Interview with A.M. Leibowitz:
Hi, A.M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
- I’m an author and editor by day, a spouse, parent, and activist by night. An Act of Devotion is my fourth novel. It was inspired by the work many of my fellow activists are doing. I usually write literary LGBTQ+ fiction with relational themes (love, friendship, family). This is my first genuine romance.
1. Which of your characters would you take on a date? And where would you go?
- I would love to take Cat from Passing on Faith out to the symphony. I have a real weakness for femmes and gender fluid people. But since Cat is exclusively interested in men and I don’t fit that criterion, I’ll have to go with AJ from An Act of Devotion. We’d have dinner, and I’d let him pick—I have a feeling he knows good food.
2. If Character X from one book got in a fist fight with Character Y from another book, which one would win, and why?
- I don’t tend to write characters who use their fists instead of their words, but I have a feeling a fight between Adam (An Act of Devotion) and Nate (Anthem) could get ugly. Nate would win, though—he’s well over 6 feet tall and muscular.
3. Character X meets the characters from Book 2 - Fuck, marry, kill?
- I could easily see Julian and Andre (Anthem) having this conversation because Julian loves baiting Andre. Guess it’s a BFF’s job. Andre’s answers for the characters in An Act of Devotion would be Adam, AJ, and Greg (respectively)—Greg is the only character worth killing, in my opinion.
4. How do you come up with the characters?
- That’s a tough question. They usually pop into my head almost the same way as meeting a new person at a social event. I know what they look like and the basic facts, but as I write, they open up on the details. The only two characters who ever arrived fully formed were Cat (Passing on Faith) and Andre (Anthem). Adam (An Act of Devotion) is a special case because he wasn’t mine to begin with.
5. Which character would you want on your zombie apocalypse team?
- My team will be: AJ and Carrie (An Act of Devotion—AJ can cook for us, and Carrie builds things); Cat (Passing on Faith—he’s pretty handy); Andre and Nate (Anthem—Andre knows everything, and Nate’s just big); and Dani and Phin (Lower Education—Phin can charm anyone, and Dani is brilliant). Um…I just realized my list means all their partners have apparently been killed or turned into zombies. Sorry, guys.
Thanks again & Congrats on your new release!
Author Name: A.M. Leibowitz
Book Name: An Act of Devotion
(M/M companion to the F/F book ‘Memoir in the Making by Adrian J. Smith)
Release Date: May 1, 2016
Blurb:
Adam Lansing has always relied on his charm to get by. Sure, he’s starting over—new school, new graduate assistant position—but he knows he won’t have any trouble working his magic on anyone he chooses.
Antonio “AJ” Mancuso is deep inside his own head. He’s cool, calm, and confident. Despite all the friends around him, he often feels like he straddles two worlds. Is there anyone who could love him for everything that defines him—past and present?
From the first time they meet, Adam is determined to get gorgeous AJ to notice him. But just as the heat is cranking up between them, Adam spots AJ with another man. Adam strikes back through a fling with an ex. When he discovers the truth behind AJ’s behavior, he realizes that his magic won’t clean up for him this time.
Pages or Words: 215 pages
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, M/M Romance, New Adult
Excerpt:
Inside the one-floor building, there were half a dozen other students. Two of them were going through boxes; they looked like undergraduates on work study. Two were sitting in chairs in the waiting area, probably to see the nurse practitioner in the back offices. One was flipping through brochures in the rack on the wall, and the last one was behind the desk. When Adam saw him, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
The man—because this was absolutely not one of the gangly, barely-adult boys in abundance on campus—was gorgeous. No, not merely gorgeous. God-like in his stunning beauty. He was practically a work of art. His skin was bronze, and he had a mass of thick, almost black hair that lay in heavy waves. Under long lashes, his dark eyes shone, and his lips were full and pink. He wasn’t quite clean-shaven, and the light, purposeful stubble oozed attractive masculinity. Even seeing only his upper body, it was obvious he was muscular and toned in a way Adam barely aspired to be.
Adam wasn’t one to be overly concerned about the packaging when it came to love—or lust, as the case might be. Hot people were hot people, in his opinion. As long as everyone was on the same page with what they wanted, the particulars of hes or shes or theys were only as important to him as they were to his partners. In all the years he’d been practicing the science of mate selection, he was certain he’d never met anyone who had melted his insides as fast as the man at the desk.
While Adam was busy staring, he stood rooted to the spot, having forgotten why he was there in the first place. The low throat-clearing startled him, and he shifted his gaze from Sexy’s torso to his face. The man’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile.
“May I help you?” he asked.
“Uh…” Adam mentally slapped himself. He was not one to lose his words over anyone, no matter how attractive. Time to take control back. He stepped up to the counter. “Yeah. I need a couple of things.” He lowered his voice and put on what he hoped was his sexiest expression. “I came in to get condoms.”
Once again, amusement flashed on the other man’s face. “No problem. You can leave a donation here.” He shoved a jar forward on the counter.
Adam almost laughed at the pink paper label taped to the front. It read, Condoms—Tip Jar. Still feeling off-kilter, he snipped, “They’re not free?”
“They are. We’re asking for donations because we offer a lot of free stuff here, and it helps offset the cost when people give a little.” He looked Adam up and down. “I’m guessing you’re non-traditional or a graduate student, so maybe you can spare some change.”
Adam sneered, but he reached into his pocket for his wallet. He withdrew a dollar and stuck it in the jar then held out his hand. The other man reached under the counter and came back up with one condom, which he slapped into Adam’s palm.
“You have got to be kidding me. You want me to pay a dollar per condom? I’m going to need more than one,” Adam huffed. “For less than that price, I could buy them at the drug store.”
The man laughed. “I’m messing with you. You’re being a huge dick about making a small donation to the health center, so payback is fair.” He snorted. “Although, look who thinks he’s such a stud. If you need that many, why not buy them at the store?”
“Because I live in student housing, and this is more convenient. If you must know, yes, I have an important date.”
“I’m sure.” The man’s smile was condescending. “Fine.” He reached under the counter again and came up with a handful of condoms. “Enjoy them, with my blessing.”
“Whatever.”
Adam stuffed them in his pockets, turned around, and stalked out of the health center. No matter how hot that guy was, he was an ass, and Adam didn’t want to stick around for any more of his attitude. He had a date to get ready for, and guaranteed she would be much better company than the self-righteous jerk in the center. Which, of course, was exactly why Adam couldn’t get his handsome face and toned body out of his head.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Amazon UK | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Meet the author:
A. M. Leibowitz is a queer spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. Ze keeps warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing about life, relationships, hope, and happy-for-now endings. In between noveling and editing, ze blogs coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, books, and hir family.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amymitchell29
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/UnchainedFaith
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyunchained @amyunchained
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amyunchained/
Web site: http://amleibowitz.com
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OIC158W (A. M. Leibowitz)
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AMLeibowitz
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29508991-an-act-of-devotion
Publisher: Supposed Crimes
Cover Artist: Brent Kessler
Tour Dates & Stops:
2-May: MM Good Book Reviews, Book Lovers 4Ever, My Fiction Nook, Happily Ever Chapter
9-May: Iyana Jenna, Jessie G. Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
16-May: Prism Book Alliance, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, The Novel Approach
23-May: Dawn’s Reading Nook, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Bonkers About Books
30-May: Full Moon Dreaming, Oh My Shelves, Unquietly Me
6-Jun: Alpha Book Club, Bayou Book Junkie
13-Jun: Molly Lolly, BFD Book Blog
20-Jun: Love Bytes, Sassygirl Books, Outrageous Heroes
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter Giveaway
#1 - eBook bundle of An Act of Devotion plus the companion short stories;
#2 - 1 package containing a signed print copy plus a bag of Sorrento Spicchi Italian hard candy and a pack of assorted condom varieties
