Havan's Heavenly Haven: With or Without You @ZaneNebula @PridePromo @interludepress

Let the touring begin…

With or Without You

Zane Riley

Sequel to Go Your Own Way – should be read in order

Release date: July 21, 2016

Wacky author interview blitz!

(Treat it like a speed question quiz, it hurts less that way – preferably 5 words for answers, but some questions are so much more demanding…)

If you were an animal what kind of animal would you be?

A scorpion or a platypus.

Favorite fairy tale princess?

Definitely Rapunzel.

Which came first, the plot or the characters?

It’s always the characters for me.

How old were you when you realized Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny probably never actually knew one another in real life?

About fourth or fifth year. No long-distance friendships for Santa and the Easter Bunny. I wonder if they even have a common language.

What’s the most money you’ve drunkenly spent at some all-nighter restaurant?

Zero. The one time I did get drunk at a restaurant was my coworkers celebrating my birthday and my going away party since I was moving. I had like 10 shots and then some. They paid for it all.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at 20?

I’m only 26 so there’s a limit to what I can say for this, but probably that I was still going to graduate and find a major/degree I liked better. And that moving away from Virginia wasn’t as impossible as it seemed back then.

You reach into your sock drawer and pull out a handful of socks…what colors are they?

Mostly black, but one pair looks like the Maryland flag, another is BB-8 and a third is R2-D2.

What gets you in the mood?

Silence. Or pizza. Sometimes both. A general setting of comfort and relaxation and quiet.

What is your favorite cereal?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch and all of its hyper sugar glory. Also a graham cracker one that looks just like it, but is a house brand for Wegmans.

What is a picture of a thousand words worth?

Depends on the picture. If it inspires me, then it’s definitely worth a longer story than a frozen image can provide.

Blurb:

In the much-anticipated sequel to Go Your Own Way, high school seniors Lennox McAvoy and Will Osborne pick up right where they left off—navigating the tumultuous waters of a new relationship and dealing with Will’s disapproving father.

When a violent incident forces Lennox to give up his independent ways, he must come to terms with his past just as Will is grappling with his future. As Will’s college plans become reality, will Lennox have the courage to go after the opportunities he doesn’t think he deserves?

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult

348 pages

Publisher: Interlude Press

Excerpt:

The band room was empty when he pushed the door open, but the piano was set up like it was almost every afternoon these days. Only Mr. Robinette and a music stand littered with sheet music was absent.

"Hello?"

The silence struck Lennox as odd, but as he sat down he also realized how strange it was to announce himself. So much had changed since the first time he'd snuck in here to play on his own. Now he was auditioning for some college he still couldn't fathom.

To make Will happy. And maybe a little bit for himself.

"Ah, I wondered if you were going to show up."

Mr. Robinette was behind him, the door to his office now wide open. He'd taken off his tie and undone a few buttons on his shirt like he did most afternoons when they practiced.

"You just want to play it through a few times or mess around with something else?"

Lennox took a seat at the piano, but didn't both opening his bag. He'd memorized the piece he was playing by Valentine's Day and now, almost two weeks later, he could write it out measure for measure on blank sheet music. But playing it was becoming repetitive. For two hours, three times a week, almost nonstop with the same four pages and nothing else.

"I'd rather try something new. That piece is getting a little old."

Mr. Robinette smiled and pulled a chair up beside him. "I had a nightmare the other night and it was the theme song while I ran around a haunted house Scooby Doo style."

"You didn't catch a ride in the Mystery Machine, did you? I've always wanted that van."

"I've got a lunch box version of it. It doesn't fit much though because it's too narrow. Anyway, play what you want. I'll be here until about four-thirty, so it's all yours."

As Mr. Robinette returned to his office, Lennox pulled what had become his music notebook out of his bag and opened it to the latest page. He'd taken to composing during class when he should have been taking notes, especially calculus where he had no reason to pay attention anyway.

The latest page was a tune he'd come up with while the other kids had been tapping their pencils and erasing answers. Every moment of his life carried a rhythm, a melody, and an emotion he could create with, and his notebook was becoming a testament to that. He played through everything he'd jotted down over the past few days, but after several rounds he kept coming back to one. It was a piano version he'd tried—and mostly failed—to create of one of the songs Will had played on a loop a few weeks ago.

"I'm getting ready to lock up!"

Mr. Robinette's voice carried out of the office and into the band room. A few minutes and several jingles of Mr. Robinette's keys later, the office door was shut and Lennox was closing the cover on the keys.

"That last piece you were playing, was it a cover?"

Lennox shrugged as they headed for the door.

"It was supposed to be. Didn't sound much like the song."

"Well, the others did. They were all really good, even the ones that weren't covers."

"Uh, thanks."

Lennox watched him at the door to the parking lot for a moment. He'd been a great help over the last month—all year if Lennox was honest. Mr. Robinette had believed in him in his own way since school had begun, and thanks to him he had a decent shot at this audition.

"Thanks for… all of this. I actually feel like—just thanks."

Mr. Robinette gave him a genuine smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're very welcome. Let me know how it goes when you get back, okay? I'm rooting for you. Got all of my fingers and limbs crossed. You deserve the chance. Don't doubt that or yourself."

"I-I won't."

It was funny to have so many people believing in him after so long. Happiness was a strange feeling as well. Until he'd let Will into his life he couldn't remember how to capture such a feeling in his chest and keep it there.

Buy the book

It’s all about the author…

Zane Riley is a transgender writer who wrote his first work of fan fiction in the fourth grade. He is a recent transplant to Vancouver, Washington where he spends his time watching long distance baseball games, hiking, and exploring the musical depths of the internet. His first novel, Go Your Own Way, was published by Interlude Press in 2015.

…and stalking them :)

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