Hi guys, we have T.A. Chase visiting today with her upcoming re-release Why I Love Geeks, we have a fantastic guest post and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
Why I Love Geeks
T.A. Chase
New York City Homicide Detective Chuck Davidson is a guy’s guy. He likes sports, beer, and classic cars—fancy gadgets, not so much. When yet another high-tech phone goes on the fritz, he knows he needs help, and he meets a man who loves technology as much as he hates it—cute but awkward biochemist Herbert Pommerset.
Herb’s never been with a man—not even on a date. He hides behind his research, daydreaming about what it might be like to find someone special. A malfunctioning phone causes his path to cross with a sexy older detective, and Herb wishes he’d spent less time studying science and more learning how to flirt, because he can think of some experiments he’d like to conduct with Chuck. None of his considerable intelligence is helping him express his desires to the other man.
Just when it seems they might overcome their differences, Herb’s research puts him in danger. He’s made a discovery that could cost him his life, and Chuck must use his very different talents to rescue the geek he’s coming to love.
First Edition published by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure, 2011.
T.A. Chase
Hi. I’m T.A. Chase and I write gay romance (for those of you who might not know me) I’m honored to be a guest blogger today at MM Good Book Reviews.
I’m here to chat about my book Why I Love Geeks. It might be familiar to some of you because it was released several years ago at another publisher. Dreamspinner was gracious enough to pick it up and the other two Why I Love books. So it’s a re-release but I did add new material.
I’ll admit it was a lot of fun to re-visit Herb and Chuck. So many times I laughed out loud at something Herb said or sighed at how Chuck treated Herb. Back when I first wrote Geeks, I was trying to attempt my first romantic comedy. I’m not saying there weren’t funny moments in my other books. I mean Allergies was based on the idea that one main character was allergic to the other. There’s humor in that, but it slowly shifted into a more serious plotline.
Then I came up with Herb, a geeky genius scientist who has no filter. His mind is working a million times faster than his mouth. He blurts stuff out and not always at the most appropriate times. I think we all know someone like that or maybe had a run-in with a toddler who spills their parents’ secrets without blinking.
To be honest, writing a character like that is difficult for me. I’m definitely not like that at all. I tend to examine what I’m about to say. So people who do say whatever they’re thinking fascinate and entertain me. I found it a little freeing to allow Herb to say whatever he wanted. I tried to make sure he wasn’t mean, though. I’m sure there are some things he says that will make you cringe. (I wrote the words and I did…lol)
Herb is one of my favorite characters. His heart is in the right place, no matter what he says. He’s not malicious or cruel. I’m a sucker for a ‘nice guy’ character just as much—if not a little more—than a bad boy. I also think good guys don’t get the credit they deserve. We have a ton of books out there written about bad boys. I’ve written a few myself, but what about the good guy who might not be very exciting, yet he’s interesting in his own way.
I didn’t think about or plan out Herb’s response to the situations he found himself in. All his words and actions were his—or at least how he’d react (I think) if he were real. Herb’s a guy I’d love to hang out with. He’s so intelligent, imagine all the topics you could talk about with him. You could spend hours with him and never learn everything he knows. Yet there are so many ordinary things Her hasn’t experienced that would be entertaining to introduce him to and see his reactions. There are a couple of those kind of moments in the book.
Only you, the readers, can decide if I achieved the humor I was trying for when writing Why I Love Geeks and whether you find Herb as engaging and adorable as I do.
Chuck, Herb’s love interest, is a more typical character. Cop, tall dark and handsome. Strong silent type. Yet his uniqueness comes in how he handles Herb, imo. (which I’ll let you see for yourself…lol)
I’m not sure how closely Geeks follows the rom-com story line because some situations crop up in the book that aren’t really comedy material. I seem to have a tendency to mash up my genres…lol. I mix comedy in with my paranormals and suspense. I guess that’s a good thing because having too much angst without a little laughter can get depressing. Plus I’m the kind of person who looks for humor even in the darkest of moments.
I can’t seem to do just one genre. I like mixing them up. It makes the story more interesting—for me anyway—by blending different elements together. I like different kind of heroes. Herb might be a certified genius, but being able to get out the situation he ends up in isn’t in his wheelhouse. He isn’t McGyver. Well, I guess if there was science involved, he might have been able to do something…lol
Even though Herb is awkward and maybe a little weird, Chuck accepts him the way he is, which is the definition of love to me. We take the people we love with all their flaws and weirdness.
Thank you for allowing me to chat with you today. I hope you check out Why I Love Geeks.
Excerpt
CHUCK STARED at his phone, cursing God and every intelligent person who created such an evil invention. It beeped its cheerful chimes, and he fought back the shout threatening to rip free from his throat.
What possessed him to accept the stupid thing? His boss swore Chuck needed one. He’d be able to get ahold of Chuck faster, but he’d never understood Chuck’s aversion to electronics.
The upbeat chimes rang again, and he raised his hand to throw it under the fast-approaching bus. Chuck was sure Summerson would accept an accident excuse. Not his fault he tripped and it flew out of his hand. An evil grin formed on his face.
“Wait. Can I help?”
The offending instrument seemed to fly from his hand and not toward the road like he’d intended. Chuck turned to glare at the man who dared intervene in the upcoming destruction of his phone.
“Only if you can make that thing stop ringing.” Chuck gestured toward the rectangular object the stranger held in his hands.
Bright green eyes blinked at him from behind thick glasses. “Did you try answering it?”
Chuck inhaled, silently repeating the mantra his therapist gave him to calm his temper. “If I knew how to answer it, I’d have done so by now.”
A twitch of plump lips and Chuck knew the man was laughing at him. Indignation rocketed through him.
He dragged his gaze over the shorter man, trying to stifle his own chuckle. Longish black curls stuck out at enough random angles for Chuck to surmise it wasn’t done on purpose. Baggy jeans hung on lean hips, and a ragged T-shirt barely covered his flat, pale stomach. Beat-up sneakers completed the ensemble, along with a black messenger bag slung crosswise over his chest.
“Didn’t anyone show you how to use it when you got it?” He swiped his finger over the screen and started pushing buttons.
“I was busy. My boss tossed it to me as I was leaving on a case.” Chuck crossed his arms and tried not to look disgruntled. “I don’t need a new phone.”
“You have ten voice mails.”
His elegant, long-fingered hand held the phone up to Chuck’s face, letting him see the number of messages.
“Great. The first one is probably from my mother, and the other nine are her complaining I never call her back.”
The young man’s lips twitched again, and Chuck wanted to ask if he had a nervous tick or something because, God knows, the kid wasn’t laughing at him.
“Well, if you do this and push this button, you can get the messages.”
The guy’s fingers flew over the small buttons, and Chuck didn’t even try to keep track of what he was doing. Lord knew he wasn’t going to keep the thing. He had his pager, and that was good enough, though the stupid thing didn’t always work. Probably had to do with the fact he tended to forget to charge it.
“You’re right. It’s your mom.”
Rolling his eyes, Chuck gestured vaguely. “Just delete them. I’ve heard everything she has to say.”
“Actually, she wants you to come for dinner tonight because your baby sister will be there. And you haven’t seen her in a month. She thinks you’ve been avoiding the family.” The stranger tilted his head. “Why would you avoid your family? Heck, if my parents remembered I was alive and wanted me to come to dinner, I’d be there every chance I got.”
“How many siblings do you have?” Chuck checked his watch. He still had time left on his lunch hour. He’d grab a hot dog from the corner vendor before he went inside.
“None. Only child. Though I wish I had a bunch of brothers and sisters. It would have been so much fun, building forts and going on picnics. We could do things for the science fair and practice for the spelling bee. So much fun,” the kid muttered.
Chuck snorted. “Kid, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but I have six brothers and sisters, all younger. Not so much fun. There’s a lot of arguing, teasing, and the girls hogged the bathroom. There wasn’t much solitude or silence either. Trust me, I don’t think you’d enjoy it.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-seven. That’s not as old as you, I’m sure. Maybe that’s why you’re calling me ‘kid.’ Trying to act all superior and mature. My name’s Herb.” Herb stuck out his hand.
Stunned at the words pouring out of Herb’s mouth, Chuck shook his hand without saying anything. God, the kid was cute. Sure, Chuck felt like a perv, ogling the younger guy, but thank goodness Herb was older than he looked.
“What’s your name? Holy cow, you’re tall and hot. Are you gay?” Herb winced. “I shouldn’t have said anything like that. Now you’ll probably drag me into an alley and beat the shit out of me for coming on to you. I wasn’t really. I just have a problem keeping things in my head. They tend to spill out as I talk. Don’t get angry with me.”
“Kid, take a breath. I’m gay, so you’re safe there. Thanks for telling me I’m hot. It’s always good to get a compliment, but you really do need to watch what you say or you’re going to get your ass kicked.” Chuck took the phone and stuffed it in his pocket. He’d lose it before he got back to the precinct.
Herb hitched his messenger bag higher up on his shoulder, shoved his hand through his dark curls, and sighed. “I know, but I have so much stuff going on in my head. I just don’t have the energy to censor what I say. I mean, really, why should I have to worry about watching what I say? Others should have to deal with it.”
Chuck took Herb by the elbow and led him away from the curb while Herb chattered. They ended up by a corner hot dog vendor, and Chuck decided he’d get one there instead of from the guy outside the precinct. That guy would yell at him about the crime ruining the streets and shit like that. Chuck heard it enough from his own family; he didn’t need to get it from the guy feeding him.
“You want one?”
Herb wrinkled his nose and gagged. “Are you kidding me? Do you know all the crap they put in hot dogs? None of it’s good for you.”
“Don’t worry, Herb. I have a list of all the nasty stuff printed out and pinned to my bulletin board. Having two doctors in the family ensures I know all the terrible ingredients in all the stuff I love to eat. I bet you know what they put in Twinkies to make sure they’ll survive a nuclear holocaust.”
“Umm… no. Do you?” Herb’s eyes brightened. “That could be a great experiment. I don’t have anything to do this weekend. I might have to set up something to find out. I’d love to know.”
“No, you don’t. It’ll put you off eating them for life.” Chuck took two hot dogs from the vendor, just mustard for dressing.
“I’ve never had a Twinkie,” Herb admitted.
Chuck froze, one hot dog a few inches from his mouth, and stared at Herb. “You haven’t eaten a Twinkie. Were your parents granola lovers or something?”
“What does that have to do with Twinkies? No, I never ate dinner with them. I usually ate with the cook, and Marie always made sure I had healthy food.”
“You never shared one of your friend’s lunches and snacked on Oreos or something like that?”
Herb ducked his head and red tinted his cheeks. “I went to a boarding school. I didn’t have any friends.”
“Hmmm….” Chuck finished both hot dogs and wiped his hands on a napkin. “I suggest you should stop by a grocery store and pick up some sugar snacks. Oreos, Twinkies, Hostess cupcakes. Anything guaranteed to give you the jitters.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“To experience something different.” His phone rang. “Shit.”
He flipped open the phone and punched the button. “Yeah.”
“Davidson, get back here. We caught a body,” his partner, Petrovic, growled in his ear.
“Okay. I’m just a few blocks away, grabbing lunch. I’ll be right there.”
Chuck managed to turn off the phone and stuff it in his pocket. He’d dump it in the garbage on the way home.
“It was nice to meet you, Herb. I’ll tell you a secret. I think you’re cute too.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss on Herb’s lips. “Go and get some Oreos and milk, kid. Believe me, you haven’t tasted anything better in your life.”
He walked away, but something whispered to look back. When he did, Herb was still standing there, fingers pressed to his mouth and a rather stunned expression on his face.
Chuck winked and turned back with a little swagger in his step. Yep, for an old guy, he still had it.
About T.A.
T.A. Chase lives in the Midwest with her neurotic but still wonderful senior cat. She believes there is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates T.A., and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how she shares those insights. When not writing, she’s watching movies and reading. She’s also a part of a line-dancing group that takes over a bar on Tuesday nights and entertains at assisted living homes. It’s all about living life to the fullest.
She loves hearing from fans. But don’t be too upset if she doesn’t get back to you right away. Life has a way of making her lose track of days and hours. Don’t worry, though. You will hear back at some point.
Social Media:
