Thursday, October 26, 2017

Creative Process by Jodi Payne


Best-selling thriller author Reese Kelsey knows his career isn’t conducive to romance. He doesn’t work the normal nine-to-five, and sometimes his characters take hold and demand all his attention, causing him to neglect important appointments… and lovers. Rather than go through another heartbreak, Reese contents himself with his small circle of friends—fellow gay New York City artists—and his dedicated publicist, Chad.

Until he sees Owen Mercado lugging his cello toward the subway and impulsively offers him a ride.

Owen has worked long and hard for a career in the symphony, and success comes with a demanding schedule—something Reese understands. Their desires and lifestyles are surprisingly compatible, and Reese and Owen certainly set the bedroom on fire. They’re both carrying baggage, but they fit, and it’s hard not to hope for a future that once seemed impossible.

But when Reese’s work inevitably pulls him into its dark world and refuses to let go, Owen draws a hard line, and Reese discovers he can't rely on good intentions alone. He will have to control the obsession that drove his other lovers away or risk losing Owen as well.

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah☆☆☆☆
This is a sweet, fun story about an unlikely relationship between a famous horror author and a symphony cellist.

I admit that I may have watched too many episodes of Castle, but I really struggled to untangle Reese Kelsey from Richard Castle in my head. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are lots of similarities between the two famous writers, but Reese is a more serious character and his story is more drama than comedy. He’s a fairly tortured artist who struggles to live with the dark characters he writes in his horror stories. I really enjoyed the discussions and thoughts about his writing process.

I think Owen is probably younger than Reese, but the cellist feels more balanced and adult than the author. I loved Owen from the start and the more I learned about his background, his friends, and his music, the more I loved him. Together, I loved the way Reese and Owen complement each other. I love their shared creativity and the way they support each other’s creative processes. Their relationship moves from hook-up to partnership at light speed, but it works because it feels natural and almost fated.

My one reservation with this novel is Reese’s relationship with his friends. His offhanded comments about straight people and ‘breeders’ feel tasteless and not at all inclusive. His friends read as generic camp queens and together they reinforce every outdated stereotype of gay men. A couple of these scenes really didn’t work for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Reese and Owen are a great couple and I loved their passions and their interactions with each other. Jodi Payne is a new author for me and I really love her writing style. I’m definitely going to be reading through some of her other stories and looking out for new ones in the future.


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆
This is a sweet story. Owen is a cellist who just was able to realize one of his dreams – he now plays for a symphony. He is talented and sweet, kind and gentle. He seems incredibly mature, even though we never really get his age. I really liked how he was kind and gentle, but wasn't a doormat. I also loved that he was unwilling to give up his college/conservatory friends for the "new job" that he had.

Reese is a successful thriller writer and he is easily caught up in his work. He has had a string of bad relationships and even though he knows that it's a lot of his own doing, he can't seem to figure out how to fix his own concentration and ability when it comes to juggling both a relationship and writing.

These two creative minds meld in a very romantic way. There is a little angst and a lot of chemistry.

I do wish that the friends that both of these characters had were less stereotypical. I think it would have made the characters more well rounded.

Overall, this was a great story and I enjoyed reading about them. I also am very interested in how Reese's next book goes.



JODI PAYNE spent too many years in New York and San Francisco stage managing classical plays, edgy fringe work, and the occasional musical. She therefore is overdramatic, takes herself way too seriously, and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her men are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likeable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can’t help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after.

For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi’s addictions include nonfat lattes, Malbec and tequila however you pour it. She’s also obsessed with Shakespeare and Broadway musicals. She can be found wearing sock monkey gloves while typing when it’s cold, and on the beach enjoying the sun and the ocean when it’s hot. When she’s not writing and/or vacuuming sand out of her laptop, Jodi mentors queer youth and will drop everything for live music.

Jodi lives near New York City with her beautiful wife, and together they are mothers of dragons (cleverly disguised as children) and slaves to an enormous polydactyl cat.

Connect with Jodi

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Jodi’s Gents FB Group


https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Creative Process by Jodi Payne to read and review.

9 comments:

  1. I'd rather date an author (free books!). I actually am married to a writer (although he doesn't write fiction/books).

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  2. Authors are quiet, which suits me, but I also love music, so a musician could be nice. I would have to like his music though.

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  3. Probably an author we'd have a lot in common and of course I would have first look at their stories.

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  4. That's a tough call. I don't think it would matter so much whether they were a writer or musician. It would depend on how their mood/personalities changes when they are creating, and if I could handle being around them!

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  5. I prefer musician actually. I mean I LOVE books but I know my preference over them. So I don't want to end up hating the books that my partner is writing *lol*. But music, my taste is pretty eclectic, so anything my partner is making I know I can enjoy them ^^. No guilty feeling

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  6. I would prefer a author. Musicians tend to need to travel more depending on the type of musician.

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  7. Either, they are both artists in my opinion.

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  8. I don't discriminate based on vocation. I'd date either.

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