Misplaced Affection by Wade Kelly | Spotlight, Review Guest post & COMMENT Giveaway

Misplaced Affection

from Writer Wade Kelly

Contemporary New Adult Gay Romance

Novel (380 pages)

***** 5 Star review *****

Clichés are overrated and loving the boy next door may not be as genuine as the love Flynn sacrifices along the way.

Knowing he’s gay and acting on it were two separate notions to Flynn Brewer until he’d met Keith, his first boyfriend, in high school. Before then, being gay wasn’t as real as the pain of living day-to-day. Flynn’s fear of coming out to his religious best friend Zach in their conservative community destroyed his relationship with Keith, but Flynn rationalized his avoidance and bottled up the truth until it was regrettably too late.

Zachary Mitchell was the perfect son and role model as far as the outside world could tell. Active in his church while attending college, Zach had a personality that could sell anything, do anything, or be anything. Except, he couldn’t sell the truth to himself. Just when he was ready to reveal his internal conflict to Flynn and expose the darkness lurking in his heart, and in his “perfect” family, Zach met a girl and got sucked deeper into his chasm of deception.

Caught in a living Newton’s Cradle of his own design, Flynn must choose between idealistic childhood fantasy, or a tempestuous passion that could ignite the very air he breathes.

Grab your copy of Misplaced Affection now! 

Misplaced Affection is the story of three young men… Flynn, Zach and Keith, as they navigate their way through childhood, high school, love, loss and ignorance in an effort to find themselves and where they belong. Or more importantly, who they belong with.

Flynn Brewer lost his mother and his brother when he was still a child. Raised by an emotionally absent father since, he connected on a deeper level with his neighbor and best friend, Zach Mitchell more than anyone else. Flynn realized he was gay and that his feelings for Zach went beyond just friendship early on, but fear of losing that friendship and being ostracized by his friends if he came out kept him in a closet of sorts.

Keith Leppo never hides his sexuality, but he doesn’t wear it like a badge either. When he and Flynn start to explore being more than just friends, all Keith wants to do is shout it from the roof tops that Flynn is his. He is extremely jealous, likes to be in control and hates the bond that Flynn shares with Zach instantly. Flynn is adamant about his anonymity though and refuses to acknowledge he and Keith are anything more than friends, and Keith is surprisingly okay with that when it comes to everyone, except Zach.

The story unfolds in three parts from each young man’s POV, so parts of the story are told multiple times, but through a different set of eyes. That was one of my favorite things about the story, getting to watch a specific event unfold from three different vantage points gave the story depth and variety. As the story progresses you learn more about each character on a personal level, and something that Keith did or said while you were inside Flynn’s head that maybe pissed you off, took on new meaning when you saw it through Keith’s eyes, or even Zach’s. And you may think that this set up would be tedious, repetitive, but I assure you it is not. Each point of view is distinctly different and crucial to the overall fell of the story.

I laughed, then I cried, I laughed while I was crying and I tell you right now that laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. There is something to be said about an author that can take you to such an emotional place that you are snot slinging, chortling while your eyes are glued to the page, trying to anticipate if you should grab a drink next, or a tissue! Wade Kelly is like diet Amy Lane, very in sync with her ability to bring the angst and emotional outbursts to any story she writes. Three dimensional characters, flawed and believable, with a strong storyline and fantasticly driven secondary characters to give the overall feel of the book some spine.

Definitely a must read! Required reading materials include a full bottle of vodka and a new box of Kleenex though, be warned. An angsty and emotional story about finding your way in life, and being who you are regardless of the consequences. 


Guest post with Author Wade Kelly...

Hello Tams, thank you for having me here today!

And a BIG HELLO to all my lovely readers. I’m on another blog posting about my newest release Misplaced Affection. So far I think it has been received well. Some readers who picked it up because of the “hot guy one the cover” were new to my writing. So that is always fun! It is good to catch new readers.

With authors, it is always about marketing and promoting and hoping to snag new readers all the time. We are “starving artists” in many ways and readers are our lifeblood. Without readers, authors die. SO THANK YOU TO EVER READERS OUT THERE BECAUSE YOU ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO EACH AND EVER AUTHOR!!!!!!

Misplaced Affection is my fifth novel and I took a chance at self-publishing this time because I wanted the experience. I also wanted it out a bit faster than the previous release and I was able to get it to the readers within a couple months of completion. That is fun!! Plus, a bonus for me with self publishing is that I am able to get this produced in audio right away. Jason Frazier is a hot new voice in audio books and will be recording Misplaced Affection with all its angst and emotion over the next couple months.

My deadline for completion is April because Jason will then be attending the 7^th Annual Rainbow Book Fair in New York with me. Can you say WHOOT! WHOOT! Jason agreed to fly out from California to help promote my audio and sign autographs etc. I think this is super fun! There are four major signings and conventions I plan to attend this year and the Rainbow Book Fair is my stop! I will have all my books with me to purchase, and I will certainly sign any books you bring by my table! I will have swag to give away, and I would love to get pictures with fans and chat with you all!

In the six previous years that the Rainbow Book Fair has been around, I have been to four. I missed their first year because I was unaware of it and I was not published. In 2010 I took items to sell, but it was more to look around and get a feel for what it means to be an author and I was overwhelmed. So many readings and people, but it all looked fun. I went in 2011 & 2012 representing All Male Romance and I gave away swag for MANY authors that were a part of that group. I even met Damon Suede and Andrew Grey way back in those days! I missed 2013 because I think there was a gymnastics event on the same date and I love my daughter and skipped RBF for her. 2014 though, was the first one I had been to in the Holiday Inn Midtown. Boy was it BIG compared to previous events. I even did a reading and it went great!!!

I am really looking forward to being a part of the Rainbow Book Fair this year. The event supports the Center For Lesbian and Gay Studies. On their website they say that RBF if the longest running LGBT Book fair in the US. I think that is great!! I am a sponsor for the event and I will have a reading at some point during the day. I hope you will stop by Midtown and say hi if you are in New York on April 18^th! It will be loads of fun!

Besides the Rainbow Book Fair, I will also attend Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Dallas in May, Rainbow Con in Tampa in July, and GayRomLit in San Diego in October. If you are unable to go to any of these, please let me know what State you are in and I can keep you posted if an event comes to your area. You never know.

The excerpt I’m sharing is a “first kiss” because I made a nifty little “first kiss” AD for Facebook. Hahaha. Here ya go!

I laid a slice of cheese over the tuna and put the plate in the microwave for ten seconds, and then I glanced at Keith and gave him a wink, testing my bravery.

He groaned.

I chuckled and said, “Come here.” I knew I could be myself around Keith, but until now it had only been harmless flirting. Acting on my physical desires meant confronting my fears surrounding coming out. I didn’t want to be bullied, but I hated hiding. At what point would I have to choose?

He didn’t hesitate. Keith walked over to me and came right up in my personal space. He placed his hands on my hips and looked into my eyes as he licked his lips. “I’ve never kissed anyone before. Have you?” I shifted my eyes away momentarily, and he picked up on my thoughts. “Oh, that’s right—Zach, but you haven’t kissed anybody else?”

Our many conversations over the last couple months did make it around to the topic of my best friend who lived next door, and was now in college. I also told Keith about the kiss. We’d talked about being virgins sex-wise, but I had felt wrong letting him think I’d never kissed a boy, so I spilled the gory details over trigonometry homework.

“No,” I said. We gazed into one another’s eyes again and my heartbeat quickened. I felt his fingers caressing me through my shirt just above my belt. He leaned closer and our stomachs touched. Then the word “boyfriend” hit me somewhere between lust and logic. “So, should this be an official thing?” I asked, curiously, throwing him off as he blinked away his hormone-induced daze.

“Official?” He wasn’t getting my drift.

I explained, “Like, it’s the first time we’re messing around as boyfriends. If I kiss you, then are we officially official or are we open to dating other people?”

Keith’s grip loosened and I thought he was about to pull away, but he didn’t. He hung his head as if scared to answer.

“Keith?” I prompted.

He was looking away when he finally answered me. “I don’t really want an open relationship. I kinda want a boyfriend. One boyfriend.”

“Kinda?”

He looked up sharply. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not,” I said.

“Then why are you smirking at me?”

Keith’s irritation was adorable as hell. “I’m not,” I repeated.

“Yes, you are!”

He tried pulling away, but I held him firmly in my grasp. “Stop. I’m sorry. I promise I’m not laughing. I think you’re adorable. I’m glad you want a boyfriend, because I do too. Really.”

“Then why’d you ask that as if you wanted the freedom to go out with someone else? Someone like Zach.”

“Zach? It has nothing to do with Zach. I don’t want anybody else. I just wanted to find out if you did.”

Keith relaxed. “Promise?”

I nodded. “Promise.” I was suddenly acutely aware of our groins touching and how rapidly he was breathing. “Nervous?”

Keith nodded and swallowed hard.

I licked my lips and whispered, “Then I better make it good.”

After Keith closed his eyes, I leaned in and seductively licked his lips right before pressing my mouth to his. He shivered in my embrace, not expecting me to be so bold. I tilted my head and licked his lips before kissing him again. I wasn’t trying to coax him into using his tongue right away; I was teasing him, hoping he’d shake with anticipation. As soon as he opened his mouth, I backed away.

He made a little whining noise and I chuckled wickedly. “Don’t worry, that’s just the first taste.” I grabbed a hold of his hand and brought his fingers to my mouth. I kissed his knuckles before releasing his hand. “We agreed on slow, remember?”

His look of disappointment thrilled me because he had no idea what I was thinking. I planned on exploring his mouth and neck for hours.

Kissing Zach years ago felt like a dying ember compared to the sensation of Keith's lips on mine. Maybe it was because I was so much younger then, and I'd had no clue what I was doing.

Keith, on the other hand, was warm flesh, and sensitive eyes, and his kiss kindled the spark I had felt years ago with Zach into a roaring furnace. I’d had to step away when I kissed Keith, because suddenly I was feeling new, unexpected things. Kind of like when I heard the word “virgin” from his lips and I suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about his ass. Keith did things to me. I could feel my dick throbbing in my jeans, but I played it off as being devilish and teasingly making him wait. No, the waiting was for me so I could get myself under control. I didn’t want to rip his clothes off, but I knew if we had kept on kissing, that’s exactly what I would have done—he revved me up that much.

Thank you! I hope you liked the post and will stop by and see me in New York! Tams too because SHE WILL BE THERE!

And if you haven’t read any of my titles, I will give away an e-book from one of my back titles:

When Love Is Not Enough

The Cost of Loving

My Roommate’s a jock? Well, Crap!

Or, Names Can Never Hurt Me

Hugs,

Wade

Wade Kelly lives and writes in conservative, small-town America on the east coast where it's not easy to live free and open in one's beliefs. Wade writes passionately about controversial issues and strives to make a difference by making people think. Wade does not have a background in writing or philosophy, but still draws from personal experience to ponder contentious subjects on paper. There is a lot of pain in the world and people need hope. When not writing, she is thinking about writing, and more than likely scribbling ideas on sticky notes in the car while playing "taxi driver" for her three children. She likes snakes, can't spell, and has a tendency to make people cry.

{Image from GRL 2014 | Wade Kelly and Tams/TM Smith}

Author links: Website | Twitter | Dreamspinner | Amazon | Facebook

As Wade mentioned above, she is giving away to one lucky winner an e-book copy of ONE of her backlist titles... 

When Love Is Not Enough

The Cost of Loving

My Roommate’s a jock? Well, Crap!

Or, Names Can Never Hurt Me

So leave a comment below to be entered into this giveaway. You can simply say thank you to Wade Kelly for stopping by today and sharing her schedule for the year, or tell us which Kelly book is your favorite. Be sure to leave your email address or I will skip over your entry if it is the winning number, because I won't be able to contact you!

A huge thank you to Wade Kelly for stopping by today, until next time...