Carly's Book Reviews: The Truth As He Knows It by A.M. Arthur: #Review #Interview #Giveaway @am

Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor

The Truth as He Knows It

(Perspectives, Book 1)

by A.M. Arthur

Genres: Contemporary, M/M, Romance

Lies are the chains that keep you weighed down at rock bottom.

Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.

When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.

Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.

The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.

Carly: Today I'm pleased to be welcoming the talented A.M. Arthur, who has graciously agreed to answer a few questions about The Truth as He Knows It!

Where did the idea come from for the story line?

A.M.: Thank you so much for having me today! The entire book was inspired by a photo I found while browsing around online. It was a picture of two young men, early twenties, in a tight, comforting embrace. The light-haired man was holding the dark-haired man as if something was wrong and he could fix it all with a hug. I had to know what happened and why they were so upset. And it probably sounds silly, but once I figured out who they were, Shane and Noel kind of wrote themselves. Quickly.

Carly: What was the most challenging aspect to write?

A.M.: To be honest there wasn’t much of a challenge to this story. Once I had the main characters figured out, I wrote this book in twenty-three days, which is a speed record for me, considering its length. I suppose if anything was a challenge, it was making certain “business” aspects of Shane’s work subplot (I’m trying not to spoil something here) true to life.

Carly: What is your favorite scene in the story and why?

A.M.: There are too many! And not necessarily the big emotional scenes. Shane’s relationship with his brother Jason, and Noel’s relationship with his best friend Tristan both produced some of my favorite scenes in the novel. There’s a moment when Shane and Jason sit down, eat popcorn, and watch a movie, and I love it for its simplicity. The scene with Noel and Tristan in the nightclub is a huge, turning point moment for the pair. Can I say the whole book is my favorite scene?

Carly: Can you share an interesting experience you had while writing this story?

A.M.: *thinks* No? I know that’s kind of a boring answer, but I wrote this book so quickly that I don’t honestly remember much about the process. Only going to work, coming home, writing, going to bed, rinse and repeat. It was a very intense experience that I haven’t repeated in the year-ish since I wrote it.

Carly: Have you started book two yet and if so, can you tell us who the main characters will be?

A.M.: Book two is finished, contracted, and in my editor’s very capable hands. THE WORLD AS HE SEES IT is Tristan and Gabe’s book. Tristan is, as I said, Noel’s best friend. Tristan has a unique handicap that affects how he processes information, so writing him was a challenge. But Gabe is worthy of that challenge, and I really love the journey they went on. Their book is scheduled for release in October 2015.

“I want to see you again,” Shane said.

Noel grinned, flashing those dimples. “I’d like that too. My work schedule is pretty weird, though. I’m first shift, which is eleven at night to seven in the morning, five days, starting tomorrow.”

Shane worked that one around. It gave them daytime hours, and evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. He worked at the deli tomorrow, and Saturday was off the table. Probably Sunday too, for good measure. “When do you sleep?”

“Usually when I first get home, from about eight to two or three. Sometimes longer, depending on the night.”

“So you’re usually free dinnertime until like ten?”

“Pretty much.” Noel cracked an unexpected yawn. “Sorry, my schedule is a little off after spending the day with Tristan. I try to keep similar sleep times on my days off so I don’t get too screwed up.”

Shane stood, surprised. “How long have you been awake?”

“About thirty hours.”

“Shit, why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because I wanted to do this tonight. I’ve been thinking about you all week, and I’m glad I saw you at Mineo’s today. Really glad.”

“Me too.” Shane draped his arms around Noel’s waist. “And since this has been a fantastic night, I’m going to go before you pass out from exhaustion.”

“Do you want to get together tomorrow?”

He considered it for about two seconds. “My weekend’s pretty booked with work and stuff. Monday? We could maybe go out for real this time?”

“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get up Monday and we can hammer out the details.”

“Okay.”

Shane collected his clothes and dressed, taking his time because Noel was watching. The opposite of a striptease, and Shane kind of loved the novelty of it. He meant his good-night kiss to be soft, quick, but Noel held him tight and devoured his mouth until Shane was breathless and half-hard. God, he could kiss Noel for hours and not get tired of it. But he saw the fatigue in Noel’s eyes, and it was time to leave.

“See you soon,” Shane said. “And thanks for dinner.”

“You’re welcome, cowboy.”

Shane strolled back to his car with a bounce in his step, positive he’d never be able to hear the word “cowboy” again without thinking of Noel Carlson.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Noel and Shane meet unexpectedly during one of Shane's "night jobs" as a party stripper. The ones he works to help pay back the debt his brother incurred on his behalf. The attraction is instant, but the timing is horrible.

When they meet each other again a friendship slowly develops and their attraction leads to the desire for something more. They both have secrets in their past and responsibilities that hold them back from reaching for more.

Once again A.M. Arthur pens a touching story of hurt, comfort, hope and healing. Her characters are emotional and the story line is engaging. Noel and Shane pull readers beyond the story and into the heart of their lives. Friends, family, dreams and destiny intertwine on their journey to love.

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A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments). A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.

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