Today, Scarlet Blackwell is here on a visit. She’ll be talking about Alaska, and having lived in the north of Sweden (I’m in the south now), I understand the problems of sleeping during the midnight sun. I didn’t live so far north as to experience the midnight sun, but where I was, we had 21 hours of daylight around the summer solstice. But enough about me. Welcome, Scarlet!
Thank you for hosting me this festive season!
My m/m erotic romance series Frozen, is set in Alaska during winter. It features three books so far and I am currently working on the fourth.
I’ve always been fascinated by the challenges of living in extreme weather conditions. My interest in Alaska probably started when I saw the film Insomnia, which was set in the village of Nightmute. In it, cop Al Pacino struggles to sleep due to the phenomenon of the midnight sun and slowly begins to unravel. Another opposite film, 30 Days of Night, featured vampires running amok during polar night in Barrow, one of the most northern cities of the world. (It’s worth noting here that polar night is actually 66 days from 18 November to 23 January.)
I became intrigued by how people cope with both permanent darkness and permanent daylight and I decided to set my first three books during polar night, with the fourth taking place during the midnight sun in July.
In my third book, A Love Story at the Top of the World, ex-con Ephram Welles arrives in Barrow the day before the onset of polar night. Chief of police Jamie Allen is an LA transplant who’s been in Barrow two years after a messy break-up. He’s lonely, struggles to cope with the climate and he’s dreading the dark arriving that year.
It’s instant attraction between the two men and both are horrified by it. Jamie worries he’ll lose his job and Ephram hates all law enforcement officials. Both fight against the inevitable.
Blurb:
He’s a cop tangling with the most dangerous man in town…
Chief of police Jamie Allen is smitten by the new arrival in his remote Alaskan town of Barrow until he realises Ephram Welles comes with baggage—he’s an ex-con.
Any liaison between them is strictly forbidden. Jamie would be risking his job and reputation if he tangles with a convicted felon.
But Ephram isn’t easy to resist. He’s everywhere Jamie turns, and the mutual chemistry between them is sizzling hot, just waiting to explode. Jamie’s willing to risk everything for just one night of passion with Ephram, but can he stop there?
Buy link:
https://books2read.com/u/mKp9Wd
BIO
Scarlet likes cats and hats and firmly believes that the only thing better than one attractive man is two attractive men. I write m/m erotic romance, often small town contemporary with cops, sometimes dabbling in paranormal and I’ve even been known to write a comedy or three. All my books feature drama, hotness and HEAs.
Excerpt:
“Have you met our chief of police, Ephram?” Peter asked.
“Yes,” Ephram said with his eyes twinkling with amusement. “He’s the only friend I have here at the moment, aren’t you, Chief?”
Jamie bit his lip. No antagonism in front of other people. And hostility wasn’t the way to coax Ephram into his bed.
“That’s right. I haven’t the time to show him around our fine town though, unfortunately, Peter. Ephram’s very interested in arctic culture, and I know you’re somewhat of an expert. Perhaps you might oblige him?”
Ephram scowled at Jamie and smiled at Peter.
“Why, I’d be delighted,” Peter said with a wink.
“That’s great. Why don’t you swap numbers, Ephram, while I get us some coffee?” Jamie walked away, smirking to himself.
He’d poured three cups and was just adding cream when a voice spoke in his ear. “What the hell are you playing at?”
He turned around, making his face the picture of innocence. “What?”
“You know what,” Ephram said in a loud whisper. “He’s obviously gay, and he’s looking at me like the cat that got the cream.”
“He can look,” Jamie said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re not gay, does it?”
Ephram stepped closer, too close into Jamie’s personal space. “Who said I wasn’t gay? Just because I don’t want to go to bed with you doesn’t mean I’m not gay.”
Jamie’s cheeks heated, but he kept his gaze on those intense eyes of Ephram’s. “Have you had your eyes tested recently?”
Ephram stared at him. A reluctant smile tugged the corners of his mouth. “You arrogant fuck.”
“That’s me. And thanks for outing me to my reading group.”
“I didn’t out you. I just said you would enjoy the book. Just because it’s about a gay guy doesn’t mean you have to be gay to enjoy it.”
Jamie regarded him a moment. The inevitable erection strained his pants. The verbal sparring was more fun than usual, and he felt a thaw in Ephram’s frosty nature. He turned and picked up a cup, offering it. “Coffee?”
“Thanks.” Ephram took it, and the brush of their fingers was enough to send lightning bolts of desire through Jamie’s entire being.
Jamie took a sip of his coffee while he wrestled for words. “Look…”
Ephram held up his hand. “Not interested.”
Jamie frowned. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“I do. You were going to offer some apology for getting off to such a bad start and see if you could take me home this evening.”
Jamie glanced around with paranoid eyes, blushing once more. “I was going to say sorry, yeah, for the things I said to you last night. And is it so bad of me to want to take you home? You’re kind of easy on the eye, you know. You do all kinds of things to me.”
Ephram looked at him like he couldn’t believe his ears. His suntanned skin turned pink. “I don’t want to hear this. You’re chief of police, and I’m an ex-con. Do yourself a favour and stay away before you ruin yourself.” He turned and walked away, back towards Peter.
Ofelia Grand 