Guest Post and Giveaway: Crest Ridge by A.L. Boyd

The Novel Approach welcomes author A.L. Boyd today on the Crest Ridge blog tour. A.L. talks a bit about the story behind the story, and is also offering the chance for one lucky reader to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. You can enter by clicking on the Rafflecopter widget below.

Good luck!

The story behind Crest Ridge

You might be wondering about the backstory for Crest Ridge. The basic plot was set by this M/M Romance Group prompt.

Dear Author,

See the guy on the right? The one with the tattoo? He’s an arrogant prick and I’ve hated him since high school. The thought of him has given me nightmares ever since he humiliated me in front of our entire Senior class. Ten years later and I can’t believe I’ve run into the douchebag during my mountain vacation. I may be taller than him now, but he still knows how to make me feel small. Will I ever discover why he was so mean to me? Please help!

Since the prompt called for a few specific things, I decided to use a few settings from my real life experiences. For example, that military school is real and is where I attended Junior College. The fact that students have been sent there by judges, and parents for bad behavior is also real. Saber swats, zoom brooms, and other forms of physical hazing were still in use during the times I attended the school even though it was hushed up some. Even with all of that, I still have fond memories of the school and the friends I had there. I felt that it provided a good setting for the prompt.

The fire scenes were based on my work experiences as a wildland firefighter. I worked for five years as a Bureau of Land Management firefighter on hand crews and on engine details. I used some of that experience to create the fire and evacuation scenes. And I used the mountains of New Mexico because of all the work fighting fire in these areas. I thought an evacuation bringing them back in contact with each other would be an interesting option. And if you are wondering about the mountains of New Mexico (because most people I know usually think we are all desert here), are a couple photos of an area of the state that is similar to the location I set for the story.

Blurb: It was supposed to be their big night! The opening of their movie premier. Robert Owens boyfriend abandoned him, and brought another date. Humiliated, Rob left Los Angeles, and moved to a quiet ranch in rural New Mexico only to face his high school bully Dane Johnson.

Rob never expected his high school tormentor to show up at his new home, but there the man was ordering him to evacuate from an oncoming wildfire. After Rob returned to his ranch, Dane offered an apology, and an explanation of his past actions. Rob has to decide if the bully he once knew has changed his ways. Will they overcome their past and find a new start?

Buy Links: Amazon | Smashwords

About the Author: A cartographer by day, A. L. Boyd spends most of her free time with her horses, gardening, or reading. She never intended to be a writer, but stories like this one sometimes just pop into her head. The writing came about as a way to get the stories out.

CONTACT & MEDIA INFO: Email | Goodreads | Facebook

Also by the Author: Crest Ridge Vacation – The short version of this story originally written in 2013 for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group writing event.

Kickass Anthology – A short story in the anthology donated to help pay medical expenses for a fellow author.

Coming Soon: The Dawn of Darkness – Contemporary short story written for the 2015 Goodreads M/M Romance Group writing event.

THE GIVEAWAY