A Close Encounter with... Sage Marlowe

Sage Marlowe’s First Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway

After the Happily-Ever-After—Sub-Culture

Hello and welcome to the latest stop of my 1st Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway. One year has passed since my successful debut novel, Sub-Mission, was released on May 14, 2012, and a lot has happened during those twelve months. I’m taking the chance to look back and tell you a bit about the background of the books I’ve published, but also about things that happened in my life or that are on my mind. There’s one stop for every book, and of course, there are prizes waiting for you, because as always, good things for me mean good things for you, my dear friends and readers. Please read the “Giveaway” section below for details.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about Happily-Ever-Afters. As all of us romance readers and writers know, romance books require a HEA or at least a HFN, meaning the heroes / heroes & heroines / heroines live happily ever after with their loved ones, or at least happily for now with their future full of rosy promises. So far, so good, because hey, romance is escapism and we want our heroes & heroines to have happy endings in more than just the sexual sense.

But what does actually happen to our heroes & heroines after the HEA or HFN in a romance novel? Are their lives really full of roses once those magical two words “THE END” are written below their story?

The answer is simple: sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes we authors are happy with the way a story has turned out, and we know that we have told everything there is to tell about our characters’ story. And sometimes we realise that there is a lot more to tell.

One of those stories that weren’t over for me at “THE END” is Noah and Pierce’s journey. They found each other in Sub-Mission and while there was never really a question whether they’re a great match or not, they are the perfect example for a couple that gets wrapped up in daily life so much that they lose sight of what’s most important to them—having each other and being together.

Many of us know what it’s like once the novelty of being with someone has worn off. Lovers become partners, especially when kids join the game. Sleepless nights, demanding jobs, hectic days… Add to that some deeper, wicked yearnings that touch on issues you thought you never wanted to tackle and you have a complicated relationship waiting to be destroyed.

But hey, if romance books are escapism and they’re supposed to show us a world where all struggles are over at THE END, why would we want to read about such problems? They’re not much different from our own, after all. Again, the answer is simple: because those are the same problems so many of us are dealing with. Because Noah and Pierce’s story shows how important it is not to lose sight of our partners despite everything life throws at us and, above all, to trust them with our hearts and keep talking.

It took Noah and Pierce a long time to understand this. If you want to follow them on the second part of the journey, join them in

Sub-Culture

When life gets on top, delving into a sub-culture may be just what it takes to keep a sinking relationship afloat

Five years after the bumpy start to their relationship, Noah and Pierce have settled well into their lives as a happy couple. The arrival of a new child should have made their matrimonial bliss complete, but the strain of raising a baby and a teenager, combined with a lot of pressure in their jobs, is beginning to take its toll.

In the midst of what already is a potentially explosive situation, Noah’s younger brother Jonah comes to stay with them, forcing Noah to face the issues he still has regarding his homophobic parents and adding to the emotional pressure he is under.

When Noah starts behaving oddly and Pierce just can’t seem to put his jealousy to rest, the cracks in their relationship become too severe to ignore any longer. They struggle to keep their sinking love afloat but as Noah craves the comfort a certain sub-culture can offer, Pierce finds himself wondering just how far he is willing to step out of his own comfort zone to save their love.

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Amazon Ca: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Total-E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1950

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-subculture-1049258-145.html

Giveaway—Here’s what you can win:

#1 - Sage’s Goodie Package:

Contains a signed copy of Sub-Culture, a set of signed book cover photographs and some surprise goodies to spoil you

#2 - Create a character

Here’s your chance to create your very own fictional character that will be featured in one of my next books. The winner gets to pick the name and distinct features like hair / eye colour, height and a few personality quirks of a hero (male characters only, and please keep it doable…). Depending on the specification, I will either include him in a current WIP or use him as inspiration for a brand new story. The winner will also receive a free e-copy of this story once it’s published.

How to enter:

Leave a comment in the comment section asking to be entered in the giveaway. The winner will be picked at random and announced on my blog on May 20th. Multiple entries are allowed and will increase your chances to win. For additional terms and conditions, please go to http://www.sage-marlowe.com/p/contests.html

You can find the full tour schedule here: http://www.sage-marlowe.com/p/blog-tour-may-2013.html

 

About Sage Marlowe

Sage is a multi-published author of gay erotic romance novels and novellas and loves exploring the flavours of gay erotic fiction.

A willing slave to all the fascinating guys who keep queuing up and want their stories told, Sage can almost always be found cooking up the next hot story or daydreaming about new ways of rubbing sexy male bodies together to make the sparks fly.

Contact and buy links

Sage’s website & blog      Facebook     e-mail      Twitter      Goodreads      Amazon

For all books published with Total-E-Bound.     For all books published with Siren-BookStrand.