Author Saturday Spotlight: Eli Easton #Interview #Giveaway

It's the last Author spotlight before Christmas and I have the MARVELOUS Eli Easton on my blog today! SO SO exciting! She's written such amazing stories in the M/M genre. Many that are top favorites of mine. We'll take a look at those wonderful books, have an interview, and of course wrap it up with a giveaway.

When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.

It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn't understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.

Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.

Sheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of ‘quickened’—dogs who have gained the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come.

Tim Weston is looking for a safe haven. After learning that his boss patented all of Tim’s work on vegetable hybrids in his own name, Tim quit his old job. A client offers him use of her cabin in Mad Creek, and Tim sees a chance for a new start. But the shy gardener has a way of fumbling and sounding like a liar around strangers, particularly gorgeous alpha men like Sheriff Beaufort.

Lance’s hackles are definitely raised by the lanky young stranger. He’s concerned about marijuana growers moving into Mad Creek, and he’s not satisfied with the boy’s story. Lance decides a bit of undercover work is called for. When Tim hits a beautiful black collie with his car and adopts the dog, its love at first sight for both Tim and Lance’s inner dog. Pretending to be a pet is about to get Sheriff Beaufort in very hot water. 

Sloane loves a good mystery. He grew up as the son of two psychiatrists, so he finds most people tediously easy to figure out. He finds his way to Pennsylvania State University, longing for a rural experience, and ends up being lured into joining a frat by Micah Springfield, the hippest guy on campus.

Nothing in Sloane’s classes is as intriguing as Hank Springfield, Micah’s brother and fellow frat house member. Hank looks like a tough guy—big muscles, tatts, and a beard—but his eyes are soft and sweet. He acts dumb, but he’s a philosophy major. He’s presumably straight, but then why does Sloane feel such crazy chemistry whenever Hank is around? And why does Hank hate Sloane so much?

When Sloane ends up stuck on campus over Christmas, Micah invites him to spend the holidays at their family farm in Amish country. It’s a chance to experience a true Americana Christmas--and further investigate the mystery that is Hank Springfield. Can Sloane unlock the secrets of this family and unwrap the heart hidden inside the beefcake?

 It’s not easy for a young gay artist like Jordan Carson to grow up in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where all anyone seems to care about in middle school and high school are the sports teams. But Jordan was lucky. He met Owen Nelson in the second grade, and they’ve been BFFs ever since. Owen is a big, beautiful blond and their school’s champion wrestler. No one messes with Owen, or with anyone close to him, and he bucks popular opinion by keeping Jordan as his wingman even after Jordan comes out at school.

Their friendship survives, but Jordan’s worst enemy may be himself: he can’t seem to help the fact that he is head-over-heels in love with a hopeless case—his straight friend, Owen. Owen won’t let anything take Jordan’s friendship away, but he never counted on Jordan running off to find a life of his own. Owen will have to face the nature of their relationship if he’s to win Jordan back.





You can check out all of Eli Easton's books over on her website, elieaston.com

 Interview

I really want to thank you for being on my blog and answering my questions. I am a fan first. I have enjoyed many of your books and I’m glad I finally got the nerve up to ask you to be my Saturday Spotlight. My thoughts tend to jump so that means my questions likely will too. I hope you can keep up.

My first question for you is; did you know when you wrote Unwrapping Hank that there were going to be more books to follow it? And how many do you think there will be?

No, I didn’t start out with that intention. But Micah was a fun character, and when he started to flirt with Sloan, I realized he was bi and needed his own book. Currently Micah’s book is the only sequel planned, though I will have more Christmas stories and they may end up with Hank, Sloane, Micah, Leo, Fielding or Mick in them somewhere.

Do you have a favorite holiday book? Or if you have a few what are they?

I love “Turkey in the Snow” by Amy Lane and “The Christmas Throwaway” by RJ Scott in particular. But I like to read a ton of holiday romances in December (and sometimes in the summer too).

Can you tell us some holiday traditions you follow every year?

We’re pretty low key. I do most of my shopping online. We decorate the house, open presents on Christmas morning, and have a big homecooked meal. I also love to watch holiday movies and take in a live concert or something during the season.

Your Howl at the Moon series; how did that idea come to be? I mean I don’t want to give much away but dog shifters, of all breeds and the fact that even in their human form they tend to act puppyish (LOL) how was this idea born?

I wasn’t a big fan of shifter romances until I read Molly Harper’s Naked Werewolf series (which is m/f). I loved the humor in it, and it made me want to write shifters, as long as they were humorous. I just needed to figure out what kind of shifters I should write. My husband suggested dogs and convinced me it would work. I was a bit leery at first, because dogs are so familiar to us -- can they be sexy? But I’m glad I took the risk because it’s been purely delightful to work with the series. We have 3 dogs of our own, so I get lots of home research!

Can you tell us who will be your characters in the third installment of that series?

My current plan is a quickened scientist who moves back to Mad Creek to do his research. He’s trying to figure out how the dog-to-human mechanism works. But I may change that if I get inspired by another character before I get a chance to write it.

Because of Superhero (even though it’s not a superhero book) I have to ask you? Do you have a favorite superhero?

I like darker, quirkier things like Watchmen and V for Vendetta but I do like the Captain America movies.

Do you have other authors in this genre that you look up to, ones that been a driving force for you?

Quite a few. RJ Scott, Kate Rothwell, Tara Lain, and Kim Fielding have been helpful mentors. Some of my additional favorite authors to read include ZA Maxfield, Amy Lane, Jamie Fessenden, Rick Reed, Josephine Myles, JL Merrow, Marie Sexton, Lisa Henry, and Heidi Cullinan.

Cast one of your books. It’s about to be a major motion picture! What book, and who would you cast?

Hmm. Maybe “The Enlightenment of Daniel” with Ben Affleck and Ewan McGregor because it’s a more complex family story. The story I’d most like to see as a film is “The Lion and the Crow”, but I’m not sure who I would cast in it. Maybe Hugh Dancy and Kevin McKidd?

Can you tell us what you’re currently working on?

I’m working on a novel for Dreamspinner called “A Second Harvest”, which is a contemporary set in Lancaster County, PA and it’s a romance between an older widowed farmer and a young gay man who moves next door from the city. I’ve been wanting to write a romance with an older character, and this is it. It’s more ‘out for you’ than ‘gay for you’.

How can your fans follow your career: Website, social media?

I probably post the most on Facebook on my personal Eli Easton account (vs my author page) and, to a lesser extent on twitter (@EliEaston).

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008994061782

My website is elieaston.com

I can’t thank you enough for being here, Eli. I wish you all the luck with your books and I look forward to reading them.

Thanks so much for having me! Merry Christmas.

Eli

 Author Bio

Having been, at various times, and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of metaphysical thrillers, an organic farmer and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.
As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story.  She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time.  She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens.  All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest writing.
email her at eli at elieaston.com

Eli currently publishes with Dreamspinner Press and has a few self-pubbed titles as well.
She also publishes thrillers under Jane Jensen.

 Giveaway

Eli Easton will be gifting one person either the ebook or audio book of Unwrapping Hank! Simply fill out the rafflecopter below! Contest will run until December 25th. Winner will be contacted via email so please be sure to check your spam.

I want to thank Eli for being here today and having some fun with us.

Good luck one and all, have a very happy holiday and be sure to review all you read!

a Rafflecopter giveaway