Author Visit and Giveaway: Escapade by Dolce

Boy Meets Boy Reviews is delighted to have fiction writer Dolce stop by the clubhouse and discuss a little bit about herself, her book "Escapade" which was released 4/11/16 and host an easy peasy giveaway.

Did that catch your attention? Good!

Take it away, Dolce!

Let’s go on an Escapade!

Hello! My name is Dolce and I’m a fiction writer. My new contemporary romance novel, Escapade, will be released on Monday April 11, 2016 by Dreamspinner Press. I’m very excited to be a guest on Boy Meets Boy!

I wrote Escapade over the course of about five months. It began in a writing challenge where a friend prompted me to write a story about someone needing a date for their ex-boyfriend’s wedding. I tend to write more at night but, due to my work schedule, I often had to find pockets of time during the day to sneak a thirty-minute writing break in a Starbucks. I think my shoulder is permanently sore from carrying my laptop around. Café workers started to notice that I was always typing things, and I finally earned the honor of baristas remembering my exact order! For the record, I love coconut iced coffee and chocolate chip scones.

I have a background in theatre and music, which makes me moving into writing kind of a shock for family and friends. They had no idea I was even interested in writing. My writing started very script-like, very barebones, but my style has grown a bit warmer through the years. That said, I still tend to prefer simple. I write in a way that mimics, in my mind, the eye of a camera or the view of an audience. We live in a world where most watch television and films regularly, and I definitely try to tell stories in a similar style.

Escapade was inspired by my own summer reading experiences. When I was younger, I would stock up on romance paperbacks from the library before I went on vacation. There were many different genres and scenarios, but the pairings were only men with women—no same sex couples. I wanted to write a romantic comedy that featured two men falling in love in an exotic, beautiful location with lots of adventure and fun. It might sound silly, but it’s always been a dream of mine to have my book published and available in an airport bookstore. Maybe someone who feels left out by the standard romance novel pairings on the shelf would pick up my book to read on vacation.

Escapade is light and something to read at the beach, but also tackles realistic issues people face. Loneliness, the prick of discomfort you feel when you’re single amongst couples—even if you don’t want a relationship, balancing your personal and professional life, and growing into adulthood with your family.

The main character, Lucas, deals with all of those things. He is wealthy and successful, but in the eyes of his family, he’s still just Lucas. The secondary main character, the charismatic Jack McQueen, deals with the same issues, though he comes from a completely different place compared to Lucas. My hope is that in reading Escapade, readers see both characters growing together to conquer loneliness with love, laughter, and kindness.

Research for Escapade was fun, as it involved beautiful locations and lots of decadence. I also found myself trying to be better about certain personal habits, like health and diet. Jack is a character who takes care of himself. He works out, he dresses well, he takes excellent care of his skin. His job as a high-end escort might make maintenance something that he is more aware of than others, but he also enjoys taking care of himself because it makes him feel more comfortable.

After I finished writing Escapade, I think I had gained at least five pounds from eating in cafes while I wrote. Not the best feeling. Having a character like Jack, who goes to the gym and spa, sent me on a health kick. I ended up losing much more than the five scone pounds, which was a cool bonus from my fictional character’s influence!

Music plays a huge role in Escapade. I love soundtracks and while I wrote Escapade, I listened almost exclusively to music from the eighties. Something about that era of music fit with Escapade. Fun, sexy, a bit silly—songs that when the DJ throws them on, you know all the words (even if you’re a bit tipsy) and want to dance. Here is a link to a playlist I made while writing, that includes lots of songs from my process:

https://play.spotify.com/user/dolcepiccante/playlist/1Pq1vipoL6ravQ1iCAd7Ne

So! What’s your favorite holiday you’ve ever been on? Where would you want to go? I’m in New York and it’s chilly, so I’m dying for a vacation someplace warm right now. Maybe…Hawaii? That sounds good to me!

Leave a comment about your dream vacation for a chance to win an Escapade eBook! I will randomly select the winner in three days.

Thank you for reading my guest post! I hope you enjoy Escapade.

Love,
Dolce

AUTHOR BIO

Dolce is a thirty year old New Yorker who loves to write, cook, sing, and laugh. She got her start writing fan fiction and is excited, and a touch frightened, to make the jump to original fiction. She is a big fan of the band Muse, who inspired her to choose a single word for her pen name: DOLCE. Plus, Cher has the one name thing going for her, too. Everyone loves Cher.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Website: www.dolcewrites.com
Tumblr: http://haydolce.tumblr.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dolcewrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dolcewrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolcewrites/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29457376-escapade
Redbubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/dolcewrites

Twenty-nine-year-old Lucas Thompson is at the top of the corporate ladder. But when his lifelong friend and ex-boyfriend invites him to his last-minute destination wedding in the Bahamas, Lucas realizes his corporate success can’t hide his private loneliness. Nor will he be able to escape seeing his family at the wedding—and having to explain, yet again, why he’s rich, handsome… and still single.

Fate and a taxi ride change everything when Lucas meets the charismatic and clever Jack McQueen, who just so happens to be a male escort. Jack’s presence on Lucas’s arm at the wedding keeps questions at bay, but their pretend relationship turns into something more after ten days of sun, sand, and sex. And before the trip is up, both men will discover that what started as a simple escapade in paradise might just lead to their very own happily ever after.

BUY LINKS
Dreamspinner eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7617
Dreamspinner Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7618

Amazon eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Escapade-Dolce-ebook/dp/B01DB1S0BK
Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Escapade-Dolce/dp/1634770579

Barnes & Noble (eBook and Paperback): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escapade-dolce/1123569975

Kobo eBook: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/escapade-10
All Romance eBook: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-escapade-2001873-149.html

Get your answers ready for a chance to win an eBook copy of Escapade by Dolce! To enter, comment below with your dream vacation and a valid means of contacting you (email or Twitter) so Dolce can give Escapade to you (if you win).

Contest ends April 17th, 2016 11:59pm EST! Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hrs or we will choose another winner.

Good luck!