Hi guys, we have Brynn Stein popping in today with the blog tour for her upcoming release Waiting For Patrick, we have a fantastic guest post, a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

Waiting For Patrick

Brynn Stein

Architect Elliot Graham has bought and restored dozens of historic homes to their original splendor. As in his personal life, he loves them and leaves them, selling them off without looking back. But there’s something about the old plantation house he finds in South Carolina—a connection he can’t explain. He feels as though he recognizes the house, as if within its crumbling walls he might find something he doesn’t even realize he’s lost.

Ben Myers had promised his lover and soul mate, Patrick, that he would wait for his return. Ben has kept his word ever since Patrick left him to wait at the plantation house—during the Civil War. For the first time in many long years, Ben is no longer alone, and he reaches out to Elliot in dreams. Elliot tries to convince Ben that Patrick isn’t coming back, but Ben’s devotion is about to change not only his lonely existence, but Elliot’s life as well.

Brynn Stein!

Welcome to my blog tour for Waiting for Patrick. I’m offering giveaways of one signed copy, one electronic copy, and a choice of one title from my backlist. Comment below and at any of my other blog stops (posted below) to be entered to win. One comment, one entry. Dreamspinner is offering my other paranormal titles (Haunted, Lifeline, and  What No One Else Can Hear ) for $0.99 during “Weekend Reads” on September 2, 3, and 4, in honor of Waiting for Patrick being my ninth published book. Waiting for Patrick will be available at a discounted price throughout the tour (September 1 through 15). Winners of the raffle will be announced on September 16^th.

My Dream Cast

When preparing for a blog tour, I got ideas from various sources, about what topics to write about. One of the suggestions I really liked was “If your book were to be filmed as a movie, what would be your ideal cast.” Below is my list.

But first, a little about the book. Waiting for Patrick, my ninth published book, comes out on September 16^th. It’s about Elliot Graham and Ben Meyers. Elliot is an architect who buys houses, renovates them, and sells them again. Somehow, though, when he finds a particular house in South Carolina, he feels drawn to it and thinks he might just keep this one. His best friend, Sheri, lives nearby, so Elliot has plenty to do in the area. He meets Sheri’s boyfriend, Malcolm, and a guy at a local nightclub, Daniel, who becomes a fast friend. But, when he meets Ben, he suddenly feels complete in a way he never has before. There’s only one obstacle. Ben is a ghost.

During the course of the book, we see a glimpse into the life of Ben, and his soulmate, Patrick, in the years leading up to the civil war. So, any movie would need actors to play their young counterparts.

There’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s the basic gist, and all you really need to know to enjoy the fun list below. 
Cast:
Elliot = Patrick Dempsey. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Dempsey

Elliot is tall dark and handsome, just like Dempsey and has a buttery voice. Dempsey is a little older than the character, but not significantly. Elliot is just over forty but doesn’t look it. Patrick would bring Elliot to life and able to handle Elliot’s strong and changing emotions.

Ben = Chace Crawford https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chace_Crawford

Chace is older than Ben’s 22, but he has the boyish look down pat. Ben has fine, silky hair that Elliot loves to run his hands through. (The book explains how Elliot could do this since Ben is a ghost.) Chace might have to lighten his hair a little, since Ben has ash blond locks, but I’d be willing to accept a brown haired Ben if absolutely necessary. <grin>

Daniel = Liam Hemsworth https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Hemsworth

Who wouldn’t want Liam Hemsworth, for just about any movie? But he’d be great as Daniel. Daniel is care free and sexy as sin. He and Elliot have some pretty heavy sex scenes. Take your time. Enjoy the visual imagery.

Sheri = Constance Wu  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Wu

Sheri has Asian ancestry and long black hair. Elliot shortens her name to Cher because her hair has always reminded him of the singer. Sheri is fiery and outspoken, and a wonderful friend to Elliot. He often refers to her as his “strongest ally”.

Malcolm = Djimon Hounsou  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djimon_Hounsou

Malcolm is slightly younger than Djimon but this actor would be perfect for him. Malcolm has a strong, quiet presence. He’s in his late forties, older than Sheri, but seems to be the steady presence Sheri needs. Malcolm is instantly intrigued when Elliot starts hinting at having a ghost and does a lot of research about it for Elliot.

Young Patrick= Tom Holland  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holland_(actor)

Patrick, as a teenager in Pennsylvania in the 1860s was carefree and boisterous and willing to take a chance on a forbidden relationship with Ben.

Young Ben = Asa Butterfield  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Butterfield

Ben, as a teenager, was lanky and maybe a little awkward. He loved Patrick more than life itself.

Excerpt

ELLIOT HAD time to unpack, make a list of things he wanted to buy, and generally get ready to live in the house for at least the next couple of days. Then, true to her word, Sheri showed up at seven sharp.

“Looking good, Cher.” Elliot swept her into his arms as soon as she stepped through the ornate door and into the foyer, his muscled arms enveloping her petite figure.

Even though he hadn’t seen her in a while, she hadn’t changed much. She still wore her stick-straight black hair long and loose, flowing down her back to stop at the ample swell of her hips. Sheri always said her hair was one of her favorite features, a toast to her long-ago Asian ancestor. In fact, her hair was one reason that, when Elliot wrote her nickname, he used a c instead of an s. He had always thought her hair looked like that of the singer by the same name, back in the seventies before she experimented with curls. He was surprised by Sheri’s reasonably sedate outfit, however. She wore a pullover, angora sweater and a wraparound skirt. The wild print of the skirt was the only thing about the outfit that was typical Sheri.

They went out to dinner at her favorite restaurant and caught up on personal news they hadn’t shared by e-mail or text. Then she took Elliot to a new nightclub that had opened up downtown several months before. It wasn’t a gay bar, per se, but apparently had a large representation from the LGBT community among its regular clientele.

Once they were in the parking lot, the real Sheri finally emerged. She pulled off the sweater to reveal a turquoise dress that left very little to the imagination. It left one shoulder bare and had strategically placed slits running up and down one side. As she undid the wraparound skirt and threw it in the back of the car with the discarded sweater, Elliot had serious doubts Sheri could even walk without revealing her underwear—if she was even wearing any. One never knew with her.

She laughed at Elliot when she saw him gaping. “What? You didn’t think I was going to wear my granny clothes to go clubbing, did you?”

He shook his head. He had no idea why he was even surprised. Changing the subject, he asked, “So, you were telling me this is a new club? You’ve been here before, I’m betting.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I have. I was here opening night. And several times since then. I like it so far. It does a good business, but it’s not overly crowded. It seems to cater to all ages. There are twinks, of course, but it’s not only twinks. You should be able to find someone you like.”

“I’m not looking for anyone, Sheri,” Elliot insisted for the millionth time that night, as they walked to the unassuming door of the nightclub. “I just want to spend some time with you, get the work on the house started, then head out to the next town.”

“And where might that be?”

Elliot shrugged and kicked a stray piece of gravel, watching it reluctantly roll away. It didn’t matter where the next project might be. It was never about the destination for him. He enjoyed the journey. Even if he didn’t sell this house, he doubted he’d stay there for long. He was never comfortable in one place. It was almost as if he was looking for something he never thought he’d find.

All conversation stopped short as they stepped into the darkened nightclub. Loud music assaulted Elliot’s ears. Strobe-light and laser-light shows emphasized writhing bodies on the main dance floor as well as on an upper level. Young men with oiled chests wriggled against each other and against middle-aged men dressed in polo shirts. Women paired off with each other or with one or more men as bodies ground together in time to the music. Women sat on men’s laps, getting cozy at the tables around the walls and at the bar, and no one seemed too bothered by the actions of anyone else.

“This really isn’t my scene anymore, Cher.” Elliot wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but he didn’t find the atmosphere nearly as appealing as Sheri seemed to.

“We’ll get a table toward the back,” she called over her shoulder as she led the way through the squirming masses of admittedly beautiful flesh. “Easier to talk back there.”

Elliot decided “easier to talk” was a bit optimistic once they reached an empty table in the corner, but he was more comfortable since they were farther away from the main throng. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. It was far too loud to talk to Sheri very easily. He ordered a beer and nursed it for as long as he could. When it was finally empty, Sheri flagged down a scantily dressed man who apparently worked there, and ordered them each another drink.

Not long after the second drink arrived, a young man, mid- to late-twenties, sashayed over to the table and draped himself over Elliot’s shoulder. His blond hair was short on the sides and stuck up on top in the “I just got out of bed and didn’t do a thing with my hair” style he’d probably spent forever on. A mixture of beer, cologne, and sweat overpowered Elliot before the man even spoke.

“Hi, gorgeous,” he slurred. “I’ve been watching you all night.” Elliot wondered how an hour or so could possibly be considered all night. The man continued. “Let’s dance.” He grasped Elliot’s wrist and pulled.

The kid was probably two or three inches shorter than Elliot and slightly built. He wasn’t going to be able to move Elliot unless Elliot allowed him to.

Elliot used his thumb and forefinger to encircle the younger man’s wrist and lifted it off his chest and away from him. Between the bare minimum contact and what Elliot was hoping was a look of disgust on his face, he wasn’t sure why the kid didn’t run away screaming. “I don’t dance,” he snarled.

It didn’t deter the guy, though. He clung even tighter and whispered into Elliot’s ear. “How about we go to the bathroom, then? We can do a different kind of dancing,” As he listened to the slur in his voice get heavier with each word, Elliot tried to estimate how many beers the man might have had.

“Maybe later.” Elliot regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Why was he offering any hope? He had no intention of going anywhere with this guy.

“That sounds promising.” The young man somehow managed to ooze into a chair beside Elliot without loosening his grip at all. “I can do later.”

Sheri was all but dissolving into laughter across the table from them. Elliot kicked her.

“Shut up, you.” He glared, but she giggled even more.

“Your drapery is still talking, Ellie.” She laughed, gesturing toward the twentysomething blond leech. Elliot tried to move away enough to look the kid in the eye but couldn’t manage it, so he simply listened.

“I’m Daniel,” he was saying. “What’s your name?”

Elliot wasn’t inclined to answer, so Sheri answered for him. “Oh, that’s Ellie.”

“Ellie?” The kid was definitely drunk or stoned or both, and was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the female name attached to the decidedly male body he was draped over. He seemed to feel the need to assure himself of the gender of said body and ran his hands down Elliot’s chest and into his groin. He smiled insanely when he found what he was after, and Sheri laughed uproariously as Elliot squealed in surprise at the personal intrusion.

“Darrell!” Elliot screaked. “Do you mind?”

“Name’s Daniel. And no. I don’t mind at all.”

“I did not invite you to put your hand there. Could you kindly move it, please?”

Daniel started doing exactly that.

Elliot groaned. “I didn’t mean like that.” He tried not to let his voice get husky as his body responded to the way Daniel rubbed his palm firmly into Elliot’s crotch. It had been a long time since anyone but himself had massaged that particular part of his body. “I meant move it away from….” Elliot moaned again and unconsciously scooted down in his chair to provide room in his rapidly tightening jeans. “Oh God.”

“Where would be the fun in moving it away?” Daniel leered, and Elliot suddenly wondered if the young man was as wasted as he had first assumed. “You seem to like what I’m doing now.”

“Stop that.” Elliot tried to be forceful. He really did. But at that moment, not even he was convinced that he wanted Daniel to stop. It had been a long, long time. “Shit. We’ll be right back,” he told Sheri as he grabbed Daniel’s hand and practically sprinted toward the bathroom, dodging writhing bodies and waiters bearing trays of drinks.

About Brynn

Brynn has always loved to write about strong male characters and their close friendships. When she found the world of m/m fiction, she fell in love. Finally, a way to bring those strong male characters together and let those emotional connections spill over into deeper relationships. Sometimes her characters go through the emotional wringer, but they always have each other.

Brynn lives in Virginia near her two grown daughters who support her writing and sometimes act as proof readers. Both of her daughters are also aspiring writers and hopefully it’ll just be a matter of time before they have their own author’s biography.

Brynn was a teacher by profession for thirty years. She worked in special education with children with emotional disabilities. She has recently changed careers and is now working as a mental health counselor to this same population and their families. When she is not working or writing, she loves to draw and paint. She also gets outside as often as she can, reads anything that doesn’t move out of the way, and is always looking for her next story.

Contact Brynn:

Twitter | Website | Facebook

Giveaway!

Win one signed copy!

Win one electronic copy!

Win a choice of one title from Brynn’s backlist!

Comment below and at any of Brynn’s other blog stops (posted below) to be entered to win. One comment, one entry.

Check out the other blogs on the blog tour