Hi all! A.M. Arthur here! I’m so excited to be at Book Reviews and More by Kathy to chat about my upcoming release, THE TRUTH AS HE KNOWS IT. TRUTH is the start of a new contemporary romance series with Samhain. And if it tells you anything, before I came up with the final title I was calling this book “Hot Cop and the Stripper.”
Sounds like a 1970’s buddy adventure movie, doesn’t it?
TRUTH is a very emotional book. The characters of Shane and Noel have fairly dark back stories, and they both work through a lot of things over the course of falling in love. It got me to thinking about the different emotional scenes I’ve written, and since I can’t narrow it down to one single most emotional, I’m going to give you my top three (in no particular order).
One of them is definitely from UNEARTHING COLE (Dreamspinner Press). Hero Cole is a survivor of emotional and physical abuse, and he’s escaped to his hometown to find a little bit of peace (and hide from his ex). He meets Jeremy, a local antiques store owner, and the pair forge a bond. The scene when Cole confides in Jeremy about the reason he finally left his ex definitely stands up there at the top of most emotional. It isn’t only the story he tells, but Jeremy’s unwavering support and how unveiling the pain is a step toward Cole healing.
Also in my top three is a scene from MAYBE THIS TIME (Carina Press). Ezra is the no-strings party animal who finds himself falling for the more reserved Donner. The pair’s connection is instant and fiery, but Ezra has a lot of secrets bottled up in his blonde little head. And no, the most emotional scene (for me) isn’t when he finally opens up to Donner about his parents. It’s the second-to-last scene. Micah’s graduation party. The confrontation with Ezra’s father. Guh.
The third on the list is actually in THE TRUTH AS HE KNOWS IT. This was an intense book, not only for the two heroes, but also for me while writing it. I teared up a few times, and I ugly-cried once. I made my editor ugly-cry a few times, too. It’s a scene very close to the end of the novel, in the trailer, between Noel and Shane. And that’s all I’m going to say.
What are some of your favorite emotional scenes from a novel? Something that made you cry?
Title: The Truth As He Knows It by A.M. Arthur
Perspectives Series Book One
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Romance
Length: Novel
Summary:
Lies are the chains that keep you weighed down at rock bottom.
Perspectives, Book 1
Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.
When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.
Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.
The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.
Product Warnings: Following on from the Cost of Repairs series, this book contains a closeted cop who’s looking for love, an indebted stripper who doesn’t believe he’s worthy, and a tasteful abundance of dirty guy sex. Also contains references to past physical abuse some readers may find disturbing.
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Purchase Links: Amazon * Samhain Publishing
Excerpt
“I want to see you again,” Shane said.
Noel grinned, flashing those dimples. “I’d like that too. My work schedule is pretty weird, though. I’m first shift, which is eleven at night to seven in the morning, five days, starting tomorrow.”
Shane worked that one around. It gave them daytime hours, and evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. He worked at the deli tomorrow, and Saturday was off the table. Probably Sunday too, for good measure. “When do you sleep?”
“Usually when I first get home, from about eight to two or three. Sometimes longer, depending on the night.”
“So you’re usually free dinnertime until like ten?”
“Pretty much.” Noel cracked an unexpected yawn. “Sorry, my schedule is a little off after spending the day with Tristan. I try to keep similar sleep times on my days off so I don’t get too screwed up.”
Shane stood, surprised. “How long have you been awake?”
“About thirty hours.”
“Shit, why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because I wanted to do this tonight. I’ve been thinking about you all week, and I’m glad I saw you at Mineo’s today. Really glad.”
“Me too.” Shane draped his arms around Noel’s waist. “And since this has been a fantastic night, I’m going to go before you pass out from exhaustion.”
“Do you want to get together tomorrow?”
He considered it for about two seconds. “My weekend’s pretty booked with work and stuff. Monday? We could maybe go out for real this time?”
“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get up Monday and we can hammer out the details.”
“Okay.”
Shane collected his clothes and dressed, taking his time because Noel was watching. The opposite of a striptease, and Shane kind of loved the novelty of it. He meant his good-night kiss to be soft, quick, but Noel held him tight and devoured his mouth until Shane was breathless and half-hard. God, he could kiss Noel for hours and not get tired of it. But he saw the fatigue in Noel’s eyes, and it was time to leave.
“See you soon,” Shane said. “And thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, cowboy.”
Shane strolled back to his car with a bounce in his step, positive he’d never be able to hear the word “cowboy” again without thinking of Noel Carlson.
Author Bio
A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone’s throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She’s been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn’t been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.
When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she’s an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.
Author Links: Email (cooking tips or book comments) * Website * Facebook * Facebook Fan Page * Twitter * Tumblr
Giveaway
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Thanks for sharing the excerpt and also for the giveaway