Guest Post & Giveaway: Universal Intervention by A.F Henley

I have a passion for those moments in life where I convince myself that the Universe has stepped up and is making some directives. I think we've all experienced them at one time or another, be it a nudge of conscience to get in contact with someone, or the sudden need to stop and assess something you would normally never pay attention to. In Sonata it's the repeated chance meetings of the two main characters, although in my own life I've experienced it in a variety of circumstances, from dreams to hunches, to beheaded toads at my backdoor.

I love those moments. I live for them, in fact. They renew my sense of overall purpose and give me a little bit of faith in something bigger than my conscious self. In this chaotic, fear-filled world, the possibility that something is leading, helping, maybe even nudging me the right way is a comforting thought.

Now, I have no clue as to what this seemingly magical essence is. I know that I definitely don't look on it as the interference of "God" in the traditional sense of the word. Perhaps it's not even an external presence at all but an instinctual one. (And suddenly I'm humming the "Maybe they're born with it ... Maybe it's Maybelline" jingle.)

For all the uncertainty of who, what, how or where however, I am not one to question the Universe if I think it's trying to send me a message. I am not ashamed to admit that I submit manuscripts based on sudden, random posts or the fact that a certain set of birds fly over my head while musing the "should I?" If I dream of someone, I will call them, no matter what our speaking terms are at that moment. I will always consider it important when something unexpected shows up at my door, and if I get a tug to turn left instead of right, nine times out of ten, I'm going to turn left.

One of my favourite speeches in Sonata is:

"That's the funny thing about people, Jordan," Ian tilted his head, brushed Jordan's chin with a light kiss. "Sometimes you just know right away. There's this … " Ian paused, searched for words, " … this connection. You don't know why, hell, you don't even care. You just know that somehow, someway, you were supposed to know this person. That they're important to you. And if it doesn't happen, if something gets in the way, you'll have missed more than you'll ever know." 

It sums up everything I feel about Universal Intervention. I have no doubt that's why it's a recurring theme in my novels. Nothing pleases me more than the belief that we aren't fighting alone in the battle for affection and romance. On the contrary, the Universe itself knows our hearts and our minds and the needs buried in the deep, dark pits of our psyche. It also knows the same for that guy in the corner of the bar, the guitarist picking on the bench, and that smartass you keep telling yourself that you can't stand. It sees connections and webs and patterns. And when it can, it's going to bring them to our attention. All we have to do is keep our eyes and our minds open. Connection and promise are, after all, what romance is all about:

He moved quickly, snagging Jordan's lower lip lightly, and paused there for a second before pressing their mouths together in a chaste kiss. He felt Jordan's body stiffen from shoulders to thighs, heard Jordan catch his breath, but watched with relief as Jordan's eyes softened from wide-eyed disapproval to concession. And once that allowance was granted, Ian indulged in it. 

Sonata
by A.F. Henley
M/M Contemporary Erotic Romance
44,000 words

At thirty-six Ian feels done with the world. When a night at a bar goes as poorly as expected, he wants only to return home to be miserable in peace. Instead, he encounters Jordan. Hot, young and interested, Jordan is everything Ian's ever wanted and nothing he believes himself capable of actually obtaining.

Jordan has enough going on in his life trying to scrape together a living for himself and his autistic son. When he meets Ian, all he wants is a brief, erotic moment and nothing else.

But fate throws them together again and again, and Ian finds himself determined to do whatever it takes to give their story a happy ending – no matter what secrets Jordan's past has waiting for him.

Available on pre-order at a 15% discount until July 16th

Official release: July 17th

Purchase Sonata here 

As a thanks to Pants Off Reviews for hosting me today, and in appreciation for all of you that have read:

Win an ebook copy of Sonata:

Do you have any moments of Universal Intervention that you'd like to share? Or do you think the entire concept is laughable? I'd love to hear about it ... All commenters will be entered in a randomly chosen draw for a copy of Sonata, in the electronic format of their choice.

Thanks for reading.

Keep your eyes on the sky and a symphony in your heart,

AF Henley <3

About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. Henley shares a home in rural Southern Ontario with both life partner and a plethora of furry, scaled and winged rescue friends.

A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly working with LT3 since 2012, when Înflori made its debut, and is thrilled to add two more novel titles, Honour and Sonata, as well as two anthology stories, Rockaybe and MEMWARS! to the docket for 2013.

Backlist, upcoming releases, fanart, fiction links and contact info are all available at afhenley.com.

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Giveaway

• Must be 18yrs or older
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• Winner has 48hrs to reply to email or another winner will be chosen
• Contest runs until July 21st 11:59pm EST