Guest Post: Jaclyn Quinn~ Dropping the Security Blanket #Giveaway

Diverse Reader is thrilled to have Jaclyn Quinn here talking with us. There's a great guest post, a look at her newest release, Thirst For You, and a giveaway. Hang out for awhile!

Dropping the Security Blanket

Hey, guys! First, I want to thank Diverse Reader for having me here to guest post today! I’m excited to tell you a little about my new release, Thirst for You. It’s the second book in the Beyond the Cove series and completely different from book one, Drawn to You.

I’m the type of girl who hides behind a blanket when the scary stuff comes on TV. I’m easily scared; sometimes I even forget a family member is home and scare the bejesus out of myself. My family, of course, gets a kick out of it and never lets me live it down. Having said all that, I’m also the girl who watches scary YouTube videos with her best friend—yes, still gripping that trusty security blanket.

When Thirst for You ended up being a story about a stalker, admittedly, I was a bit hesitant. I’d never written anything like that before. I didn’t even know if I had what it takes. I was worried about it being so different from Drawn to You, but it was a story I couldn’t get out of my head for Zach and Drew. There was something about taking stubborn, overprotective Zachariah Taylor and putting him in a situation that made him feel helpless. I needed him to go through that and come out on the other side with the understanding that not everything is so easily controlled or fixed. I also needed him to realize that Drew could fight his own battles. So, in going on this journey for the first time, I realized there were a few things that need to be checked off when writing a suspense book. At least, for me there were. 

One of those things was talking to my friends about where the book was going. I talked, and talked…and talked…and they listened, as they always do. It’s amazing how you can talk about something so much and think you have it all figured out. Then, somehow, the story takes on a life of its own and goes in a direction you never dreamed of going. Actually, that’s one of my favorite things about writing. That’s truly when the characters speak up and say, “Nope. That’s not how it happened. This is how it happened.” I used to find it weird to think that way, but letting the characters lead me and listening to what they are telling me is so essential for my writing. I knew from page one who the antagonist was going to be and how they fit into the story. Getting from A to B was challenging, though.

Another thing, at least for me, was to have a friend…who knew nothing about the story…read chapters as I went along. I had no idea if what I was writing was suspenseful enough or would lead readers in different directions. Getting someone’s reactions in real time—who she suspected, who she ruled out—was essential for this book. I knew I wouldn’t get it past every reader, but I tried my hardest to have the reader find out who the stalker was when Drew did. That was my ultimate goal.

Finally, and most importantly, I needed to scare myself while writing it. If I wasn’t getting creeped out, it wasn’t good enough. So, trust me…I sufficiently scared myself. Of course, I know something that scares me won’t necessarily scare someone else, but I had to go out of my comfort zone. It was essential in making this book the best I possibly could.

The hardest part, you ask? 

I can’t type and grip that trusty security blanket.

What happens when thirst becomes an obsession that can’t be quenched?

Forty-year-old Zachariah Taylor prides himself on being the overprotective older brother of seven. He owns a successful bar, Zach’s Bar and Grill, in the quiet town of Riverside Falls and loves the life he’s built for himself. But as his siblings move on and find their forever partners in life, he’s starting to feel less and less needed—not to mention old. Suddenly, he’s finding it even harder to ignore the younger man who has pursued him for years, but the twelve years separating them is something Zach can’t seem to overlook.

Twenty-eight-year-old Drew Belford has been in love with the stubborn Zach Taylor for seven years. Sure, he was a kid when they’d first met, but what Zach is determined to ignore is the man Drew has become. Drew, however, is just as strong-minded and refuses to let Zach use their age difference as an excuse to disregard the attraction burning between them. He doesn’t need an overprotective older brother—he needs Zach.

When Drew begins to get unsettling messages from an unknown person, Zach feels helpless in a way he’s never felt before. How can he protect Drew from someone he can’t find? The thought of anyone hurting Drew unleashes years’ worth of pent-up desire Zach has had for the younger man. Is his thirst for Drew enough to protect him from the danger lurking in the shadows, or will the threat of the unknown be enough to douse the spark of love between them—and silence Drew forever?

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I have been an artist from a very young age. From drawing cartoon characters and evolving into portraits, making jewelry, photography, and now writing. I have an amazing support system in my family and friends and couldn’t be more grateful.

I live in central New Jersey, love summers at the Jersey Shore, rock music, wine, sexy men, and laughing a lot with my amazing friends and family. Sunday dinners at my parents’ house are crazy, hysterical and you can count on a movie quote…or ten…being thrown out. Insults between siblings is how we show our love for each other!

When I’m not creating, you can find me reading books from my favorite authors. I’m a hopeless romantic, starving for passionate characters and always craving that happy ending, whether in reading or in writing my own books.

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Contest will end on April 25th

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