Hi guys, we have debut author Aidan Wayne stopping by today with the tour for his debut novella Loud an Clear, we have a great guest post from Aidan, a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and Aerin’s review, so enjoy the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway!❤ ~Pixie~
Loud and Clear
by
Aidan Wayne
Jaxon is getting by fine, severe dyslexia or not. Being a cab driver means he doesn’t need to read much, and the job has its perks. The pay isn’t bad, the people can be interesting, and having memorized the city streets keeps him from feeling too stupid.
When he picks up Caleb, a quiet fare in a nice suit, Jaxon doesn’t think anything of it. Then he ends up driving Caleb home the next week too, and the next, and the next. Eventually Caleb tries to communicate—by writing things down. Turns out that Caleb has such a bad stutter he spends most of his time mute.
If only Jaxon had an easier time reading what Caleb had to say. But he’s interested in trying, and Caleb seems interested back. They discover that, with a little bit of effort, it isn’t so hard to make themselves understood. Especially when what’s growing between them is definitely worth talking about.
Loud and Clear
On losing my voice at Disney
Quite a several years ago, I did a stint working at Disney World. The guest interaction could be exhausting, but it was a fairly fun, high-energy place to work and for the most part I enjoyed it. Guests were primarily there to have a good time, and as long as you sounded cheerful and smiled, they smiled back.
Then I lost my voice. For a month.
Here’s the thing: I lose my voice all the time. Not usually for a month-long stretch, but a few days, even a couple of weeks is not unheard of for me. Being familiar with being unable to speak, I’m very good at expressive gestures, writing things down, and, to a point, American Sign Language.
In fact, I knew enough ASL at the time that I was allowed to wear a spiffy “I speak SL!” badge right underneath my Disney(tm) name tag.
Not being able to speak didn’t mean I couldn’t communicate or work. I was still able to point things out, ring up totals, and, of course, smile. The Guests were the ones who took it one step further. There was the man who got visibly angry at my not speaking (even though I was smiling) until he caught sight of my ASL badge. Suddenly his entire face lit up with understanding and he was pleasant for the rest of the interaction. There were the dozens of guests who saw my badge and tried signing ‘thank you’ to me after I’d finished helping them. There was the little boy who asked his mother why I wasn’t talking, and she too, pointed out my badge. “You see that? That says ASL. It’s Sign Language! That means they can’t hear or talk. They read lips to understand! So I want you to smile REAL big and say ‘thank you’ REALLY clearly! Then they’ll understand!”
I didn’t mind much, and I wasn’t about to begrudge a mother teaching her son a good (if a bit uninformed) lesson about Deaf people. For the most part I understand that people were just trying to be Good. The real issue came after I started getting my voice back– just enough to talk a little again. Suddenly I could tell people that I wasn’t Deaf, I just couldn’t talk well, albeit still in a very broken-sounding voice.
A lot of them refused to believe that I was just temporarily inconvenienced. Big, pitying looks, or leading questions about “how long” I hadn’t been able to talk, as if I’d been stricken with an illness in childhood. Some still talked v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, even though I’d made it clear that my ears worked. Or maybe they were talking that way because they just thought I was stupid and needed to be indulged. And of course, everyone smiled.
Most annoying of all, all of the Guests who reacted this way towards me got really excited about how they were acting, as if they deserved recognition or a prize. Because yes, see how good and accepting they were? Trying to communicate with the Deaf and/or mute worker? Good job self, good job! I felt like I was supposed to be handing out stickers.
I only had to deal with that for about a month. Every so often I deal with it again, when my voice goes on the fritz. However, that’s not my everyday. For some people though, it is. Some people, no matter what their situation might be–be it wheelchair, hearing aids, cane, whathaveyou, have to deal with this “special treatment” all the time, whether they want to or not. And they really shouldn’t have to have the burden of being someone else’s good deed.
This is one of the main reasons I love to write differently abled characters. Doing every day stuff! Living their lives! Getting coffee or working a job or having a boyfriend! They’re just as real and just as human, and deserve happy endings just the same.
I’d call that much more preferable to being given “special” treatment.
Excerpt
When Caleb had learned that he was going to have a mandatory drinking evening, he went ahead and called the cab company ahead of time, knowing he wouldn’t be able to make the phone call after the fact. He did the same thing the following Tuesday, and, by the third week, just asked them to keep him on as a regular customer, if that was possible, and he’d cancel it when necessary. The response had been a little confused, but perfectly willing. So Caleb was set for a designated driver for every Tuesday night until this stupid drink-night thing got canceled.
Some people at the office were thinking it would just last for a few months at most, to “solidify the relationships in the company” after the merger or some nonsense like that. Caleb hoped they were right, if only to give his poor liver a break.
Not tonight though. Tonight was another dreaded Tuesday. Yay.
He spent the work day on edge and sharing trepidatious glances with the others on the team who were required to go. When it got to be time for the company cars to take them to the bar, Caleb actually had a brief moment of What if I just don’t go? before sighing and getting in next to Yusuke. Yusuke clapped him heartily on the back and started talking about the latest projections. Which was another reason why he actually had to attend. For all the drinking, until people got too shit-faced, they actually talked about work. Missing this was the equivalent of missing an actual meeting. And it was considered company time, too.
Basically, Tuesdays were the worst.
Though, not completely the worst, Caleb figured, as he clambered inside the cab again, adjusting his suit jacket as he sat down. His driver was cute and didn’t stick his nose in Caleb’s business—he just drove. He was the best cab driver ever. Caleb wished he could actually say it.
“Hey,” the man said, twisting around to smile at him, and yeah, Caleb still didn’t know his name. That was silly. “Evening. Towers again?”
Caleb frowned. Yes, he wanted to go home. But he also wanted to know his cab driver’s name, and he wasn’t coherent enough to even try to ask. And it was probably a long shot that the cabbie knew Sign Language. Instead he pointed a finger at the driver.
“Uh.” The man’s brows furrowed. “What? Is there something behind me?” He glanced over his shoulder, and Caleb was already frowning and shaking his head when the man looked back at him. “No . . . uh.”
Caleb leaned forward and pointed again. Gesturing hard at the man’s face. His driver looked taken aback.
“Uh, my face? Something on my face?” At Caleb’s headshake, he tried, “Okay . . . me?” Caleb smiled and nodded. Yes, excellent. Good. Now he’d learn his name.
The driver raised his eyebrows, clearly bemused. “Uh, sorry. What about me? I’m your driver, remember? Taking you to the Towers? If that’s where you’re going. You haven’t actually . . . uh.” He trailed off again when Caleb shook his head.
Oh! He pulled out his ID again, showing it his driver. The man glanced at it.
“. . . Right,” he said. “Caleb. I remember you from last time. And, uh, the time before that. Look man, you’re gonna actually need to tell me where you want to go, talker or not.”
Caleb smiled inwardly. He’d remembered his note! But the note could wait. He waved the ID and nodded, pointing to himself. Then he pointed again at the cabbie and raised his eyebrows, looking expectant.
“Are you . . . asking what my name is?” Caleb grinned and nodded. Yes! He’d gotten it. Cute and quick enough on the uptake. Good job.
“Oh! I’m sorry, man, this is so— I can’t believe I didn’t introduce myself to you. Uh, I’m Jaxon. Jaxon Tlapa. Hey.” He waved a little, and Caleb beamed.
Great, he had a name! That was excellent. That was an excellent thing. Okay. Mission accomplished for tonight. He could go home now. He tucked the ID card away again and buckled his seat belt, then smiled at Jaxon again.
Jaxon sighed. “Caleb. Where am I taking you? Are you going to the Towers or not?”
Oh, right. He nodded. Home was good.
“Double-checking,” Jaxon said. “You want to go to the Lindsey Towers?”
Caleb nodded again, appreciating the thoroughness.
“Okay. Great.” He turned around to face forward again, saying over his shoulder, “Sit tight, I’ll get you there in no time.”
Caleb sat back against the seat. The drive wasn’t too long, and he let himself drift like the last three times he’d done this, watching the flashes of color as the car drove on through the dark. It was always quiet in this cab; Jaxon didn’t play music. It was sort of nice. Just driving, the alcohol buzz, knowing he had a bed waiting for him. Very comfortable bed. And he knew Jaxon’s name now; that was an accomplishment. He wondered why Jaxon was a cab driver. Did he like driving, or the hours, or . . .? He was good at it, that much was obvious.
The cab pulled up in front of Caleb’s apartment complex. “Here we are,” Jaxon said, fiddling with something up front. Caleb fished his credit card out of his wallet and handed it over, taking the receipt and pen Jaxon passed back with them. The cost was always roughly the same, so he barely glanced at the total before adding in the tip. And a quick scribble on the bottom as a last-minute drunken decision.
He gave back the pen and the second receipt and pushed himself out of the cab.
“Have a good night,” Jaxon called to him, like he always did. Probably did to every person he drove around. Still. It was nice of him to say. Caleb smiled and waved, adding a half-formed ASL thank you before he remembered, yeah, that wasn’t going to be understood.
He yawned and turned toward his building. Bed. Bed was a good idea.
– Read more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/loud-and-clear (Just click the excerpt tab)
About Aidan
Aidan Wayne is a big believer in character-driven stories with happy endings. This is not to say that stories can’t contain a little (or a lot) of grief, just that at the end of it all expect there to be bandages and hugs. They particularly like to write about minority characters because damn it, they deserve happy endings too.
When not writing, Aidan enjoys practicing aerial, martial arts, and ASL, and watching reality cooking shows. They are probably in the middle of twelve projects as you read this.
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Giveaway!
To celebrate the release of Loud and Clear, Aidan is giving away $15 in Riptide credit!
(Just leave a comment on this post)
Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
(Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 28, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.)
Review
Title: Loud and Clear
Author: Aidan Wayne
Genre: Contemporary, Disability
Length: Short Story (85 pages)
ISBN: 9781626494343
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (May 23rd 2016)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3.25 Hearts
Reviewer: Aerin
Blurb: Jaxon is getting by fine, severe dyslexia or not. Being a cab driver means he doesn’t need to read much, and the job has its perks. The pay isn’t bad, the people can be interesting, and having memorized the city streets keeps him from feeling too stupid.
When he picks up Caleb, a quiet fare in a nice suit, Jaxon doesn’t think anything of it. Then he ends up driving Caleb home the next week too, and the next, and the next. Eventually Caleb tries to communicate—by writing things down. Turns out that Caleb has such a bad stutter he spends most of his time mute.
If only Jaxon had an easier time reading what Caleb had to say. But he’s interested in trying, and Caleb seems interested back. They discover that, with a little bit of effort, it isn’t so hard to make themselves understood. Especially when what’s growing between them is definitely worth talking about.
Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/loud-and-clear
Review: This short story was loud and clear, with no misunderstandings or silly drama…. and yet it missed that certain oomph I’m looking for in my books. Loud and Clear was cute enough, but it was too bland for my tastes. I LOVE a good story with disabled characters because they certainly deserve a happy ending more than most; I wanted Jaxon’s dyslexia and Caleb’s severe stuttering to be explored more in depth, I wanted the struggles on page, I wanted to feel and hurt with them.
Jaxon is a cab driver who’s dyslexia gives him a very poor opinion of himself; Jaxon sees himself as a stupid worthless human being who is nowhere good enough for Caleb. There is nothing these two men have in common. Caleb is a rich marketing developer while Jaxon barely makes enough money to make ends meet; Caleb is very smart and didn’t let his stutter get in the way of becoming successful in life, while Jaxon isn’t even aware of his dyslexia and blames his struggles on his perceived low cognitive function. But there’s something bringing Jaxon and Caleb together; mutual respect, kindness, and physical attraction that eventually evolves into a relationship.
I think Jaxon and Caleb are meant to be very complex, unique characters and the fact that this story is so short only gives us a glimpse into their lives. We don’t really get to know them and that’s a shame. There’s a happy-in-the-moment ending that’s not quite a HFN and it’s certainly not a HEA. It just gives us the sense that Jaxon and Caleb get the opportunity to have one of those beautiful relationships that last forever, without allowing us to be a part of it. Kind of like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey while making sure that poor ass will never be able to reach it. In this case I was the ass (just to be clear !!).
Check out the other blogs on the blog tour
May 23, 2016 – Love Bytes Reviews
May 23, 2016 – Keysmash
May 23, 2016 – Unquietly Me
May 23, 2016 – Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous
May 24, 2016 – TTC Books and More
May 24, 2016 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
May 24, 2016 – Booklover Sue
May 24, 2016 – Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess
May 25, 2016 – My Fiction Nook
May 25, 2016 – The Day Before You Came
May 25, 2016 – Just Love Romance
May 25, 2016 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
May 26, 2016 – MM Good Book Reviews
May 26, 2016 – Alpha Book Club
May 26, 2016 – Erotica for All
May 27, 2016 – The Novel Approach
May 27, 2016 – Sinfully Gay Book Reviews
May 27, 2016 – The Jeep Diva
May 27, 2016 – Man2Mantastic
Filed under: Author Giveaway, Blog Tour, Book Review, Excerpt, GLBT Debut Novel, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, New Releases, Riptide Publishing Tagged: Aerin's Reviews, Aidan Wayne, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Disability, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Debut Short, GLBT Disability, Riptide Publishing