Hi guys, we have Mickie B. Ashling stopping by with her new re-release Mayon, we have a brief introduction from Mickie, a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~

Mayon

Mickie B. Ashling

The Philippines, 1946

After being discharged from the Marines, John Buchanan is offered a position as overseer for plantation owner Ignacio Saenz. The offer is unexpected, considering he knows nothing about coconut farming, but the presence of Mount Mayon, an active volcano within sight of the property, tips the scales in Ignacio’s favor. Finally John has a chance to put his lifelong passion for vulcanology into practice.

Gregorio Delgado, the current overseer, takes exception to this turn of events. He views John as an interloper and Ignacio’s offer as a thinly disguised excuse to marry off one of his six daughters. What neither of them expects is the powerful physical attraction that simmers between them. Could John be a kindred spirit, or is he just using Gregorio for his knowledge of farming to ingratiate himself with his potential father-in-law?  

As John and Gregorio begin a tour of the haciendas, John discovers he has far more in common with his new acquaintance than he thought possible. Torn between honor and desire, John struggles to define who he is and what Gregorio could mean to him. Like the unpredictable volcano, equal parts beauty and danger, Gregorio becomes an obsession that could erupt at any minute and destroy them both.

Excerpt

I’d like to thank MM Good Book Reviews for hosting my blog tour visit and giving me the opportunity to share an exclusive excerpt of my latest release, Mayon.  This historical novel was originally published by Dreamspinner Press in 2012. In this second edition, published under the imprint of DSP Publications, you can expect some additional content in the form of a prologue as well as a thorough reedit. The year is 1946 and the setting is the Philippines, a country I called my home for thirty years. The beautiful new cover was created by Catt Ford. Kudos to J for the consistent good work in organizing all my blog tours

Excerpt

Greg was sitting on the trunk of a fallen coconut tree, one of the many that had been toppled during the last big typhoon. The sound of women’s voices carried in the wind, and although he’d chosen to sulk in a private cove, he could easily picture them frolicking in the water. He was positive John would be right in the thick of it, and he had to escape from the group or his jealousy would be his undoing. He hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to stand by and watch Daisy flirting. He loved her as a sister, but right then he despised her, almost as much as he hated John for responding to her coquettish behavior.

Then again, maybe Greg was being unreasonable. What was he expecting John to do? Tell the women to leave him alone because he and Greg were having an affair? There was nothing amorous about their relationship. It was strictly physical, according to John, and Greg had to stop pretending there was more. Men didn’t fall in love with other men. It was against nature, he’d been told often enough, and dreaming about a romantic connection wouldn’t alter the truth. There was none. He wished there was a pill he could take to expunge John Buchanan from his thoughts.

His self-loathing was interrupted by the smell of tobacco. John was walking toward him with a cigarette in his hand, and he pulled the crumpled pack of Marlboros out of the pocket of his light blue shirt and waved it at him.

“Want one?”

“Sure,” Greg replied and reached for a stick.

John sank down beside him and they smoked companionably. Greg thought about apologizing, but John surprised him by making the first move.

“I’m sorry,” he said gruffly.

“For what?”

“Pissing you off.”

“I’m the one acting like a child,” Greg admitted.

“If you plan to survive in this world, you’re going to have to learn how to hide your feelings or deal with them in private,” John advised.

“I’m new at this.”

“I know, and it’s because you’re so innocent that I’m apologizing for being too blunt. We might be the same age, but we’re worlds apart in experience. You haven’t seen humanity at its worst like I have.”

“I’ve lived through a war,” Greg objected. “I’m not that sheltered.”

“I’m talking about what happens to men like us if you make a mistake. An unguarded look or touch might possibly be the last thing you’ll ever do if you happen to get caught. I’ve seen some terrible things, Greg. A black eye is nothing compared to being held down, stripped, and raped by a bunch of raging vigilantes who think it’s their right to be God’s avenging angels.”

“You’ve seen that?” Greg asked dubiously.

“Back home. I’ve been there to pick up the pieces, and trust me, it wasn’t pretty. After they raped him, they bludgeoned him with the same baseball bat they’d used to ram up his ass. He was in the hospital for months.”

“Was he your lover?”

“No, just some dumb schmuck who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was coming home from a party when I tripped over him in the street.”

“My God,” Greg exhaled.

“You have to be careful, Greg. Just because you’re with friends and family doesn’t mean you’re safe. Ignacio would turn on you in a minute if he thought you were messing with me.”

“Who’s going to tell him?”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, buddy. It won’t take a genius to figure out something’s going on between us if you don’t put a mask on in public.”

“I don’t want to live like this the rest of my life,” Greg said hotly. “I can’t be two people.”

“You can and you will if you want to survive.”

“You mean to tell me that my friends or family would beat me up if they knew I was different?”

“Probably not physically, but I can promise you Carmen and Ignacio won’t be as comfortable having you around.”

“The girls are safe with me.”

John snorted. “I know that, but they might not see it that way….”

“That’s unfair.”

“Life isn’t fair for men like us. If Ignacio were to find out that I was bisexual, he’d withdraw his offer, have me deported, and lock up the girls for good measure. Unfortunately, people think homosexuals are deviants with only one thing on our minds: sex. Eventually, someone will take offense by your mere presence, and you’ll get beaten up or worse.”

“Is that why you’re considering marriage?”

“Self-preservation is a compelling reason, plus, I’d like a family someday.”

“Would you tell your wife that you’ve also slept with men?”

“Do you think I’m insane?”

“You’d be lying before you even took your vows.”

“What I do before marriage is none of her business,” John argued. “Once I’m married, I plan to honor my vows to the letter.”

“What if you can’t?”

“I’ll try to stay away from temptation.”

“Like me?”

John shrugged.

“It’s wrong and you know it,” Greg accused. “I don’t want you to keep up this flirtation with Daisy. It’s not fair to her. She’s a good person and deserves better.”

John’s gentle demeanor turned combative as soon as the words left Greg’s mouth. “What makes you think I’m not good enough?” he demanded. “I could make her happy, and for your information, she doesn’t really want a husband. She wants to use me to get the hell away from her parents.”

About Mickie

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.

By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings. 

Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

CONNECT WITH MICKIE

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Giveaway!

Win! Three winners will win a DSP Publications gift certificate OR one of two e-copies of Mayon!

Mickie B. Ashling Rafflecopter giveaway!

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