Being With Him: Tenth Day of Christmas

Today the tour stops at Bayou Book Junkie. Check in to see Alex's recipe for carrot cake (one of my favorites) and add your name to the giveaway.

If you haven't heard, everything at the store Dreamspinner Press is on sale at a 30% discount. My  entire back list, including Being With Him, is available for a lot less money until 12/27.

Here's another snippet of Being With Him 

Having no point of reference, Zeb concluded Alex’s pecan tarts were the best in the world, and a career as professional baker would always be an option if he decided to make a change. The rest of the meal—turkey, sausage and cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, collard greens, gravy, and sweet potato pie—had been perfect, and Zeb was very vocal in his praise.
“You’re a fantastic cook, Alex. Tell me why you chose to walk away from a ready-made business back home to claw your way to fame in New York?”
“Cooking is far more enjoyable as a hobby,” Alex admitted. “Plus, the food industry in general is brutal, hard work.”
“So is modeling,” Zeb countered. “I know the kind of hours you and Chyna keep.”
“But it’s not an everyday thing and the payoff is huge,” Alex explained. “As an owner of a restaurant, I would have to be there all the time. My parents haven’t had a vacation in years. And then there’s the big elephant in the room.”
“Sorry? What elephant?”
“Being a transgender gay male in New York City is a lot safer, believe it or not. LGBTQ rights back home move at a glacial pace. Having to constantly be on guard is no way to live. In my case, the anonymity of this big city is preferable to the syrupy Southern hospitality that’s all for show. At the end of the day, those same people who greet you at church and offer sweet tea by the gallon wouldn’t hesitate to put me in harm’s way. They have certain boundaries, and I cross too many to be ignored. I’d be a walking target.”
“Shit, I never thought of that.”
“You didn’t have to think of such things in the past. Now that I’m in your life, it might be more relevant.”
“True,” Zeb said. “Do you ever go home to visit?”
“I like it better when my parents come here.”
“But you just mentioned they can’t get away,” Zeb noted. “When was the last time you saw them?”
“It’s been over eight months.”
“Don’t you miss them?”
“Of course, but work has to come first. My job is fulfilling, the pay is great, I get along with my roommate and his boyfriend, and there’s this guy….”
Zeb smiled. “You like him?”
Alex reached across the table, and Zeb extended his hand, meeting halfway. “Very much.”
“You’re kind of his favorite person right now.”