Andrew Q. Gordon

Please welcome Kay Ellis to the Land of Make Believe today.  Kay is here to talk about her new release, Young at Heart, which was just released by Wayward Ink Press.

 Welcome Kay, let’s start by telling everyone a bit about yourself.

There’s really not much to tell. I’m so ordinary it’s embarrassing! I stopped counting birthdays years ago and consider myself ‘ageless’ but I’m old enough to have two grown up daughters. I’m a bit of a loner, a bit OCD and a bit of a control freak! Have I sold myself yet???

Your latest book is Young at Heart, take a minute to talk about it.

I love the characters of Devon and Jesse. Devon is an older man, rich and successful, but I think he’s probably led a sheltered life. He’s not the best judge of character and he’s easily swayed by his mother and his friend Antonio. His on/off relationship with Jesse, who happens to be half his age, is the heart of the story. Jesse is a loveable rogue type but quite vulnerable. I hope I got that across in the book.

What inspired you to write a May/December romance?

Well, that probably stems from the fact I always rather fancied a toyboy! Although I’m happily single and intend to stay that way, my eye is only ever drawn to the younger man. Most of my character pairings have an age difference.

So often older/younger relationships are looked down upon, how did you deal with that in the book?

I think it’s clear throughout the book that there are more people who disapprove of the age gap than accept it. Devon’s mother refers to Jesse as ‘that boy’ and treats him as a child when they eventually meet. And, Jesse’s age has a lot to do with Antonio thinking he can get away treating him however he wants. Antonio doesn’t believe Devon could actually be in love.

What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?

I quite enjoyed writing the hotel scene with the snooty receptionist and the way Devon gets Jesse’s attention in the lift. Someone offered to help me write the sex scene and I said; “Okay, they’re going to have sex against a door.” He wanted to know what sort of door it was!

What part made you struggle them most?

I actually think the ending. I’m a big meanie who didn’t want to give them a happy ending. In the original story, Jesse was killed in a road accident, but I was worried people wouldn’t like that. I didn’t want the ending to be too sickly sweet so I had to really think about how I wanted them to end up.

Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

Jesse is not what he seems!

What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

Just writing, plain and simple. I love seeing a story take shape and the characters develop. Even if I think I know the direction I’m taking and what the characters are like, they always change and take on a life of their own

What’s your least favorite?

Editing! It’s so boring and I don’t like being told to change bits that I think are quite good in the first place.

What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick. Her books are aimed at young adults but I enjoy them. The Red Sheet is about a young man who takes on a superhero complex and the reasons why are both dramatic and heart breaking.

If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

It would have to be Terry Pratchett. Such a brilliant mind! I wish I had even half his imagination. A lot of the humour in his books comes from what he doesn’t say.

Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

To be honest, I’m usually so busy reading or writing that it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. But I do go to the odd rugby match, and I like the theatre when I can afford it, or a concert.

Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

The ideas never stop coming so I can easily have half a dozen stories on the go at any one time. I write whoever shouts loudest in my head. But at the moment, the main two are The fire King, the third book in my Evolin series, and Blade. That’s about a mercenary sent to kill a man he inevitably ends up falling for.

Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

Whether I’m reading, writing or watching tv, I like a bad boy with a hidden heart. Those characters who are openly arrogant, sexually confident and totally unrepentant about who and what they are. Yet underneath, they would do anything for anyone (in secret of course), and are vulnerable and easily hurt. Deep down they just want to be loved but don’t know how to ask for it. Brian Kinney in the American version of Queer As Folk is like that, and more recently the character of Freddie Baxter in a UK series called Banana.

I wanted Jesse to be a bit like that. He’s a bit cocky, self-assured in his sex appeal. He knows just how to play Devon to get what he wants, but his need to be loved means he doesn’t cope with rejection. I hope that comes across when you read Young At Heart.

Blurb:

Devon Alexander is a wealthy successful businessman. The world is his oyster. In his work life he is decisive and in control.

His private life is another matter.

There, he doesnít know if he’s coming or going in his on-off relationship with Jesse Young, an unemployed aspiring model half his age.

Can Devon and Jesse overcome the obstacles and outside influences standing in their way? Can they leave behind their own fear and mistrust? Or will they be their own worst enemies?

Title: Young at Heart

Author: Kay Ellis

Length: novella

Genre: LGBTQ, MM, romance, gay romance

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

 

Excerpt:

“We would like a room, please.”

The receptionist took one look at them and turned her nose up.

Instantly, Devon was irritated by the woman’s superior attitude. She saw an older man with an attractive, much younger man and made assumptions.

“I’m afraid we’re fully booked, Sir,” the receptionist said haughtily. “You’ll have to try elsewhere.”

“Ingrid, is it?” Devon leaned over the desk to peer at her name badge. “Well, you listen to me, Ingrid. Alexander Industries sends a lot of business your way and I know for a fact you have nowhere near full occupancy at this time of year. Unless you want to explain to your boss exactly why you’re turning away one of your best customers, I suggest you find me a room. If you don’t, I will be explaining to my good friend, Mr. Xavier, why I’ll be sending my business to your rivals in the future.”

Ingrid paled visibly beneath her heavy foundation. Even if she had not recognized Devon, she had to be aware Alexander Industries was one of the hotel’s biggest and most influential customers. She was also aware that offending a high-profile paying guest, who happened to be a close friend of her notoriously strict employer, was not a wise career move.

“Of course,” she gave a frosty smile. “Does Sir have any luggage?”

“No,” Devon smiled sweetly. “Sir simply requires a room in which to fuck his teenage lover’s brains out.”

“Room 615,” Ingrid sniffed. “Although Sir might like to know this is not the kind of establishment that rents rooms by the hour.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Jesse snorted, reaching over Devon’s shoulder to pluck the key card from the receptionist’s cool fingers. “We intend to fuck all night.”

They crossed the foyer and walked into the lift without a backward glance. Jesse jabbed angrily at the brightly lit number panel.

“Bitch!” he said vehemently as the doors shut.

“Jesse….”

“I mean, who the fuck does she think she is?”

“Jesse….”

“She had no right talking to you like that.”

“Jess!” Devon shot out his hand and grabbed Jesse firmly by the balls, his fingernails digging through the material of Jesse’s suit trousers. Jesse yelped and went very still. “Do I have your attention?”

“Yes,” he said in a small voice, not daring to move for fear Devon would do him permanent damage.

“Good. Now, listen to me.” Devon loosened his grip, but did not release him completely. He stroked the length of Jesse’s stiffening cock, making him moan with pleasure.

“Agreed, she’s a bitch, but we are not about to let her ruin this for us. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jesse murmured huskily. His fingers curled around Devon’s wrist, pressing the palm of his hand against his now-rigid shaft.

“Have you ever fucked in a lift?”

Buy Links

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TE9XMRG

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TE9XMRG

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00TE9XMRG

WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/young-at-heart-by-kay-ellis/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/young-at-heart-kay-ellis/1121199078?ean=9781925222340

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-youngatheart-1751435-149.html

Giveaway

Click the Rafflecopter link below for a chance to win a $20 WIP Gift Card and an ebook copy of Young at Heart:

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About the author

Kay Ellis lives in rural Oxfordshire in the UK, where sheís mum to two beautiful daughters. From an early age, she has written stories, with a sole readership of one ñ her mum, Sylvia. In 2013, someone suggested Kay enter a competition on national television to find a new ëracey readsí author. Much to Kayís surprise, she made it to the final three, and although she didnít win, the high praise received for her work gave her the confidence to start submitting to publishers.

When not writing, Kay enjoys reading, eating out and the theatre.

Social links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.ellis.79274

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KayEllisAuthor