Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Fate in Suspension by Archer Kay Leah @ArcherKayLeah @XpressoTours

Fate in Suspension
Archer Kay Leah
(Horn & Haven, #1)
Publication date: June 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance

Quiet. That’s how he likes life, no drama to clean up…

Tai Xen-Vorsy leads a straightforward life: work, time at the local clubs where shapeshifters like him can play without fear, and the comforts of home with a cat that’s more than half attitude. After breaking up with his last submissive, he’s even taking a break from Dom duties.

Meeting Gates changes everything, and when Tai’s childhood home is destroyed, his simple life goes up in flames.

The Callensdale haven was his refuge as an orphan, a hideaway that saved his life. Now it’s time to return the favour. Bringing in the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood would make all the difference… if he could just get them back together. Tai won’t give up—he’s not that kind of unicorn. But can he reunite the brotherhood and keep his new relationship with Gates kindled at the same time?

The darkness is dragging him into the shadows, one case at a time…

Helping others is all Gates Colfaethe wants to do, being mostly unicorn shifter with a splash of Faerie. But years as an agent on trafficking cases leave him fearing just how far he’ll lose himself in the job before he burns out completely.

A random hookup with Tai might be the very change he needs. A new Dom means new rules and the chance to create safe distance from work—until his worlds collide in a twist Gates should leave well enough alone. What he knows is bad enough, but running headlong into danger could kill him.

Horn & Haven is an MM+ romance series featuring a found family of unicorn shifters brought together by tragic circumstances. Friends out to save a magical world in trouble. Family fighting to protect those they love. Lovers falling for the kinkiest unicorns this side of their universe… Welcome to the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood.

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Interview with Archer Kay Leah

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

I was inspired by a tweet from an editor I know who posted photos of her birthday cake and ice cream a couple years ago – "unicorn" cake and ice cream (aka. multicoloured). At first I just chuckled and thought it all looked so lovely and tasty – a great birthday treat – but then the next thing I knew, my muses were at work, throwing me story ideas! And they went in completely different directions from the original tweet. Like, here are these really happy pictures, but then all these darker themes and details popped up.

Next thing I know, I'm falling down the rabbit hole of unicorn shifters, other magical beings, and an ensemble of brothers that have a huge issue to resolve. My specialty is fantasy, so it was right up my alley, but I wasn't expecting to have this book idea drop into my lap so quickly. Then for it to blow up into a series that follows an even larger problem… Surprise, a new project was born!

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

The first goal was to get a solid story that would set the foundation for the new series, Horn & Haven. Since Fate in Suspension is the first book of the set, it was really important to make sure the book sets the tone for the series, introducing all of the main issues and major characters. That includes the overarching story line of the series, which is all about a found family reuniting and fighting back after their childhood home is destroyed.

The second goal was to do something different than I've already done. My other series, The Republic, is set of high fantasy LGBTQ+ romances that takes place in a world so very different from our own. I've also written a dystopian + paranormal romance, a sci-fi romance, and various other fantasy pieces. But this is the first time I went for a paranormal romance about unicorn shapeshifters, with Faeries and wizards and kinky stuff included! I just wanted to try something new, really. Take on a new challenge.

I also wanted its world to be very different from the other worlds I've written in, where it's not *our* world, but it feels very much like our own. They're more technologically advanced than we are, and their world has some other differences too. But I was aiming for a world that non-fantasy and non-science fiction lovers could easily step into and enjoy, while also giving fantasy and science fiction elements to readers that really enjoy those genres and worldbuilding details.

In the end, I'm so happy with how it turned out! I fell in love with Tai and Gates, as well as certain other characters, like a couple of Tai's brothers and his cousin. There's definitely something brewing in this book that will easily span the rest of the series, and I've left breadcrumbs for readers to follow… Some hints at things to come, and hints at who the characters really are. I'd like to think it's a solid story that's set the right tone and foundation. I'm definitely certain it's very different than what I've done before! I mean, there's still bits of me in there – things that readers might recognize as being part of my style or thinking – but it's absolutely come into its own.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

On one hand, the hardest part might've been the weeks I was writing while I was sick – I didn't want to stop working on the book, but I worried I'd hate everything I came up with because sounded ridiculous at the time. In the end, I was happy with what I'd come up with, but for a while there, whole chapters looked like they might've been destined for the wastebasket!

On the other hand, the hardest part may've been having to hold back and not telling everyone's secrets, no matter how excited I was over the characters and what I know of their personal stories. There are so many characters involved in this book, and so many moving parts that fit into the larger whole… I just wanted to spill everything I knew about them, but couldn't, especially with more books to come in the series! I have to save something for those ones, right? So keeping quiet about a lot of the details and background and character stories has been – and STILL IS – really difficult!

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The mix of everything in it, with the story and characters coming from a whole bunch of inspirations and ideas that I've never worked with before. I never thought I'd write a story about unicorn shifters, but here it is! I never thought I'd write a story inspired by The Last Unicorn mixed up with a bunch of other things I love, like science fiction and reality TV competition shows, but it's come to life anyway! And with a BDSM spin, nonetheless.

Honestly, I've tried not to hold myself back too much when it comes to bringing a bunch of different things together in this book. I mean, it was inspired by a tweet about birthday treats – that's not at all my usual place for inspiration, but I ran with it anyway. Since then, I've incorporated a bunch of random ideas that popped up, rather than dismissing them out of hand. The rest of the series is going to follow this same sort of thing, where I'm open to including a whole bunch of details and ideas, assuming I can make them work together in a coherent way!

Where there alternate endings you considered?

Not really! The ending turned out pretty much how I thought it would, though I hadn't originally planned on adding the Epilogue – that came later on, when I thought "Oh! Hey! I should do this thing!"

Though there was an extra piece of something I thought I'd include in this book, but I took it out, partly because the book was already long enough and partly because it'll do better as part of book 2. It's got something to do with what's going on with the haven and its sibling havens, but it's a spoiler, so that's gonna be a secret for now. ;)

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

Fantasy and science fiction mostly, whether they're romances or not! These have been my faves for a really, really long time. Though I don't mind the occasional historical romance, paranormal story, or mystery/thriller to shake things up.

Author Bio:

Archer Kay Leah is an LGTBQA+ romance author that you’ll often find getting lost in strange, fantastical worlds with characters who can’t help but find trouble and shake things up. Fantasy and sci-fi romances are Archer’s speciality, especially when they’re complex and emotionally charged. But at the heart of Archer’s stories are friendship, family, and there’s always a happy ending–it might just take a whole lot of complications to get there!

When not reading and writing for work or play, Archer is a nerd of much geekery, loves music to depths that will never be contained, and is fascinated by behaviour, psychology, and ecology. Born and raised in Canada, Archer lives in London, Ontario with a non-binary partner who loves all things out there in the vast space of the universe.

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