Come Together
Mia Kerick
(If I Fell, #3)
Publication date: January 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
In the dramatic conclusion to award-winning author Mia Kerick’s IF I FELL Series, lovers Timmy Hale and Cole Ledger meet with danger when they attempt to mend broken family bonds.
Timmy and Cole faced brutal obstacles to their union from the moment they fell in love. It nearly drove them apart for good, but they overcame hostility, distance, and the deceptively alluring escape of alcohol. Now they’re ready to settle into the future as a married couple. With their spirited dog, Blackbird, and a close circle of friends, they’ve made a home and a happy life. But they don’t want to step into marriage until they’ve put complicated family problems behind them.
Cole’s son, Robbie, has turned bitter, refusing to accept his father’s engagement to the much younger man. His cold rejection threatens to destroy Cole. Meanwhile, Timmy’s dysfunctional family turns more treacherous than ever after the couple takes in his abandoned teenage niece, Lucy.
Soon, mysterious, threatening messages begin to appear.
When Cole leaves town on a trip to rebuild the severed bond with his son, the threats become real. Timmy’s brother—Lucy’s missing father—reappears. Addicted, violent, and homophobic he’s determined to either coax Lucy away from the shelter of the couple’s home…or destroy it.
Will the two families come together in an explosive collision or in reconciliation? The journey to marriage takes Cole and Timmy on one more wild ride. Through it all, can they hold on tight to their love and its promised happily-ever-after?
IF I FELL Series: age gap, hurt/comfort, contemporary MM romance
Book 1 Hide Your Love Away
Book 2 Blackbird
Book 3 Come TogetherFor maximum enjoyment, read in order.
Interview with Mia Kerick
Hello, everybody at The Avid Reader! Thank you so much for welcoming me to your blog today! I’m thrilled to be here with my new release, Come Together, Book 3—and the dramatic conclusion—of the IF I FELL Series.
What made you want to become a writer?
I spent years reading hundreds of romance novels with the tortured hero trope. So many, in fact, that I decided to create one of my own. Brett Taylor—in my gay romance novel, Beggars and Choosers—was the first. Tortured since childhood by his terrifying relationship with his mother, Brett is a shell of a man. Convinced he is undeserving of the love of a decent man, he holds back his heart from the man who loves him above all else, Cory Butana.
What inspired you to write the IF I FELL Series?
Songs frequently inspire my writing. In this case, the Beatles song “Hide Your Love Away” was a major inspiration for this series. The angsty lyrics coupled with John Lennon’s husky, pained tone inspired the character, Timmy. He feels he must hide himself—his hopes and fears and desires and love—from the world.
Check out the lyrics (Lennon/McCartney) that moved me:
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in the IF I FELL Series’ Book 3, Come Together?
When we meet Timmy Hale, he is a snarky, very attractive, emotionally damaged college junior. As the youngest child of five, he thinks of himself as the Hale family’s “extra” child. He came as an unwelcome surprise, arriving 14 years after the last sibling. His parents had less than zero interest in raising him—caring for Timmy was a chore they resented—and their apathy bent him badly. His pain and anger manifested itself in an unwillingness to bond with the people in his life and a powerful drive to hide behind his long side bangs and bad attitude.
Cole Ledger is in many ways the opposite of Timmy.
Twice Timmy’s age, dormitory manager Cole is the quintessential father to his college age son, Robbie. (Yes, Robbie attends the same college as Timmy, and yes, this causes major problems.) He has given up everything to be the ideal father to his son: his dream career, a home of his own, meaningful relationships with men. Cole is a gentle giant of a man, and he sees right through Timmy’s brazen behavior.
Check out the intro scene where the two MCs meet:
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
His voice alone is sufficiently gruff to make me pop a woody. In my defense, it has been a long summer, shut away in a split-level ranch in the burbs with unthrilled Mom and counting-the-seconds-till-Timmy-goes-back-to-college Dad. I dig deep for self-control.
“Down, boy,” I murmur to a certain overly perky lower extremity and toss my too-long side bangs into my face to hide the smirk.
Maybe I do or maybe I don’t require assistance with my leaning towers of luggage, but, hey, I’ll take help where I can get it. I’m an efficient, if untidy, packer. Everything I need for my junior year at Edgewater University is (almost) contained in an overflowing white plastic laundry basket that teeters precariously on top of one of my two rolling suitcases, and a stuffed-to-bursting backpack swinging from the extended handle of the other.
It’s not a pretty sight, but thankfully, I am. Which is an asset in the “getting assistance” game. I don’t even have to bat an eyelash….
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
I have favorite books, more than favorite authors. Bareback, by Chris Owen made me cry. (And I love that!) The Locker Room by Amy Lane had me praying that the two MCs would make things work. I love the strong bond between the MCs in BA Tortuga’s Blind Ride. I cheered when the sequel, Leading the Blind, released.
These books are intense, angsty, and the MCs are devoted to each other.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I would absolutely love to share my future writing plans with you! I’m approximately halfway through my current WIP, I’m Not in Love. It was inspired by—surprise, lol—the song by 10cc, “I’m Not in Love.” I do Walk Away the Pounds each day (an exercise video on YouTube), and I turn off the volume and listen to iTunes music on headphones.
I came upon “I’m Not in Love,” a song that I was crazy about as a young girl. The lyrics—the sentiment of a man trying to deny his obvious devotion to his lover—moved me deeply. And so, I created that man: Remy, an art student and heir to a string of world class hotels who suffered a blow as a child that he—at 26-years-old—has yet been unable to overcome. The man he desperately doesn’t want to fall in love with, Tristan, is a nude model in his life drawing class.
Here is a sneak preview to certain elements of the cover—JUST THE FACES of the two main characters: (This is NOT the cover!!)
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I used Beatles songs throughout the series—and yes, I’m a huge fan of the band. You may have noticed that the series’ name, IF I FELL, as well as all of the individual book titles, Hide Your Love Away, Blackbird, and Come Together, are Beatles song titles. Well, Timmy is a huge fan too and inspired his lover, Cole, to fall in love with the band. Beatles songs are sprinkled throughout the three books—it was fun to find the perfect song for specific moments.
SECRET: there is a wedding with ALL BEATLES MUSIC at the end.
Thank you so very much for welcoming me today! I hope you check out the IF I FELL Series!
<3 Mia Kerick
Author Bio:
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.
Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.
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2 comments:
I'm so happy to be here at the Avid Reader with my new release, Come Together, and a terrific interview! Thanks for hosting me!
I like the cover. Sounds like a good story.
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