Greetings and thanks so much for joining me on the Earthquake Ethan blog tour! I thought I’d shake things up a bit and answer some “Between Two Ferns” type questions about the book and my motivations in writing it. Here we go:
- How did you choose the topic for this book? Ethan was a character mentioned only by name in book one, Hurricane Reese, and I wanted to know what happened to him after the first show wrapped in London just before the action of Hurricane Reese starts. Manager Arthur Frye has been such a rock for everyone in the series as well as the book Everything’s Better With You and, well, I knew I needed to get to know him better. His backstory, which includes being the child of Hollywood legends gave the story meat and allowed me to indulge myself on all things Hollywood (there will be another blog post about my Rabbit Hole Research for this project!) I’ve always been a huge geek about stories behind the movies and the people who made them, just as I geek out about the stories behind the music. Having the opportunity to put all these things in one book? YES, PLEASE!
- What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them? My goal with this book was to get the characters through the musical, which is called Boy. In book one, Reese comes home to take care of his grandfather, Thomas, who was a piano player for Frank Sinatra and one of the top jazz pianists on the West Coast. They’d planned to catalog his music and Reese was inspired to write a musical using his grandfather’s music. He plotted the story with Toby to be about when his grandparents’ met, but the story shifts when Reese finds himself in love. Book Two kicks off the pre-production of the show, and I knew I needed to show the musical performed on stage in book three. I needed their hard work and sacrifice to pay off with a memorable performance.
- What was the hardest part of writing this book? In addition to the characters from the first two books showing up, Arthur’s tie to characters from my Teacher trilogy meant that I could bring them back so we could see where they were four years after the action in Teacher: The Final Act. That meant a larger cast of characters, and I also wanted this book to stand alone if folks hadn’t read any of the others. Did I accomplish this? My beta readers seemed to think so. I hope you do too!
- Who did your cover, and what was the design process like? I was lucky enough to work with KaNaXa when the first two books were under contract with my former publisher. When I re-released them indie, I contacted her and asked her to help me reimagine the covers with an illustrated look. We had so much fun coming up with the covers for Reese and Toby, finding scenes from the book that would really be awww-inducing to readers. Then when Romancelandia stepped in to raise money for Haiti, I bid on KaNaXa’s offer to do a cover. She was happy to work with me again to finish out the series and I fell hard for her design. We did have some rather funny moments, including when Mr. Ro decided the cover was showing something else about to happen than a nice cuddle. Once he pointed it out we couldn’t unsee it, so KaNaXa was able to adjust Ethan so he didn’t look like he was, uh, going deep sea diving. Or something…ahem. These three books are beautifully covered and I can’t wait to have the paperback of Ethan in my hot little hand!
- What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about him or her. Earthquake Ethan was supposed to be the finale of this series…but when I met Audra, I had other ideas. So I’m calling it a finale…For Now. Stay Tuned…
- Who has been your favorite character to write and why? Part of the reason this book has so many characters is that I can’t stop thinking of Jesse and Danny Black. They have been my favorite MF couple to write. I published these books in 2015, my 3rd, 4th, and 5th books and I am still in love with them. When Reese and Toby’s show needed a choreographer, hey, Jesse Martin-Black would be perfect, and since Danny had ties to Hollywood through his friendship with a legendary producer, it just made sense that the two of them would be instrumental in the show’s success. Danny is also bisexual and so the show really hits close to him and Jesse as well.
- What’s your core motivation in this book? To see a group of people trying to make a statement with their art, to show that #LoveisLove, and to hopefully give readers some hearty giggles and swoons. Oh, and there’s a project that Ethan gets attached to in the book that I WISH would actually happen. Maybe I’ll write the screenplay!
Sound good? Here are links to all the books in the series plus the Teacher Trilogy as you’ll find many of the characters from those books in Ethan.
Join this band of natural disasters as they put on the show of their lives! Thank you for joining me on the Earthquake Ethan blog tour! Stay Tuned for More…
R.L. Merrill has a new contemporary MM romance out, Forces of Nature book 3: Earthquake Ethan.
The Earth shook the morning actor Ethan Bradley arrived in Los Angeles looking for a second chance. He hoped his former producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths meant it when they said to look them up if he were ever in LA because he had no other options. The pictures the paparazzi took at the wrap party for their London show made sure of that. What he wasn’t counting on was the reception he got from their manager, Arthur Frye. He was absolutely the kind of together guy Ethan wished would notice him, and for more than his pretty face and talent. Too bad Arthur only sees Ethan as a complication.
Arthur Frye has his hands full with his best clients—and best friends. The last thing he needs is another diva to care for, especially one who has a reputation for causing trouble. He has a strict rule against getting involved with the talent, no matter how pretty they are. Only Ethan Bradley shines for real, and when Arthur realizes his nice-guy innocence is genuine, he’s ready to do anything to help Ethan get his career back on track and get him out of LA. He’s too much of a temptation, and Arthur can’t afford to lose focus…not even for a chance at happiness for himself. Especially not when his star clients are about to risk their professional and personal happiness with their newest creation; a musical about two boys falling in love in the 1960s featuring music written by Reese’s grandfather, whose health is in decline.
Ethan Bradley shakes things up wherever he goes, and Arthur Frye is afraid he’ll be left in the wreckage if he gets too close. Can these two opposites find love on solid ground?
Warnings: implied sexual abuse off page
About the Series
Forces of Nature follows a group of talented men who are natural disasters, and the men who love them.
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Giveaway
R.L. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour:
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47309/?
Excerpt
The morning after Ethan Bradley landed at LAX the earth shook. Literally. Being from Iowa, he’d always been afraid of earthquakes. He remembered watching footage when he was a little boy of the one that hit Northridge and it stayed with him. He’d even turned down a part in the film San Andreas because he was terrified of the real thing.
Plus—at the time—he’d wanted to be considered a serious actor, and accepting a role in a Hollywood disaster blockbuster didn’t fit in with his professional goals. Instead, he’d ended up going to London to film a clever romantic comedy. Then came the stage and more accolades at the age of twenty-six than he’d imagined possible.
When his hotel room rattled his first morning in LA and sent him diving under the desk in the early hours, he’d wished he’d stayed.
But London had nothing to offer him after the paparazzi ruined his life, and he couldn’t go home. So there he was, back in the states, and ready to grovel before his former producer—and crush—for a role, any role, that would allow him to get back to doing what he loved…acting, singing, performing.
Love was a strong word. It was what he knew, what he was good at, where his God-given talents lay.
He’d come to LA with a plan. Sort of. Go see Reese Matheson. Pray he opened the door and took pity on him. And that he didn’t hold a grudge.
He plugged the Malibu address he’d gotten from his London manager’s office into the Lyft app and went outside to wait for his ride. And prayed.
If Reese wouldn’t see him, he had a plan B.
He’d go to see Reese’s business partner Toby Griffiths. Which was probably a terrible idea, but the best he had.
Because there was no plan C.
He had exactly fifty dollars cash on him and a credit card dangerously close to being maxed out. Rock bottom was flying up to meet him fast.
The Lyft driver dropped him off at the end of a long driveway leading to a quaint little house that backed up to the Malibu shoreline. He knew nine o’clock on a Sunday morning was early, but the earthquake had shaken him so much, he couldn’t wait to get out of his room at the Holiday Inn. He’d been to LA before to promote his films, but he’d never felt comfortable among the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
Malibu had the scenery people thought of when they imagined Southern California. Palm trees, mountains that broke off into the sea, miles of sand with beautiful people jogging along the water’s edge. It was picturesque, and sometimes cliché. For Ethan, it represented his last hope.
He climbed the steps, cleared his throat, reached for that enthusiastic confidence that used to come so easy for him once upon a time—
The door opened before he even had a chance to knock.
The short Filipino man standing there in a pair of scrubs had one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.
“Can I help you?”
His tone didn’t come across as helpful, despite his words.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m looking for Reese Matheson? My name is—“
“I know who you are.” The man’s raised eyebrow turned into a frown. “Just a minute,” he said before closing the door with a little less force than a slam.
Breathe. It’s fine. Reese is a good guy. He won’t be angry that I showed up. He’s a generous, kind person—
Author Bio
R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing about contemporary issues that affect us all or diving deep into the paranormal and supernatural to give readers a shiver, she loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after.
Winner of the Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Best Contemporary award for Hurricane Reese, Foreword INDIES finalist for Summer of Hush and RONE finalist for Typhoon Toby, Ro spends every spare moment improving her writing craft and striving to find that perfect balance between real-life and happily ever after.
She writes diverse and inclusive romance, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and works on various other writing and mentoring projects that tickle her fancy or benefit a worthy cause. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.
Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com
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