Thursday, September 19, 2013

Welcome Chris T. Kat - Hunter's Hunt release from Torquere

Hey everyone! Today I have my good friend, Chris, visiting with me. She's here to talk about her first release from Torquere and it sounds like a goodie. :)

*Update - Hunter's Hunt has made ARe's bestseller list. Way to go, Chris! :)




Finding a fitting Book Cover 

Michelle, thank you very much for having me. I'm here to talk about my new release Hunter's Hunt, which was published by Torquere Press on September 18th. It's my first book with Torquere and I'm excited about it.

I'm a big fan of drawn covers and usually not very keen on covers with headless torsos. I admit that I've thought twice about buying books with these kind of covers because in most cases they don't do a thing for me.

When I got the form I had to fill out for Torquere regarding the cover for Hunter's Hunt I originally had a certain scene in mind. I wanted a bar in the background with Hunter holding a wet Adrian in his arms. Sounded easy in my imagination and would have been a perfect fit.

Yeah, and then reality crashed into my nice imaginary bubble. Very inconsiderate of it!

Brandon Clay, the cover artist responsible for the cover, informed we he couldn't find any fitting photos. So we mailed back and forth and I told him I'd look for images on http://www.shutterstock.com/. And off I went to this site. Little did I know that I'd get lost there for several hours...

At first I thought it must be easy—just type in a word in the search function and the right image will pop up. Let's say I scrolled through lots of interesting photos but it took me a while to phrase my search in a way the results suited me. Once I managed my day brightened up considerably. While I don't usually like headless torso covers I do like to look at naked or half-naked men. Oh, and there were lots of them. :)

In the end I settled for a few images but the one that's adorning the cover for Hunter's Hunt was my favorite because it depicts a thoroughly drenched young guy. Not only that but his body fit exactly to the way I described Adrian, who becomes Hunter's love interest.

Without further ado here's the cover! What do you think?

 



Buy links:
 

Blurb:

Wanted: one bear. Must be burly and hairy, and strong enough to paddle. Hunter Bell is on the prowl, and he knows just where to find his prey: at the Bear Trap, a gay leather bar he’s more than a little familiar with. So many men, so little time. He’s just about to pounce on his choice of the evening when a newcomer enters the bar, turning everyone’s head. Adrian Michaels is everything Hunter despises in a man. He’s lean and boyish looking, and he has the deepest dimples Hunter’s ever seen.


And yet there is an immediate attraction, one that neither man can deny. They’re both too astonished to do anything about this apparent interest in one another, and they waste their opportunity. Now it’s up to Hunter to forget about his stereotypical preference and go for the guy that’s just entered his dreams. If only he can admit to himself that Adrian’s what he really wants...

 

Excerpt:

It took a moment for the newcomer to absorb his surroundings and, when he did, he flinched. A few men chuckled upon discovering the baffled look on the guy's face, which proved that he indeed hadn't known about the nature of the Bear's Trap. Hunter watched him shift from one foot to the other while most men turned back and resumed their conversations. The new guy remained rooted to the spot, dripping water all over the floor, before he squared his shoulders and pushed through the mass of bodies. At last he reached the bar, where Hunter was still standing, for some unknown reason interested in this guy.

 

The newcomer waved at the bartender. "Is there a phone anywhere?"

 

"You don't have a cell phone?" another guy asked, perplexed.

 

The newcomer shot him a 'drop-dead' look, startling Hunter into a laugh. The new guy turned toward him with a quizzical look. Hunter was face-to-face with an irritated man, whose dark blue eyes were blazing.

 

"Bad day?" Hunter heard himself ask.

 

"Craptastic."

 

Hunter pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held it out to him. "You might better go to the back. Otherwise, you won't be able to understand anything."

 

Baffled, the other man took the phone. "Thank you, uh, what's your name?"

 

"Hunter." He held out his hand for the other man to shake.

 

"Last name or first name?"

 

"First."

 

"Thanks, Hunter. I'm Adrian."

 

"Hey, Adrian."

 

Adrian gestured with the phone toward the end of the bar and raised one delicate eyebrow. "This way?"

 

Hunter nodded and beckoned Adrian to go past him. Adrian only made it a few feet before one of the other men groped him, drawing out a surprised yelp from Adrian. He shoved the guy aside then proceeded farther into the back. On his way, he struggled with advances from more guys than Hunter could count. At some point, Adrian whirled around and, even from that distance Hunter could see the fast heaving of his chest, the free hand balled into a fist, and the stressed look on his face.

 

With a sigh, Hunter pushed away from the bar and strolled after Adrian. He caught up with him right when another man, a regular customer called Dean, made a pass at him.

 

"Hey, knock it off. He's with me, Dean."

 

"With you? Since when are you going for his type, Hunter?" Dean asked with a sneer.

 

Hunter shrugged while he sent a dark glower toward Dean, which caused the other man to drop his eyes and inspect the contents of his glass thoroughly. Hunter laid a hand on Adrian's shoulder and pushed him ahead. Adrian cast him a worried look but walked where Hunter steered him. After opening a door to a private room at the end, he ushered Adrian through and switched on the light.

 

"Go ahead."

 

Adrian clutched the cell phone in his hands, staring at Hunter with an apprehensive look. Hunter noticed that Adrian's eyes were of a dark, almost navy, blue. He swallowed. Even behind the glasses, Adrian's eyes seemed large and expressive. He had to concentrate on listening to Adrian's question. "Is this... is this some kind of leather bar?"

 

"Yeah. Never been in one before, have you?" Hunter asked.

 

"No. No offense and all, but I'm not very fond of it."

 

"Scared?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Need a bodyguard?"

 

Adrian eyed him before he obviously came to some kind of decision. "You free for bodyguard duty for maybe an hour?"

 

"Sure." Hunter grinned. "I won't even try to molest you."

 

 

Chris T. Kat

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

 

 

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