Kristabel Reed: #BookBlast: Random Acts by @MiaKerick

Sunday, November 16, 2014

#BookBlast: Random Acts by @MiaKerick

Author Bio: Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. Mia has published four works of adult contemporary gay romantic fiction with Dreamspinner Press and four novels of contemporary LGBT fiction with Harmony Ink Press. Mia Kerick's books are recommended reads in the LGBT blogging/reading community, have spent many weeks on Amazon Hot New Releases and LGBT Best Sellers lists, as well as other notable bestseller lists, and have won awards for excellence in YA literature.

Blurb:
Bradley Zelder can’t find his way in life. After struggling for nearly a decade, he has yet to complete his college degree. Working as a school custodian, living in blue-collar Landsbury, MA, his love life is as empty as the rest of his existence. But on his way home after another disastrous date, his truck breaks down in upscale Oceanside.

When he thinks life can’t get any worse, a man who is the epitome of Boston elite and everything Bradley finds attractive and intimidating helps him move his truck to the side of the road. Ashamed of his lot in life, Bradley almost lets the opportunity slip away, but he comes to his senses in time and tracks Caleb down. From a random act of kindness, romance begins to grow, filling all the dark corners of Bradley’s empty life—until a random act of violence threatens to take it all away. Bradley must step up and be the man Caleb believes him to be. Caleb rescued him from a life without hope. Can Bradley rescue him in return?

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Excerpt:

Billy followed close behind me as I made my way through the many muscle-bound men, across the lobby, to the sitting area. We left behind the remainder of our shakes, as they been too chalky to finish. We sat down on the same couch.

“Who is he?” Billy’s already bulky chest puffed up a bit. He’d always been protective of me. And as always I felt like a little kid when Billy started interrogating me.

“Just this guy who helped me out when I had car trouble this morning… after I escaped from Maddy’s clutches.” I could feel the heat rise up my neck to my cheeks, but Billy was still staring at me expectantly, so I went on. “I’m sure he’s this big player.”

“Let me guess. Handsome as a Greek god, preppy as all hell, and talks like a college professor?”

I nodded. “So maybe you know my type. Wanna make something of it?” I smiled sheepishly.

“And arrogant as all get-out?”

“More just really confident.” I shrugged again, knowing I had to come up with something different to do with my shoulders. I leaned forward and planted my elbows on my knees.

“Did he ask you out? Because I know for a fact that you didn’t go out on a limb to ask him on a date.”