Blog Tour: The Rainbow Clause by Beth Bolden

Welcome all!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Beth Bolden, author of The Rainbow Clause.

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

I’ve been publishing romance since 2014, and The Rainbow Clause is my sixth book, but my first m/m romance. I like to write stories that have sports as a background – two of my books are centered around baseball, one takes place at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and The Rainbow Clause is my first about football. I think athletes are fascinating and the backdrop adds so much to a story.


Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Colin O’Connor is that unique person who tries to see the best in everyone. He’s got this core of honor and inner strength that I find to be so rare these days. He wants to do the best by everyone, without giving up any important parts of himself along the way. And that’s particularly hard for him because he’s a quarterback in the NFL, and that’s a job that’ll grab chunks of you as easy as breathing.

I think he’s special not only because of who he is but because of what he’s determined to do. He says he’s planning on coming out for “selfish reasons” but the truth is, he knows exactly how monumental what he’s doing is, even as he tries to tell himself that it’s not a big deal.


Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

Nick makes a crack at some point in The Rainbow Clause that Colin reminds him of Captain America, and there were absolutely parts of Steve Rogers’ personality that I borrowed for Colin.

He grew up in Alaska, not exactly the hotbed of prep football, and yet is determined and focused enough to rise to highest echelons of his sport. He’s brave, while not really believing anything he’s doing is particularly brave – it’s just the right thing to do. Something I’ve always admired about Captain America’s character.


When did you decide to become a writer?

I don’t really think anyone decides to become a writer. It just is. I’ve been writing since I was small, really silly stuff in grade school, even sillier stuff in middle school and high school (I cringe). I went to a university where the creative writing program didn’t approve of any genre fiction at all, and since I’d been reading romance forever, and romance wasn’t what I wanted to write, I majored in literature instead. And somehow, became convinced that I couldn’t write fiction. A year or so out of school, I discovered fanfiction and decided that it seemed easy enough, and if I couldn’t do it, nobody would really care. It was just words on the internet. I found I couldn’t stop. I’ve moved through plenty of fandoms, but I absolutely credit the support and skills I learned from my experience in fanfiction for the success I have now.


How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

The biggest difference between my first book and now is that I’ve learned to be more concise. Long books are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but bloated books aren’t good. And I’ve learned to cut the extra out, which I believe makes for a more powerful story.


How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It takes me about four months. Yes, I am insanely slow. No, that will probably never change. I don’t write full time, I actually have a day job that I really enjoy and that I’m loathe to leave, so that’s part of it. I divide my books into chunks, which are usually chapters, though sometimes they’re longer. I give myself a week to write a chunk, and usually that’s a few hours a session, 4 – 5 times a week. Having a full time job means staying organized is a must, but I don’t really outline. Each chunk has a sentence or two of plot that I want to get to, but I find that writing detailed outlines makes spontaneous creativity impossible. It’s taken me a few books to figure this system out, but it works pretty well.

I think everyone works differently, and sometimes it takes awhile to figure out the best method for you personally, but once you do, you can really be productive, even writing part time.

Title: The Rainbow Clause

Author: Beth Bolden

Release Date: April 3rd 2017

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance, Sports

BLURB

Heisman winner. Member of the National Championship team. NFL Rookie of the Year. Quarterback Colin O’Connor knows he’s become the ultimate romance novel cliché: all the success he’s ever dreamed of but nobody to share it with. Too bad it’s not as simple as asking out the next girl who intrigues him – because the next girl to intrigue him probably won’t be a girl at all.

Unexpectedly, the solution comes in one neat package: Nick Wheeler, lead journalist for a leading sports and pop culture blog. Hired by Colin’s team, Nick comes to Miami to shine a spotlight on the NFL’s most private quarterback.

The heat in Miami rises when Nick discovers that Colin is nothing like the hollow personality he pretends to be in interviews and he’s even hotter in person than on his Sports Illustrated cover. Nick knows this is the story of his career, and after spending his teenage years as a bullied, closeted teen, it hits very close to home. What he needs is to help Colin share his story while keeping their growing relationship from boiling over in the press, but what he wants is to tell the world.

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

EXCERPT


Nick went through the cupboards one at a time, finding an obscene amount of protein shakes and powder, and a lot of basic staples that proved Colin probably did know how to cook. That hadn’t been an act, though he was beginning to wonder how much of the Colin O’Connor he’d seen wasn’t. Probably almost none of it, and that was terrifying.

He had just poured milk into his Cheerios when Colin jogged up to the patio and into the house, wearing a pair of loose-fitting athletic shorts, a thin layer of sweat, and nothing else.

Nick choked on air. So much for his peaceful breakfast.

“Good morning,” Colin said with that annoying smile. All innocence with just the tiniest edge of something more. Like he knew exactly what he was doing and how effective it was.

“Morning,” Nick mumbled into his cereal.

“I was going to wake you up for my jog, well our jog, but you seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly.”

Nick tried not to think about what that sort of picture that made. Or that Colin had looked into his room and had seen him sleeping.

“Do you jog every morning?” Nick asked, even though he already knew the answer. Anything to abort that line of thinking.

“Usually about ten miles or so. Went fourteen this morning, felt really good.” Colin reached for his forgotten t-shirt hanging over a barstool and shrugged it on. It stuck to his skin in sweaty patches, which shouldn’t have been attractive but apparently, Colin O’Connor defied logic.

“Bullshit,” Nick mumbled.

“Tomorrow you want to join?” Colin asked like he hadn’t heard as he grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge.

“Not for a fourteen mile jog,” Nick said.

“Not even for ten?” Colin wheedled.

“Not even for ten. You could probably convince me to do about half that.”

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About the Author

Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn't have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She's a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn't a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She's published two novels, The Lucky Charm and Getting Lucky, and a short story, Eye of the Storm. Her next novel, Summer Attractions, will be released in August 2016.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!