Good Morning My Confidants!
Today is a special post that I am very excited about. I have a guest, and a pretty cool one at that!
Around twelve years ago, I discovered MM Romance. Thank God. It was wonderful to discover that there were actual publishers out there, publishing gay fiction with happily-ever-after endings and not just the Brokeback Mountain or The Normal Heart kind. You know the kind I mean. The gay guy must die because that is what he deserves!
Well, no thank you. Gay people deserve happy endings too!
One of the very first MM Romance books I ever read was called Love Means... No Shame, it was written by Andrew Grey, and it was lifechanging. I loved his story of Geoff, who discovers Eli, an Amish man asleep in his barn. Eli is spending a year away from his community before accepting baptism into his church. Their budding relationship is endangered by bigoted, gossipy relatives and the society at large, and Eli must choose between his Amish community, his family, and Geoff and the power of love.
Something that immediately blew me away was Mr. Grey’s dedication: “To Dominic, the love of my life, without whose support I couldn’t do any of this.” I think I cried in happiness.
Imagine my surprise when a year later—when I was attending my first gay writer’s event and desperately needed a roommate so I could afford to go—that my roommate would turn out to be...Andrew Grey! He a great roommate and it was so cool meeting him and...he didn’t even let me pay for half the room! He said that he had intended to pay for it anyway. I have been a devoted fan ever since.
Mr. Grey is a wonderful, kind man, insightful, intelligent, as well as a mindbogglingly prolific writer! And today, I get to talk to him about his brand-new book, Dedicated to You.
Ben: Hey there, Andrew! Good to talk to you again. It has been a while. What have you been up to?
Andrew: I’ve been working quite a bit these past few weeks trying to get caught up after the holidays. The end of the year is always a busy time for me and now I can settle in, relax a little and get myself back to work.
Ben: I've known you for...what? Ten years at least now? It has been such a pleasure knowing you. And your husband Dom as well. You have always been so kind and supportive. That means a lot to me.
Andrew: Thank you so much. Being supportive of each other is one of the things that makes this field such a wonderful place to work. There are parts of writing that are hard, but helping one another is the easy part.
Ben: So, Andrew, you have well over a hundred books now. How many does Dedicated to You make?
Andrew: You know. I’m not really sure. I hit 100 books back in 2017 or so. I celebrated 200 works with DSP with the release of Fire and Ermine. I think I’m at between 225 and 250 works by now. I honestly don’t really keep count. What’s most important is the books I’m working on.
Ben: That is utterly amazing! Did you ever have a clue that when your first book, Master of the Revels, was published that one day you would be such a prolific author with so many books under your belt?
Andrew: None at all. I was only trying to write my first book. I figured that would be the end of it. I’d have a book published and a goal of mine would be met. But then other ideas started bubbling up and I was off. It was an amazing feeling.
Ben: What was it that made you send off that very first submission
Andrew: Sheer hope and little more. I knew nothing about publishing, but I sent off the manuscript out of sheer hope and whooped when I got my first acceptance. Of course I had no idea what I was doing and my first experience wasn’t the best. But things got better and I learned a lot with that first experience.
Ben: And today, what was the seed that brought Dedicated to You into the world?
Andrew: Dominic and I were going on a cruise, and I wanted to take my characters on vacation with me. After Covid, I needed something light and fun.
Ben: Can you tell us in a few words what it is about?
Andrew: Tio and Dillion are both going through a great deal. Dillon is a singer and he’s completely exhausted. Tio has just broken up with his latest girlfriend and invites his best friend to go on the cruise in his ex’s place. Dillon changes his appearance as best he can and they embark on a close quartered vacation together.
Along the way, long simmering tensions and awakenings between them change everything between the two men. Tio's long suppressed bisexuality awakens and he’s able to face his attraction for his friend. Dillion gets the rest he needs and his love for music returns along with some perspective about his life and what he really wants.
Ben: That sounds like the next book I want to read!
And you should know that your book Love Means...No Shame is one of the very first MM Romance books I ever read, and it was surely an inspiration for me. As a gay man myself, it made me so happy to see that not only were there gay romances out there in the world, but that some of them were written by a gay man. And I only mean that because at the time, there were few male authors writing MM and you helped give me the courage to write myself.
Andrew: That’s very kind of you. At the time I was thinking about getting my stories out there. Like you, I was thrilled to find stories between two men that had happy endings and I really wanted to be part of that. Those early MM romances touched my heart and just made me incredibly happy that I had found them.
Ben: Well, keep it up. I look forward to reading it. And thank you for stopping by on your, I'm sure, busy tour!
And here is the info you've probably been waiting for all along...!
Title: Dedicated to You
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance/Holiday Romance
Release Date: Jan 9, 2024
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Dillon Fitzgerald is a famous singer. He’s also exhausted. Too many shows in a too busy schedule have left too little time for him to write or relax. He feels like the music is being strangled out of him. Some time is just what the doctor ordered, so when his friend offers him a week on a cruise, Dillon gets right on board. All he has to do is grow a little beard and hope no one recognizes him.
Financial advisor Tio Smythe-Barrett has been friends with Dillon forever. When the latest in a long string of girlfriends turns out to be a cheater, Tio offers her spot on what would have been a romantic vacation to Dillon instead. After all, why wouldn’t he want to spend a week with his best friend?
As Tio and Dillon share close quarters, the boundaries in their friendship shift like the ocean currents. Spending time with Tio has Dillon’s creative muse singing, and he can no longer deny that his feelings for Tio go beyond friendship. His heart soars when Tio responds to his flirting—but is he willing to risk what they have for the chance at true love?
Ben: And here is an excerpt...sounds like a lot of fun to me!
Damn, it felt good to wake up in his own bed. Even better was the fact that no agents, managers, or housekeepers would be bustling in for something. He was home, and the morning sun beamed into the room. He loved his condo on the thirtieth floor of one of downtown Chicago’s skyscrapers. He had a view across Grant Park and out to the lake. On sunny days like this, the water sparkled, and on rainy days, the clouds came in close as though the city were brooding. He loved that feeling as well.
Dillon got out of bed, pulled on a light robe, and made his way to the kitchen, where he made a cappuccino and read the morning paper sitting at the island in his spacious kitchen.
“You’re back,” his friend Tio said as he barged in, pocketing the keys to Dillon’s place. “I half figured you’d still be passed out.” Horatio Smythe-Barrett—Tio, to the entire world—had been his friend since eighth grade, when they’d jointly stood up to the bully in the class who had doggedly decided to call Tio by his full first name and ended up with a bloody nose, ripped shirt, and a mouth filled with dirt. He never bothered either of them again.
“And why is that?” He set down his mug with a sigh.
“Because if I just finished a concert tour, the first thing I’d do would be to hit the clubs and see if I couldn’t find myself a little company to warm the cold Chicago nights.” Tio made himself a coffee and sat in the next chair, swiveling it so he was facing Dillon, sending the usual thrill through him.
Dillon had long ago figured out that he had a thing for his friend. Tio was solid muscle from hours in the gym, with brown eyes deep enough to get lost in and hair that cascaded to his shoulders in natural waves to make any romance cover model green with envy. In a moment of weakness years ago after way too many martinis, Tio had admitted that he considered himself bisexual, but Dillon had only ever seen him date women—such was the pity, as far as he was concerned.
Regardless of Tio’s sexual proclivities, Dillon would never do anything about his latent attraction. Since making it big, Dillon had discovered that he had tons of friends, most of them fair weather and only after what they could get from him. As far as friendships went, Tio’s was rock solid, period, and Dillon counted on that friendship more than he was willing to admit.
“That’s probably more up your alley,” Dillon said before finishing his coffee. “Maybe we can have dinner soon, since I’m home for a while.”
Tio set down his mug with a huff. “Any time. I’m as free as a bird.” He humphed as he said the words.
“I take it things are over with Carole?” Tio’s relationships never lasted very long.
“You’re damned right. She had another guy on the side, and I found out she returned the birthday gift I got her.” He sighed again. “She was only after the money.” He lifted his gaze. “I never should have let Corey go. She drove me crazy sometimes, but I knew she cared for me and not the money.” Tio was a financial manager and made more cash in a year than most people did in a lifetime.
“I’m sorry. I thought she was nice.” Dillon had met her briefly twice. Mostly he felt bad for his friend. He deserved someone who would appreciate him for the cool and interesting guy he was and not just because of his money. “But you know you’re better off knowing this stuff rather than letting it go on.”
“I know.” He shrugged and drank the last of his cappuccino. “I need to go in to the office—meetings all day. I was supposed to go on vacation next week, with Carole. It’s too late to cancel, but maybe the cruise line will give me credit or something.”
“Just go alone. There will be plenty of women on board you can entice into showing you a good time.” One thing about Tio, he was never without company for long.
“Go on a cruise by myself—what fun is that?” he groused. “Spending so much time alone.” He made a face and shivered. “And it’s a great cruise too. Leaves out of Lauderdale and heads down to Aruba and stuff like that. The winter here is so long, and I need some warmth and sun or I’m going to get as pale as you.” He stood and began pacing. Dillon knew this routine. Tio always moved when he was thinking. The truth was that Tio looked amazing in his slacks and button-down shirt that left very little to the imagination.
Granted, Dillon had seen Tio naked a bunch of times at the gym, but there was something about the way the man wore clothes that got Dillon’s motor running. Not that any of it mattered in the least. At first he had spent way too long wishing Tio would notice him, and now he valued their friendship too much to go down that road. Letting himself get romantically interested in Tio was a bad idea, and Dillon needed to put it out of his mind.
“Dillon,” Tio said, pulling him out of his thoughts, “are you listening? You’re home for a while, and it leaves in a week. You should come with me.” He looked like he had just discovered the key to the universe.
“Where?” Dillon asked, trying to catch up.
“On the cruise. Weren’t you listening? I have a suite with plenty of room. I can arrange for two beds and everything. You’re home from your tour, and you have some time before you have to go into the studio.” He hurried across the room from where he’d been standing in front of the wall of windows. “It would be good for you to have a vacation.”
Lord knows that was true. He needed some time away to rest. “How can I do that? Aren’t those ships full of people? How am I supposed to get a vacation when half the population on board is likely to recognize me?”
Tio laughed. “Look who’s so famous he can’t even go out in public. You accuse me of being full of myself a lot of the time.”
“At least when I go to the gym, I don’t whine because all the mirrors aren’t angled so I can see myself. You are one of the vainest people I have ever met. But this isn’t about that. I’m serious. People recognize me all the time. I got mobbed at the grocery store a few months ago.” God, he really did need to get away, but a vacation just wasn’t practical—at least not that kind of vacation.
“People aren’t watching for you all the time. Grow a beard and a mustache and don’t post any pictures of it on social media. You’re always so clean-cut and pretty-faced. No one will be looking for anything different. You can leave all your dark suits at home. Dress differently, look different, and no one is going to notice you at all.”
“I can’t,” Dillon said. “I may have a month away from touring, but I still have a lot of work to do before I go into the studio. I can’t just run away for a week, as fun as that sounds.” He checked the time and figured he needed to get dressed and get busy. “You’re going to be late getting to the office.”
Tio headed for the door, looking sharp and delicious in that suit. Dillon sighed as he let Tio out and closed the door behind him. It was time to get to work.
....and you know Dillon is going to change his mind, right? LOL....!
Ben: I know I'm getting this one for sure!
Here's the links in order to purchase his new book, on sale right now!
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then, he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey
Twitter @andrewgreybooks
For Other Works by Andrew Grey
(Please Be Sure to Stop by His Website to See All of His Work)
Another great Andrew Grey story. My Inbox so happy. I lived in Maryland for 10 years and was lucky enough to meet Andrew on a few occasions and Dom as well. super sweet and positive. A ray of sunshine.
I met Andrew at MediaWest con in Lansing, MI in 2008? 2009? While I'd been reading slash fanfiction since the 1980's, it was so cool to see actual BOOKS available for sale. I picked up a couple and went to drop them in my room, but I just had to check out the start of--Love Means No Shame. Half an hour later I left the room to go buy all the other books of the series which were available at that time. I believe that book and that series was a start for many of us in reading lovely m/m fiction with Happy Ever Afters.
Wow. He is prolific! I'm a slow-as-molasses writer, and am astounded by his catalog of work. I read the excerpt and enjoyed it. He's got a comfortable, easygoing style that would be a pleasure to read for long binges.
Thank you so much for publishing this interesting article about another author in your field. it was wonderful to get to know him a bit and see his upcoming book.
Ben I met you at Dreamspinner conference in Florida many years ago. I was always invited cause of Andrew. I met hI’m and sometimes Dominic would join us.