Guest Post and Giveaway: The Closing the Loop Blog Tour With Jane Davitt

The Novel Approach welcomes author Jane Davitt today on the Closing the Loop blog tour. Enjoy Jane’s guest post, then be sure to leave a comment below for the tour wide giveaway of a signed copy of Jane’s book Lucky Strike. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 30, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!

Good luck!

Closing the Loop is set on a gay cruise ship. I have never been on a cruise of any description since I get seasick promptly and comprehensively. On a huge liner probably less so than a rowing boat but I’m not inclined to take the risk of ruining a vacation.

The idea of a cruise fascinates me though. Most stories I’ve read featuring one are murder mysteries, with dead bodies in staterooms or going overboard every few chapters, but the setting is so intriguing.

True, the ship docks and the passengers leave to explore, but they can’t get very far or do much in a day or two layover. The ship’s where it’s at. A mini-town, with crew and passengers linked, yet apart, one serving the other and yet in some ways the first loyalty of the crew is to the ship and captain, again linked.

Shipboard romances, burning hot, fading fast, instant friendships, soon forgotten, and a routine quickly established, as quickly dismissed on disembarking. It’s a temporary experience for the passengers and it’s why I chose to have Lee and Cole meet before the cruise, if briefly, and to come from the same area to give their romance a fighting chance.

The research for the story left me staring out of the window at snow and ice wishing for sand, surf, and sun. I visited gay cruise webpages sighing enviously at luxurious cabins, stunning restaurants, and good-looking people all with smiles, a drink, and a friend beside them. Followed the dotted line of the map to see where their voyage would take them, and drooled over the menus. I chose a stateroom (top of the line, naturally) and pictured myself enjoying the complimentary afternoon tea on my private balcony, served by my personal butler (really. They do that.) I read trip diaries by people who’d been on one and got an idea of what was on offer in the way of entertainment. Plus, the usual detail-checking, like how the doors lock on a cabin these days, and what’s included in the ticket and what’s extra.

It’s not a cheap vacation, but it looks like fun.

Maybe a bit too much fun. A whole week of drinking too much, eating too much, and partying like it’s 1999 (dating myself!) and, as the saying goes, I’d need a vacation to get over it. But I like the idea of a cruise with a gay-friendly crew and passengers free to express themselves without dodging disapproving looks and muttered criticism.

And I loved sending Lee and Cole off on one. They’re onboard for very different reasons, but by the end of the story their destination is a happy ending, and where better to disembark?

Blurb: A week on a tropical gay cruise is just what Lee needs after a bad breakup and a Canadian winter. It’s a shame his ex is on board, but Lee is sharing a cabin with Cole, a hot lawyer who—as luck would have it—is actually from Lee’s city. So when Cole unexpectedly awakens Lee’s kinky side, Lee begins to dream that they can actually take their shipboard romance home with them.

But Cole is keeping secrets involving a troubled young man on board the ship. And Lee, after his recent brush with betrayal, finds it difficult to trust Cole when he says Justin isn’t a rival.

Then he learns the truth and is also drawn into the tragic story. His dream vacation is in danger of turning dark, but he’s determined to navigate Cole and himself to a safe harbor before their blisteringly hot romance is lost at sea.

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks

About the Author: Jane Davitt is English, and has been living in Canada with her husband, two children, and two cats, since 1997. Writing and reading are her main occupations but if she ever had any spare time she might spend it gardening, walking, or doing cross stitch. She’s recently taken up yoga and loves discovering her ability to bend.

Jane has been writing since 2002 and wishes she’d started earlier. She is a huge fan of SF, fantasy, erotica, and mystery novels and has a tendency to get addicted to TV shows that get cancelled all too soon.

She owns over 4,000 books, rarely gives any away, but is happy to loan them, and is of the firm opinion that there is no such thing as “too many books.”

Connect with Jane: •Website | •Twitter: @janedavitt | •Goodreads