Hi peeps, we have A.M. Leibowitz stopping by with hir newest release An Act of Devotion, we have a short interview with A.M., ze has also brought along a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, Cat has done an exceptional review so check that out. So guys, enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~

An Act of Devotion

A.M. Leibowitz

Adam Lansing has always relied on his charm to get by. Sure, he’s starting over—new school, new graduate assistant position—but he knows he won’t have any trouble working his magic on anyone he chooses.

Antonio “AJ” Mancuso is deep inside his own head. He’s cool, calm, and confident. Despite all the friends around him, he often feels like he straddles two worlds. Is there anyone who could love him for everything that defines him—past and present?

From the first time they meet, Adam is determined to get gorgeous AJ to notice him. But just as the heat is cranking up between them, Adam spots AJ with another man. Adam strikes back through a fling with an ex. When he discovers the truth behind AJ’s behavior, he realizes that his magic won’t clean up for him this time.

Interview

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M. Leibowitz, author of An Act of Devotion.

Hi, A.M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

A.M.: I’m an author and editor by day, a spouse, parent, and activist by night. An Act of Devotion is my fourth novel. It was inspired by the work many of my fellow activists are doing. I usually write literary LGBTQ+ fiction with relational themes (love, friendship, family). This is my first genuine romance.

Is there a character in your books that you can’t stand? (Antagonist for example) And what makes them someone you don’t like?

Confession time: I started out absolutely hating Adam. He’s not the kind of guy I’d have spent time with at his age. I felt like I needed to “redeem” him somehow. But as I wrote, he began to reveal himself, and I liked very much what I found underneath the swagger.

Are there misconceptions people have about your genre?

For sure. I would say most people think all LGBTQ+ fiction, is gay romance, that it’s all written by straight women, and that it’s pretty much just literary porn. This book happens to be a romance, but I write literary fiction with a relational aspect (love, friendship, family). I’m also neither straight nor female, I don’t write exclusively m/m, and I definitely have zero interest in writing erotica. Not that any of those things are wrong, but it does make it difficult when those are the stereotypes.

Is there message in your novel that you hope readers grasp?

Yes. The overarching message is that you are not alone. I have multiple characters dealing with heavy things in their lives, and I’ve provided a number of resources in the back of the book for people who need help. Most of all, I hope people will read this and know someone cares and there are people who are available to listen.

How has your writing evolved since your first book? (If this is your first book, how do you hope it evolves?)

I’ve become more willing to take risks, both with content and with emotional honesty. I closely guard my own feelings, and it can be scary to infuse them into a work—it makes it more personal. But it also makes it more personal to readers, and I’m learning to trust that readers are as protective of characters as we authors are.

One food you don’t care if you never eat it again.

I will die happy if I never have to eat another lima bean. They are vile, and I’m pretty sure that’s what Satan serves for dinner in hell.

Excerpt

Inside the one-floor building, there were half a dozen other students. Two of them were going through boxes; they looked like undergraduates on work study. Two were sitting in chairs in the waiting area, probably to see the nurse practitioner in the back offices. One was flipping through brochures in the rack on the wall, and the last one was behind the desk. When Adam saw him, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

The man—because this was absolutely not one of the gangly, barely-adult boys in abundance on campus—was gorgeous. No, not merely gorgeous. God-like in his stunning beauty. He was practically a work of art. His skin was bronze, and he had a mass of thick, almost black hair that lay in heavy waves. Under long lashes, his dark eyes shone, and his lips were full and pink. He wasn’t quite clean-shaven, and the light, purposeful stubble oozed attractive masculinity. Even seeing only his upper body, it was obvious he was muscular and toned in a way Adam barely aspired to be.

Adam wasn’t one to be overly concerned about the packaging when it came to love—or lust, as the case might be. Hot people were hot people, in his opinion. As long as everyone was on the same page with what they wanted, the particulars of hes or shes or theys were only as important to him as they were to his partners. In all the years he’d been practicing the science of mate selection, he was certain he’d never met anyone who had melted his insides as fast as the man at the desk.

While Adam was busy staring, he stood rooted to the spot, having forgotten why he was there in the first place. The low throat-clearing startled him, and he shifted his gaze from Sexy’s torso to his face. The man’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“Uh…” Adam mentally slapped himself. He was not one to lose his words over anyone, no matter how attractive. Time to take control back. He stepped up to the counter. “Yeah. I need a couple of things.” He lowered his voice and put on what he hoped was his sexiest expression. “I came in to get condoms.”

Once again, amusement flashed on the other man’s face. “No problem. You can leave a donation here.” He shoved a jar forward on the counter.

Adam almost laughed at the pink paper label taped to the front. It read, Condoms—Tip Jar. Still feeling off-kilter, he snipped, “They’re not free?”

“They are. We’re asking for donations because we offer a lot of free stuff here, and it helps offset the cost when people give a little.” He looked Adam up and down. “I’m guessing you’re non-traditional or a graduate student, so maybe you can spare some change.”

Adam sneered, but he reached into his pocket for his wallet. He withdrew a dollar and stuck it in the jar then held out his hand. The other man reached under the counter and came back up with one condom, which he slapped into Adam’s palm.

“You have got to be kidding me. You want me to pay a dollar per condom? I’m going to need more than one,” Adam huffed. “For less than that price, I could buy them at the drug store.”

The man laughed. “I’m messing with you. You’re being a huge dick about making a small donation to the health center, so payback is fair.” He snorted. “Although, look who thinks he’s such a stud. If you need that many, why not buy them at the store?”

“Because I live in student housing, and this is more convenient. If you must know, yes, I have an important date.”

“I’m sure.” The man’s smile was condescending. “Fine.” He reached under the counter again and came up with a handful of condoms. “Enjoy them, with my blessing.”

“Whatever.”

Adam stuffed them in his pockets, turned around, and stalked out of the health center. No matter how hot that guy was, he was an ass, and Adam didn’t want to stick around for any more of his attitude. He had a date to get ready for, and guaranteed she would be much better company than the self-righteous jerk in the center. Which, of course, was exactly why Adam couldn’t get his handsome face and toned body out of his head.

About A.M.

A.M. Leibowitz is a queer spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. Ze keeps warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing about life, relationships, hope, and happy-for-now endings. In between noveling and editing, ze blogs coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, books, and hir family.

Where to find the author:

 Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Website |  Amazon Author Page

Giveaway!

Prize 1 – eBook bundle of An Act of Devotion plus the companion short stories!
Prize 2 – 1 package containing a signed print copy plus a bag of Sorrento Spicchi Italian hard candy and a pack of assorted condom varieties!

A.M. Leibowitz Rafflecopter giveaway!

Review

Title: An Act of Devotion

Author: A.M. Leibowitz

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (215 pages)

ISBN: 9781938108860

Publisher: Supposed Crimes (May 1, 2016)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Cat

Blurb: Adam Lansing has always relied on his charm to get by. Sure, he’s starting over—new school, new graduate assistant position—but he knows he won’t have any trouble working his magic on anyone he chooses.

Antonio “AJ” Mancuso is deep inside his own head. He’s cool, calm, and confident. But despite all the friends around him, he often feels like he straddles two worlds. Is there anyone who could love him for everything that defines him—past and present?

From the first time they meet, Adam is determined to get gorgeous AJ to notice him. But just as the heat is cranking up between them, Adam spots AJ with another man. Adam strikes back through a fling with an ex. But when he discovers the truth behind AJ’s behavior, he realizes that his magic won’t cleanup for him this time.

Product Link: http://amzn.to/1rLZurW

Review: Adam is charming, sometimes too cocky and likes to use innuendo. But he uses that to hide his insecurities.

AJ is sexy, confident, and has many friends. He devotes his time to work, study and many causes he supports plus his friends. This way he doesn’t have to face his hidden secrets that haunt him and keep him from having a relationship that he craves.

I loved this story. It is chock-full of intriguing characters. Maybe too full. I love a character driven story, but at first, I felt like maybe I picked up a book in a series. There were so many allusions to both Adam and AJ’s past that kind of made me wonder what I had missed.  AJ had so many friends with problems, and it was as if I missed that story as well. Closer to the end we get some of this backstory that fills in most of the blanks.

I love a character that at first is unlikeable and Adam was a bit overbearing in the beginning and soon let his barriers down. I loved his cocky, positive attitude. A lot is going on in the story, so it’s pretty fast paced.  I liked how the story dealt with many social issues such as abuse, date rape, bisexual, and transgender. There is plenty of hot man-sex as well.

If you like a pretty steamy romance, college men, bisexual and transgender characters, a fast paced, character driven story, and of course some hot man-sex, you will like this.

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