Giveaway + Blog Tour: Shatterproof by Xen Sanders

Xen Sanders is making his first exclamation point lite clubhouse appearance today. 

Hey there. I'm Xen Sanders, and thank you for joining me for the release of Shatterproof! (I will have you know that exclamation point was under duress. Grr. I am grrr and dour and deadpan man-thing. Really.)

I'm immensely grateful that some of my favorite blogs have opened their doors and given me an opportunity to talk about a book that means so much to me, and that comes from so much personal experience. Stick around to chat, ask questions, and join in the discussion for a chance to win a $30 Riptide gift card and a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card! (@*$%!#ing exclamation points...)

About Shatterproof

Saint’s afraid to die. Grey can’t stand to live.

Grey Jean-Marcelin wants to die. He thought painting his passion—vivid portrayals of Haitian life and vodou faith—would be enough to anchor him to this world. But it isn’t. And when the mysterious man known only as Saint saves Grey from a suicide attempt, it’s more curse than blessing—until Grey discovers that Saint isn’t just an EMT. He’s a banished fae, and can only survive by draining the lives of those he loves.

All Saint needed was a simple bargain: one life willingly given for another. But as Saint’s feelings for Grey grow deeper, centuries of guilt leave him desperate to save a man who doesn’t want salvation, even if Grey’s life means Saint’s death.

When Grey’s depression consumes him, only he can decide if living is worth the struggle. Yet his choice may come too late to save his life . . . or Saint’s soul. And whatever choice he makes, it may shatter them both.

Purchase at Riptide

Excerpt

An alien race has just visited Earth for the first time and has picked up one of your books and started reading. (We assume they have some sort of translation device.) Which one do you hope they snagged?

Oh. Oh god. I would definitely have to say Shatterproof, if only because I think any of my other books would give them the impression the human race are a bunch of broken, deviant degenerates constantly taking our damage out on others through rampant, often aggressive sex.

I mean. We kind of are.

But I don’t want it to be my books that give that away. So, you know, Shatterproof. It might actually give the illusion that we have empathy, tenderness, warmth, love…heart. That we aren’t afraid to talk about mental health issues, that we care about POC, that we have a depth of emotion at once wrenching and beautiful. I wouldn’t mind being the author who made the aliens cry. Would they have tear ducts? I mean, are we going with the idea that the universe continuously replicates patterns that work and thus alien life would follow the Star Trek model of human + head ridges + some minor additions that are pretty much just there for the kink factor? Or are we looking at complex carbosilicates who would probably be very confused and disturbed by the leaking things in our eyes?

Then again, the book might also make them think fae and vodou loa are real, but I can’t be held responsible for their suspension of disbelief.

If they show up at UN asking the way to Tir na n’Og or demanding to meet Bawon Samedi, it’s not my fault.

About Xen Sanders

Xen Sanders is a New Orleans-born Southern boy without the Southern accent, currently residing somewhere in the metropolitan wilds of the American Midwest. He spends his days as a suit-and-tie corporate consultant and business writer, and his nights writing genre-bending science fiction and fantasy tinged with a touch of horror and flavored by the influences of his multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual background—when he’s not being tackled by two hyperactive cats. He wavers between calling himself bisexual and calling himself queer, but no matter what word he uses, he’s a staunch advocate of LGBTQIA representation and visibility in genre fiction.

He also writes contemporary romance and erotica as Cole McCade. And while he spends more time than is healthy hiding in his writing cave instead of hanging around social media, you can generally find him in these usual haunts:
• Email: blackmagic@blackmagicblues.com
• Twitter: @thisblackmagic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xen.cole
• Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ColeMcCadeBooks
• Website & Blog: http://www.blackmagicblues.com

He’s recently launched the Speak Project, an online open-access platform where anyone can anonymously or openly share or read stories of abuse—a way for survivors to overcome the silencing tactics of abusers to speak out against what was done to them, and let other survivors know they’re not alone.
• http://blackmagicblues.com/speak/

He also runs an advice column called Dammit, Cole, where he occasionally answers questions about everything from romance and dating to the culture of hypermasculinity, from the perspective of a male romance author:
• http://www.blackmagicblues.com/category/dammit-cole/

Looking for more? You can get early access to cover reveals, blurbs, contests, and other exclusives by joining the McCade’s Marauders street team at:
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/mccadesmarauders/

To celebrate the release of Shatterproof, one lucky winner will receive $30 Riptide Credit and a $25 gift card to B&N or Amazon. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 10, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!