Guest Blog - Meet Faith Ashlin

Hello good people,

I'm Faith Ashlin and I have been very kindly invited onto N.R. Walker’s blog, thank you so much.

My second book came out on 23^rd February, it's called, 'What You See Isn't Always What You Get.' I'm especially proud of this book and it means a lot to me.

Here's the blurb…

Sex for money. That’s the simple deal ex-freedom fighter Richard offers when he buys Denny’s freedom.

When ex-freedom fighter Richard buys a slave’s freedom, he has a deal to offer. Being more inexperienced than he appears, he needs someone to teach him a few things. Sex for money and help is what he’s proposing. Denny can always say no.

Denny agrees, and as they settle into their new life, they learn things about themselves and each other, as well as the nature of freedom and love.

But when are things ever that easy? Their world is suddenly shattered by a ghost from Richard’s past. That’s when Denny takes control, shows what he’s made of and fulfills a need Richard didn’t even know he had. It turns out neither are what they appear to be.

Excerpt: 

Richard inhaled very carefully. "You have to teach me. Teach me what to do in bed."

Denny's eyes widened but he didn't react otherwise. "You want me to be a whore or a sex therapist?"

"I was thinking more along the sex therapist lines but that's probably just me being naïve or optimistic," Richard admitted.

"You a virgin?"

"No." Richard shook his head. "I just don't… I don't have much experience. Hardly any, really."

"You're kidding, right? I mean, you're fucking gorgeous. You could get anyone you want without even asking."

"Never wanted anybody but one guy," Richard said softly.

"And he didn't want you?"

"Yeah, he did. It just wasn't as simple as that."

"Why not?" Denny asked straight out and, fuck it, he was going to find out sooner or later. Richard figured he might as well get it over and done with now.

"You ever heard of Grady Porter?"

"Of course I have." Denny sat up, the name suddenly animating him. "It was his death that spurred on the whole uprising, that got everyone released. If he hadn't died when he did, then thousands of slaves would still be… Jesus fucking shit, are you Grady Porter's Richard? The guy that was always with him? His… his…"

"Partner? Lover? Whatever you want to call it. Yeah, I'm Grady's Richard."

"Fucking hell." Denny rocked with astonishment as his mouth widened to match his eyes. "Grady Porter's Richard, right here, right in front of me. Man, you must have been through some serious shit. You were out fighting while I was cleaning out horse crap."

"We were." Richard eyes fell to the scar on the back of his hand and he remembered, just for a moment. "But the war's supposed to be over. We've been fighting for peace for the last three years, trying to clear up the mess. You should have been out a long time ago."

"I guess you couldn't do everything at once." Denny was still shaking his head and staring, looking stunned.

"Funny, but Grady wouldn't have agreed with you on that one." Richard smiled a tight little smile.

"But he's been dead, what, over four years?"

"Five next March."

"I don't get it. So?"

"He was the only person I've ever wanted, the only one I've ever slept with." Again Richard's voice was soft and low.

"But if you were with him? Fuck man, I saw you on TV once. Watched when I shouldn't have just so I could hear what he sounded like, see him move. It was so much better than a picture in a ripped-up newspaper. I don't think I really looked at you but I remember the way he was hanging on to your hand, the way he looked at you. He loved you."

"I know," Richard said, and the smile was back, easier this time. "And I loved him. But it wasn't as simple as that."

"Why?" Denny wasn't about to let him get away with anything.

Richard collapsed back into the chair and ran a hand slowly over his closed eyes. So many memories, so long ago. When he opened them again Denny was watching him, waiting with a stillness Richard knew he'd had to learn over the years.

What You See Isn't Always What You Get is available now with Silver Publishing. You can buy it here: Buy here!!!

Or buy it here at Amazon  Buy now!

I am so grateful for the amazing 5 Sweet Peas review from Josie Goodreads at Mrs Condit Reads Books

http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.php/?p=10839

RATING: 5 sweet peas and a Highly Recommended Book Sweet Peas!

An exert from the review:
JOSIE’S OPINION:
In the world of What You See Isn’t Always What You Get by Faith Ashlin slavery has been abolished, but its legacy lives on, in the runaways and black market slaves bought and sold. Denny is one such slave, captured on the street and sold onto Richard.
Richard though is part of the Freedom Movement, the famous partner of slave martyr Grady Porter, whose death started the slave uprising, but Richard’s relationship with Grady wasn’t that intimate, and Richard, desperate to forge an alliance where his body is the part of the package, needs Denny to teach him about sex.
Richard is a complex character, he’s emotionally closed off, he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, only living day to day, as he has been for the last few years since Grady’s death, I fell in love him and at times he reduced me to tears, especially when he talks about Grady, his one lifetime love. Denny on the other hand is a street smart realistic young man, older than he first appears a slave all his life; he’s been through the ringer, as a slave and as a free man. Denny is very open about what happened to him, very accepting, the perfect counterpart to Richards reservation. At first Denny is stunned to find out who Richard is, Grady is a hero, and likewise Richard is too by association, but soon Denny finds himself drawn to Richard for his own sake, wanting to help him, not only with the mechanics of sex, but also to live again. The journey Richard and Denny take is not easy, especially dealing with the proverbial third person in their relationship, Grady, but it’s a journey where the rewards are worth all the pain.
The pace of the story is perfect, it starts slow and languid, Richard and Denny getting used to each other. Richard introduces Denny to his friends in the Movement and Denny starts to understand how things were, and how they still are, Then just when it life seems settled and they can plan for a future, Richard no longer living in the shadows of the past, they receive a DVD of Grady’s death, in all its graphic horror. Can Denny and Harley, Richards’s best friend along with the rest of the Movement pull Richard back from the brink of despair?
I loved Denny, but Richard was my favorite character, with all his layers and insecurities, at times I just wanted to hug him, tell him Grady would understand, and I desperately wanted him to finally find peace. I think it’s quite obvious that Richard is suffering from survivor’s guilt. After Grady’s death, while the war against slavery was still being fought Richard had something to fight for, but now it’s over he is struggling to accept that he can be happy in a world without Grady, and even though he comes to realize he loves Denny, he doesn’t feel he is deserving of a second chance at happiness. It’s up to Denny to convince Richard he is worthy, a task he is more than happy to take on.

I fell in love with this book, with its angst and all its heartbreak. I sobbed at the ending, but I felt uplifted, and the epilogue is just the most fitting ending I could have wished for, one of the most perfect endings I have ever read for a book, it was closure.
There is so much emotion poured into this book, it has its sad moments, but equally it’s happy times, I couldn’t put it down. It’s one of best books I’ve read in ages. I can’t wait to read more of Faith Ashlin’s work and she is now one of my must read authors

Also available from me

Pathfinder

Amid the planes and bombs of World War Two, Bobby fights for a cause he fervently believes in, when events take a passionate turn with the arrival of a new pilot. Can Lewis offer him more than he thought possible?

Buy here!

Silver Presents: Love is Love anthology—"My Unintended" by Faith Ashlin

Buy here!

My bio

When Faith was clearing out her attic many years ago, she found a book she’d written as a ten-year old. On rereading it she realized that it was the love story of two boys. Over the years her fascination with the image of beautiful young men, coiled together as they fell head over heels in love, became a passion for her.

Since that first innocent book – written in purple sparkly pen – she has written many stories, set in varied worlds but always with two men finding their way to happiness.

Nothing much has changed because now she can be found in a daydream, wandering around the supermarkets of London, or sitting in a meeting at work still dreaming up stories.

You can find me at…

Blog: http://faith-ashlin.livejournal.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003973348836Blog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ashlin_Faith

Email: faith.ashlin@gmail.com

Thank you so much to the wonderful N.R. Walker for inviting me on her blog. As someone fairly new to publishing it really is appreciated.

Meet Teegan Loy...

Okay, boys and girls,

I haz a excited!!!

I have someone very special to me on my blog today. I met Teegan Loy some years ago through a mutual love of slash m/m sexing in fanfiction.

She's a bit of a writing buddy for me. We cheer each other on, and kick each other's ass when required. More often than not, we tend to talk about m/m obsessions like tumblr porn and 1D (don't judge).

When I first got published, Teegan held my hand while I freaked out on release day.  

Teegan's been published before, she has releases out there (really, check them out. You won't be disappointed) but this release, these boys, her hockey boys, are special.

So without further adieu, please make very welcome, Teegan Loy...

First off, thanks to the wonderful NR Walker for having me on her blog. I feel like we should be sitting across from each other having a drink or a cup of coffee. But alas, we live on opposite ends of the world. I mean, she’s in summer and I’m in winter. She lives kind of close to the ocean. To reach an ocean, I would have to drive at least 1500 miles east or west. My goodness, there might be some sort of sad love story there if we change the characters from girls to boys. Aha, my Slash is showing. However, I do not want to classify myself as strictly an m/m romance writer. I am a storyteller. As of this moment, I am a published m/m romance author with hopes of venturing into young adult and gasp, mainstream hetro.

Okay, getting off track. I’m guesting on this Blog because I have a book coming out on March 2^nd through Silver Publishing called Frozen Hearts. I’m excited, nervous, and sick to my stomach. NR is probably going to have to virtually hold my hand when the book goes live, because this whole publishing thing is her fault. She was the one who encouraged me to send my stuff off to a publisher. I rolled my eyes but took her advice. I didn’t think it would ever happen and then the “YES” came in the wee hours of the night and I almost died.

My hockey boys are near and dear to me. Not only because they are my first stand-alone novel, but also because I’m a huge fan of the sport and the boys who play hockey. This particular story was actually inspired by a song. I wrote the “almost” ending before I wrote anything else listening to Be Still by The Fray. My hope is that the reader falls in love with Erik and Tyce like I did. Be warned, the story is not all sweet boy love and roses.

Forced to live a lie for an image, the best college hockey player in the nation is quitting the game. Can Erik make peace with his past and the boy he left behind, or will he fold under the pressure.

Buy Frozen Hearts here!!

As I was writing this blog spot, I signed a contract for a short sports story, called The Magic Broom that will be released in June through Dreamspinner Press. I’m also close to finishing up a full-length m/m romance novel called Echoes of Us.  I’m sure I’ll be pitching it and hoping that someone will pick it up and publish it. My next project will bring me back to the ice with a story called Picks and Pucks.

My lame blog site: teeganloy.wordpress.com

Gmail: teeganloy@gmail.com

Facebook: Teegan Loy

Twitter: Drizzll

Blind Faith is back!

Blind Faith is back!!

I have amazing new covers and banners for Blind Faith, made the ever so lovely and talented Sara York. 

Isn't it just beautiful?  Words can't describe how grateful I am to Sara for her hard work and understanding. This is the Isaac I used as a picspiration from the very beginning, and to now have him on the cover is just amazing!  

The book is now available again for sale!!  Yay!  So I'm not an un-published, published author any more!! 

At Smashwords  Buy Here!!

At Amazon Buy Here!!

I'll have it up at other sites over the weekend, and fingers crossed I'll have the sequel up sooner than expected, but no later than March 15th.

I have re-released this book at a reduced rate of $3.99, which is a fair price for a 48,000 word book. The sequel, Through These Eyes is 69,000 words and will hit the shelf at $5.99.

A very big thank you, to everyone who has supported me and showed patience and kindness during what has been a fairly stressful time.

Hugs to you all. 

Publishing News and Other Stuff

Okay, so I have some news...

First of all, I'd seriously like to thank every single person who has bought and read, loved or hated my books. 

I've met some amazing people, both readers and authors alike, who for all the little words of encouragement, thanks and love, have reminded me why I do this.

I'm new to this publishing game, and when I was first published it was a real dream come true. But, all love of writing aside, it's a serious business. I've learned some incredibly difficult lessons, and I've learned a lot about myself. 

Two weeks ago, I was ready to quit. Seriously. I never wanted to bother again. It was too hard, too heartbreaking, too much. 

Then, like the universe knew, I got a run of emails from readers who simply just wanted to thank me for writing. 

I can't begin to tell you how much that meant. 

And that is why I didn't quit. (Well, that, and the voices in my head probably wouldn't have let me...)

So please, take this as a very heart-felt thank you. I am really, very grateful.

Now onto the news part...

In the next few days, Blind Faith will be unavailable for purchase. 

So yes, that means I will go from having four books published and two coming-soon titles, to having none available. At all.  

I know, believe me, I know. I've mentioned heartbreak and stress, yes?

But, the good news is I will be re-releasing Blind Faith as a self-published title and then the sequel, Through These Eyes shortly after. (For those who know me, know technology and I have a mutual dislike for each other, so this is kind of daunting for me...)

Anyway, I'm hoping to have Through These Eyes published before it was due to come out on March 30th. I'll be aiming for mid-to-late March, so please, watch this space for news. :)

In other news, my Thomas Elkin series has been accepted at Total-E-Bound!!!!

I don't have a release date yet (maybe September-ish?) but it will be a three-part series. I'm working on some pre-edits for the first installment, Perfect Retrofit, right now. 

But this is much anticipated, much needed good news!!

No word yet on my other titles.  But at any rate, I'd be surprised if they'll be re-released this year. :(  I really wanted Matt & Kira's second story out this year, but that's in the hands of the powers that be.  I might even try and get something else self-published so I'm not bookless for most of this year. 

Okay that's all my news for now. 

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me. I hope to have more news soon.

*mwah*

Publishing update

PUBLISHER UPDATE:

Unfortunately, I'm still none the wiser about when my stories will be available again. At this point, it looks like there will be quite a wait :(

I've sent them all off to one particular publisher and still haven't heard. I'm hoping they'll love me and take all of them... *crosses fingers and wishes really hard*

So, for the record, the titles I'm waiting to hear about are:

* Taxes and TARDIS
* Point of No Return
* Three's Company
* Breaking Point (have to wait to see if they want PoNR 1 first)
* The Thomas Elkin Series (three-part novella series)

Technically it's seven titles, so believe me, I'm checking my inbox ALL the time... 

I'm trying to stay positive, and keeping up with the writing, but to be honest, it's disheartening.  To have books released is such a high, and to have them taken down is just as equally depressing, not to mention stressful. 

But in all that, I have created Tom and Cooper and I adore them. As in, seriously LOVE them.  I'm about one third through the third and final novella, Sense of Place, and I can't wait to see them published.  

Also, I'd like to thank everyone for the love and support for Blind Faith!  I've done the first-round edits on the sequel, Through These Eyes, and I've changed the ending. It now opens up an avenue for Mark to have a short story of his own. :)  No promises, and seriously NO clue when it can be written, but the idea is there. 

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone for the emails and pm's asking where they can get my books. Hopefully I will have good news soon!!

Publishing news...

I have some news...


Yes, I'm aware that today is the release day of Blind Faith. I was hoping this news would wait until next week, but apparently it's all happening today.

My three books, Taxes and TARDIS, Point of No Return, and Three's Company will be temporarily unavailable for purchase from today.

I'm hoping to find a new home for them soon, and will let you all know as soon as I know where you can get them from.

Blind Faith is released today through Silver Publishing and you can expect the sequel in March to be released through Silver as well. :)

Blind Faith will be available through the usual channels (Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc) in the usual 2-7 days after today. 

Thank you all for your understanding and patience in what has been a stressful time. 

I'm also hoping to have news on my new series soon, so I expect there will be busy times ahead. 

*mwah*

BLIND FAITH

It's almost release day for Blind Faith!  

So, to celebrate I'm giving away TWO copies!

I know it's common for all authors to say they fell in love with their characters. I know, I've done it. I've said it. 

These boys were no different. 

I adore them. I love Carter's ability to love so completely. I love Isaac and his defensive arrogance. I love Brady's loyalty.

*sigh*

But I adored Isaac the most. He's flawed, not by his blindness, but by his reluctance to let himself be loved. 

Carter has the patience of a saint, but by the same token, he takes no crap from Isaac. He refuses to let Isaac's inability to see stop them from having a normal relationship. 

Blind Faith is the story of how these two men meet in the middle, and how Carter can get Isaac to see what's in front of him before it's too late.

The story is told in first person, from Carter's POV, but it's Isaac who I fell in love with.

He's arrogant, short-fused and foul-tempered. This character has flaws, and he'd rather push people away than risk being hurt.

There is a song that I listened to while writing Isaac. And every time I've heard this song since, it makes me smile. 

The song is Better Than I Know Myself by Adam Lambert.

Copyright of RCA Records, a division of Sony Music 2012.

Here's an excerpt...

My next house call to Isaac's didn't exactly go as planned. I certainly didn't go there with the intent of asking him out, but that's exactly what happened.

 It was a Thursday, and since Isaac worked later on Thursdays, it was already getting dark. He and Hannah had only gotten home about ten minutes before I arrived. Isaac was in a good mood, he even smiled at me when I walked in.

He was just finishing up on a phone call on his cell, so he walked into another room, giving himself some privacy. I greeted Brady with a good pat and when I looked up, Hannah was grinning at me. She pointed toward the room where Isaac had gone, and whispered, "I have to whisper, because he has impeccable hearing, but I think he likes you."

Before I could respond, or even turn her words over in my head, Isaac walked into the room. "Sorry about that," he said, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Just sorting out details for work next week."

I was almost glad he couldn't see me, because I was still staring, open-mouthed, at his sister.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Hannah giggled, and I recovered quickly. "Oh, sure. Everything's just fine."

Isaac turned his face toward me. "Did she say something to you?"

Jesus.

Isaac was blind, yes. But he didn't miss a thing.

He turned his face in my direction. "Silences, pauses in conversation… you'd be surprised at how the lack of sight improves other areas of interpretation."

Hannah rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Isaac, I'll just be finishing up in the laundry, okay?" and with that, she left us alone.

So I checked Brady over, just as Dr Fields had told me to, asking a few questions about his diet and his behavior, which seemed to please Isaac. I noticed he was wearing another well-fitted suit like the one he wore the other day, and I wondered where he worked. So while everything was still going well, I decided to ask him some questions.

"Okay, my turn," I said.

"Your turn for what?" he asked quietly, hesitantly.

"For Twenty Questions."

Isaac sighed, and after a few seconds, he frowned. "Okay."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"Is that one of your twenty questions?"

"No," I replied. "Should I start again?"

"Jeez, Carter, that's eighteen to go."

I smiled, and with a laugh, I asked, "Okay, where do you work?"

"Hawkins School for the Blind."

"How long have you worked there?"

"I went there as a student," he explained. "Now I work there."

"What do you do?"

"I teach English, and I'm on the Board."

"Are all the students you teach blind?"

"To some degree."

"That's excellent," I told him. He turned his face toward me quickly, and I realized how my words might have sounded. "No, I mean your job is excellent, not that the students are blind."

"Oh," he said quietly.

Shit. Okay, next question. "How do you get around your house so well? You walk around like you can see."

He almost smiled. "I know where everything is. My mind has this house mapped out."

"That's pretty cool."

He gave me a half smile. "That's not a question."

I found myself smiling back at him. "How do you buy clothes? I mean, you're always impeccably dressed, and… and… "

"…and what?" he finished. "Everything matches?"

I laughed. "Well, yes. Do you just call Bloomingdale's and order their season collection?"

Isaac tried not to smile. "Hannah."

"Hannah what?"

"Hannah orders my clothes for me. She knows what I like, what suits me."

"Um, I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you know what suits you?"

Isaac smiled, but then he shrugged indifferently. "I don't. I can tell which fabrics are which by feeling them, and the quality, but as for color… or what's written on them."

"As in written on your clothes?"

Isaac nodded. "A few years ago, there were a few occasions where I'd, well, I'd pissed Hannah off, and she paid me back."

"Paid you back with what?"

"Well, apparently I've worn Sesame Street and Disney to school."

I looked at Isaac. "Really, Isaac? She did that to you?"

Isaac nodded. "Apparently. Of course I didn't know until I got to school and someone told me the Big Bird shirt I was wearing was so yellow even they could see it, and they only had ten percent vision." Then he added, "She hasn't done it in years though. Well, not that I've known."

I laughed incredulously. And then I laughed some more because it was funny.

Isaac scowled at me. "It's not that funny."

"Oh, yes it is," I told him. "What else does she do to you for payback?"

Isaac sighed. "She'll put broccoli on my plate and not tell me."

"And that's bad?"

He screwed his nose up. "Anything that tastes like broccoli is bad."

I laughed again, but he just shook his head and smiled. "You're really not very good at twenty questions, Carter. You've used up nineteen of your twenty and haven't really asked me anything."

"Oh, come on!" I said. "We were having a conversation! That's not fair!"

He smiled victoriously. "You have one more question, Carter. Better make it a good one."

I wanted to ask a lot of things. I wanted to know about Rosie, his guide dog before Brady. I wanted to know what he did for fun, if he had a girlfriend, or preferably a boyfriend. I had no clue if he was gay, and I realized, even if he wasn't, I wanted to know a lot of things about this man. So instead, I asked something else entirely.

"What are you doing on Saturday?"

* * * * 

Eeeeep!!  Aren't they gorgeous? lol

Don't forget, the sequel to Blind Faith, titled Through These Eyes, has a release date of March 30th 2013.  So there's more of these boys to come! :)

So for my give away, to celebrate the release of a story about two men and a remarkable dog, I'm giving away two copies.

All you need to do is leave a comment below.

Oh, and I'll be back next week with some big news!!