Loving Without Limits: Blog Tour: To Love & To Cherish by Addison Albright

Welcome all!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Addison Albright author of To Love and To Cherish.

Hi Addison, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Hello, and thank you for having me. I am a widowed 55-year-old mother of three, stepmother of two, step-grandmother of two school aged children, and grandmother of one toddler at the time of this writing. By the time this interview is published I will have added another granddaughter.

Readers can keep up with what I’m up to and find links to all my social media and book releases on my website/blog: https://addisonalbright.wordpress.com

What were you like at school?

Through high school I was a terribly shy and introverted wallflower. I almost flunked kindergarten because I didn’t talk. At all. I finally accidentally answered a yes or no question in April, then once the ice was broken I was at least able to continue with that. While I don’t have particularly bad memories of school, there’s nothing good that stands out, either, because I didn’t do anything other than go to school, go to work, and go home. When I got to university and lived in a dorm suite, I was able to successfully chip away at my shell. I’m still an introvert, but I’m no longer completely terrified of dealing with people, although I still feel terribly awkward in any kind of personal interaction, and never know what to say.

Were you good at English?

Yes, although I didn’t pursue it at all in my early education. I got my bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in chemistry. I took a few English classes at my local university in the past few years. This was because I was volunteering in AEL/ESL (Adult Education & Literacy / English as a Second Language) classes helping immigrants learn to speak and write English before life got busy (babysitting my granddaughter), and I had to drop that pursuit. The language awareness class stands out in my mind as one that turned out to be very helpful in my writing.

How much research do you do?

Quite a bit. Mostly stuff I can Google, though. We’re told to “write what you know,” but obviously most of us need to expand on that at least a little for our stories. My stories tend to be relationship driven, but certainly things must happen to the characters to make the story interesting. I include things that I feel I understand well enough to be able to know what to ask Google.

As with most writers, my search history varies from stuff I wouldn’t want to have to explain to a detective should there be reason for the computer to fall into one’s hands, to the apparently mundane.

Research into how to cripple a plane, ocean currents, and how long a dead body will float in South Pacific conditions are just a few of many topics I explored for ’Til Death that might make an observer raise an eyebrow or two. My birds of the Pacific Northwest, and medication withdrawal inquiries for To Love and To Cherish had a more sinister intent than would appear at a glance.

If this book is part of a series, tell us a little about it?

My current release, To Love and To Cherish, spins off from a novel that was published earlier in the year, ’Til Death Do Us Part.

’Til Death is a love story spanning several years. One of the MCs, Henry, becomes stranded on a small, isolated, deserted island with a few others. There are thought to be no survivors of the plane crash that resulted in their dilemma. Henry’s husband, Sam, grieves then eventually moves on with his life, resulting in a difficult decision once Henry et al are finally rescued.

A short story, From This Day Forward, follows ’Til Death as a direct sequel. Another very short story, Okay, Then, included in the Love Is Proud charity anthology, takes place within the timeline of the flashback scenes chronicling Henry and Sam’s original romance that are included in ’Til Death.

My current novel, To Love and To Cherish, features Nash, Sam’s fiancé in ’Til Death, whose life fell apart when Henry was rescued. Nash is now bitter, or at least jaded. He no longer believes in true love, at least not for himself (although he still wants all the benefits of marriage). He embarks on a marriage of convenience scheme with a likeminded man, but things get complicated when a freak accident results in Nash losing a block of his memory.

What is your favourite quote?

“The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” – Ralph W. Sockman

I love this quote because it’s so true. The more we learn, the more questions we have, and the more we realize how much we don’t know.

Title: To Love and To Cherish

Author: Addison Albright

Series: Vows #3

Can be read as a standalone

Release Date: November 12th 2016

Genre: Contemporary MM Romance

BLURB

Will Nash find love again? Of course he will. Will he go about it in the usual manner? Now that’s another story entirely.

Jilted by his fiancé two weeks before their wedding, Nash Marino’s outlook on life in general, and love in particular, is jaded. After months of couch-surfing, Nash is fed up. He’s sick and tired of his living conditions, worn out by the demands of his nursing job, and despairs of ever finding love again. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s capable of true love. Monogamy, commitment, companionship, and regular sex…that’s all he wants, and the sooner, the better.

When Nash crosses paths with a like-minded man who’s also in need of a live-in nurse for a beloved relative, Nash figures all his problems are solved. Matters are complicated by a freak accident and amnesia. When Nash’s marriage of convenience scheme is muddied by notions of love after his memory reboot, will their plans go awry, or will Nash’s new outlook on life be just what the doctor ordered?

Find To Love and To Cherish on Goodreads

Find the Vows series on Goodreads

EXCERPT

“Fuck dating. Let first impressions rule. I could’ve saved myself a world of hurt and heartache if I’d done that over the years. I don’t know why I stuck it out with some of my shitty boyfriends either. Wishful thinking, I guess. But you’re right, I knew practically instantly that my husband was going to be the love of my life. So yeah, don’t bother dating…simply ask him to marry you five minutes into the conversation. I’m sure it won’t scare him off or anything.” She accompanied that final instruction with a cocked eyebrow and one of her trademark smirks, as if the scornful tone she’d used wasn’t enough to keep the sarcasm from going over his head. Subtlety wasn’t Angela’s strong suit.

“Sage advice.” He raised a spoonful of soup in salute, then brought it toward his mouth.

Someone bumped his chair from behind. Nash rocked forward, and soup spilled down his chin.

Angela stifled a snicker, and a male voice he recognized said, “Sorry about that.”

Nash snatched up his napkin to wipe his face, and turned. “No problem, Dr. Burlingham.”

Although it was, of course. He felt like a fool with chicken noodle dripping down his neck. Dr. Burlingham stood there looking at him with an odd intensity. Probably thinking Nash had a screw loose or was some kind of man-whore if he’d overheard much of Nash’s rant. Whatever, it was none of the man’s business, and Nash would hopefully not be working at this hospital—where the doctor’s opinion would affect him—for much longer anyway.

After gazing at him for an uncomfortably long couple of seconds, Dr. Burlingham turned back to Dr. Gilbert Wilson, a friendly and outgoing pediatrician whose close friendship with Dr. Burlingham had long stymied the hospital grapevine. Dr. Wilson gaped at Dr. Burlingham with his own less-squinty version of Angela’s earlier side-eye. Except Dr. Wilson’s version was accompanied by a comical upturn to one side of his mouth, indicating his enjoyment of the scene—rather than concern for his friend’s mental health, as Angela’s countenance had implied.

As soon as the two doctors walked around the corner, Angela burst into a fit of the chuckles that would have been better suited to the set of Dumb and Dumber.

“Hardee-har-har,” was the best he could come up with in reply. Nash grabbed her napkin and crammed it down the front of his uniform to mop up the rest of the soup drippage.

“Did you see the look on his face?” Angela managed to gasp between giggles.

“Which one? The repugnance on Dr. Burlingham’s or the glee on Dr. Wilson’s?”

The guffaws coming from across the table intensified and drew some curious glances as well as several censorious glares. “Seriously, Angela, you’re going to give yourself a hernia. It wasn’t that funny.”

He nudged her bottle toward her and she took the hint, a couple deep breaths, and a slug of water. “Wasn’t repugnance,” she wheezed.

“What are you talking about?”

“The look on Dr. Burlingham’s face. It wasn’t repugnance. Closer to yearning.”

“Don’t even.” Nash froze. “Right now your position on the hospital grapevine is scaring the shit out of me. Don’t. Even.”

She held up a hand. “I wouldn’t. Calm down, sweetie. I’m stating facts, is all.”

“There’s nothing remotely factual about that statement, so don’t start with me. And so help me, don’t even hint at joking about something that stupid on the pediatrics floor where Dr. Wilson might get wind of it.”

She pointed a finger—or rather the finger—at him and bit out, “I’m not a fucking idiot.”

No, she wasn’t. Nash eased back in his seat. And she was a good friend. He sighed. “Sorry. I know you wouldn’t. Just put it down to the stress, okay?”

She gave his hand a squeeze and the tightness that had appeared in her shoulders visibly relaxed as well. “I’m sorry, too, sweetie. I shouldn’t tease you right now. I promise I would never start or feed any rumors about you, stupid or otherwise, but there truly was something in his look. I just want you to have a heads-up on that.”

Nash closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. It was doubtful, and so not a complication that would be appreciated right now in his life.

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An amazing grand prize including 1 signed paperback of To Love and To Cherish, 1 signed paperback of ‘Til Death Do Us Part and $25.00 Amazon Giftcard

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About the Author

Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with three peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, "open window weather," cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.