GUEST POST ~ Earthquake Ethan by R.L. Merrill #GuestPost #Excerpt #Giveaway #BlogTour
✨ GUEST POST ✨
Earthquake Ethan Blog Tour – Lights, Camera, and Hollywood Connections
Greetings and thank you for joining me on the blog tour for Earthquake Ethan, the finale to the Forces of Nature series. (For now…) This book has been a long time coming and it allowed me to not only give you the show you’ve been waiting for from Hurricane Reese (Originally out 2018, re-released 2020) and Typhoon Toby (Originally out 2019, re-released 2020), but this book also allowed me to revisit characters from Teacher: The Hollywood Rock ‘n’ Romance Trilogy (2015). Hollywood is a small world, really, and Ethan takes that microcosm and enlarges this found family as they circle the wagons to make sure the show goes on! Here’s the blurb for the book:
The Earth shook the morning actor Ethan Bradley arrived in Los Angeles looking for a second chance. He hoped his former producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths meant it when they said to look them up if he were ever in LA because he had no other options. The pictures the paparazzi took at the wrap party for their London show made sure of that. What he wasn’t counting on was the reception he got from their manager, Arthur Frye. He was absolutely the kind of together guy Ethan wished would notice him, and for more than his pretty face and talent. Too bad Arthur only sees Ethan as a complication.
Arthur Frye has his hands full with his best clients—and best friends. The last thing he needs is another diva to care for, especially one who has a reputation for causing trouble. He has a strict rule against getting involved with the talent, no matter how pretty they are. Only Ethan Bradley shines for real, and when Arthur realizes his nice-guy innocence is genuine, he’s ready to do anything to help Ethan get his career back on track and get him out of LA. He’s too much of a temptation, and Arthur can’t afford to lose focus…not even for a chance at happiness for himself. Especially not when his star clients are about to risk their professional and personal happiness with their newest creation; a musical about two boys falling in love in the 1960s featuring music written by Reese’s grandfather, whose health is in decline.
Ethan Bradley shakes things up wherever he goes, and Arthur Frye is afraid he’ll be left in the wreckage if he gets too close. Can these two opposites find love on solid ground?
Here is a breakdown of the main players in Earthquake Ethan:
Ethan Bradley: Actor, Singer, Dancer. Lead in the Broadway musical Ruby in Red Plaid, which tells the story of a young man’s sexual awakening in the 1990s Los Angeles. Ruby was written by duo Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths.
Arthur Frye: Talent Manager with Slade Artist Management. Arthur’s parents, director Bernard and actress Ella Frye were the Hollywood power couple entering the 1980s. Arthur spent his formative years surrounded by actors, directors, producers, and musicians and as a result, he has a passion for preserving all things from that era. His client roster includes Reese, Toby, Joe Judd (from Everything’s Better With You), and Lydia Pride (Love and Pride) as well as his parents, and, for a time, metal band Blackened (Teacher).
- Patricia Wilson: Talent Manager with Slade Artist Management, best friend to Arthur Frye. Blackened is her biggest client, and she has a smaller roster since taking a sabbatical four years prior.
- Thomas Matheson: Legendary piano player for Frank Sinatra. He also played on numerous film scores and recording sessions for jazz elite. Inspiration for the show Boy.
- Jude De La Torre: Caregiver to Thomas Matheson, boyfriend to Reese Matheson, brother to Bailey De La Torre, who is dancing the lead in Reese and Toby’s new musical, Boy.
- Spencer Hart: former tap dancer, current therapist specializing in working with LGBTQ+ youth, boyfriend of Toby Griffiths.
- Jesse Martin-Black: Former professional dancer, former high-school teacher, former neighbor of Cosmo Grammatica. Current choreographer for Boy, wife of rock star Danny Black, and stepmother to Jane Black.
- Danny Black: Rock God. Um, singer of metal band Blackened, also featuring Julian and Bronson Manning, and Alex.
- Nora Benson: Personal assistant to Danny Black. Sister is Connie Benson, former employer is director Roland Curtis, fiancee is Amalia.
- Audra Diaz: Assistant to Arthur Frye, intern talent manager.
- Cosmo Grammatica: Up and coming musician, former neighbor or Jesse Martin-Black, current paramour of Patricia Wilson, much to her chagrin.
Now that we’ve caught up, here’s what you can expect to find in this book:
- Opposites Attract
- Age Gap
- All the gingers
- Musical theater
- 80s music and fashion
- A merman
- An ornery cat named Elvis
- And so much more…
Sound good? Join this band of natural disasters as they put on the show of their lives!
Thank you for joining me on the Earthquake Ethan blog tour! Stay Tuned for More…
Earthquake Ethan
by R.L. Merrill
Series: Forces of Nature (Book 3)
Release Date: Wednesday, March 13 2024
Publisher: Celie Bay Publications LLC
Cover Artist: KaNaXa
Length: Novel / 70K Words / 322 Pages
Primary Plot Arc: Romance
Main Genre: Romance
Sub-Genre: Contemporary
Tropes: forbidden love, hurt/comfort, opposites attract
LGBTQ+ Identities: gay
Pairings: MM
Keywords/Categories: Hollywood, musical theater, actor, scandal, mm romance, gay romance, gay, mm, romance, forbidden love, hurt-comfort, opposites attract, contemporary, new release, announcement, giveaway
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Available in Kindle Unlimited!
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Series Blurb
Forces of Nature follows a group of talented men who are natural disasters, and the men who love them.
Book Blurb
The Earth shook the morning actor Ethan Bradley arrived in Los Angeles looking for a second chance. He hoped his former producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths meant it when they said to look them up if he were ever in LA because he had no other options. The pictures the paparazzi took at the wrap party for their London show made sure of that. What he wasn’t counting on was the reception he got from their manager, Arthur Frye. He was absolutely the kind of together guy Ethan wished would notice him, and for more than his pretty face and talent. Too bad Arthur only sees Ethan as a complication.
Arthur Frye has his hands full with his best clients—and best friends. The last thing he needs is another diva to care for, especially one who has a reputation for causing trouble. He has a strict rule against getting involved with the talent, no matter how pretty they are. Only Ethan Bradley shines for real, and when Arthur realizes his nice-guy innocence is genuine, he’s ready to do anything to help Ethan get his career back on track and get him out of LA. He’s too much of a temptation, and Arthur can’t afford to lose focus…not even for a chance at happiness for himself. Especially not when his star clients are about to risk their professional and personal happiness with their newest creation; a musical about two boys falling in love in the 1960s featuring music written by Reese’s grandfather, whose health is in decline.
Ethan Bradley shakes things up wherever he goes, and Arthur Frye is afraid he’ll be left in the wreckage if he gets too close. Can these two opposites find love on solid ground?
Warnings: implied sexual abuse off page
Excerpt
The morning after Ethan Bradley landed at LAX the earth shook. Literally. Being from Iowa, he’d always been afraid of earthquakes. He remembered watching footage when he was a little boy of the one that hit Northridge and it stayed with him. He’d even turned down a part in the film San Andreas because he was terrified of the real thing.
Plus—at the time—he’d wanted to be considered a serious actor, and accepting a role in a Hollywood disaster blockbuster didn’t fit in with his professional goals. Instead, he’d ended up going to London to film a clever romantic comedy. Then came the stage and more accolades at the age of twenty-six than he’d imagined possible.
When his hotel room rattled his first morning in LA and sent him diving under the desk in the early hours, he’d wished he’d stayed.
But London had nothing to offer him after the paparazzi ruined his life, and he couldn’t go home. So there he was, back in the states, and ready to grovel before his former producer—and crush—for a role, any role, that would allow him to get back to doing what he loved…acting, singing, performing.
Love was a strong word. It was what he knew, what he was good at, where his God-given talents lay.
He’d come to LA with a plan. Sort of. Go see Reese Matheson. Pray he opened the door and took pity on him. And that he didn’t hold a grudge.
He plugged the Malibu address he’d gotten from his London manager’s office into the Lyft app and went outside to wait for his ride. And prayed.
If Reese wouldn’t see him, he had a plan B.
He’d go to see Reese’s business partner Toby Griffiths. Which was probably a terrible idea, but the best he had.
Because there was no plan C.
He had exactly fifty dollars cash on him and a credit card dangerously close to being maxed out. Rock bottom was flying up to meet him fast.
The Lyft driver dropped him off at the end of a long driveway leading to a quaint little house that backed up to the Malibu shoreline. He knew nine o’clock on a Sunday morning was early, but the earthquake had shaken him so much, he couldn’t wait to get out of his room at the Holiday Inn. He’d been to LA before to promote his films, but he’d never felt comfortable among the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
Malibu had the scenery people thought of when they imagined Southern California. Palm trees, mountains that broke off into the sea, miles of sand with beautiful people jogging along the water’s edge. It was picturesque, and sometimes cliché. For Ethan, it represented his last hope.
He climbed the steps, cleared his throat, reached for that enthusiastic confidence that used to come so easy for him once upon a time—
The door opened before he even had a chance to knock.
The short Filipino man standing there in a pair of scrubs had one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.
“Can I help you?”
His tone didn’t come across as helpful, despite his words.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m looking for Reese Matheson? My name is—“
“I know who you are.” The man’s raised eyebrow turned into a frown. “Just a minute,” he said before closing the door with a little less force than a slam.
Breathe. It’s fine. Reese is a good guy. He won’t be angry that I showed up. He’s a generous, kind person—
About the Author
R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing about contemporary issues that affect us all or diving deep into the paranormal and supernatural to give readers a shiver, she loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after.
Winner of the Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Best Contemporary award for Hurricane Reese, Foreword INDIES finalist for Summer of Hush and RONE finalist for Typhoon Toby, Ro spends every spare moment improving her writing craft and striving to find that perfect balance between real-life and happily ever after.
She writes diverse and inclusive romance, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and works on various other writing and mentoring projects that tickle her fancy or benefit a worthy cause. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.
Author Links
Giveaway
R.L. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
