Lucky in Loveland by K-lee Klein: Interview, Excerpt and Give-away

I’m delighted to welcome K-lee Klein and her new release, Lucky in Loveland, to my blog today. We have a fun-packed post planned for you. Below you’ll find a give-away and excerpt as well as everything you want to know about the book. But we start with the questions K-lee was kind enough to answer for me.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog. Lucky in Loveland is my first self-published book and comes out on February 13.

1.    Tell us something about your writing routine.

My writing routine is sporadic at best. I tend to write more in the morning and late at night (early morning, I guess). I can also write 34,000 words in two weeks then nothing for another two. And in the realm of TMI, my muse's favourite writing spot is in the tub on my iPad. Lol.

2.    Do you have a favourite trope / subject to write about?

I have quite a few. I love friends to lovers, cowboys, rockstars, May-December, and paranormal, but hurt/comfort is probably my favourite of the lot, even better when I can mix it with some of the others.

3.    Is there any subject you refuse to write about?

I'll probably never write BDSM because I know nothing about it and I don't really read it either. Rape or non-con isn't my thing either.

4.    What are your favourite books / authors?

Oh tough one. I think I'm a little old school in my faves. My first m/m books were by TA Chase, JL Langley, and ZA Maxfield, and they factor into comfort reads—the Home series, With or Without series, and Drawn Together, respectively in order of author. I also love Chris Owen's Bareback, Amy Lane's Keeping Promise Rock, and man, there are just so many. J

5.    What would people be most surprised to find out about you?

Damn, if anyone follows me on Facebook I'm pretty much an open book. But okay…I spent a lot of 2010 following Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars around the U.S. and Canada. I believe I went to 14 or 15 gigs that year. Rock on, dude.

6.    Do you listen to music while writing? If yes, what sort of music do you prefer or does that depend on the story you’re writing?

I definitely do. I like background noise whether in the form of music or my fave movies (Captain American: The Winter Soldier is on a lot, lol). What I listen to usually depends on what I'm writing. If it's my cowboys, then I listen exclusively to Christian Kane. For romantic scenes (ha – no judgment) it's Back Street Boys or One Direction. But it can also vary from Seether and Thirty Seconds to Mars to boy bands and hard rock.

7.    Lucky in Loveland is the first book in a series. Can you tell us something about your plans for future books in this series?

Sure. The next book—Lost in Loveland—will centre more on Jack who is Lucky's love interest in the first book. Jack is still new to Loveland and he comes from a different world than Lucky, but not in a supernatural way. He has some skeletons in his closet to deal with, namely the loss of his parents and his sisters who aren't exactly kind or decent people. He'll have to return to California to deal with some things, and maybe Lucky will come along for the ride. It will definitely be more angsty than Lucky in Loveland, but the boys will still find time for romance.

The third book will be back in Loveland and give some more details on Lucky and Jack's new life together. I think it will return to the more romantic side of the boys and give them more time to get to know each other and move forward with their relationship.

8.    Given that the story is set during ‘the most romantic season, what would your ideal Valentine’s Day look like?

I've been married a really long time so that's a tough question. My birthday is also February 12 (big 5-0 this year) so it's usually celebrated with Valentines' Day. I'd love something romantic like NYC or a cruise, but in real life, just going out for dinner—sushi or Tai or lobster—then a movie, preferably action with superheroes. Sounds boring, right. I think after 28 years of marriage, it's more the little romantic moments that count. J

To thank everyone for stopping by I'd like to offer a giveaway of an ebook copy of Lucky in Loveland for one commenter. Leave your name, email address, and tell me what you like about Valentine's Day and I'll pick a winner on Saturday February 20th.

Thanks again and Happy Valentine's Day.

Lucky in Loveland (Welcome to Loveland, book 1)

Available February 13, 2016

Blurb

Loveland, Colorado is a special place all year around, a community of creativity and art, with scenic views and majestic mountains. But the town really shines once a year, on Valentine's Day.

Lucky Roberts has lived in Loveland his whole life. He has good friends, strong family support, and is all about keeping his community fun and alive. The only thing Lucky has been "unlucky" with is love. But rather than avoiding February fourteenth in his hometown, he throws himself into helping others deliver their messages of love.

Enter Jack Canon. Jack moved to Loveland for a fresh start, in both his personal and professional lives. After a tough year, he's finally hoping to just blend in, maybe carve a little niche for himself that his parents would have been proud of. What he didn't expect was a pseudo-lumberjack with a killer body and shy smile to turn his world upside down – and he sure didn't expect to like it so much.

When Lucky meets Jack, he feels like a thirteen year-old with his first crush. He's clumsy, stammering, and the first greeting out of his mouth is a less than articulate, "Wow!" Words like adorable and manbun suddenly become part of his vocabulary as he discovers a deep, hidden need to romance the hell out of Jack.

And what better way to do that than during the most romantic season in the City of Love?

Available February 13

Buy links:           Amazon         ARe         Smashwords  

***

Excerpt

Lucky hadn't known what to expect.

And that was a bold-faced lie.

Okay, so he might've asked around about the new teacher in their community, specifically the hot new kindergarten teacher he'd been hearing about, and also might have caught partial glimpses of the guy here and there. But after he'd stomped the excessive snow from his boots, he still hadn't expected an angel with an adorable ponytail to open the door to room one-O-five at Loveland Elementary.

Maybe he hadn't been lying after all.

Wide brown eyes greeted him and Lucky was immediately smitten. "Wow. Um, hey. I'm…yeah, hi. I'm Lucky…Roberts. I'm here for the…uh…" He stammered across consonants and vowels that felt garbled and heavy against his tongue. Then, because he was who he was, he followed the nonsense with a single syllable of amazingly stupid. "Wow."

Embarrassment rocketed through him as he slid his hand over his head, tugging off his knit hat. He rubbed nervously at his short hair while heat tingled from his neck to his cheeks.

"Jack Canon."

The guy came across as cool as a cucumber. His only tell was an almost-contained smirk as he held out his arm.

Lucky shifted all his ridiculous plastic bags to his left hand and shook Jack's right with a little too much force. He was aware that his palm was slick and clammy despite the chill of an early January morning.

Jack didn't appear to notice that either. He really was a goddamn angel in black jeans and a wine-colored dress shirt that brought a shining brilliance to his pale skin and dark hair. Jesus, man. Say something!

"Lucky," he finally managed. A billowing laugh he couldn't stifle in time slipped past his lips.

He quickly shushed himself because, Jesus Murphy, he was in a school during damn school hours. This wasn't his first rodeo. He'd been here before, volunteered all the time, even at this same school. He'd also seen pretty faces before. He could do this.

He cleared his throat, shoving his sweaty hand deep into the front pocket of his jeans, then ducked his chin to his chest. Once he'd also pulled his head out of his ass, he settled his gaze back on the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. "I mean that's my name, not that I'm lucky or whatever…I already told you that, right? Jesus, I'm sorry."

"Hey, no worries—" Full lips curved into an affectionate smile. At least Jack didn't seem inclined to kick Lucky off the premises for breaking the rules of stupid, even the ones mastered by five-year-olds.

"Shit, I swore—and I just did it again. In school. Maybe I should go out and come back in again?"

Jack chuckled, one side of his smile tipping higher than the other. It was adorable.

"It's all good. The kids have been excited all morning."

"I'm not late, am I? I'm usually quite punctual. Or at least, that's what my mom says. She's obviously a little biased on the subject, of course, but…I don't usually talk so much." Keep babbling, Lucky, because that will make everything so much better. :)

"Why don't you just come in instead?"

"That's a lie. I actually never shut up. My mom says that, too."

Once he'd ultimately managed to zip his lips, Lucky let Jack shuffle him inside the cloakroom of the classroom. It smelled like warm cookies and white glue, though he wasn't entirely sure that wasn't just Jack, or even Lucky's own imagination. They were two of his favorite smells, after all, or had been at one time. He was suddenly aware of high-pitched voices drifting from the main part of the classroom.

"Mr. Jack! Mr. Jack! Is Lucky here yet?"

"His mom told my mom he was coming today."

"Your mom doesn't know everything, Daniel."

"Yeah, she does. Your mom doesn't know nothing, Allison."

"Well, your mom is a poopy-head."

"Your mom eats poopies—"

***

Bio

K-lee Klein has lived in one part of Western Canada or another for her entire life. She’s a doting mother of three now-grown kids, and has had characters and plots running around her head for as long as she can remember. In an attempt to avoid major writer's block, she keeps the image of muse on her leg so he can't run off too far, unfortunately it doesn't work all the time. K-lee's days consist of planning her next tattoo design for her growing collection, having a lot of baths since her muse loves the water, and fighting off an abundance of fabulous gay men, large and small who continually bounce off the walls of her skull, competing for their turns to tell their stories.

Among her favourite sub-genres to read and write are rock stars, cowboys, shifters, friends-to-lovers, and opposites-attract relationships. But to be honest, she’s open to almost anything if it involves messing around in the heads of her characters. She’s also big on series—because she has a hard time letting her characters go—and is usually working on a handful of stories in various stages of completion all at the same time.

Places to find K-lee.

Website – kleeklein.com

Blog - http://chaosinthemoonlight.blogspot.ca

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Klee_Klein

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kleemoon

Facebook author/reader group https://www.facebook.com/groups/812548795471921/