Diverse Reader is SO excited to have Michelle Frost here today doing a guest post, giving you all an excerpt, and offering a terrific giveaway. I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle last year at GRL in Albuquerque, NM, and attended a Q&A where she answered a lot of questions. She's truly a wonderful human! So, check it out.
Thank you so much,
Meredith, for having me!
Why Bikers?
It’s
a question I’ve gotten a lot recently as my new series, Iron Heretics MC, is
about to officially go live with the release of Disrupt in a couple of weeks.
The short answer is, I love them. I love the different dynamics, the chosen
family bonds, and the idea that even a bad boy can be a good man. I’m a
die-hard fan of Sons of Anarchy and have read every M/M biker book I can get my
hands on.
I
honestly hadn’t intended to write my own (not yet anyway!), but in mid-2018 I
joined a multi-author project called Criminal Delights. My theme was assassins
and when I sat down to write it, one of my main character’s backstory started
setting the stage for what would become the Iron Heretics world and I fell in
love—with the secondary characters that came to life on the pages of that book
and with the world itself. Cold Light was published in June of last year and,
to date, is my favorite thing I’ve written. Much like the upcoming Heretics
series, it’s serious, sweet, and steamy all rolled into one with plenty of action,
a dash of suspense, and a cast of imperfect characters trying to do their best.
I
can’t wait for my bikers to all get their own stories and for all the twists
and turns that are waiting to be discovered as we delve deeper into the Iron
Heretics MC world. I’ve included a short excerpt from Disrupt, coming February
27th. These two guys were both introduced in Cold Light, and I’ve had so much
fun giving them their own story. Enjoy!
Pre-order
for Disrupt(Iron Heretics MC #1): mybook.to/Disrupt
Excerpt
Pax:
Crisp,
cool night air enveloped me as soon as I pushed open the door leading to the
roof. After the brutal winter we’d had, spring was struggling to take hold and
even this late in May, the nights were still pretty chilly. It was a slow
enough night that my fellow bartender had been happy to send me on break and collect
all the tips for himself. I’d slipped into the track pants and hoodie I’d worn,
over my work uniform, when Mace said it would be best if we had this
conversation where we wouldn’t be disturbed. I could feel Mace like his
presence was a physical force pressing against me. He’d been quiet as we made
our way through the underground tunnel that led to the apartment building
Vivian owned and where most of us Spritz
employees lived, all the way up the elevator ride to the fifth floor and the
stairs that led to this door.
I could have taken him to my
apartment, but that seemed dangerous. Most people would probably think coming
to an isolated place with the Sergeant-at-Arms from an Iron Heretics MC chapter
was dangerous, period, but Mace had
never been a danger to me that way
though. Ever since we met, we’d been skirting the line between flirting and
actually doing something about the attraction that I was positive wasn’t just
one-sided. The danger lay in me liking the way he looked at me a little too
much, while knowing that he looked at everyone that way. Mace had never had a
relationship in his life—not a real one—and while we would probably be a match
made in fuck-buddy heaven, I’d been trying to save myself from that particular
scernario for as long as possible.
I
hadn’t taken clients since I was tortured for information about a member of
Mace’s club last year. Haven’t had sex at all, actually. Sometimes I thought
I’d rather not have my next foray between the sheets be as just another notch
in someone’s bedpost, and sometimes I thought
maybe it would be better that way. It’s not like I was the poster boy
for healthy relationships and at least I trusted Mace. The decision to stop
being an escort, a prostitute, at Spritz
had been an easy one. I couldn’t imagine allowing myself to be that vulnerable
with a man I didn’t really know ever again.
“You’re
thinking awfully hard,” Mace said, leaning his elbow on the ledge surrounding
the outside of the building. His green eyes were locked on my face. He had a
layer of dark stubble on his jawline and his chin-length dark hair was tucked
behind his ears. He’d cut it recently, and I did my best to ignore the thought
it might have been because of how much I’d teased him about his man bun.
The
familiar sounds of the city drifted up from the streets below. I crossed my
arms and rested my elbows on the ledge, close enough to him that I could feel
the heat from his body. He stepped closer, his chest brushing my shoulder and I
turned my face to look at him. I really liked that he was a couple inches
taller than me. “What did you want to talk about?” I had a feeling I knew and
it was turning my empty stomach sour. I should have eaten before my shift, but
despite my sleep being restless, I couldn’t find the energy or motivation to
drag myself out of bed for a minute longer than it took me to shower, dress,
and get over to Spritz. That was
becoming a habit I wasn’t sure how to break. Before...everything...I was always
up by midday—running errands, cleaning, hitting the gym—and now I just,
couldn’t.
On
cue, my stomach rumbled and Mace’s brows scrunched together.
“Have
you had dinner?”
“No.”
“How
long a break can you take?”
I
huffed a laugh. “You’re not feeding me dinner.”
Mace’s
eyelids lowered and his signature smirk curled up one side of his lips. “Oh, I
think you’d let me if I asked just
right.”
“You’re
ridiculous.” I turned my face away from him as heat infused my cheeks.
“Pax.”
He moved even closer and damn, if the warmth of his solid chest pressed against
my side didn’t feel like a balm.
“I’ll
grab something before I go back,” I told the darkness around us instead of
looking back at him. There was a security light attached by the door, but here
on the edge, with no moon to speak of, we were shrouded in shadow. I hoped that
meant that he missed my blush.
(© 2020 Michelle
Frost. All rights reserved. Subject to change.)
**All Iron Heretics
books are stand alone, but if you’d like to see where the guys have shown up
before Disrupt is live, this is the reading order I recommend:
2)
Discord
(a short story available for free on Prolific Works)
About Michelle
Stories
have always been Michelle Frost's escape. Even as a kid, she can remember
writing stories featuring her favorite cartoon characters. Now, her characters
are a little more grown up, as are the stories she likes to tell. A
self-proclaimed coffee addict and a bit of an introvert, she can most likely be
found at any given time with her nose in a book.
Links:
All
my links: linktr.ee/michellefrostwrites
Giveaway
Enter to win a $10.00 Amazon GC!
Contest ends February 21st
thanks
Enter to win a $10.00 Amazon GC!
Contest ends February 21st
thanks
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