Writing fact and fiction in #MMRomance
Dear reader.
When I started writing the Worlds End series, I wanted to write stories that were escapist and fun and yet had traces of reality in it.
I know some readers criticised the fact that the stories were set in a place where slavery has returned and being gay was outlawed.
Well, here is a reality check. Modern day slaves exist.
Ever heard of human or sex trafficking? The victims are slaves who have to work for next to nothing for their owners until they've paid off huge chunks of debt which can take the rest of their lives.
Here is another fact. Being homosexual is still outlawed in many countries.
According to this Guardian article, there are 72 countries that criminalise gay/LGBT relationships. In some countries there are death penalties.
In the country of my birth, Nigeria, the sentence received can depend on the region, varying from up to 14 years in prison in the south to being condemned to death in the north.
And that is for the people who get to court. Some have been set upon by mobs and beaten, while others were set on fire.
Those are facts. Not fiction.
So when you think about it, the issues in the Worlds End series are not that far-fetched.
Which brings me to my current work-in-progress.
Bound To Liberty is the story of James, a gay man who lives in Nigeria. It is a story very much grounded in reality.
But James's problems run deeper than his sexuality. So while you might be expecting a happy ending for James, because this is supposed to be a romance novel, it's not going to come easy.
As a primer and if you don't mind reading M/F, then why not check out Bound To Ransom which features James as a secondary character and is a very good introduction to him.
In the meantime, let me show you the book cover.
Title: Bound To Liberty
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M, Suspense
Add to Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39872871-bound-to-liberty
BLURB
As if life isn’t tough enough for James Coker, rejected and nearly killed by family, he is also a closeted gay man in a country where being gay is outlawed. So when the first man he's ever loved gets engaged to a woman, James’s solution to heartbreak is to indulge in a holiday fling.
In contrast, Ethan Eze has had life relatively easy. Born in the 'Land of the Free' and nurtured within a family where he can be whoever he wants to be, he's a military veteran who is not afraid of going for what he wants. When he meets James, Ethan wants him.
Desire burns between them and soon blurs into devotion. But James is not ready to lose his heart again, certainly not to another man who can eat his cake and have it. Ethan has fought for his country. Now will he fight for love?
Bound to Liberty is a story about breaking free from mental chains and living a life of boundless love.
What do you think? Leave me a comment.
I don't have a release date yet. But it should be sometime in June. More info coming soon.
I'd be glad if you add Bound to Liberty to your Goodreads TBR.
