Hi again all, seeing as I am in soooo much trouble already I thought I’d throw all my cards in today and have a guest post with an author I am a huge fan of, I love his stuff and even though his latest is a contemporary instead of steampunk/fantasy I still read it and I was soooo glad I did. Well without further ado I am handing you over to Eon de Beaumont and his first contemporary story Rum and Ginger the first book in The Connection series *hey it was as close to a rainbow as I could get!* remember to stick around for my review. *kisses* ~Pixie~ 

Eon de Beaumont – Rum and Ginger

Hello all, my name is Eon de Beaumont and I’ve written my very first contemporary story. This post is part of a promotional blog tour I’m undertaking to celebrate the release of Rum & Ginger, The Connection: Book One. The story is very character oriented so I’m going to introduce you to each of the major characters in each of these blog posts and give you some background about how they fit in the world and how I came up with them. Shall we?

The main character is Ben Silver. Ben is working at a soulless corporate restaurant called T.C. McFlannigan’s Funstaurant. It’s exactly what you think. There’s crappy kitsch all over the walls and they force the employees to dress like idiots. Ben’s the general manager and he makes a comfortable living but it isn’t fulfilling by any stretch of the imagination. He aspires to more but has had to settle because of his current boyfriend’s plans. Ben’s forced to remain in the closet too due to his boyfriend’s hang-ups.

There are plenty of bars in their crappy little town and Ben would like nothing more than to throw of the chains of McFlannigan’s and open the first gay bar. Ben is a nerd, who was although on the track team in high school. He wasn’t a typical jock. I wanted to make Ben outside of a specific mold. Characters are usually jocks or nerds. I wanted Ben to straddle that line. Ben was and is the kind of guy who can get along with anyone. Above all I didn’t want him to be a cliché. I think I’ve accomplished that. You’ll have to give Rum & Ginger a try and let me know what you think.

For now here’s the blurb and an excerpt that introduces you to Ben and his trials at T.C. McFlannigan’s Funstaurant. You’ll also meet his best friend Lena, a waitress at the restaurant, but we’ll speak more of her in another post. You can connect with me on facebook or follow my Twitter: @mascaraboy13 for updates and announcements. I hope you enjoy the excerpt and if you’re interested, there’s a buylink following. Thanks!

Blurb:

Ben Silver’s personal dream is to open the first gay bar in Liamsport, Pennsylvania. The town isn’t exactly open-minded, but that’s not why Ben stays in the closet. Chance, Ben’s computer nerd boyfriend, is deathly afraid of anyone finding out he’s gay. On a night out, Ben meets Brodie Felix, a younger, heavily tattooed bartender who lights a spark in Ben’s heart. Although the spark in his relationship with Chance has dwindled to almost nothing, Ben feels guilty for wanting to be single, for wanting another man, so he tries to forget about Brodie.

But when Ben discovers one of Chance’s own secrets, he’s forced to make a difficult choice.

On his own for the first time in his life, Ben can be open with his family and friends. Though honesty has its benefits, his life isn’t perfect. Ben’s circle of friends and family is growing. So is the spark between him and Brodie, and Ben hopes it will grow into a flame. His dream remains out of his grasp, but with a little help and a lot of work, he might yet serve his favorite rum and ginger ale at his own establishment, the first gay bar in his hometown.

Excerpt:

Chapter One:

“You need to get out here, Ben.” Lena panted as she leaned into his office, her jet-black hair pulling free of her ponytail. “There’s a rhino stampeding again.”

“Christ.” Ben groaned as he rose from his chair. “It’s only fricking Tuesday.”

“Hurry up. She’s ready to tear the place apart,” Lena stated as she exited the office. Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and followed. A rhino on Tuesday did not bode well for the rest of the week. Sometimes being the manager of T.C. McFlannigan’s Family Funstaurant and Grillery gave Ben a splitting headache. He straightened his red-and-white-striped tie as he walked down the hallway, its wall covered in bits and pieces of pop-culture kitsch from decades past. The autographed picture of the cast of Diff’rent Strokes had remained in the same place since he’d started here as a waiter in high school. He shook his head as he marched toward the inevitable rhino confrontation.

The employees of the T.C. McFlannigan’s in Liamsport, Pennsylvania had been using the term “rhino” since before Ben started. Any overweight, disagreeable customer could be a rhino. Ben hated when they stampeded, when they started arguing with the waitstaff for some reason. He marched along the cheap tile floor in his company-issued polo with the requisite five pieces of “dazzle” Flannigan’s forced managers to sport. Ben had chosen a Batman cloisonné pin, two peace sign buttons, an embroidered Cure patch, a Star Trek combadge, and a polymer clay ladybug Lena had made him. The waiters and waitresses were required to cover their entire vests in “dazzle.” Ben didn’t miss those days.

He could hear the woman bellowing as he approached the dining room. “It says ‘all you can eat shrimp’! I ain’t done yet!” she protested at the top of her ample lungs. Ben readied his placating “manager smile” and he stepped in front of Lena. The large customer took a large sip from her large drink and barked, “Get me a manager, damn it! I want to talk—” She stopped when her piggy brown eyes met Ben’s blue gaze. He’d often practiced the look he turned on the woman, confident that his smile and expression would calm the awful creature. The woman sputtered once as her family averted their eyes in shame. Her husband’s face glowed red with embarrassment.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m Mr. Silver, the general manager. What’s affecting your funtertainment this evening?” Ben regurgitated the Flannigans’s approved greeting.

“Well. Hot damn.” The woman’s tongue snaked out and danced across her lips as her eyes molested Ben’s physique. “You’re the manager?”

“I am, ma’am. What’s the problem?”

“I got this coupon.” She presented the little slip of paper. “It says if we buy an entrée and two appetizers, we get all you can eat shrimp. This bitch,” the customer stated, shoving a finger in Christine’s face, “says she’s cuttin’ me off!” Christine’s expression paled with shock. “What’s that shit?”

“I don’t think it’s the shrimp Christine is cutting off, ma’am. I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink. Isn’t that right, Chrissy?” The frightened waitress nodded, her eyes wide. “We’re happy to give you as much shrimp as you want, but we have to draw the line when your drinking causes you to become belligerent. This is a family establishment.” Ben flashed his most ingratiating smile to punctuate his plea.

“You think you’re so cute. I paid my money. I got my coupon.” The woman drained her glass and shook it in Ben’s face. The ice cubes rattled annoyingly. “Give me my effing shrimps!”

Something in Ben’s brain snapped. “You don’t need any more shrimp, you fat cow! You’ve had too much to drink tonight. You’ve had too much to eat since the day you were born, and you’re humiliating your family. Get the hell out of here before I call animal control to put you down!”

“I—” The customer gasped. Her mouth opened and closed without sound. “I…what… you….”

“Out!” Ben pointed to the door. He looked at the astonished faces of the woman’s family and his waitstaff. Ben didn’t care. He was sick of these awful human beings walking all over them and demanding consideration. The woman snorted before she stomped out of the restaurant. Her family followed with their heads down, but Ben caught a smirk on her husband’s face.

“Jesus, Ben,” Lena stated with something Ben thought might be awe. “Where did that come from?”

He shook his head. “Just one of those days. Not in the mood for people.” Ben turned, uncomfortable with the stares of the entire dining room. He wasn’t sure what had come over him, but he’d never lost it like that before. He wanted to visit the bar himself, but he still had a few hours left of his shift. He stalked off to his office instead.

Buy link:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4421