Touch the Sky
Free Fall, Book 1
Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn
New Adult M/M Romance
COVER DESIGN: Natasha Snow
PHOTOGRAPHY: Giovanni Dall’Orto
RELEASE DATE: 03.28.16
AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1MHjbEX
AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/25oGoY7
AMAZON AU: http://bit.ly/1SbDVGP
B&N: http://bit.ly/1ZBf8S5
iBook: http://apple.co/22rX0iC
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words was lucky to have the authors in for a chat and to answer a few questions for our readers. Welcome, Nyrae and Christina.
********
What made you decide to collaborate? Who approached whom?
Nyrae: It just sort of came up. We’re friends and we were talking. I’ve written two collaborations before. I wanted to do another. She wanted to write one. We enjoy each other’s work so it just sort of fell together perfectly for us.
Christina: Right. We had grown closer over the past year due to a few author groups we belonged to and we also began beta reading for each other. I have always wanted to co-write a book with somebody and it just naturally went from there.
Did you each write a character?
Nyrae: Technically, yes. We each created the backstory for the character and what they looked like. We alternated chapters and primarily worked on one character each, but we definitely were very involved in the whole book. We wrote in each other’s POV and changed and tweaked dialogue in each other’s chapters.
Christina: We talked extensively on the phone about each of our characters and how we were going to write them. Once we got going though, we found our voices blended pretty well, so it was natural to go into each other’s chapters during edits and add voice, tone, or characteristics.
How did you go about deciding the plot?
Nyrae: We knew we wanted to write NA and LGBTQ+ so we headed in that direction. We had some phone conversations. We discovered that mental health plays a strong role in both our lives for various reasons so we took it from there.
Christina: We are both pretty angsty writers especially in our New Adults books and so even though we didn’t set out to write such a weighty topic, it happened naturally, even during plotting. We came up with several scenarios and as soon as we landed on Lucas and Gabriel, we were off and running.
Did each chapter come organically or was it all mapped out?
Nyrae: It was a combination of both. The initial letter is a revision from a letter in a book I had on my computer from a couple years ago, that I never finished. We’d talk out a few chapters at a time and make loose plans but they sometimes changed when one of us sat down to start writing.
Christina: The good thing is that neither one of us are huge plotters. We knew the general place we were heading but then what commonly happens is your characters veers off in some random direction that ends up being perfect for the plot. When I saw that letter that Nyrae had written and kept stored in a file, I knew that was it. That was our story.
How was writing a collaboration different for you than writing alone?
Nyrae: You have someone else counting on you. Someone else’s thoughts and opinions to consider. Sometimes writing styles change or writing processes.
Christina: Yep. Once you get over the initial fears and pretenses, then all you have is the work in front of you. You also have somebody cheering you on. We would leave each other comments in the sidebar and I’d smile after seeing a note like SWOON, that’s so HOT, or damn I LOVE these boys. It really fueled me on which is probably why we wrote the book so quickly.
Was it a good experience? You called this book 1, so…?
Nyrae: Yes! I can’t speak for Christina but I loved working with her. We definitely plan to do it again. We’ll write one of the characters from Touch the Sky.
Christina: I loved it and cannot wait to start the next book.
BLURB
Lucas Barnett and Gabriel Stewart didn’t have it easy as kids. They were only trying to deal with bad situations at home when they became lifelines for each other. Their pipe dream was to someday meet in LA, where Lucas would design skyscrapers, and Gabriel would learn to fly. But then Gabriel disappeared without so much as a goodbye, and Lucas got himself in trouble with the law.
Five years later, both men are at a loss when they run into each other at a Hollywood bar. Lucas is still angry, but it’s not as if Gabriel could control how his mind and body had betrayed him. Being found on the ledge of that bridge had changed everything.
The attraction is immediate, but it’s more than their inability to keep their hands off each other. Neither man expects the fierce connection pulling them together. Unfortunately, ignoring their problems doesn’t make them disappear. Gabriel’s internal struggles are serious…dangerous. And no matter how much Lucas wants it to be true, saving Gabriel won’t make up for not being able to save his mom. If they don’t find the strength to face their own demons before the darkness takes hold, they risk more than just losing each other forever.
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29145268-touch-the-sky
EXCERPT
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to speak for you. If you want to—”
“I don’t,” I say, finally meeting his gaze. “I only want you too.”
His eyes soften and he exhales a hard breath as if we’re finally on level ground. I feel giddy with relief and contentment as I clutch at his hand and drag him to the dance floor. At first he protests about his drink but then he places it in an empty spot on a ledge.
It’s a pulsing rap beat and my body feels like a live wire. My hips start swaying, my hands rise in the air, and the vibration of the music takes over. Lucas has no trouble keeping up with me, though not with as much enthusiasm.
“Fuck, you’re sexy,” he rumbles in my ear. I feel his hips gyrating as he grasps my waist and slides up behind me. His hard length is digging into my ass and that only spurs me on more.
After a few numbers, I follow Lucas to the back wall where we find a spot to rest between other couples swaying to the music. He pins my shoulders against the column, his breath heavy, eyes glazed over with lust, as his lips crash against mine.
My fingers reach for his waist but he grabs hold of them and raises my hands above my head as he bites my lips, licks into my mouth and then sucks on my tongue. Holy fuck, if we weren’t in a public place I’d ask him to pound me straight into oblivion.
“I didn’t know you could dance like that,” he rasps against my cheek as he releases his grip on my hands.
His fingers connect with my neck and he hauls my lips to his again. His tongue digs deep in my mouth and I groan shamelessly as I grab on to his hair and pull him flush against me. I’m so thoroughly turned on that my eyes practically roll to the back of my head.
He drags his mouth away and licks along my jawline up to my ear as he arches his hips into my groin. “You’ve got me so goddamn hard.”
“Yeah?” I ask, gasping against his neck. “Well, I know how to take care of that. Remember, you’ll need to beg.”
He laughs and kisses the side of my head. “Not here. I’d rather have you in my bed tonight.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nyrae Dawn
Nyrae Dawn can almost always be found with a book in her hand or an open document on her laptop. She couldn’t live without books—reading or writing them. Oh, and chocolate. She’s slightly addicted.
She gravitates toward character-driven stories. Whether reading or writing, she loves emotional journeys. It’s icing on the cake when she really feels something, but is able to laugh too. She’s a proud romantic, who has a soft spot for flawed characters, who make mistakes, but also have big hearts.
Whether she’s writing young adult, new adult, or adult you can always count on a healthy dose of romance from her books. She likes to tackle tough subjects, and believes everyone needs to see themselves in the stories they read.
Nyrae is living her very own happily ever after in California with her gorgeous husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two incredibly awesome kids.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nyraedawnwrites/?fref=ts
Website:
http://www.rileyhartwrites.com/p/home.html?zx=48696725e5833865
Blog
http://www.rileyhartwrites.com/index.html
Twitter: @NyraeDawn
Christina Lee
Once upon a time, I lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. I spent my days shopping for photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my favorite hangouts.
Now I live in the Midwest with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I’ve been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn’t until I wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that I realized I could turn the fairytales inside my head into the reality of writing fiction.
I write Adult, New Adult, and M/M Contemporary Romance. I’m addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. I believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristinaLee
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Christina_Lee04
Filed under: Book Giveaways, Book Reviews, Book Tours and Contests, Books, eBooks, LGBTQ Book Reviews, M/M Book Reviews, M/M Contemporary Fiction, M/M Fiction, M/M Romance Tagged: author interviews, authors Christina Lee and Nyrae Dawn, contemporary, first in a series, gay fiction, M/M New Adult Romance, New Adult, Touch the Sky by Christina Lee and Nyrae Dawn