UNQUIETLY ME

Author Name: Dianne Hartsock Book Name: Nicolas Release Date: December 18, 2015

Blurb:

Betrayed by a lover, Jamie rents an isolated cabin on Lake Huron, wanting only to be left alone. Instead, he is pulled from his solitary existence as an artist and tumbles headlong into the legend of Saint Nicolas.

As a young man, Nicolas accidentally killed a man intent on murdering three children, only to have the man’s malicious spirit rise up against him. Fleeing through the centuries from the Krampus, the evil troll-like creature that dogs his steps, Nico finds refuge with the young artist who takes him into his home and bed. But Jamie has questions. Who is Nicolas, and why does the Krampus want to destroy him?

When the Krampus begins to torment and torture anyone Nico comes in contact with to punish him, Jamie’s life is put in danger. And Jamie isn’t sure whether he can help Nico defeat his nemesis or if he’s merely a pawn in the Krampus’s game.

Pages or Words: 200 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, Mythology, Novel, M/M Romance

Interview with Dianne Hartsock:

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Dianne Hartsock, author of NICOLAS. Hi Dianne, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Thank you Unquietly Me for hosting me today. I’m a floral designer in a small town in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where I live with my very patient husband. I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, starting with bedtime stories for my younger brothers and sister, though I’ve only been published these last four years. My novel NICOLAS is a story I’d been thinking about for some time. Nico is a man traveling through time, trying to spread goodwill and tolerance in the world, but is chased by a dark creature who undoes all his good work in the world. It’s a contemporary take on the legends of St. Nicolas and the Krampus, with my own twists and turns. But don’t worry, I always end my stories with a HEA.

1. What’s the easiest thing about writing?

When I have my story down on paper and can begin my second run through. This is my favorite time. The hard part is done. Now I have the fun of filling out scenes, making sure my characters have a solid backstory, fleshing out the love scenes and the dynamics between the characters. Tying up the loose ends. Finishing a thought I had started and never gotten back to.

2. Name one author (living or dead) you’d like to write with?

If I ever had the chance, I’d love to write with Ray Bradbury. My hero! I’ve always admired his writing style, his stories transporting me to worlds filled with wonder and terror and beauty. I could learn so much, if I ever got over my awe to speak!

3. Tell us about your cover and how it came about.

Isn’t it gorgeous! The Cover Artist is AngstyG with Dreamspinner Press. With this publisher, I filled out a cover art form where they asked me questions about the story and the main characters. I asked for a cover that was both intriguing and a little creepy, and this is what they came up with. Exactly what I wanted, the first time. To me, it almost has a magical quality to it, much like Christmas itself.

4. Is this book part of a series?

No, NICOLAS is a stand-alone book. I’m sure I could come up with lots of adventures between Nico and the Krampus and Nico’s lover, Jamie, but Nico had a rough time of it here. He’s been chased for hundreds of years by the Krampus, a creature who has his revenge by tormenting every friend Nico has tried to make, leaving him utterly alone in the world besides a few friends the Krampus couldn’t reach. By the end of the story Nico is wrung out, despairing, on the verge of losing Jamie. I had to at least give the man his closure.

5. Word association. Tell us the first thing that comes to mind when you read these words.

Ketchup: French fries

Flakes: Corn

Elastic: Snap

Timer: morning coffee

Google: research and pictures

Thanks again! Congrats on your new release!

Excerpt:

He liked Jamie’s sly smile. “I bet you could tell me lots of exciting stories of your travels.”

“My lips are sealed,” he said demurely. Jamie snickered and climbed into his lap, wrapping his arms around Nico’s neck.

“I don’t need to hear about your past lovers, Nico, as long as I have your attention now.”

“Always, my sweet angel,” he murmured, meeting Jamie’s lips in a kiss he felt to his soul. He held him tightly to his breast. He didn’t sense that Piter was near and for the moment let his love and gratefulness spill from his heart. He placed gentle kisses along Jamie’s jawline, the hint of stubble making him shudder with desire to strip him naked and taste the sweetness of his skin, have that slight stubble rub along the more intimate places on his body.

Jamie sighed and raised his head, and Nico’s chest tightened with the hunger betrayed in his intent gaze. Jamie touched his face, his lips, and gave him a tentative smile. “I want to know everything about you,” he said, a quaver in his voice. “Please don’t be mad by this next question. You don’t have to answer, either. But you say you stopped Piter from committing murder. Thank God for that. But what is this power he seems to have over you? You say he can find you anywhere in the world and that no one who is your friend is safe from him. How is this possible? I don’t understand it, Nico.”

Dismay swept through Nico and the black despair he’d been fighting for months pressed its suffocating weight on his heart. He had to tell Jamie the truth, and lose him. But madre di Dio, he’d been lonely so long.

Buy the book:

Dreamspinner Press:

E-book: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7209

Print: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7210

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nicolas-1937566-143.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nicolas-Dianne-Hartsock-ebook/dp/B0195GFPPE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449762630&sr=8-3&keywords=dianne+hartsock

KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/nicolas-3

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nicolas-dianne-hartsock/1123118053?ean=2940157673673

Meet the author:

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from.

Dianne now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee warming her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Dianne-Hartsock-Author-107985445959828/timeline/?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannehartsock

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannehartsock/

Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27880680-nicolas

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: AngstyG

Tour Dates & Stops:

21-Dec: Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books, Full Moon Dreaming

22-Dec: Unquietly Me, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Inked Rainbow Reads

23-Dec: Happily Ever Chapter, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Mikky’s World of Books

24-Dec: BFD Book Blog, Velvet Panic

25-Dec: Joyfully Jay, 3 Chicks After Dark, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

28-Dec: Love Bytes, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook

29-Dec: QUEERcentric Books, A.M. Leibowitz, Books A to Z

30-Dec: Prism Book Alliance, Alpha Book Club, Cathy Brockman Romances

31-Dec: Molly Lolly, Bayou Book Junkie

1-Jan: The Novel Approach, Havan Fellows, Dawn’s Reading Nook, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

Rafflecopter Giveaway Link:

$25 Amazon Gift Card