Lynn Townsend is one of my favorite authors, beta readers, and friends (not in that order). Her new book, Classic is the third installment of the Rainbow Connections series. I can’t wait to read the conclusion of Vin and Beau’s story, and to see one of my favorite #fictionalcrush characters, Ann-Marie.
(My review of book 1, Roll is here)
Hi everyone! Thanks so much to Delilah for hosting me here on her blog. This Delilah, as opposed to yesterday’s Delilah (as opposed to my EDITOR, Deelylah… seriously, I go from having an overabundance of Elizabeth’s in my life to quite a number of Delilahs!) and I met… I think it was when I did Rose Caraway’s Sexy Librarian’s… or it might have been when I sent out a call for Coming Together: Among the Stars… anyway, Delilah and I have become fast internet friends — she lives VERY far away… and is one of my favorite internet peeps. So, thanks to Delilah again, and it’s lovely to be able to chat with her readers and fans. Thanks for having me.
One of my favorite writers is quoted as saying, “When a man writes a romance, the woman dies. When a woman writes one, it ends all tidy and sweet.”
The Rainbow Connection, a series of novels I have been writing for the last four years, is a romance. Admittedly, it is a gay romance, and until very recently, the likelihood of it ending in legal wedding was up for debate. But it was always meant to end happily.
The truth is, I was inspired to write what started as a short story and grew into a series of novels (three have been, or will be soon, published. One that’s being written, and one — maybe two? — that are in preliminary planning…) from an event that took place shortly before another wedding, many years ago. I had a tumultuous affair planned, for characters who took on a life of their own, ripped my control right out of my hands, and took me on a ride that I’ll never forget.
So, when I offer forth this little short story, I say to you, this is not a true spoiler. You always knew we were going this way. The road has been long, it has been winding, and it has had a great many bumps in it. But you knew the destination when you got in the car with me…
These books were always meant to be a romance, and a romance often needs a good wedding…
The Rainbow Connections Series (with links to purchase)
Book 1-Roll (Torquere, Amazon)
Book 2-Blues (Tourquere, Amazon)
Buy Classic (Book 3) from Torquere (New in print!)
Vin was quite convinced that he gained fifteen pounds just walking in the door at Ty & Knots’s Cake and Bakery. The air was absolutely pungent with sugar and chocolate, cream frosting and fondant. And then — oh, dear God in Heaven — Aglaia led them over to the tasting station. The owners, Tyler Shaw and Sonya Knots, were on top of their game. Two full tables were loaded with tiny cake squares, each labeled, and then dozens of tiny dishes of frosting samples with itty bitty spatulas to spread each kind of icing on whichever sort of cake.
Find your perfect flavor, a banner read, hanging over the samples. As Vin understood it, the wait for a Ty & Knots cake, off the street, was over nine months, but Aglaia held special commissions open for her clients. Because of course she did.
Mexican themed round wedding cake with modeling chocolate carnations and piped buttercream frosting cascading dot design in many colors by Wicked Goodies
After they tried every possible combination — and a few of them more than once, and oh, sweet lord, was Vin going to have to work out, later. His knee ached just thinking about it. But worth it, oh, so worth it — they came to the mutual conclusion that neither of them was going to speak to the other ever again in their entire lives.
Because they couldn’t decide between salted caramel and chocolate or pumpkin walnut with cream cheese.
“It’s astonishin’ to me,” Beau said in Vin’s ear, “how we’ve managed t’ live together for near on six years an’ I never realized what an ornery cuss you was.”
“Careful, babe,” Vin said, “your dixie’s showing.”
“You know,” Sonya suggested, “you don’t have to have just one cake. It’s very popular these days, especially when we’re talking about a reception of your size, to have several smaller cakes. You can have one largish cake, for the cutting ceremony, and then smaller, themed cakes scattered around at set-ups all around the room. And we’ll put one of each of your favorites on the sides of your main display cake, so neither of you feels the lack?”
“So what do we put as the main cake?” Beau asked. He had a smut of raspberry white chocolate filling on the side of his mouth and Vin was resisting the urge to lick it off. Not that Sonya probably hadn’t seen that behavior before. Vin was just trying to adult. Look at him, adulting all over the place today. Responsible, respectable business owner. That was him. He was reminded suddenly of the couple he’d spotted boning up against the back of one of his art displays, the late end of a show that hadn’t done particularly well, and smirked. He hadn’t interrupted them because he was just nice like that. But he had watched them, because he wasn’t that nice.
“Second favorite?” Sonya suggested.
Vin eyed the plates of cake cubes and groaned. He wasn’t sure he could go through another round of tasting.
“Don’t worry,” Aglaia said, pulling up her tablet. “I wrote them all down while you were tasting the first time. I think I got your general preferences.”
“You’re a genius and I love you,” Vin said, expressively.
“No, no, you love him,” Aglaia said. “You merely worship me.”
“And we should get one that’s red velvet and cream cheese,” Beau added, loftily ignoring this display of adoration and life-long devotion between his fiancee and his wedding planner.
“Why?” Vin made a face. “Red velvet is old-lady cake.”
Beau snorted. “Because it’s Ann-Marie’s favorite, and she has put up with God knows how much shit from both of us for the last several years and we owe her. Also, because I love you, I won’t tell her you said that.”
Vin made a face and decided not to argue, because if he did argue, and lord knows he was tempted to, it might become general knowledge that he had no freaking clue what Mila’s favorite kind of cake was. He wasn’t as good with the people thing as Beau was; he probably never would be. Note to self, he thought, ask Mila what kind of cake she likes. Because it was Aglaia, and it was Ty & Knots’s Cake, and he could always call one or the other on the sly, later, and have an extra ordered for his sister. Because, of course he could.
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Lynn Townsend is a geek, a dreamer and an inveterate punster. When not reading, writing, or editing, she can usually be found drinking coffee or killing video game villains. Lynn’s interests include geek comedy music, romance novels, octopuses, and movies with more FX than plot.
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