So there I was, minding my own business (mostly), effortlessly looking busy while trying to beat my high score in Mahjong, when who comes a’knocking on my virtual door? Oh wait. Knocking? *SNORT* More like barreling in like an invading army’s tank.

Dudes!

Rachel Haimowitz!

Yeah, her. I was annoyed too. 😉

Anyway, Rachel said she has a book coming out and that I have to host her as a guest on my site because I’m her bestie evah. When that didn’t work, she promised serious bodily injury (oooh, baby) and when that didn’t work, she threatened to read me some gun porn.

TRA LA-LA LA-LA LA-LA!

[/squick]

Uh huh. That worked.

So without further ado…

The Prequel Problem

Prequels get a bad rap. Why would I want to read a story, some say, when I already know how it ends?

I suppose the answer depends on why you read. If plot is king for you, then a prequel may well not scratch your readerly itch. On the other hand, just because you know what happens five or ten or twenty years down the line doesn’t mean a writer can’t tell a great story with an uncertain ending. (Except, of course, for the surety that the character won’t die, unless her name is Jean Grey, in which case, hey, kill her five or six times.) But if character and world take precedence for you over plot, then prequels—particularly origin stories—can be quite fascinating.

I’m a character kind of gal. And that’s why I decided to write Where He Belongs, a prequel to Anchored: Belonging. Or, more accurately, five prequels. Where He Belongs is a collection of five vignettes about Daniel, the star of Anchored, from the day he’s purchased by NewWorld Media through to several months after he gets his own show. It’s a chance to see Daniel being Daniel, rather than being what he thinks Carl wants him to be or what Tim or NewWorld want him to be. It’s a chance for people who’ve never read Anchored to get a fast, inexpensive taste of the Belonging world and decide if they want to read more. And it was also a chance for me to explore where he came from, what he experienced as he grew, and how it changed him.

And sure, people who’ve read Anchored know where Daniel will end up by the time he’s 34. But isn’t it interesting to see where he was when he was 11? Meet the first boy he traded hand jobs with? See the moment he lays eyes on the first man he’ll ever love? Well, it was interesting for me, anyway, and I very much hope you’ll feel the same.

Where He Belongs is available for pre-order at Storm Moon Press for only $1.99, and releases on July 1. (Folks who pre-order get to download the book two days early, and will be entered in a drawing for some unique prizes too.) Read a complete vignette for free or purchase Where He Belongs here.

There. Saved from gun porn. My work here is done.

What?

Wait.

There’s MORE???? &?#$%@, it!!!

She really is rather pushy, no?

Ze book deets:

The hottest name in network news is Daniel Halstrom. He is a sensation, a
rising star. He is also a slave, owned wholly and completely by NewWorld
Media.

But before he was a star, he was a frightened child from a bad place with a
promising, if limited, future ahead of him. In The New Kid, young Daniel
begins his schooling. Then, for a slave, the simple pleasure of a Bathroom
Break is sometimes the only pleasure to be had. Later, Daniel doesn’t know
it, but A Chance Encounter might be the most important of his life. Next,
in Camera Obscura, one of Daniel’s colleagues reflects on the fact that as
much as the camera may show, it can hide even more. Finally, when you’re a
slave, Independence Day is just another day.

All kidding aside, if you love Anchored, you should sprint to Storm Moon Press — as in breaking land speed records — to get Where He Belongs because you’re going to love it. Even if it was written by that wretched Rachel Haimowitz chick:

Rachel is an M/M erotic romance author and a freelance writer and editor. She’s also a sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, and quite proudly pervish. Fortunately, all those things make writing a lot more fun for her . . . if not so much for her characters.

When she’s not writing about hot guys getting it on (or just plain getting it; her characters rarely escape a story unscathed), she loves to read, hike, camp, sing, perform in community theater, and glue captions to cats. She also has a particular fondness for her very needy dog, her even needier cat, and shouting at kids to get off her lawn.

She’s a twitter addict (@rachelhaimowitz), and she blogs every M/W/F at Fantasy Unbound. She also keeps a website, of course, with all her current and upcoming projects. She loves to hear from folks, so feel free to drop her a line anytime at metarachel (at) gmail (dot) com.

Rachel is offering up a free ebook of Anchored for one lucky commenter chosen at random and if you already have Anchored and are in the USA? She’ll send you a bunch of Belonging verse goodies instead. WOOT!

Comment below for your chance at some free goodies by noon EST on Saturday, July 2nd! Then, go harass her on twitter. Just because you can. 😀