Blog Tour: The World as He Sees It, by A.M. Arthur (Excerpt, Interview, and Giveaway!!!)

Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor

The World As He Sees It, by A.M. Arthur
Series: Perspectives, Book Two (Stand-Alone)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (October 20, 2015)
Page Count: 283 pages
Genre: Gay (M/M) Romance

Welcome to the blog tour for A.M. Arthur’s newest release, The World As He Sees It, which is the second book in her “Perspectives” series! I am RIDICULOUSLY excited to be hosting this tour today… if you follow me at all, you know that I’m a pretty big A.M. fangirl.

I adored The World As He Sees It, which has the kind of real, down-to-earth, gorgeous characters that A.M. is known for, but with a fantastic twist: Tristan, one of the main characters, has no short-term memory! You can read my 4.5 star review here.

Keep reading for an excerpt from the novel, my interview with A.M. herself (in which she dishes about her upcoming novels!!!), and your chance to win an INCREDIBLE gift basket prize!

Summary:

Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.

Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications.

Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him.

Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders.

A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.

Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…

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Excerpt:

The late hour didn’t diminish the sweltering August heat, and Tristan worked up a good sweat walking. Shane and Noel both looked crazy sexy in their club clothes, and even sexier walking side by side. He was happy for Noel. Happy his best friend was in love and enjoying himself.

He was also stupidly, insanely jealous.

He stuck close with his stupid, insane jealousy because the streets were teeming with people of all ages, heading into and out of the different restaurants and clubs. They turned down a quieter side street that was more like an alley. Halfway down the block a few guys hung out against a stone wall, most of them smoking cigarettes. An industrial door with no sign or markings was being guarded by a big, burly bear of a man in a black leather vest.

“Hey, Officer Carlson,” the bouncer said. He had a deep voice to match his broad body. “Nice to see you again.”

“Hi, Mr. Henson,” Noel said.

“Bear, son. Everyone calls me Bear.”

“Right. This is my friend Tristan Lavelle.”

“A right pleasure.”

Tristan shook Bear’s hand, surprised by the gentle grip. “Hi.” He glanced at Shane, who didn’t seem at all annoyed at being left out. “Um, that’s Shane. Noel’s boyfriend.”

Bear grinned. “Yeah, I know that one all right.”

“You do?” He reached for a notebook he didn’t have, then looked at Noel for answers.

“Shane dances here once a week,” Noel said. “He got the job through Bear’s son Gabe.”

“Oh.” He didn’t bother asking if he’d already been told that. Probably. Every single piece of information that was mildly important to his life had been repeated to him at least, oh, eighteen times. Minimum.

“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Bear said. “First drinks are on the house.”

“Thank you,” Tristan replied.

Noel pulled the door, and what had been a distant bass became an impressive thumpa-thumpa in Tristan’s chest. The interior of the club was wide and deep, with a high ceiling decorated in strands of red and blue lights. Strobes and other lighting flashed around the dance floor, which seemed to make up most of the floor space. A small U-shaped bar stood to the right. In the rear were what looked like raised platforms. Two hot guys in red short-shorts were gyrating together on one of them.

This is the kind of dancing Shane does? Shit.

He was probably twenty kinds of hot up there.

Someone jostled past them, reminding Tristan to keep moving forward. Noel was hustling them straight for the bar. Tristan couldn’t drink alcohol because of his antidepressants and anxiety medications, and Noel was driving so the only person able to drink much was Shane.

Lucky bastard.

Not that Tristan was going to mourn his dry night. Men. Everywhere around him, a sea of hot men. All kinds of eye candy. Every age, height, weight, shape and body hair amount. He observed and mentally drooled over the flesh on display. The air smelled of liquor and sweat and sex, and good Lord he was starting to get lightheaded from it all.

Noel nudged them closer to the bar. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a pink sequined vest gave them all a big, toothy smile. “Noel and friends,” he said. “Richard Brightman, pleased to officially meet you, Tristan.”

“Hello,” Tristan said. Officially meet you implied they’d interacted before, but the man’s name meant nothing to him.

“I’m Bear’s husband. We own the place.”

“Oh. It’s a great place. I’m pretty sure this is my first time. I like it.”

Noel flinched.

Okay that was wrong. When was I here before?

“So what are we drinking tonight?” Richard asked. “First round on the house. Samuel Adams for you, Shane?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Shane replied.

Richard knows because Shane works here.

“I’ll have a vodka tonic,” Noel said. “Tris?”

“Virgin margarita,” Tristan said. He loved margaritas, and while a virgin wasn’t as good as one with Patrón, he couldn’t mix with his meds.

“Coming up,” Richard said.

The music changed to a faster, sharper beat. Tristan’s hips rolled in tiny motions, instinct bringing out his love of club dancing. Of getting into it with another dude, all writhing bodies and gyrating hips. Arms and legs. Sweat and heavy breathing.
Wonderful arousal stirred in his gut, heating his blood already. He might not be getting laid tonight, but damn it, he was going to have some fun.

“Hey, you guys made it,” said a sexy, sultry voice.

Tristan glanced over his shoulder to see who the voice had spoken to, only to find himself staring into a pair of kind, dark eyes. Kind, dark eyes belonging to a stunningly handsome face. Black hair. Tan skin. Tall and well-built. A walking wet dream who was smiling like they were old friends.

Holy fucking hell, he’s gorgeous.

“Hey, Gabe,” Shane said.

Gabe.

Those kind, dark eyes never broke from his, and Tristan couldn’t look away. Gabe was a stranger, and yet somehow familiar.

His eyes. The eyes I see. We’ve met.

“We’ve met,” Tristan said before he could think twice.

Gabe’s eyebrows twitched. “Yes, we have. Do you remember that?”

“I remember your eyes.”

Where to Buy the Book:
Publisher / Amazon.com / All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble / Kobo Books / iTunes

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Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M. Arthur, author of The World As He Sees It (Perspectives #2).

Hi A.M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello! I’m a contemporary m/m romance author (who occasionally dips into paranormal). I hail from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, equal distances from beaches and corn fields, and I currently share my apartment with two rascals of kitties.

My current book, The World As He Sees It, is the second in my Perspectives series with Samhain Publishing. It’s Tristan and Gabe’s book, and anyone who read the first Perspectives knows why Tristan is super special. He has severe short term memory loss, which prevents him from living a fully realized life. Gabe spends all of his time and money taking care of his alcoholic mother, which prevents him, also, from living a fully realized life. I’m so excited for readers to finally get their story.

Do you buy a book because of the cover, the blurb, or something else?

Sometimes, always, and sometimes. Does a cover attract or repel me? Yes. But if the blurb is good and enticing, I can forgive a bad cover. I always base a buying decision on the blurb. I won’t buy anything that doesn’t give me a good idea of what’s inside (I hate paperbacks where the entire back cover is pull quotes, but no actual summary or blurb). If the blurb doesn’t draw me in, I’m done—even if the book is a recommendation. Other things that might lead me to buy a book are recommendations or good reviews by people who share my taste.

What does ‘romance’ mean to you?

That’s a tough one, because in my own life, I’m not a romantic person. I understand it, and I see it in other people, but I don’t seek it out. To me, in terms of fiction, romance is two people who connect and who want to be together, and who each put the other person first. Romance is doing nice things for the other person, trying to elevate them and make them feel special. It’s love, too, but those other things are just as important.

What are your current projects?

The Heart As He Hears It (Perspectives #3) is coming out with Samhain Publishing in April 2016. This is Jon “Boomer” Buchanan’s story. You briefly met him in book one, and he has a bigger part in book two (Gabe’s BFF and workout buddy). His hero’s name is Isaac and he’s a character who, like Tristan, you just want to wrap him up in a soft blanket and feed him cookies until the hurt goes away.

I have a new series that I’m working on for Carina Press, tentatively called “All Saints.” Still in the Wilmington area, this series is going to be NA and center on a group of young people who are involved in an LGBT youth homeless shelter. The first book, Come What May, is finished, and I’m really excited about it. It should release sometime next year.

Also on the books for next year is a brand new series with Swerve, a digital-first imprint of St. Martin’s Press. Body Rocks, Steady Stroke and Hot Licks are the titles of the first three books in the “Off Beat” series, and they will all center around musicians. This is the Sekrit Project I teased on Twitter all summer.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Self-doubt is a big one. Now that I’ve been writing and publishing m/m for four years, I have a great audience of loyal readers, and I want to always do my best for them. So sometimes I second-guess myself. Will they like this character? Does this feel like XYZ’s plot re-told with new people? Will an HIV positive character turn readers off? But at the end of the day, I have to write the book that makes me happy, and then hope for the best.

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people.

When I was in high school, I was a huge Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine nut. I had the action figures, the playsets, the fake tricorder. I even owned a uniform shirt and actual communicator that made noise. I’ve sold off the majority of that collection over the years, but I still have a few autographed action figures I haven’t been able to part with.

Thank you so much for joining us today!

About the Author:

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.

Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments).

Where to Find the Author:
Facebook Author Page / Twitter
Pinterest / Tumblr / Blog / Goodreads

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