors like Patricia A. Warren, Gordon Merrick, E. Lynn Harris, and James Baldwin. If you don’t know them, you should. Their writing is profoundly moving, controversial, and complex. Like reading one of these great novels, I want people to have an experience when they read my books, to fall in love, to be enriched somehow by what I’ve written.
Many authors have said they’ve struggled with imposter syndrome in their career? Have you?
Of course, especially in the beginning. I constantly doubted that my work was good enough to be worthy of publication. I think most writers would also say that about any early draft; we question ourselves and the product. For me now, I see each of my books as a beautiful baby that I created. I’m proud of my work.
In all of your books, your characters have a beautiful love story. Are you just as fortunate?
My dream is for all of my characters to have the love story that I am living every day. I’m married to my soulmate, my buddy, my guidepost. Thirty-seven years ago, at the age of eighteen, we were just two boys sitting on a rock and shared a kiss. And I still kiss him every single day.
Only what so many of you have been asking for over the past five years: a sequel to Come to the Oaks. The first book saw the characters come alive, and the sequel is just as exciting. The sequel is not simply a continuation of the first book but a new journey for Ben and Tobias, with all the sass, suspense, and satisfaction of Come to the Oaks.
Hawthorne Manor by Bryan T. Clark
Release Date: Thursday, May 4 2023
Publishing Company: Cornbread Publishing Inc.
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Primary Plot Arc: Romance
Pairings: M/M
Genres: Romance
Length: Novel / 93,034 Words / 331 Pages
LGBTQ+ Identities: Gay
Tropes: First love, opposites attract, Workplace love, Sweet romance, Beautiful HEA, Found family, Eccentric characters, Witty banter, Opposites attract, Deeply emotional, Friendship love and beauty, Sexy nurs
Keywords/Categories: LGBT, Gay Romance, Spectrum Autism, Autistic, HEA, San Francisco, California, Spectrum, Autism and Autistic, LGBT, Gay Romance, MM Romance, New Release, Announcement
Blurb
Mikael Ferreira seems to have it all—a great career, looks, intelligence, and charm to boot. But his work as a full-time caregiver at Hawthorne Manor barely leaves him time to breathe, let alone date. Then a new employee arrives at the manor and makes Mikael question whether he’s been living at all or merely existing…
Elliot Olsson is Mikael’s polar opposite. Elliot’s autism has always made him feel isolated. Until now. Mikael truly sees him in a way no one ever has. Elliot wants to open his heart to Mikael and connect with him on a deeper level. But wanting won’t make it any easier to overcome the obstacles Elliot knows they’ll face as a couple…
As Mikael and Elliot’s story is beginning, eighty-eight-year-old Walter Hawthorne’s is coming to an end. But while his health is fading, his mind is sharp as ever—and he has a thing or two to share about life, intimacy, and love with the two young men who seem to know nothing about any of it…
Hawthorne Manor, a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic novel, is an exploration of the foibles of aging, friendship, love, and the beauty that can exist in a found family. It features a house full of eccentric characters, witty banter, and a deeply emotional M/M romance. HEA guaranteed. Download today, and welcome to Hawthorne Manor.
Excerpt
“Yeah… Just never been kissed before.” Elliot’s gaze dropped to the floor for a second.
Never been kissed? Mikael was at a loss on how to respond to such a profound statement.
“I liked it.” Elliot’s cheeks turned pink.
“You did?” A sea of blue in Elliot’s eyes, his rose lips, the pink in his pale cheeks… Mikael wanted to kiss all of him. He wanted to lift the sorrow from Elliot’s eyes, remove it from his lips, and wash it from his cheeks. He fought the urge to kiss him again. His heart pinged harder. He wanted to kiss him a million times to make up for all the kisses he’d missed. He touched Elliot’s cheek with the back of his hand, envisioning that he was wiping the sadness from it. Elliot trembled at his touch.
Elliot’s stare was piercing. His brows danced as a tiny smile slowly emerged, softening his expression.
“Do you know that you do this darling little thing with your brows? It’s barely noticeable how one goes up and the left one dips. It’s adorable.”
“I do?”
“When did you become so freakin’ hot?” Mikael’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Elliot wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think I’m hot.”
Mikael took Elliot’s denial as modesty. It was hard to believe he could be so attractive and not be aware of his good looks. “Yeah, and you know what? That makes you even hotter.” Mikael lifted Elliot’s chin. “I can’t believe you don’t know how nice-looking you are?”
Elliot shook his head, pulling loose from Mikael’s grasp. “No—”
“Yes.” Mikael raised Elliot’s chin. “You are.”
“I always thought you had a nice smile….” Elliot’s voice quaked. “Especially when you’re looking at me.”
You’re sooo freakin’ adorable. Mikael couldn’t avoid the big smile that accompanied his laugh.
“And you have pretty teeth,” Elliot mumbled.
“I think that’s a first. Someone complimenting me on my teeth. Usually, it’s my fat ass. But I’ll take teeth, too.”
“Your butt is nice too, but your teeth….” Elliot’s gaze drifted up to meet Mikael’s stare. “They’re really white.”
“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Olsson?” Mikael grinned as if he was in a toothpaste commercial, ensuring his white teeth were front and center. “I certainly hope so because I like you… I like you a lot.”
“I don’t know how to flirt. But your teeth are really white.” Elliot raked his fingers through his hair, then tucked it behind his ear. The protruding vein on his forehead subsided a little.
So, he does like me! Mikael’s heart thumped as he took a step closer to Elliot… and kissed him. Again.
It was only a soft kiss, but it was on lips he’d been dreaming of… and it was glorious!
He pulled back, assessing the situation. Seeing Elliot moisten his lips with his tongue, he did the same, wanting to savor every bit of the kiss. The dude that had never been kissed had the ability to set off fireworks within him.
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About the Author
Bryan T. Clark is a multi-published award-winning author of gay romance, and contemporary books. In his early in life, Bryan learned that he was different from everyone else in his world. As a young African American boy, he was the second to the youngest of seven children. Long before hormones kicked in and the realization of same sex attraction, it was his light skin and blond hair that made him different from those around him. Teased within his own race for being lighter than everyone else, the kids on the playground called him “Cornbread”.
As a writer, Bryan has taken back the power once given up to those schoolyard bullies. He is committed to bringing his readers stories of real life, with multicultural characters, riveting plots, and where the underdog always wins. He is the founder of Cornbread Publishing: the name empowers him and is a constant reminder that life can have a Happily-Ever-After.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Bryan and his husband of thirty-six years has made their home and life in the Central Valley of California.
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