Guest Post & Giveaway: LC Chase interviews Kade Boehme

Hey, y'all! It's time for another fun guest post. First, we have our friend LC Chase interviewing the fabulous Kade Boehme about life in general and his newest release. Then Kade is sharing an excerpt from You Can Still See the Stars in Seattle. And on top of that, he's offering a copy to one lucky winner, so be sure to see the bottom of the post for rules on how to enter.

And, now, without further ado...

~*~

Hi there! LC Chase, here.

To save my good friend Kade from interviewing himself—and because I already worry about the conversations he has with his fictional characters *g*—I decided to step in and throw some questions at him about his new book You Can Still See the Stars in Seattle, writing, and dancing like Britney. Enjoy! 

 

LC Chase: Twilight Zone...or the Outer Limits?

Kade Boehme: Twilight Zone, duh. Best. Theme song. Ever.

LC: Good answer. Now here's the tricky part: original black and white, or the remakes?

Kade: Oh, c'mon! That's EASY. Original black and white. Preferably the first three seasons with Rob Serling. That voice. *orgasmic shudder*

LC: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? And why did you choose the M/M romance genre?

Kade: I don't think it was ever a realization so much as I've ALWAYS done it. Same with M/M. I was writing about boys who love boys, even in short stories and *cough* smut, *cough* for the Nifty Archives back when I probably shouldn't have been doing such things. But you know how us boys will be boys.  So there I was writing something that I NEVER thought would be publishable. And BAM... here I am.

LC: Funny how things just seem to happen like that sometimes, eh?

Kade: It's so weird. Like, I never thought there would be such a popular genre where gay men actually got their stories told. Then I picked up an M/M back in '07 in a brick and mortar and I saw the light.

LC: And the light is a beautiful thing.  What were something surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Kade: There are three things that stick out to me the most. 1) How attached I get to the damned characters makes me fear for my mental health. 2) The writing is actually WORK when you're committed to it being the best thing you can put out there. Those badass readers deserve the best you can give 'em. (Although, who could ask for a cooler job? I'm just sayin'.) And 3) I was not prepared for how much I'd blush when I wrote a dirty scene. I'm a total slut-face but GEEZ. My stepmother reads my books!

LC: I have to agree with #1. I worry about your mental health sometimes too, when your characters are actually tapping you on the shoulder.

Kade: Why do I hang out with you again? K

LC: You love me. Moving on. This is kind of a three-parter. Can you tell us a little about your newest release, You Can Still See the Stars in Seattle? Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? How did you come up with the title?

Kade: Well, the title started it all. It was a random line in a text message that gave me one story idea. Andy Riley from Wide Awake then decided to inform me that he' d like a turn telling his own story, please, and You Can Still See the Stars in Seattle was his. It was all definitely from imagination, though. Well, except Madyson. She is actually based on a really good friend of mine. She's the only real life influence, other than maybe a name here or a Seattle landmark there. My favorite part to write was definitely a scene between Andy and Tyler, from Wide Awake. It was cool revisiting that in a totally different way. And good lord, writing Andy's shenanigans... He's probably been one of my favorite characters thus far.

LC: So loving that story. What does your protagonist think about you? Would Andy want to hang out with you, his creator?

Kade: Oh lord yes. We're both from Atlanta, we both drink too much and we both like baseball. Though I'm way more—as you would put it—glittery than he is. He'd give me a lot of shit, but he's extremely good natured. He really likes everybody. Well, except his cousin Amanda, but that's all complicated and it's in the book.

LC: There you go with the teasing again... Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

Kade: I try to stick with the theme that's kinda become my brand: the fight for love. I feel like characters should be as realistic as possible, without losing the loveliness that comes with being an M/M character. It is character driven romantic fiction, after all. But I still feel like they have to fight for and earn their HEA. I'll NEVER just hand it to them freely. I want that for every character. When someone tells me I did something authentic, that's the best compliment I can ever receive.

LC: That is definitely a great compliment.

Kade: It’s one I’ve seen and it’s super humbling.

LC: So, how does your writing process look? Consistent with regular amounts of word counts daily/weekly… or more sporadic with a gush of words all at once and then a dry bed for a while?

Kade: Well, I consistently do at least 1200 words a day on my main project, even if it's just adding to something already written or making revisions. But I'm what I call a "Manic Writer". Yeah. It's exactly what it sounds like. I'll sit down at least twice in a week for like five hours and spill out 10k. I'm known for working on three projects at once, and it's not unheard of for me to have a 15-20k word burst in a weekend. It's pretty insane. If they could all just be on ONE THING, that'd help immensely.

LC: What would YOU like your readers to know about this book, or you in general?

Kade: It's not a long book, but it's been my most painstakingly planned book. I'm usually a bit less linear, much more off the maps with my writing. This one, Andy was pretty insistent I get right. It's not lengthy, but I promise there was a LOT of love put into it. Some of my favorite characters yet are in this one, the length made it to the goal accidentally and unforced, and the effing cover is AMAZING.

LC: *g* What can we expect to see next for you?

Kade: I have one that's finished, my largest project to-date. Trust the Cut. It's about ready to be sent to publishers. It's a lot darker than WA or Stars, so I'm interested to see how people respond to it. It's a really personal work. Probably the biggest piece of my soul went into writing Jesse and Tucker's story. Other than that, my next big projects are being co-written, and I don’t know who's okay with me saying what just yet.

LC: *sigh* More with the teasing. Do all the boys really put up with that?

Kade: You'd be surprised. ;)

LC: Er... Actually I'm thinking maybe I wouldn't. *g*

Kade: *laughs* But you know me too well so it's cheating.

LC: One more before the bonus questions. What's a day in the life of Kade Boehme like?

Kade: Hmph. Weekdays I'm pretty tame. Okay...so maybe I start EVERY day by dancing in my underwear. But that's just my pick me up. There's a lot of writing and work. But weekends... There's always meeting up with my girl MJ O’Shea for drinks, dancing, cream cheese hot dogs, donuts and Azteca. In that order.

LC: Everyone should start their day off dancing in their underwear.

Kade: I agree. Good for the heart. And it doesn't hurt with the legs either. Spin class ain't got shit on a good Britney Spears dance routine.

LC: *laughs* Okay. Bonus Questions:

Music? ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Yes. Even country. I am from the South. Preferably upbeat music, though. I'm pretty upbeat and part of that is the people I surround myself with and the music I listen to.

Food? Italian. Pasta. Pizza. Any kind. Any way. Give me carbs or give me death. I also LOVE Japanese cuisine, but I’m on a no carb diet at the moment so I’m kinda obsessed with the idea of pasta right now.

Color? Blue. Any shade. I love it.

Season? I’m totally a spring/summer kid. I spent a lot of my life on the beach. I love driving with the windows down, music loud or reading on the beach.

First future ex-husband? Definitely Quinn Jaxon. Google him. I won't have to answer any more questions.

Blurb

 

When Andrew Riley arrives in Seattle to work at an underprivileged school at the request of his cousin, Amanda, he finds himself sharing accommodations with her current boyfriend—his estranged high school friend, Jacob Chase. Living in close quarters and working with Jacob at the school brings Andy’s old crush on Jacob back to the surface, but for the same reasons then as now he can’t let it be known: Jacob is straight, very uptight, and now involved with Andy's cousin. Add to that the fact Andy's guilty over a betrayal to a lost love because of his infatuation for Jacob and he's convinced he shouldn't tempt fate.

Jacob Chase has loved Andy his whole life, but nothing scared him more than when he thought Andy might return that love. Denying his feelings broke his heart, but there was no way Jacob could accept his homosexuality. So he did what all good southern boys were brought up to do: got married and had a child. Only that led to him cheating, his wife running off with their son, and Jacob trying to atone for his mistakes by living the straight and narrow with Amanda. But with Andrew is back in his life can he keep up the facade? Can finally surrendering to love show him where his future really lies, or will it destroy his chances of ever having his son in his life? Can they both get over the hurt they've caused in their search for one another?

 

 

 

Prologue

 

There’s a welling up of pain that starts deep in your chest when you know you’re going to lose your shit and cry. Andy Riley knew exactly what was sitting in his chest at that moment, but he couldn’t lose it. He fucking couldn’t. No one even knew he was there, which was how he wanted it. He couldn’t make a sound because he couldn’t draw attention to his grief. He didn’t deserve to grieve the star that had fallen in the blink of an eye on a lonely freeway.

 

Andy had loved that boy, that star, but not like he should have loved him. That’s why he’d been flying. Derek Roberts had flown down that damn black road then straight up to become just another patch of darkened sky.

No one knew what Andy knew.

Andy watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground and the parents grieved. In that moment he realized what it truly felt like to have contributed in destroying something good. Even had Derek lived, he never would have trusted the same, loved the same or touched someone the same way that he had Andrew.

Andy knew that boy had been the best he could have ever asked for, ever dreamed of, but he’d ruined everything by making Derek think he was, unfortunately for both Andy and Derek, second best. Andy fought to make Derek understand that he loved him; he didn’t mean to still hold on to Jacob so tightly in his heart. But it had been irrevocable. Now, it was forever.

A tear that he had struggled against rolled down Andy’s cheek as he looked at Derek’s mother, whose black dress must have been sweltering in the Southern sun. She looked very elegant and poised, until her gaze landed on Andy. She knew how deeply her son had loved Andy and she’d accepted it with open arms, though she’d never known Andy had been too cowardly to ever come out for Derek. Andy was pissed he had been spotted, mostly because he wanted to buckle under the sympathy in that wonderful woman’s gaze.

He didn’t deserve it. He was being a coward, still holding onto a hopeless crush for someone he hadn’t seen in fucking years and would probably never see again.

Andy turned and walked to his truck as other mourners surrounded Angela Roberts, slipping away before she could give him comfort he certainly couldn’t accept from her of all people. He still wasn’t sure how he’d gone from trying to contain the welling pain in his chest while watching the funeral to following the procession to the cemetery where he’d fought back vomiting on everyone. Visions of Derek’s tears as he’d fled their shared dorm room three nights ago filled his mind, and when he tried to turn his mind’s eye elsewhere it just focused on Jacob Chase.

Jacob Fucking Chase. Andy slammed the truck door hard and cranked the key in the ignition. Jacob had been one of his friends all through middle school and high school. They’d shared almost every experience together. And Andy had been hopelessly in love with him. It hurt to love the boy and know he could never have him, even when he was within touching distance every day. But Jacob had seen it.

One night after graduation Andy had not been able to stop himself from almost kissing his very straight friend. He knew love had shined from every pore of his body because he’d hoped that night was his chance. He’d had one of those inkling moments. He’d been wrong.

Jacob had shoved him back and run off into the night, much like Derek had. Andy called and texted, but he’d never seen Jacob again. Without that closure, even as he’d fallen hopelessly for the joy and brightness that was his college roommate Derek’s rising star, and even though that love was reciprocated more than Andrew could have hoped for, Andy had failed Derek. The unrequited hope that Jacob would one day come flying back into his life had remained steadfast. And he’d drunkenly called out Jacob’s name. After two years of loving that beautiful man, how could he do something so preposterous as to call out a straight man’s name? A man whom he had not seen in three long years?

Who destroyed a heart as wide open as Derek’s?

Andy turned the ignition over and drove as fast as he could from the cemetery, pulling into a gas station parking lot a few miles before his mother’s house. He changed out of his suit, stuffed it into a duffel bag, and then put on the gym clothes he usually wore after baseball practice—where his mother thought he’d been. He didn’t want to disillusion her. He had enough guilt for a dozen men right then and dumping that shit on his mother, while she was in the middle of a divorce from his piece of shit, abandoning father, was the last damn thing she needed. He’d caused himself his debilitating grief and he deserved to carry it around alone.

As he got back into his truck a single, body-wracking sob tore through him. He shook violently as tears streamed down his face, visions of Derek’s guileless blue eyes drowning in tears, his tousled hair, his expression feral, as he’d dressed and fled from the hurt Andy had shot through his heart. God, Andy would see that face for-fucking-ever.

He sat up straighter, shook the fuzziness of overwhelming grief out of his head, and tried to pull it together. He would just have to suffer through his bone weary tiredness, the ache that only came from true grief, and he would have to ignore the way his lungs stopped mid-breath, as if trying to force him into experiencing the emotions he was not letting his brain focus on. He gritted his teeth. No more feeling sorry for himself. He turned the key in the ignition and headed off to comfort his mother.

 

Buy You Can Still See The Stars in Seattle here.

 

 

~*Giveaway Rules*~

Leave a comment on this entry with your name and email address. That counts as one entry. If you want to toss your name into the pot more than once, you can do one, or all, of the following:

-Be a follower of Babes in Boyland +1 (If you're already a follower, that counts too! Just mention it. :))
-Pimp this contest on your Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads status, etc., and provide us with a link to said promotion(s). +1 per link
-Follow us on Twitter! (See the sidebar for our names and links to our accounts). If your Twitter name is different than the one you use here, please let us know. +1 for each of us. (Kade too! @kaderadenurface)

And that’s it!

Contest ends: 3/20/2013, Wed, at 9PM CDT.

Note: This contest is open worldwide. We will contact the winner via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact us, or we will draw again. Winner will be chosen by random drawing. And I know it shouldn’t have to be said, but if you win, please respect the intellectual property of the author and don’t share the book or give it away to anyone else.

~*This contest is open to adults age 18 and up. Your comment confirms that you are of legal age.*~