Hi guys, we have Lila Leigh Hunter stopping by today with the first stop on the blog tour for her upcoming release Dating In Retrospect, we have a fantastic guest post, a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~

Dating in Retrospect

Lila Leigh Hunter

Giving the commencement speech at his alma mater doesn’t fit Clay Keller’s meticulous schedule. As Chief Executive Officer of Travel Mogul—the largest travel connoisseur company on the West Coast—he has no time to get back in touch with his country roots. He left fifteen years ago without a second look, but a medical scare makes him change his mind about the speech and brings him face-to-face with his only regret.

Time always moves slower in Southeastern Iowa, and Aaron Grant loves it. He’s added solar farms to the Grant Lanes portfolio and has been teaching at the local university for a decade. The last thing he needs is to have his tenure application compromised by the return of his ex-boyfriend. If he had known who the commencement speaker would be, he would never have volunteered to be the administration liaison.

A proposal—to date for a year—will help them discover that time changes a person, even when everything else stays the same.

Lila Leigh Hunter

Giant Mutant Ants Found in Iowa

Thank you, guys, for having me today. This is the first stop in my blog tour for Dating in Retrospect. My State of Love novella is set in Iowa as you can tell by the title of this post. Believe me or not, that’s a true statement. I found those ants.

I visited Southeastern Iowa for the first time the summer of 2002. It was my first time visiting the in-laws and they prepared a picnic on their back deck. As we got ready to eat, I noticed a bug on the table. When I asked what type of bug it was, everyone looked at me like I was the mutant bug crawling around.

I’m sorry, but ants shouldn’t be half an inch long, no matter what part of the country you’re in. I wished I still have the pictures to show you, but back then, I had a 24mm camera and was not the best at developing film. If you’re curious, visit the Iowa State University website and you will see that I’m telling the true.  

And this brings me to the reason my story is set in Iowa. Not because of the ants, but because I feel at home in Middle of Nowhere, Iowa, as my character described it in the story. I have been visiting often since that first time, but that close encounter of the third type would always be a memorable one. I have visited many of the settings my characters traveled to during the story. Plus, there are some I still want to see in person, but I had fun seeing them through their eyes.

Small things like calling soda, pop and the indecent amount of sweet tea that it’s consume in the area made great quirks to give to my characters. I might not be a native, but I’m sure I can be considered an adoptive daughter by now. Plus, I had my reference guide with me constantly. Every time I had a question or wanted to test an idea, I badgered my husband.

The story is as much as Clay’s and Aaron’s dates, at it is about the state of Iowa. Each time they saw each other, a part of Iowa pulled them closer. There’s a cameo visit to a different state, but even that happens from the perspective of two small town men in the big city.

In the end, I think the story has a lot of Iowa in it. From the rivalry between college football teams, to the local potato chips and popular attractions. Iowa is definitely a beautiful place for love and second chances, ants and all.

Excerpt

©2017 Lila Leigh Hunter, All Rights Reserved

Clay—May ’15

Back to the future and all of that were Clay’s first thoughts as he stepped out of the car. The campus looked the same—Midwest Americana at its best. Redbrick buildings and perfectly pruned trees surrounded him, but as if the last fifteen years hadn’t happened, Clay’s world narrowed to the man waiting at the top of the portico stairs. The only thing time had changed? Them.

“Here’s your receipt, Mr. Keller,” the valet said, interrupting Clay’s musings. He didn’t remember being as young as the valet. Mr. Keller was his father, but Clay didn’t feel like correcting the man’s error.

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem. The man in the light gray suit is Professor Grant. He will be your escort today.”

“Perfect,” Clay responded, smiling at the mention of having an escort at his service, especially one whose body he knew well. With a nod and a tip, Clay left the valet behind, turning his attention back to Professor Grant. Professor. Aaron had done it after all. Clay had never doubted it, even after Aaron decided to stay and work at his family’s farm instead of moving with him to LA. Now he needed to find out if he had a chance with Aaron. At least having him there, waiting for him, had to be a good sign. Today was his lucky day indeed. True, he hadn’t expected to see Aaron so soon. He had planned to stop by the farm after the commencement, but he was ready either way. Life had been rough lately, but having the opportunity to see Aaron again was worth coming back to the middle of Nowhere, Iowa.

He walked casually toward the man he’d left behind many summers ago—a man standing like a prizefighter, waiting for Clay to reach him. With only a couple of feet between them, Clay’s step faltered. Aaron didn’t seem happy to see him, more like he was ready to bolt before Clay got to him. Shaking his head and keeping his eyes on his prey, he closed the distance and extended his hand in greeting.

“Professor Grant, I believe you’re expecting me?” He hoped his smile would ease Aaron’s frown.

“That I am, Mr. Keller. As the university liaison, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to your alma mater and to convey the president’s and the board of trustees’ deepest regards.”

“How long did it take you to memorize that spiel? As far as I remember, you weren’t fond of formalities.” Neither of them let go of the other’s hand. Aaron’s touch, familiar and foreign, branded him in seconds.

“Ass.”

Aaron didn’t expect the hug that followed. As soon as their bodies touched, Aaron tensed, but Clay held him tighter.

“Relax, sunshine. It’s been a while.” Clay let Aaron go, but not before he rubbed his trimmed beard against Aaron’s clean-shaven face as he moved back.

About Lila

Lila Leigh Hunter is the pen name of a Puerto Rican author with a hyphenated surname. Born and raised on the island, Lila grew up making up stories her siblings pretended to like. But no matter what they say, as the youngest of six, she’s still their mom’s favorite. According to the dusty diplomas on her wall, she’s an architectural designer living in Southern Texas with her husband and four military brats.

She spends most of her free time writing homoerotic romances about middle-aged men finding happiness and the rest hiding from pesky house chores. When outside of her cave, she likes to observe people and try to guess their stories. Sometimes she wishes the voices in her head were real; going out with the boys in her books sounds like a plan made in heaven.

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