Tuesday, July 16, 2013

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.

Giveaway

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

25 comments:

  1. Oh this feelings, this intuitions that seem to come out of nowhere. Be it a sudden feeling of intense happiness when one knows that everything is just perfect and right and the Universe is at balance or a sudden awareness that someone or something is not okay.
    I believe it happens when, even on the most subconscious level our walls are down and we are open for Universal Intervention to step in and show us the way.
    What truly amazes me is that I am more often doing the right thing following a feeling, even if I can not logically explain it than going by careful planning and organizing. But isn't that exactly what makes us human? Trusting our feelings? We are after all much more than 0 or 1. We are the shades in between. We are the maybe's.

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    1. Here, here, sir. I couldn't agree with you more.

      Thank you so much for the comment, Raphael. And best of luck with the giveaway! :D

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  2. *winks* I don't believe in coincidence either... never have. <3

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    1. *highfives* Thank you so much, Vin. Always appreciate the support.

      Good luck on the giveaway. :D

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  3. I believe in free will, but there are definitely enough coincidences in the world to make me think twice!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Mm, so true. I like to think of it like this: you have the chance to make your own decisions, most certainly, but the Universe tries to nudge you a bit. Of course, sometimes it lands us flat on our faces while doing it. XD

      Thanks for the comment, vitajex. And best of luck with the giveaway! :D

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  4. I have a great example of Universal Intervention. I was living and working in New Orleans when I felt (was being told) I needed to move back to my parents' town in the west. I moved and two months later Katrina hit and obliterated my neighborhood, my house that I sold totally gone. I probably would not have evacuated because of my cats, so ...

    skadlec1@yahoo.com

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    1. That is such an awesome story, Susan! So glad to hear you followed the suggestion and moved. I hope it's not only been a saving grace, but also that you love where you are. :D

      Good luck with the giveaway!

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  5. There just has to be something, whether it be a higher power, fate, whatever that occasional steps in and makes the impossible happen. I can think of a time where I should have been in big trouble had I gone my original path but several things happened, that I thought were bad at first, ended up protecting me. I just can't hand that over to coincidence.


    cojazzchick AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. I love when that happens. It feels damn good to think that something's looking out for us. Glad to hear everything worked out for you.

      Thanks for commenting, and good luck with the giveaway! :D

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  6. Thank you so much for the opportunity to visit, Darien! It's an honour to be here. :D

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  7. To be honest, I'm jealous. The few times I tried to follow my instinct/hunch (whatever you want to call it), I almost always wound up somewhere I didn't want to be. Maybe I can't hear the Universe, or I'm just not a good listener...

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    1. Ah, Coterie. I'm so sorry to hear that. Let's hope those side-paths were a lead-in for something amazing that's up and coming!

      Thanks for sharing. And best of luck with the giveaway. :D

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  8. I definitely believe in it. I've found that the times I've followed that nebulous feeling/instinct/whatever you want to call it, I've been happy with the outcome, but when I don't, because I've fought against the idea of following something that isn't logical, I've ultimately ended up somewhere I didn't want to be. I'm working on listening to my instincts more - logical or not, they can tell you important things about where the universe might want you to be.

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    1. So glad to hear that, Antonia! I hope it leads you to some amazing places! Good luck in the giveaway! :D

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  9. I hear about it often from others but nothing similar had ever happened to me. Maybe it's because people comment on things that have already happened and I just really focus on the present. After all, people second guess themselves as they're making a decision. It's only afterwards that they might attribute it to Universe Intervention.

    schan26.wisc@gmail(dot)com

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    1. You could very well be right, silverwing. I like to call it Universal Intervention but it could just be plain old common sense. As long as it helps us get where we need to be. :D

      Good luck with the giveaway!

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  10. Sometimes I think things happen for a reason. You trip and fall, delaying you for a few minutes, and those few minutes just saved you from being run over by a stray car going over the curb. Or You had a ride to the movies, only for the ride to say the couldn't take you anymore so you end up not going... and It so happens that the movie theater catches fire... sometimes, things happen too... "coincidentally" for there not to be some kind of Universal intervention. People call it "luck" or whatever, but It's just another word for.... UNIVERSAL INTERVENTION. lol...

    Thank you for the contest!!
    Judi P
    arella3173_loveless@yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for the comment, Judi! And I couldn't agree with you more! Best of luck with the giveaway. :D

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  11. I definitely believe in things happening for a reason. So far, two thirds into the book (as you know I don't need to enter to win a copy!), I've seen universal intervention working for Ian and Jordan in a realistic, believable, but "not just a coincidence" way. I can't think of any big moments of my own off the top of my head, but I know it's happened in small ways for which I am grateful!

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    1. Thank you so much for the purchase, Sara! I'm thrilled you're still following along with the tour. :D

      Ian and Jordan were very fulfilling characters to write. I'm glad you're enjoying them.

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  12. I want to believe, but at the same time it scares me too. Whenever I've thought I was being led somewhere, it's ended badly for me. Lately, I've been trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground.

    Btw, very interested in this book. It looks so good :)

    HarperKingsley0.0@gmail.com

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    1. Thank you so much for the interest and the comment, Harper! Good luck with keeping your feet where you need them to be. There's definitely something to be said for keeping a stable hold. Best of luck with the giveaway! :D

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  13. I kind of do believe in coincidences and fate and all that. A lot of things have happened in my short life where something has happened at just the right moment and have lead to something good (or bad). I might be over thinking this but I've always thought there was something weird about my family and that we were all meant to be close knit and for some of us it's true. An example: I have two brother, one older, one younger. Both are 8 years apart from me (i.e. my older brother is 8 yrs older, the younger one is 8yrs younger than me). My oldest brother and favorite 2nd sis were both born in august. My sister and my birthday are exactly 4 month and 4 day apart. My youngest brothers birthday is a week after mine. My sister in laws birthday is exactly one month after mine. My neice's birthday is 4 days before mine. My 3rd oldest sister and my nephew are the same chinese zodiac. My zodiac is sign is the one after theirs. Likewise my father and 2nd oldest sis also have the same zodiac sign. Some of our zodiac signs conflict with the other and there are heated arguments and other things among those zodiac signs that are opposite each other.

    Sorry for rambling, but I just had to share one of many reasons I believe in coincidences.

    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. Very cool,indeed, H.B.! You have to love it when it appears that your connections were meant to be. :D

      Thanks so much for sharing it with me and best of luck in the giveaway!

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Go ahead and talk to me!