He Owns My Heart
Evie Drae
(Owned Heart, Body, & Soul #1)
Publication date: August 11th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
2019 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Finalist in Contemporary Romance
2018 Romance Writers of America® Heart-to-Heart 1st Place Winner in Erotic Romance
2018 Romance Writers of America® Gateway to the Best 2nd Place Winner in Single Title/Contemporary Series
Only true love can free a captive heart.
Landon Jenks, retired four-time Golden Glove-winning shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, is lonely, heartbroken, and in desperate need of simple human contact. Trapped in the sticky fine print of an ironclad contract that forbids him from revealing his very-much-single status until the season finale of his reality show airs, he calls an elite male escort service that caters to the rich and wretched.
Accustomed to servicing his often less than savory clients at more upscale locales, twenty-six-year-old Toby Carmichael is surprised when his handler sends him to a run-down motel off I-55. But “surprise” doesn’t come close to describing the shock that rocks his system when a delightful stuttering mess covered in tattoos and nearly ten years his senior stumbles into the room—and right into his heart.
For the first time since Toby was forced into the life of prostitution, a kiss sparks a desire that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with genuine chemistry and the faintest beginnings of something so much more. But Toby’s dark past and troubled present make it impossible to see a future with Landon. And when the truth comes to light, a horrified and helpless Landon is determined to save Toby at all costs.
Content Warnings: Discussion of childhood verbal abuse by an adult survivor, homophobia from a close family member, discussion of previous self-harm/cutting behaviors by an adult survivor, prostitution with dubious consent (all interactions between the main characters have full consent and there are no on-page depictions of dub-con situations), consensual and experimental Domination/submission play between mostly-novice characters, mild violence between a main character and antagonist, and human trafficking associated with illegal drugs (nothing explicit on-page, only discussions related to and psychological/mental ramifications of addressed in moderate detail).
Interview with Evie Drae
For
those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book,
where should they start?
He
Owns My Heart
is a romance that tackles some pretty deep topics and themes. It
delves into human trafficking, consensual domination and submission,
homophobia from a close family member, and several others. It doesn’t
shy away from these topics, but aims to address them—as well as the
impacts they can have on a person—earnestly and truthfully. I’m
not sure where the best place might be to direct a person for more
information on these topics other than to say—performing your own
research is always important. Just be sure to be mindful of your
sources and careful of your own mental health. If a particular topic
is triggering for you, protect yourself above all else. Nothing is
more important.
How
did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book
As
a writer, I tend to gravitate toward difficult topics. My characters
rarely have it easy in life and have to work for their HEAs. However,
my primary goal is to depict the topics I discuss with as much
realism and sensitivity as possible. I do a lot of research before
diving into anything and hope, at the end of the day, people can
learn a bit more about the world around them and the suffering of
others while losing themselves in my stories.
What
were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel
you achieved them?
I
think I’ve already kind of answered this one in my previous
responses—at least, I’ve explained what my basic goals were in
attacking this story—but I haven’t really addressed how well I
feel I’ve achieved them. To be honest, all I can do is hope that I
told a story that is real and true and approaches the characters’
suffering as sensitively as possible. Although, a secondary goal I
had in writing this story was to depict a novice BDSM relationship
from the beginning. I wanted to show how healing and healthy the
world of domination and submission can be and help to dispel some of
the myths about it propagated by authors who write without
researching. As a member of the community, I can speak from personal
experience and can only hope my real-life depiction comes across as
both educational and true.
Anything you would
like to say to your readers and fans?
If
I could say anything, I’d simply encourage my readers to keep on
reading. Keep an open mind, try new books and new authors, and
venture out of your comfort zone every once in a while. Don’t put
your mental health at risk, but open yourself to new ideas and new
genres. I once believed romance was the only genre I enjoyed, but
when I switched the focus of my book review blog to LGBTQ+ fiction of
all
genres, I realized how much I was missing out on by pigeon-holing
myself.
What did you enjoy
most about writing this book?
I
loved getting to know the characters. That’s almost always my
favorite part about writing a book. Each and everyone is always so
unique and different, and their voices come to me so clearly,
especially as I get to know them through the writing process.
Can you tell us a
little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the
future?
Right
now, my focus is on completing this trilogy. I already have the next
two books thoroughly outlined, and book two—He
Owns My Body—is
in first draft stage (and almost finished! Eep!) But I also have a
few more titles in my fairytale retelling series that I’ve got in
the works. A Cinderella reimagining and a Little Mermaid retelling.
I’m very excited about those!
How long have you
been writing?
I’ve
been writing for as long as I can remember. I finished my first
“book” when I was in the third grade. One of my biggest regrets
in life is not pursuing a college degree that focused more on my
passions and waiting so long to make a serious go at following my
dream. If you want to write, write. Period. No one is a “wannabe”
writer. If you write, you’re a writer. Follow your dreams, folx!
Can
you tell us a little bit about the characters in He Owns My
Heart
Landon
Jenks is a shy, awkward, 35-year-old four-time Golden Glove winning
shortstop who retired from the Chicago Cubs. He lived a lonely life
despite his fame because he’d kept his sexuality secret until he
was outted on a reality television show. Now, he’s stuck in a
contract that forbids him from owning his all-too-single status in
the public eye until the season finale of the show airs, leaving him
desperate for simple human contact, which is what leads him to hire
an escort.
Toby
Carmichael is a 26-year-old prostitute trapped in a contract of his
own. But when he meets Landon, everything changes. He is a sweet,
giving, and selfless man who has quite literally traded his own
safety and wellbeing for that of his sister’s.
If you could spend
the day with one of the characters from He Owns My Heart
who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular
character, where you would go and what you would do.
This
is an extremely difficult question. I feel like I already spend every
day with my characters, because they’re constantly talking inside
my head. But if I could only pick one
character, and could only spend one
day
with them, I think it would have to be Steffon. Steff is Landon’s
BFF and one of the most genuinely fabulous people I’ve ever “met.”
He’s just an overall amazing human. Fun, real, and loyal to the
bone. I know, without a doubt, he would take me under his wing and
whisk me away for a day I would never forget. If I tried to steal
Toby or Landon for the day, they’d be too preoccupied with each
other to give me their full attention. But Steff? He’d go balls to
the wall and we’d have a grand ol’ time! 😊
Author Bio:
Evie Drae is a registered nurse by day and an award-winning male/male romance writer by night. She has won first place in seven Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) competitions, including the prestigious title “Best of the Best” in the 2018 Golden Opportunity Contest. She is a double finalist in the 2019 Golden Heart®, in both the Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense categories, and finished as a second-place runner-up in four additional RWA contests.
One of Evie’s favorite things to do is encourage her fellow writers. To that end, she started the #writeLGBTQ and #promoLGBTQ hashtags on Twitter to support and promote LGBTQ+ authors and allies while providing a safe space to connect and grow as a community. She is married to the love of her life, is the mother of three wonderful fur babies, and runs almost entirely on coffee and good vibes.
Evie loves to link up with fellow writers and readers. You can reach her directly at EvieDrae@gmail.com or find her on her social media accounts listed below. Twitter is where she’s most active but be sure to check out her blog too. She focuses on reviews for LGBTQ+ authors and allies with the occasional quirky advice/recommendation post just to toss things up.
1 comments:
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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