Hi there!
I am
delighted to be guest blogging on Unrandom Randomness. It's such an honor and a
joy! Thank you for having me!
My name is
Bailey Queen, and I am a new author to the MM Romance universe. I've written
before, under a different pen name, and my current catalogue has a smattering
of romance and erotica titles, some MF and some MM. MM Romance is my favorite
genre, and I am loving life writing in this universe right now and getting to
spend time with so many great people!
I was asked,
"Where did you get your inspiration for these characters? How did you come
up with this story?" Great questions! You see, I take a dartboard, and I
tack some names up, some plot points, etc., and then I take a blindfold… JJust kidding.
I actually
like to build my stories wholly from my characters. I started with Ben. Ben is
very near and dear to me. I know many Ben's in my life, men who have left parts
of themselves and their souls behind somewhere, thanks to conflict, war, or
agonizing pain. They've cut something of themselves out, trying to never feel
that loss, that emptiness, ever again.
For Ben,
eight years of service in the military during the height of the Iraq War,
including rough and brutal combat tours, have weighed heavily on him. On top of
that, Ben had his heart ripped out, and the compounding effect of the loss and
pain brought Ben to a complete halt. His heart and his soul froze, and he
refused to feel anything, anything at all, ever again. He moved on with his
professional career, entering the FBI, but his soulless approach to life
dragged down everything he touched.
He's tired,
tired of trudging forward and tired of persevering. Ben guards himself with
rigid barriers and harsh silence.
And then
there's Tanner. I created Tanner by listening to people's desires. We hear, all
the time, people wishing and dreaming for a different life. For something more
exciting, more adventurous. Occasionally, some of us do have that kind of life,
filled with adventure and intrigue. At the core of our lives, though, we always
want the same thing—someone to share that life with.
Tanner is a
man who, on the face of it, seemed to have everything. A dazzling career, a jet
set lifestyle, a long string of lovers. Tanner was a former flight attendant,
and he spent much of his life living in exotic locations and exploring the
globe, and spending his nights with different men as often as he pleased. On
the surface, Tanner's life seemed be a dream. Wouldn't we all want that?
Adventure, travel, lust, and great sex?
There's a
hole in Tanner's world, too, though. He's missing the heart of his life, and
while jet setting and exotic lovers are fun and fascinating, Tanner wants more.
He wants the apple pie life. The morning after, and everything else. Bedhead
and a shared closet. He wants a partner. When tragedy befalls his family,
Tanner moves home and tries to set up a new life for himself, going back to his
roots as a rancher in small town Pennsylvania.
He's
confident, but quietly so, comfortable in his skin in a way that we often wish
we were. He's lived, and he knows what he wants.
Ben—frozen
in place and too rigid and hurt to move forward from the pain in his life—crashes
into Tanner — a man
who wants to find his partner and his equal—one night,
with devastating consequences. What could *possibly* go wrong when these
two men collide?
That one
meeting—a single, stolen night—could have been the end of
their story, but darkness from Tanner’s past rears its head, and Ben is called
back to Tanner’s small town for the murder investigation. As the bodies begin
to pile up, Ben and Tanner circle each other warily, both men wanting—and
needing—something from the other. Both men are torn in half—Tanner
by his past coming back to haunt him, and Ben by the force of the investigation,
and his role as a lead FBI agent. Could the man he, almost inexplicably, is
falling for be the murderer they seek?
What I hope
worked for you in this story is the sizzling sexual tension, the cautious
circling of the two men as they negotiate both each other and their own souls,
and watching as they work together for a future where Ben and Tanner might be
able to find space for each other inside their hearts and souls. I loved
writing this story and sharing Ben and Tanner with you.
Thank you for
having me!
Compromised by Bailey Queen
Published 11th of January 2016
Contemporary Erotic Romance
Murder in the country.
A one-night stand that refuses to end.
Ghosts from the past that return to haunt.