Please help us welcome authors Kim Fielding and Venona Keyes to The Novel Approach today, on the tour for their new Dreamspinner release, Running Blind. Enjoy the ficlet they’ve written just for the tour, and then be sure to check out the multiple giveaways below.
Welcome, Kim and Venona!
This takes place about five years before the the start of the current story timeline, when Kyle is a special Voice Over Artist guest at Yaoi-con 2010 for his work on Yaoi animes Werewolf PTA and Seahorses in Love.
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“Would you mind helping us raise money towards Yaoi-con?”
It was a simple request, Kyle thought as he sat eating breakfast. One of the conference promoters approached him and made it seem like the help would be minimal. Little did he know the request was for the Bishounen Auction.
“What exactly are you going to do again?” Matt was trying not to bust a gut laughing when they walked into the ballroom after making it through the throng of attendees waiting in line to get into the venue. The stage was at the front, and there were enough chairs for a thousand of the conferees. Judging from the long line outside, nearly every seat would be filled.
Great.
“Kyle! We’re so happy you’re here to help us out.” The Mistress of Ceremonies, a voluptuous woman dressed as a dominatrix, complete with the riding crop hooked onto her hip, and the highest, spikiest boots he ever see, quickly approached. He couldn’t determine if her high, child-like voice was natural, or was influenced by the tightly cinched corset that it made her sound like a castrato. She held out her hand, “I’m Jala.”
“Dude! Glad you made it.” The Master of Ceremonies, a good-looking, tall, willowy man who also wore a corset and lots of make up, held out his hand. “I’m Marist.” Kyle shook his hand too. Before he could introduce Matt, Jala was in Matt’s space.
“Did you bring us someone to auction off?” The lascivious look Matt got from both the emcees was a bit disconcerting for Kyle. Matt just laughed it off.
“Nah, I’m Kyle’s partner, Matt. I’m here to support him.”
“Can’t convince you to help us out for a good cause?” Jala was really pouring on the sex appeal; she had to know she was barking up the wrong tree. Marist was going to join in when he looked at his watch.
“Too bad. That long, dark, beautiful hair is a hit with the attendees. We have about fifteen minutes before we let the bidders in. Come on, we’ll introduce you to the Bishies to be auctioned off tonight.”
“Auctioned off?” Kyle was getting a bit uncomfortable.
“Yes. The Bishounen auction is our biggest revenue generator for the con. We put the money towards the next year’s event.” As they walked behind the stage, Marist continued to give them some background. “The Bishies demonstrate their talents and assets to the audience, and we start off the bidding.”
The young gorgeous men, clad in various costumes and robes, were standing around. Each had a numbered lanyard around his neck.
“The auction lasts for about four hours. Each Bishie will spend two to three hours with the winning bidders.”
“Bidders?”
“Oh yes,” Jala said. “The bidders combine their monies to bid.”
Kyle was curious. “How much do the Bishies usually go for?”
“Anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars.”
Matt whistled. “Man, we’re in the wrong business.”
“It’s all for a good cause. Kyle, what I had in mind was for you to join the twins. They’re going to act out a scene from Seahorses in Love, and we need you to narrate it in Japanese. The attendees will go wild over that.”
He remembered seeing the “twins”—they worked for the mangaka, Jane Chao, for the popular series This I Pledge. She had them dress up as the agonist and protagonist of the BDSM dream series. He wasn’t sure if they were truly the models for the mangaka, or if she found two men that looked like her characters. They really weren’t blood twins. The reference was that they were lookalikes of her characters.
“Kyle Green! I’m a big fan of yours! I’m Nash.” The first twin, dressed as a milkman, shook his hand. “Sweet gig getting the voice of Ecos.”
The second twin, dressed as a salesman, approached. “I’m Vance.”
Jala had ideas, Kyle could tell. She smiled and asked if the twins were going get a bit nasty on the stage. Vance winked. “You bet. I think we can break the record being a twofer.”
The evening wore on. There were a few of the Bishounen who went for over a thousand dollars. Kyle had to admit, some were quite talented at getting the audience to keep bidding. The emcees kept it interesting and moving along.
Nearly the end of the auction, the emcees announced the triple threat treat was up next. The audience went wild when the twins came on stage. Once they calmed down, Jala introduced Kyle as the Japanese interpreter for a scene from This I Pledge. The roar of the crowd that followed the announcement nearly deafened Kyle.
Nash and Vance got to it, taking clothes off, and Kyle had to keep up with the two different voices in Japanese. The twins didn’t make a sound—it was all Kyle. The grunting, the hitches in the breathing, the groaning—basically wild sounds—and very little talking. The solicitations were fast and furious. Marist had a hard time keeping up with the count, and it was nearly at three thousand dollars within five minutes. Groups were getting together, pooling their resources to get the pair. There was a lull in the bidding; Jala and Marist were cajoling and milking crowd for more cash. Then, Vance reached into his briefcase, and brought out the ball gag. That did it. The count went to four thousand dollars. One group said it would add an extra five hundred if Kyle was included. He froze, then replied in Japanese, “No.” Another group asked if he would give them autographs. He thought about it, and he looked over at Matt. Matt nodded his head, and Kyle bowed. The frenzy continued, and the final bid, when done, was four thousand, eight hundred dollars.
Kyle ended up autographing various body parts, books, and programs for the twenty winners. Once done, the twins and various other bishounen went off for the three hours with their “owners” to do whatever they did.
Exhausted, as it was well past midnight, Matt put his arm around Kyle’s waist when they got into the elevator. Kyle put his head on Matt’s shoulder.
“You were the hottest guy on stage tonight,” Matt said.
“Yeah?”
“You fishing?”
“Maybe. What do you have that can hook me?”
They both chuckled as the elevator door opened. Holding hands, they got to their room. Before he swiped the key, Kyle reached over and pushed the hair over Matt’s ear, and gave him a gentle kiss.
“Let’s go to bed.”
About the Book
Kyle Green is on top of the world. He and Matt have been together for ten years, and—as the voice of Ecos, the wildly popular anime character—Kyle is treated like a rock star in anime circles. But in an instant, a stroke leaves him blind. When photographer Matt gets the opportunity of a lifetime, Kyle reexamines their relationship, discovers it has been a safety net rather than a true romance, and sets Matt free to pursue his dream. Kyle’s life and career as he knew them are gone, and he must now find the courage and creativity to draft a new plan.
After being away for fifteen years, Seth Caplan comes home to Chicago to care for his mother and to partner with a small start-up tech company. He and Kyle meet after Kyle’s collision with a child’s sidewalk toy, and they hit it off. Kyle wants to get back into running, and Seth becomes his guide. As they get to know each other, they start seeing each other beyond their three-times-a-week runs. But Seth’s revelation of the dark reason why he left his career in California sends the relationship into a tailspin and leaves both men running blind.
About the Authors
Kim Fielding is very pleased every “me someone calls her eclectic. Her books have won Rainbow Awards and span a variety of genres. She has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and currently lives in California, where she long ago ran out of bookshelf space. She’s a university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full “me. She also dreams of having two perfectly behaved children, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a house that cleans itself. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.
You can reach Kim at: Facebook || Twitter @kfieldingwrites || Website
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Venona Keyes is a modern woman who believes in doing it all; if doing it all is only in her head. She amazes people that she can be wholly unorganized yet pack a perfect carry on suitcase for a ten day trip to Paris. Ms. Keyes is a believer in the just in time theory, and can be seen sprinting in airports to the gate before the plane door closes.
Venona has experienced love and loss at the deepest level, and is thankful for writing and daydreaming, for it kept, and still keeps her sane. Writing also introduced her to some of the most supportive and wonderful people, to which she will always be grateful.
Venona is a voracious reader, loves her feline boys, volunteers at an animal shelter, attempts to cook everything in her CSA boxes, is an accomplished speaker, is a seasoned triathlete, and enjoys swimming, biking, hiking, skipping, dancing, and her beloved overgrown garden.
You can reach Venona at: Facebook || Website
The Giveaways
Giveaway #1 – All (US & International)
Audio Books, E-Book, and DSP Gift Certificate
3 Audio Books (Treasure, The Downs, and Guarded)
E-book Coming of Age
$20 DSP Gift Certificate
Giveaway #2 – US Only
Manga (Graphic Novels), Audio, and E-Books
Manga:
Traditional Japanese Manga (translated into English): Borders Manga Volumes 1-5 by Kazuma Kodaka
American Manga: Longitudes and Latitudes, Volumes 1 – 3 by True Teargem & Tprinces
American Doshinji: Kindly Assistance (A Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Romance) by Halloween Panda
Audio Books & E-books
3 Audio Books (Treasure, The Downs, and Guarded)
E-book Coming of Age
Giveaway #3 – US Only
Bento Ensemble, Audio, and E-Books
Bento Ensemble
Bento Box
Lacquered wooden chopsticks
Handmade drawstring cloth bag with decorative stitching
Audio Books & E-books
3 Audio Books (Treasure, The Downs, and Guarded)
E-book Coming of Age
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Great preview I’m looking forward to reading it.
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Kim Fielding is one of my auto-buy authors and I’ve liked what I’ve read by Venona Keyes so far so can’t wait to read Running Blind.
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*Blushes* And just to let you know, I’m an auto-buy with Kim too! We hope you enjoy the book.
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The Trust by her and Shira Anthony is a great read. It’s one of my favorites
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I already pre-ordered this — so I just wait until this is delivered to my DSP library. Thanks for the excerpts ^^
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Wow! Thanks Ami! Kim and I had a great time writing this story.
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Thanks so much for the wonderful post. I am adding to my list.
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this sounds like an interesting story
the excerpt was intriguing….twins…mmmmmm
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Thank you for the ficlets prequel! Can’t wait to grab a copy of “Running Blind” and reading it.
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Congrats. I like the premise of Running Blind. My having friends who are blind and living in Chicago draws me to this story.
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I loved the blurb so i pre-orderd this one when it came available on DSP, i’m looking forward to november 7th. Congrats to the authors on their upcoming release 🙂
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Great Ficlet! I haven’t picked up a Yaoi book in eons and I’m definitely looking forward to these books.
Running Blind sounds like a sweet story. And BENTO! Funny thing is I’ve been sending my daughter to school with a plastic Chinese food container which she calls her Bento box. After seeing an actual Bento, I’d love to have one for her! So neat, so many compartments, so many choices for lunch to be had!
Congratulations and much success to Kim & Venona!
taina1959 @ yahoo.com
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Was honestly a little creeped out at first when I ran across mention of yaoicon. Thought I caught myself in a lucid dream or something and started looking over my shoulder like “wait…what?” because I always go to ycon. This plus the surrealism and ugliness of this election season all threw me for a loop.
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Although I’ve never read yaio, I’m really interested in this one and appreciated the ficlet. I hope it’s a great read for everyone!
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