Hi everyone– It’s my pleasure to welcome two Loose Id authors — Cassandra Gold and Dev Bentham — to the blog today to talk about the ups and downs of weddings! And you have the chance to win some yummy books so be sure to leave a comment with your email!
Loose Id is having a whole wedding extravaganza this month which says, “I Do! Or Maybe I Don’t”. Be sure to check out the whole event. And here are Dev and Cassandra to tell you more about the fun. ——-
Ah weddings – they bring out the best and worst in all of us. This month you’re invited to Loose Id’s wedding extravaganza where marriage equity means equal opportunity wedding disasters. Kate McMurray writes about the thorny problem of finding a hot date to one’s ex’s wedding while Cassandra Gold’s hero agrees to be best man at his brother’s wedding only to discover that his new in-laws include someone he’s, um, metbefore. Meanwhile, in J.A. Rock’s sequel, on the way to the altar the brat and his dom have to deal with everything from another bickering couple to an intimidating dildo. Dominique Frost explores whether a depraved hedonist can find love with the innocent and proper man he married for money. And Dev Bentham’s story has an emotionally damaged catering chef who needs to tame his demons or lose the love of his life. Something borrowed, blue, old and new for everyone this month at Loose Id.
Two of the authors from the Big Gay Wedding crew, Dev Bentham and Cassandra Gold, got together to answer a few questions about writing, weddings, and the future.
Let’s talk about our current releases, out for Loose Id’s June wedding event:
Dev: Some wounds never heal. George Zajac grew up in a religious family with a father who beat “the swish” out of him. Now he’s a troubled man. At thirty-eight he moves across the country to start a new life in Los Angeles, working as the catering chef for a prestigious French Restaurant.
Kenny Marks, a writer who’s currently waiting tables, is everything George cannot be—flamboyant, proud and sexually confident. Enthralled by Kenny, and against his own better judgment, George agrees to a date.
Sparks fly. The sex is better than good. But even after the two get close, George remains crippled by humiliating sexual hang-ups. Still haunted by his childhood, he lingers in the closet and can’t commit to a relationship with Kenny. Love is the great healer, but is it enough?
George’s emotional scars could drive Kenny away, and with him, George’s last chance at happiness.
Cassandra: Photographer Skyler Spencer comes to Key West for his brother’s wedding expecting to take some pictures, act as best man, and maybe spend a little time getting to know his brother’s fiancee and her twin sister. Then he learns that not only is the twin a man rather than a woman, but it’s a man he’s met before–under less than appropriate circumstances.
Casey Baker doesn’t expect the guy he once had a memorable encounter in a club bathroom with to turn up as his brother-in-law to be, but he’s able to deal with the surprise. Dealing with the strong attraction they feel for each other is a lot more difficult, but Casey figures a short, hot fling will take care of that. Too bad he’s not good at staying detached, and Skyler’s not good at commitment.
When Mother Nature and the past combine to put the wedding in jeopardy, Skyler and Casey have more than just their own confused feelings to deal with. Will the weekend end with two sets of broken hearts?
How is this story like / unlike the other books you’ve written?
Cassandra: Always a Groomsman is a lot like my other contemporaries in that I love to write about traveling, and finding love in unexpected places. I also like to keep a light tone in most of my contemporaries.
It’s a lot different from my paranormal books, which tend to have a darker tone. It’s also considerably different from my other Loose Id release, The Cost of Secrets, which focused on serious issues.
I like writing both contemporary and paranormal stories. It helps me express different aspects of myself and also keeps me interested. If I’ve written too much in one genre, I can focus on the other for a while.
Dev: This is the fourth, and last, Tarnished Souls series book. It is like the others in that it’s a first person narrative with a Jewish holiday background—in this case, Purim. Bread, Salt and Wine deviates a little from that formula in that the holiday theme is less tightly woven into the story.
In Learning from Isaac, not only is there a Passover seder, but the Passover theme of freedom from bondage resonates throughout. In the same way, my Rosh Hashanna book, Fields of Gold, deals with repentance and forgiveness and for Hanuukah, Sacred Hearts is about the return of light and joy after a long darkness.
Purim is a funny holiday, and I mean that literally. The holiday narrative in the Book of Ester reads like a farce. To celebrate Purim, we’re supposed to wear costumes, get drunk and have a great time. And while a Purim party is important in Bread, Salt and Wine, the story is not a comedy. I went for the darker undertone of Purim, which is a battle against persecution. That said, this story is much like the others. All the Tarnished Souls stories have imperfect, wounded heroes who find that love really does heal.
How do weddings bring out emotions?
Dev: At most of the weddings in my story, the guys are working and so are bystanders to much of that particular kind of emotional drama. It’s an interesting dynamic for my narrator, George, who spends much of the book in denial about his feelings for Kenny, his friend, co-worker and casual lover. George’s stoical attitude helps him work emotionally charged venues—whether handling a cake crisis or a star-studded extravaganza. At the same time, the memories and wounds he’s carting around keep him on the sidelines, not only of the weddings he caters, but of his own life.
Cassandra: Weddings are funny things. They’re supposed to be the happiest day of the bride and groom’s lives, yet they can also be stressful. I’ve seen huge arguments break out over trivial things, like flowers or food. Bridezillas, controlling parents, or meddling in-laws worry too much over who’s in charge, and not enough over the two lives being joined.
At the same time, though, weddings bring a lot of people together. It’s not just the bride and groom joining their lives, but also two families. Sometimes a wedding can bring more than just the bride and groom together as well. At my wedding, one of my friends met a friend of a friend and they hit it off. Today, they’re married with several children.
In Always a Groomsman, the wedding of my main characters’ siblings sets a lot of things into motion, including a chance for love for the main characters. As a photographer, Skyler’s seen a lot of weddings, but his own brother’s wedding brings out emotions he’s not sure he’s ready for.
What’s next for you?
Dev: I’m very excited about Painting in the Rain, my June 16th Amber Allure release. It’s the story of Gabe, an artist and single father and Mike, his kid’s social worker. Set on the Oregon Coast, it’s the perfect Fathers’ Day story.
Blurb:
Helping teenagers is tough. They face so many dangers – peer pressure, drugs, pregnancy, STDs. As a trained social worker, Mike knows all about it. He’s taken a temporary job on the Oregon coast working with at-risk kids. But when he meets Gabe, the father of one of his charges, he finds himself in another type of danger – that of falling in love and getting stuck in a small, conservative town, not to mention living with an angry teenager. And yet, he’s drawn to Gabe in a way he never imagined possible.
Gabe, whose own father left before he was born, stays in a town where he no longer feels welcome. He’s living the life of a lonely artist so that he can be a father to his son, a bond that’s been threatened by divorce and Gabe’s public coming out. When he meets Mike, Gabe is bowled over with a longing so deep that he finds himself willing to risk everything.
There are plenty of dangers in a small town. When a gay kid gets hurt and they refuse to leave him to his fate, Mike and Gabe may be risking more than their hearts.
Cassandra: I also have a release June 16 from Amber Allure. Dev and I share that release date as well as our June 11 date with Loose Id. We joked that we’re double-dating. J
My June 16 release is a reprint of Trust, a story that was formerly published in an anthology. Trust is my one and only BDSM-themed book to date. While it does have BDSM aspects, they’re light.
Blurb: Detective Zach Davis has always prized his iron control. Life has taught him that emotions and trust are things to be avoided at all costs. Then his lover leaves him, citing the distance between them, and Zach realizes something has to change. Could a night at a BDSM club be the perfect way for him to show Lane he really can let go and build an equal relationship?
Contact Us:
Cassandra Gold
Dev Bentham
Twitter: @devbentham
Email: [email protected]
Dev and Cassandra are giving away books! One winner will win the choice of Dev’s two June releases (Bread, Salt, and Wine or Painting in the Rain). Another winner will win the choice of Cassandra’s June releases (Always a Groomsman or Trust).
Leave a comment with your email to enter. Thanks so much for coming by! : )