An excerpt from Irrestistible

For my continuing promotion of Irresistible Month, I thought I’d share an exclusive excerpt from the book.

Launch month is going well by the way. The book has gradually accumulated reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, and while the tea leaves are always tough to read until I get my first royalty statement, the title seems to be staying pretty solid in its bestseller ranking at the Kindle store.

I chose a scene from early in the book, and it requires very little set-up. Here, the main character Cal is out with his best friend Derek the night after he met a very cute and friendly customer at the antiques shop where he works.

Irresisible

Copyright © 2018 by Andrew J. Peters

Later that evening, Callisthenes Panagopoulos met his roommate and best friend, Derek Foster, for a free, outdoor screening of the Mae West film I’m No Angel. The Bryant Park film festival of Hollywood classics was one item on a long list of things Cal had researched for them to do that summer. They only had twelve weeks in New York City, and Cal was determined to get as much out of the experience as possible. Derek had a seasonal job at a booth for discount theater tickets while Cal tended his uncle’s antiques shop. Their paychecks had to go almost entirely to the rent of their one-bedroom, sublet apartment, but Cal had found a treasure trove of free entertainment in the city.

The small urban park was overfilled with picnicking families and couples. Cal scanned through the crowd and spotted a spare spot centrally located for viewing. It looked like a tight fit, but when he led Derek across the lawn to claim it, some very nice ladies with shellacked helmets of hair and Broadway T-shirts looked up at Cal and quickly shrugged back their blanket to make space. A pair of older gentlemen stared at him dreamily and scooted back in their lawn chairs so Cal would have some room in their direction as well.

Cal unrolled a tatami mat from his college backpack, and he and Derek seated themselves hip to hip. Cal unpacked two fried egg sandwiches and a sixteen-ounce can of Budweiser, which he portioned into paper coffee cups liberated from a nearby deli. They chomped on their sandwiches as the opening credits blared from the giant screen.

Mae West had always been a campy curiosity to Cal, but he found his attention drifting away from the film. Was the guy he met in the store earlier that day for real? It felt like it had been a dream. He wasn’t supposed to be fishing for dates while he was working, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. Brendan was gorgeous and smart and really sweet and considerate, and he knew about Arthur Rimbaud, and he’d minored in classical studies. He was a native New Yorker, which made him something like five thousand times more interesting and worldly than anyone Cal had met before. And like a total airhead, Cal had asked him if he did a lot of traveling, working in the shipping business, as if he freighted the goods across the Atlantic himself. Brendan probably had some high-powered executive job. Cal winced, thinking about how dumb he’d acted.

Meanwhile, his companion was having a hard time paying attention to the movie for different reasons.

“I know we’re homosexuals, but do we have to live out every gay cliché known to man this summer?” Derek said quietly.

Cal whispered back, “What do you mean?”

“Last night, it was the Jackie Onassis Hat and Apparel exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The day before was the Breakfast at Tiffany’s walking tour of Greenwich Village. Tonight, it’s Mae West?”

“You said you liked the walking tour.”

“I did. But I’m beginning to feel like I’m turning into Truman Capote.”

Cal guffawed. Derek looked nothing like Truman Capote. He was a slight guy with jet-black hair who looked like he worked at a tech company and skateboarded to work. Cal trapped his mouth with his hand, hoping his laughter hadn’t annoyed anyone nearby. The Midwestern housewives were timidly watching him like they’d spotted a celebrity. One of the older gentlemen leaned forward and asked Cal if he’d like one of his chocolate-dipped strawberries. Cal thanked him and declined. He gathered that side conversations at a reasonable volume were acceptable during the outdoor film.

“I’m glad you mentioned Truman Capote,” he told Derek. “It reminds me—Columbia has a free lecture this Friday on the art of writing the nonfiction crime novel.”

Derek gave Cal a lopsided grin. “You really can’t stop yourself, can you?”

“We have seventy-one days left until the end of the summer,” Cal said. “We’re budgeted at forty dollars a day, max, and that includes meals. I want to get in as much as possible.” At the end of the summer, Cal would be starting a master’s degree program in classical studies. Derek would go back to his odd jobs as a math tutor and working at the health insurance call center.

Derek’s shoulder leaned against his. “Don’t forget— I want to go to the beach.”

Cal grinned. He and Derek had been best friends since freshman year in college. In fact, Derek had been his only male friend for the past five years. With other guys, complications had always cropped up. They acted like they wanted to be friends, and then it turned out they wanted to jump Cal’s bones, which wasn’t bad in and of itself, with the right guy, or even the semi-right guy if Cal was in the mood. But it seemed like the only thing guys ever wanted was sex, and Cal had a knack for attracting the most intense and possessive types. That was why Derek was so great. They could hang out all the time and do regular things without any sexual tension and drama.

“There’s a beach on Coney Island,” he told Derek. “You can walk to it right from the subway. I looked it up. The subway fare’s only two seventy-five. The first sunny day both of us are off from work, we’ll go.”

Derek grinned and leaned into Cal some more. “Hey, what about going down to Little Italy tomorrow night?”

“Oh. I can’t.”

Derek gave him a double take. He was aware Cal closed up his grandfather’s shop by seven o’clock at the latest. They’d never made plans without the other. Neither of them even knew anyone else in New York. “You can’t?”

“I met someone.” Cal’s face bloomed. “We kind of have a date. Or, I think we have a date. Or, it could just be getting together as friends.”

“When did you meet someone?”

“This morning. At the store.”

“A customer?”

“Yeah.” It felt like sunshine was spreading over Cal. “His name is Brendan Thackeray-Prentiss.”

“Jesus. Did his family come over with the first gay pilgrims?”

Cal giggled. He evened out his enthusiasm. “He’s probably too perfect to be real. And it’s only going out for ice cream. I think he was just being friendly.”

Derek shot him a crooked glance.

“What’s that for?”

“Cal, you can be so oblivious when it comes to guys.”

“I don’t think I’m oblivious,” Cal objected. “It’s not a hookup. I didn’t get that impression at all. You think after everything that happened with Steve, I’d be giving out my phone number to random strangers?” He sat up straight, self-righteous. “I’ve actually been super conscious about not giving off any sexual vibes.”

Another crooked glance came back at him. “You’ve been super conscious about not giving off sexual vibes,” Derek repeated flatly. “Wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Want a lick?’”

“It’s ironic,” Cal said. “The whole T-shirt is meant to be ironic.”

“There’s nothing ironic about you, Cal. That’s the problem.” Derek dug his cell phone out and started tapping on the screen. His face twisted up skeptically in the blue light of the phone, and he turned the display screen to Cal. “That him?”

Brendan’s strong-jawed, handsome face sparkled in Cal’s vision. Cal took the phone so he could admire the photo more closely. Brendan was wearing a tuxedo for some society event. His wavy, dark brown hair was shorter and perfectly groomed. He stood in a ballroom filled with people who looked like they owned islands in the Caribbean. A modern-day prince.

“How did you find him so quickly?”

Derek took back his phone. “Brendan Thackeray-Prentiss is not exactly a common name.” He swiped and tapped at the screen. “And there’s, like, a zillion articles about him.” Derek read from one of them. “New York Magazine— Heir to Thackeray shipping magnate hosts fundraising gala for LGBTQ homeless teens.”

“Really? That’s so sweet.” Cal reached for the phone. Derek held him back as if Cal were a toddler trying to grab his lollipop.

“Stalk him on your own time,” Derek said.

Cal took his arm and nuzzled up close. “But I want to stalk him with you.”

“Don’t come purring up to me,” Derek scolded him mildly. “I turn my back for a half second, and you’ve got guys luring you into ice cream parlors to get down your pants.”

“Brendan’s not like that. He buys Victorian cameos for his grandmother. And he was really shy about his family being wealthy. It was cute.” Cal brushed his hand through his thick, wavy blond hair. “I don’t know. I’ve got this really great feeling about him.”

Derek took a long, stiff draw of his beer. “That’s great. So what’s going to happen? You two are going to run off and make genetically gifted babies, and I’m stuck hanging out in New York all summer by myself.”

“No,” Cal said. He squeezed Derek’s arm. “I’d never do that to you.”

“It’s cool, Cal. I mean, it’s not like I can expect a guy like you to stay single for the rest of his life. You walk down the street, and people are falling over each other to try to inhale the air you breathe.”

Cal gazed at Derek steadily. “That only happened once.” A smile crept up his face, which earned a mild chuckle from his friend. Cal nudged Derek on the shoulder. “We came down here to experience New York together. I’m not going to renege on that. Brendan and I have known each other for, like, five seconds. It’s nothing serious. You want me to text him and cancel for tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Cal’s heart sank in his chest, but he rummaged in his pocket for his phone.

Derek caught him by the arm. “No. I was kidding.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not going to be a total dick,” Derek said. “Hey, maybe I’ll do you one better and meet some billionaire to take me out for an actual dinner.”

“Thanks, Derek. Have I told you lately you’re the best friend in the world?”

“No, you haven’t.”

Cal kissed him on the cheek. “You’re the best friend in the world.”

“You still owe me the beach, you frickin’ ho.”

They scowled at each other, and then they tucked in to watch the rest of the black-and-white movie on the giant movie screen.

More on the inspiration for Irresistible

I always enjoy sharing some of the visual and musical inspiration points for my titles, so I thought I’d do just that in follow up to my post about Irresistible last week.

It’s an upbeat, pop music kind of story, and the one song that was in my head a lot while I was going through the first round of editing was “I Feel it Coming” by The Weeknd. I think it fits perfectly for Brendan and Cal’s first night together, and it might get you in the mood for the book.

Then, for something more, erm romantically-appropriate…

Last, this is a bit of a throwback, but I was looking for something pop-y with a good sense of humor to go along with the comedy side of the story.

In terms of the main characters, one of them is complicated in terms of how I pictured him. Callisthenes Panogopoulos (Cal) is a self-described: “half Greek, quarter Polish, quarter German mutt,” and he’s so beautiful, men and women have been desperately and comically pursuing him since he was a teenager. I actually took some inspiration for the story from the Farrely brothers’ “There’s Something About Mary,” so there’s a little Cameron Diaz in Cal.

Everyone’s image of the most gorgeous man in the world is different, so in some ways I’m reluctant to share some of my casting thoughts for Cal. I don’t want to spoil whatever picture comes to mind when you read it! But here are a couple of young hearthrobs that could work for me.

So, how about model Matthew Noszka?

Matthew Noszka

Photo retrieved from Consort PR http://consortpr.com/modal/male-models/whos-boy-matthew-noszka/

Matthew Noszka

Matthew Noszka, from IMDB profile

Or, thinking more working actor with some Greek ancestry, Theo James, if he was ready for a lighter, more comedic role

via GIPHY

Or, as Cal says himself, it’s about time Hollywood cast real gay actors to play real gay people so, Colton Haynes, with shaggier blond hair?

Colton Haynes

Photo retrieved from Gay Star News https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/was-it-a-secret-colton-haynes-responds-to-comment-about-secret-gay-past/

The other lead Brendan Thackeray-Prentiss is a well-bred catch in his own right who would need to be played by an actor who can channel overeducated, twenty-something angst. So here’s one actor who would be great for the part: Logan Lerman.

Logan Lerman

Logan Lerman, photo from Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/10/logan-lerman-fury-actor

Or, going with a gay actor, Kyle Dean Massey could also fit the bill:

Kyle Dean Massey

Kyle Dean Massey, retrieved from Broadway.Com https://www.broadway.com/shows/ifthen/photos/photos-idina-menzel-and-her-ifthen-friends-live-it-up-in-nyc-on-opening-night/198293/kyle-dean-massey

You can see all of the book’s inspiration points at my Pinterest board:

Irresistible Release Day!

Strike up the band and fire up the roman candles because Irresistible release day is here!

via GIPHY

That means you can get your very own copy at any of the big retailers.

Or, most definitely, you can order it at your favorite independent bookstore. Here are the particulars:

Brandon thinks he’s won at life when he hooks a guy so gorgeous he parts crowds walking down the street. But he and Cal will have to overcome a jealous BFF, Romanian mobsters, hermit widowers, and a dictatorship on the brink of revolution. Their dream wedding in the Greek isles turns into a madcap odyssey in this modern, gay salute to Chariton’s Callirhoe, the oldest extant romance novel in the world.

ISBN:  978-1-949340-40-2

Publisher: NineStar Press

Date: August 13, 2018

All this month, I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes info about the book. For today, I thought I’d talk about how the story came to be in answer to a likely question: Why’d you write a contemporary romance? I thought you peddled in fantasy and ancient world mythological style stories?

So yes, it’s true, Irresistible is the first modern romantic comedy most readers have seen from me. I’ve published some modern, realistic short fiction, but anything on the romance side has been experimental and unfinished, and only shared with a few writing buddies.

The idea for writing Irresistible actually emerged from research I was doing for The Lost Histories series (The City of Seven Gods). I was looking for translated religious texts and other writings from the classical age to hone my ear for the way people from the ancient world talked about their lives. I knew about plays and histories and epic poetry, but I was surprised to discover the novel form has its origins in the Roman era.

On reflection, that certainly stands to reason since the French word for novel is roman. My Western Civ and English lit from college is a fairly distant past of its own, and I thought the invention of the novel was typically attributed to the Medieval age with works by Chaucer and Norse sagas and Beowulf and all that. Already, I digress.

I learned about a number of first-century novels, and my curiosity was immediately drawn to Callirhoe by Chariton of Aphrodisias. Callirhoe is acknowledged by scholars as the oldest, extant romance novel in the world, and I could digress again about the technical distinctions concerning “romance” in the study of literature, but I don’t really have to because Callirhoe can be easily categorized as a romance by scholars and lay-readers alike. The excavation of the text had to have inspired the same jaw-dropping reaction that struck archeologists who discovered the buried city of Knossos with its uncannily modern-looking artwork. The story has the strident themes of a Harlequin romance — true love at first sight, star-crossed lovers, a hero risking life and limb to refind his beloved — while also having many of the nutty conventions of a soap opera. Unlike the epic poems, no gods figure in to manipulate the fates of the characters nor do any mythical creatures. It’s a story about real life people, fictionalized of course, but portraying their everyday grapples in a much more straight-forward manner than say Homer’s Iliad or Virgil’s The Aeneid. I’ll give you the quick summary.

Callirhoe is the daughter of the ruler of Syracuse, and a renowned beauty beset by many suitors. But when she passes by a handsome, young nobleman Chaereas, the two immediately fall in love and quickly make plans to marry, pretty much on sight. Her jealous suitors try to sabotage the wedding by breaking into her home and making it look like she threw an orgy when Chaereas was away. Chaereas is indeed incensed by their trick, and he kicks Callirhoe in the stomach, knocking her into a coma while her fiancé and everyone else believes she’s dead.

Devestated, Chaereas presides over her funeral, but before she’s buried, a band of grave robbers come by at the moment she wakes up. They take her and sail off, and then their captain becomes spooked by her beauty, fearing they have stolen a goddess. He sells her as a slave at the nearest port, and Callirhoe’s irresisitbility leads to a string of misadventures with men vying to claim her until eventually her repentant and ever-loyal Chaereas refinds her.

It’s incredibly melodramatic in a remarkably unselfconscious way. Callirhoe is given to frequent asides bemoaning her tragic beauty, which like Helen of Troy has led her into disaster. Chaereas is so overwhelmed by her beauty that: “like a hero mortally wounded in battle, he was too proud to fall, yet too weak to stand.” When they are finally reunited after an absurd series of events, they rush into each other’s arms and immediately faint and collapse to the floor. The story has the flavor of a campy Shakespearean comedy, or a Monty Python skit.

Now, in revealing this inspiration point, I may be doing little to sell my book, but I was immediately intrigued by the notion of retelling the story in a modern context and as a gay love affair. Setting aside the story’s absurdities, I was charmed by its unapolegetic assertion of the power and inevitable triumph of love, the beguiling mystery of beauty. On one hand, I felt a sense of purpose in reclaiming a story of idealized love, recast with gay men as the heroes because it’s true we fall in love this way; or I should say the essence of that is true. Love overwhelms us, makes us weak, makes us manic with joy, crazy with desire. It’s a universal condition, but gay love doesn’t get the chance to shine on the literary stage as often as it should.

I also felt the beauty theme had particular meanings for gay men which were worth exploring. The idealization of youth and beauty is deeply embedded in our culture, whether for good or ill, thus in some ways it was easy to imagine a gay male Callirhoe who had guys falling over one another to claim him.

Equally, to return to the story’s absurdities, I was excited about imagining what comic possibilities could happen with such a story brought into the twenty-first century. I think you will find the result remains absurd but hopefully enjoyably and redeemably so. I describe it as a gay mash-up of There’s Something About Mary and My Big, Fat Greek Wedding.

So, you see there is an ancient world, folktalish theme hidden within this modern rom-com. Let me know how you like it, and as always, thanks for your support. 🙂

 

 

 

 

And now, the big reveal…

I’ve been coyly hinting at an upcoming release, and frankly been neck deep the past few weeks working with the production team on copyediting, proofing and conceptualizing the cover design.

The ARCs are out, and the title is up at the publisher’s website, so at long last, all can be revealed!


Ka-bam!

The book releases everywhere on August 14th, and I’m designating August as “Irresistible Month,” with a bunch of posts about the story-behind-the-story, book extras, and fun stuff like that. Here’s the back cover blurb:

Brendan Thackeray-Prentiss is an Ivy League-educated trust-funder who Gotham Magazine named the most eligible gay bachelor in New York City. He lives for finding his soulmate, but after walking in on his boyfriend of three transcendent months soaping up in the shower with an older female publicist, he’s on a steady diet of scotch, benzodiazepines, and compulsive yoga. Men are completely off the menu.

Callisthenes Panagopoulos has a problem most guys dream of. With the body and face of a European soccer heartthrob, the vigorous blond hair of a Mormon missionary, and a smile that makes traffic cops stuff their ticket books back in their utility belts, he’s irresistible to everyone. But being a constant guy-magnet comes with its discontents, like an ex-boyfriend who tried to drive his Smart car through Cal’s front door. It makes him wonder if he’s been cursed when it comes to love.

When Brendan and Cal meet, the attraction is meteoric, and they go from date to mates at the speed of time-lapse photography. But to stay together, they’ll have to overcome Cal’s jealous BFF, Romanian mobsters, hermit widowers, and a dictatorship on the brink of revolution during a dream wedding in the Greek isles that becomes a madcap odyssey.

A gay romantic comedy of errors based on Chariton’s Callirhoe, the world’s oldest extant romance novel.

You can get in on pre-ordering the e-book at NineStar Press. 

Here’s the link at Goodreads to add it to your shelf.

Last but not least, I’m hustling to get reviews, so if you do that kind of thing, the title is available at NetGalley, and I’m also happy to share the e-ARC with folks who are interested in writing early reviews. Just hit me up!