Book Tour: Ceili by Moriah Gemel

Author: Moriah Gemel

Title: Ceílí

Release Date: March 17, 2016

Pages or Words: 200 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Goodreads Link: www.goodreads.com/moriahgemel

Publisher: Interlude Press

Cover Artist: Design – CB Messer, Cover art by Ari McFarland

The Los Angeles music scene has not been kind to Devon Caelin. He struggles to fit in and has a streak of bad luck the length of the Sunset Strip. One rare rainy night, he drowns his sorrows from bar-to-bar, until he stumbles into an alley club called Céilí. He discovers that it’s home to a small community of mystical people making their way in the human world, and that he found it only because he is Fae himself. With mentoring from the pub’s proprietor, Eldan—a powerful Fae Lord protecting his kind in the city—Devon unearths his past and discovers his magical abilities. His life appears to be back on track—until a member of the Faerie Court is murdered and the secret of their world is threatened to be revealed.

Interlude Press: store.interludepress.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1STMEC8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/c-il-moriah-gemel/1122958803?ean=2940152470130#productInfoTabs

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/593331

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cel-2000032-149.html?referrer=55feb862851f8

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/C-il-/9781941530658

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941530658

“This is where we’ll do the spell,” Eldan says. “I can open the channel easily enough, but I’d like you to assist in keeping it open. Stand behind me when I tell you to, and put your hands on my shoulders. If we’re compatible, I’ll be able to take some of your energy to bolster mine, just enough to maintain a stronger connection than I would on my own, all right? You might get a little dizzy, but I promise you’ll be okay.”

“I’m not afraid, Eldan.” Devon is excited to see this magic performed, to see the Queens. What will they be like, these women that Eldan is wary to speak of?

“No. You aren’t, are you?” Eldan smiles. “Well. Best get on with it then. Stand nearby, please?”

Devon settles himself just behind Eldan, and Eldan nods. Then, he pulls a little vial from his pocket and shakes it.

“Here we go.”

He uncorks the bottle, and Devon smells something almost metallic. Eldan walks to the first corner of the table, to the right, and pours a drop of whatever’s inside the vial over the little pile of dirt.

“Cré.” His hand hovers over the bowl, and the dirt spreads and forms a flat plane under his palm. Eldan smiles and walks on.

He walks to the back right of the table and pours a drop into the empty bowl. “Aer,” he says and his hand hovers. The bowl trembles, and the dust motes in the air within it coalesce and spin. He walks on.

The third bowl holds sticks, and Eldan pours the liquid on them before hovering his hand, causing them to burst into flames. “Tine.” Devon can’t help but push his breath out and shake his head. This is cool. All this magic, it’s really real. He thought it was a story for children, but magic is real, and he’s a part of it. He never thought much about fairytales but now he wishes he had, because it would make this moment so much better.

Finally, Eldan pours into the fourth bowl, filled with water, and his hand hovering creates little waves that splash on the sides of the bowl gently, as though upset. “Uisce,” he says and then he walks on.

He circles the table counter-clockwise three times and, when he reaches the head of the table once more, he nods to Devon. “Now.”

Devon steps up as Eldan turns away and puts his hands on Eldan’s slim, strong shoulders. Immediately, his palms tingle, as Eldan waves a hand. The mirror in the center of the table stands up, reflecting them. Eldan presses a palm to the center of it.

“Oscailt agus a léiriú,” Eldan says. Devon wishes he knew what the hell he was saying, but it’s pretty, in any case. Celtic? Gaelic? Something. “Na Ríona I Talún Samhraidh.”

The mirror clouds, and Devon licks his lips and stands on his tiptoes to see over Eldan’s shoulder. Nothing happens, though, for long moments, in which Eldan’s breathing comes quick and loud. Devon squeezes his shoulders, and Eldan whimpers faintly. But he slows down, and Devon keeps squeezing, staring at what he can see of Eldan’s face, staring at the delicate line of his jaw, his high cheekbone, the flutter of an eyelash, the jut of his nose, which is freckled and fair.

But then the clouds part, and there they are.

Moriah Gemel has developed a dedicated following for her realistic, sexually-charged stories over twelve years in online fan communities. Moriah is passionate about diversity in fiction, as well as realistic depictions of BDSM and sex education. Her first novel, Load the Dice, was published as a serial in ten parts. Céilí is her second novel. She lives with her husband, young son, and two cats.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/moriahgemel

Twitter: @moriahgemel

Today I’m welcoming Moriah Gemel to chat about writing, life, and their current project. Welcome! Let’s talk a little about Ceili.

What inspired you to write this story?

A Tumblr post. It was of a character on a TV show, who looked rather elven, his ears looked pointed, his facial features were so delicate and angled. And he looked fabulous. So someone made a comment about how he looked like an elf lord/playboy bachelor, and the story idea of that very character came to me and I decided to write about him.

Is there a character you feel especially connected to? Why?

Devon, my main character, definitely. We have a lot of the same feelings about not belonging and not understanding why, and growing up as melancholy children who become melancholy adults. I put a lot of myself into him.

What was the hardest part of writing this?

Digging deep enough into my own pain to get to the heart of my characters’. There is a lot in this story about finding a place to belong, and that’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life. I had to spend some time unpacking my own feelings of neglect and unfairness and loneliness to get to what was important to tell in the story.

Choose a favorite line or short passage. What do you like about it?

The very first line of the book is my absolute favorite, because I based it on a real life bar I attended and it was awful, it was so strange and funny. It says: “The only thing Devon notices as he tosses back his third shot is that the bar smells like old peanut butter.”

Tell us a little about any upcoming projects.

I can’t say much, but if you like Ceili, you’ll definitely like what’s coming next.

How has your life changed since becoming a published author?

The thing that changed the most about me was my writing. I write differently now, now that I’ve been through this process and know how it works. And writing is one of the biggest parts of my life, so it matters. Plus I spend more time planning to write, and doing marketing and blogging more and researching, and a lot of my evenings, which were once for relaxation, goes into those pursuits.

If you could take a time machine back 10 years, what would you tell your past self?

That it’s going to be terrifying very soon, but it’s going to be okay. Ten years ago I was in a really rough spot, and I needed to know that I was going to be okay, that things would work out, even when they were at their worst.

What do you hope people say about you after you’re gone?

That I helped. I want to know that I made a positive difference for someone.

Word Sprints!

Plotter or pantser? Plotter.
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Cats or dogs? Cats.
Reusable or disposable grocery bags? Disposable (I reuse them for kitty litter)
Musical theater or rock concert? Musical Theater