Spotlight & Giveaway: An Unexpected Kind of Love by Hayden Stone

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Hayden Stone to HJ!

Hi Hayden and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, An Unexpected Kind of Love!

 
Thanks for inviting me! I’m excited to share a little about my debut queer rom-com.
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

A grumpy bookseller meets a charismatic American actor filming in a London heatwave–a queer love story loosely inspired by the film Notting Hill.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who put things away as they should, and arseholes who shelve books with no respect for the alphabet.

I hold the two—yes, two—misfiled copies of Pride and Prejudice. What sort of heathen would put Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice all the way across the shop with the thrillers? The other copy had been over in Comedy.

I’m a tolerant man, but only some sort of twisted individual would go that far.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The setting was inspired by being in Soho, London a few years ago in a summer heat wave that broke records.
• There was a lot of bean research, and I learned a lot more about pulses than I bargained on, even being from a legume-loving family.
• The first draft was written during winter cold and not summer heat..
• No actual booksellers (or actors) were harmed in the writing of this story. Not even a poet.
• There’re a couple of Notting Hill Easter eggs in the story–you’ll need to go find them!

What first attracts your Hero to the Hero and vice versa?

In this case, it’s what attracts the hero to the other hero. 🙂 At first, it’s quite literally a book return. Aubrey’s drawn to–and equally unnerved by–Blake’s confidence despite unfamiliar surroundings. Blake loves Aubrey’s dry humour and dedication to his shop.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Two weeks of opposites attracting.
 

The First Kiss…

Now that would be kissing and telling, wouldn’t it? 🙂
 

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

There’s a scene in the bookshop after they first meet. Aubrey refuses to believe there’s anything more between then than one-time lust. And an ocean of differences.

“There’s absolutely no way a film person would have anything to do with a book person. Because, you know, different media.” Even when lewd acts are involved. Especially when lewd acts are involved. I flip open my ledger and scowl at the page. “Different business.”

His chuckle, so near, undoes me. I do everything that I can to suppress any hint of that. I’ve already revealed far too much.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

There’s a scene in the book when Aubrey and Blake see the sun rise over an iconic London skyline over the River Thames, which I can imagine so vividly.

He gazes intently at me and I meet his gaze just as intently. Then, he brushes his lips against mine. And we melt into each other for a stolen moment beneath the awakening city. We’re all pink-gold sunrise too. And right now, here, Blake is all mine, in a private moment just for us.

Readers should read this book …

If they want queer love stories, opposites attracting, and the occasional joke about beans.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently working on another queer rom-com set in the same London neighbourhood, but a standalone releasing this winter with Entangled Publishing. Barista x indie rockstar. Lattes on the house.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I have two ebook copies of An Unexpected Kind of Love to giveaway to HJ readers.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s your idea of a great summer date?

 
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Excerpt from An Unexpected Kind of Love:

Before I can escape the front desk, another customer approaches. A young man. He’s gorgeous—but never mind that. More important, he has a book in hand. I’m hopeful. A paying customer, thank God.
He’s dark-haired, about my age. Stunning, actually. There’s something very appealing about him, and he’s attractive in a styled sort of way. Even his hair cooperates, medium length in controlled waves. Clearly, he’s a man who knows about grooming. Meanwhile, I’m in a rumpled blue shirt and jeans as usual. To my credit, I did drag a comb through my mop of hair this morning, even if I gave shaving a miss.
“How can I help?” I ask.
“I bought this book last week.” American accent. Southern, maybe. A leather messenger bag is slung over his shoulder. The way he’s holding the book, I can’t see the title. The cover’s hidden against his trim chest, his hand cradling the spine, receipt poking out.
“All right.” A sinking feeling hits my stomach. Not a paying customer, then.
“I want a refund.”
“A refund?” I frown.
He nods, gazing at me in an entirely disconcerting way.
It’s not helping my mood, even if he is attractive.
“The author’s an asshole,” he says, matter-of-fact. “I don’t want to support him.”
“A lot of authors are arseholes.” It tumbles out before I can stop myself. “Actually, it’s not just writers. Loads of people are arseholes. In most economies, the arseholes are doing quite well for themselves.” Oh God.
He lifts an eyebrow. “I want a cash refund. That asshole doesn’t need more of my money, especially if the assholes are doing all right, as you say.”
I sigh. “How about store credit instead? I don’t do cash refunds.”
Eli’s going to give me a dressing down later if he can hear this. At least the shop’s full enough, the bell signaling the comings and goings of customers. At last glimpse, he carried several green books from the classics section.
“Shop credit’s not gonna do me any good back home when I go back in a couple of weeks. I think your policy is…” He smirks and his eyes dance. “Bollocks. That’s what you Brits say, right?”
I start to count to ten. Therapy’s taught me the value of taking a minute. “What’s wrong with the author?” I ask reluctantly, already regretting the question.
He waves a hand. Elegant fingers, I can’t help but notice. Long and lean, something that would be brilliant for a musician.
“I told you. Asshole. He did something on Twitter…” He shrugs.
Wearily, I rub my face with my hand. I do not like this man, even if he’s gorgeous. That’s merely a distraction, and I won’t be swayed. “Let me see the book. And social media’s best avoided, for the record.”
“You should know I’m a hit on Instagram,” he says cheerfully.
Of course he is.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Bookstore owner Aubrey Barnes likes his quiet, orderly London life, thank you very much. His shop may be struggling, his only employee is a menace, and his plumbing is one creaky pipe away from disaster, but he can handle it. Maybe. He cannot, however, handle the film company that’s thrown his Soho street into chaos.

And he definitely can’t handle the charismatic American actor Blake Sinclair.

Which is why he’s extremely reluctant to lease out his shop as a set for Blake’s film, but it’s his one opportunity to save his business. Now he can’t get away from the distractingly hot actor.

Then Aubrey finds himself alone with Blake in a trailer, and what happens next turns London’s heat wave into an inferno that leaves him breathless.

Aubrey is not cut out for the high-profile life of dating a celebrity, especially an American actor who’s not even out yet. Good thing their tryst is absolutely not going anywhere.

Of course, when you expect nothing, that’s exactly when it starts to mean everything.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

More animal than mineral, Hayden Stone is a writer of fun queer fiction, especially with kissing. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. He likes strong coffee and is owned by two cats. You can find out his latest news on Twitter or Instagram, or at his website: haydenstonebooks.com
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