Guest Post: Post Apocalyptic Romance with Avery Vanderlyle

Thank you for hosting my guest post at Pants Off Reviews. I’m going to come out of this “blog tour” with so many new blogs -- and books -- to read that I’m worried I won’t have any time to write. I love M/M stories, whether they be fanfiction twists on my favorite characters or the many excellent authors promoted by the many great publishers out there. I’m so excited Storm Moon Press decided to publish my story, Thicker than Blood.

  Thicker than Blood is a bisexual post-apocalyptic story, but there’s a lot here for people who like M/M pairings as well as those who like a variety. David has kept his secrets all his life: not only is he bisexual, but he was born with nanobots that give him increased intelligence and creativity. He should not have inherited this technology from him mother. Not only were the ‘bots evolving in unexpected ways, but when David was five something went wrong and they Crashed. Almost everyone with the ‘bots died, sending society into chaos and leaving David and his brother orphans.

 Now nineteen, these secrets have repressed David’s sexuality and ability to explore his life. It’s only when he meets Ayana, a dancer with ‘bots tattooed onto her skin, that he begins to take steps toward his potential. Ayana’s partner, Yan, also helps David make sense of the world.

 But it’s only when he meets Ayana’s brother, James, that David is really faced with a choice. David is impressed by James’ charm even in a difficult situation, and he thaws in the face of James’ warm humor. He has a choice to fully acknowledge his sexuality when it becomes obvious that their chemistry is mutual. It astonishes him this funny, intelligent older man is also interested in him as a person and as a partner.

David also realizes he can accept and embrace the bots that live within his cells. The bots had made David an outsider doomed to the margins of his society, but with the examples set by Ayana and James and the choice presented on whether to help them, he can begin to set aside this marginalization and see the opportunities to help, even to heal, the world.

It’s not just James’ need of him that leads him to this step. Finding someone who might understand him, after living in a world where he was so completely misunderstood, is a revelation. James makes David feel at home, and this allows him to step outside the limits he’s placed on himself and realize that his life doesn’t have to be so restricted. With James as a partner, and with Ayana and Yan as his family, he can finally see a promising future for himself, and perhaps help remake the world while he’s at it.

Here’s a taste: 

 Some nights the crowd lingered, but tonight most people slipped away to continue their conversations in the warm night before it got too late to be safe. David sold some take-away bottles, trading them for cigarettes and jerky. He stayed behind the makeshift bar, cleaning up. Rich would fill him in on any important news.

 Yan approached, fiddling with the glasses. They had a string of blue lights along the top—some new European fashion? As David watched, the lights all blinked green for several seconds before flipping back to the first color. Ayana came up to Yan, swinging an arm around the DJ's shoulders. The dancer smiled at David as he pushed the drinks toward them.

 "Thank you." She took an appreciative sip, eyes closing. "Very nice. You make it yourself?"

 "Yeah." He blushed. He was always careful—it was just easier not to say too much. But she'd be safe. "Rich helps. But he says I'm better at it than he is."

 "I bet you are." Ayana smiled at him. "Rich is your brother?"

 "Yes. I'm David."

 "Pleased to meet you officially, David." She offered her hand. He took it, returned her grip, but wasn't sure when to let go. She gave his hand another squeeze and slipped her fingers from his slowly.

 Yan nodded to him, but didn't offer to shake hands. David wasn't sure of the DJ's gender, but now that they were close, he guessed female. Not that it mattered.

 "We appreciate the chance you all took on us. It was a good crowd."

 "They were comfortable enough to let their guard down," Yan added. "That's unusual."

 "We escaped the worst of the Crash. It was the breakdown in trade and supplies that really disrupted things."

 "You're lucky," Ayana drawled the word out, eyes on David's. Then she glanced at Yan, who gave a quick nod.

 "David, honey, after a show, I always have a hard time coming down from the high by myself." She grinned. "Any chance you're free?"

  Pick up Thicker than Blood from Storm Moon Press at your favorite e-book romance site. Thanks for reading!