SERIES TOUR
THE CHRISTOPHER BOOKS
by
Stephen G Hardy
Follow Christopher as he explores various types of relationships and the impact he has on the lives of others.
The books need to be read in order.
Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame
BOOK DETAILS
BOOK 1
Book Title: Search for Complete
Cover Artist: Ryan Mulford
Length: 80 127 words /335 pages
Release Date: June 4, 2023
Genres: Contemporary LGBTQ+ Fiction with speculative elements.
Tropes: Friends to Platonic lovers
Themes: Interpersonal relationships, Conversations as Catalyst for Change
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
“Why do I get the feeling that Christopher is the type of man that would make the perfect husband for any woman and, at the same time, the perfect wife for any man?” Laura says shortly after Christopher begins his new job at the TV station. Laura’s statement would turn out to hold more truth than she could imagine. No one who meets Christopher, especially not Laura, as well as David, a gay man he meets at a party, understands what it is about him that draws them to him. They also don’t realize that Christopher is searching for something, a search complicated by their desires for him.
BOOK 2
Book Title: The Price of Happiness
Length: 84 447words/330 pages
Release Date: November 24, 2023
Genres: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Literary Fiction
Tropes: Love and loss
Themes: Parenthood, interpersonal relationships, finding oneself.
It is not a standalone story and end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
As Search for Complete left off, the birth of his twins had just completed Christopher. However, though he has what he had searched so long for, he now must deal with the associated costs, namely the unraveling of his relationship with Laura, the mother of his twins. The birth of the twins should have brought Laura joy, yet, instead, she finds herself on an intense emotional rollercoaster. Laura resents Christopher's happiness—resents that he is a better mother than she is. But most of all, Laura resents that the twins are Christopher's spitting image—nowhere does she see herself in them. Christopher fears his happiness in becoming a father has become Laura’s undoing. As he tries to help her adjust to the reality of their situation, Laura struggles to find herself in the tangled mess of their relationship.
In The Price of Happiness, Stephen Hardy has created a profound and moving novel on the themes of parenthood, identity, love and loss—and the cost of getting what we want.
BOOK 3
Book Title: When the Sun and Moon Touch
Length: 87 639 words/353 Pages
Release Date: March 29, 2024
Genres: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Literary Fiction
Tropes: M2M relationships
Themes: Finding oneself, forgiveness, love
The stories need to be read in order. This book does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Christopher has settled into life as a single father to his twins, Loren and Christine. Content with his life, he is contemplating the imminent return of their mother Laura, who has been traveling through Europe for nearly a year, when he meets Benjamin, a direct descendant of the sun. Suddenly, his contentment is upended as he tries to understand the reason for their meeting. Despite what Benjamin says, that they are meant to be together, Christopher initially tries to hold
Benjamin at arm's length, believing that he is only to be for Benjamin what Joseph was to him—a friend and mentor.
Excerpt from Book 1
I began to question accepting Laura’s invitation when I heard the noise coming from the backyard as we approached the house. I disliked crowds, and it sounded like an immense crowd was on the other side of the gate.
People were everywhere—seated on lounge chairs scattered around the patio or at the rectangular dining table or milling about in various groups—talking loudly over the blaring music. Laura’s voice broke through the noise.
“I don’t see Peter anywhere. He might be inside. Shall we find him?”
“By all means. I would feel uncomfortable attending his party without meeting him.”
I followed Laura into the house. As we passed through the living room, my eyes fell on a few framed photos of a handsome couple on the wall.
In the kitchen, a solitary male figure was removing a tray of croissants from the oven.
“Hello, Peter.”
As he turned around, I recognized Peter as one of the men in the photos. Tall and slender, with dark hair and a mustache waxed into handlebars, there was a dapperness to him that I found pleasing.
“Hey, Laura. Lovely to see you!”
After setting the hot tray down, Peter hugged her.
“Peter, I want you to meet Christopher. He just moved here from Seattle and works with me at the station.”
“How do you do, Peter?“
Having grown used to the reaction my presence caused, I smiled patiently as Peter, unable to speak right away, shook my offered hand.
“I hope you do not mind my crashing your party. Laura assured me that you would not object to her bringing me.”
“No, of course, I don’t mind.”
The words tumbled out one on top of the other.
“Is there anything we can do to assist you?”
“No, I have it all under control, thanks. Please help yourself to the food and drinks out on the patio.”
“We will. Thanks,” Laura said, taking my arm and steering me back through the living room.
“Peter is very nice,” I commented as we stepped through the doors and headed towards the drinks table. “Can I make you something?”
“A mimosa, thanks. Yes, Peter’s a sweetie.”
We stood sipping our drinks as I scanned the crowd of mostly men, a mix of young and old, before Laura took me around, introducing me to the people she knew.
I instinctively searched their eyes for the essence of another while ignoring Laura’s scrutinizing gaze.
Laura needed to use the bathroom, so she left me standing under the large Ficus tree where we had sought shade from the sun. Within minutes of her departure, I was surrounded by a large group of people vying for my attention. Carrying on multiple conversations was challenging, but I did my best to make each person feel they had my full attention.
He caught my attention on the periphery of my vision: tall and well-built, resembling the small statue of the god Mars that sat on the table in Joseph’s shop. Our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat, seeing something flash in his eyes. Smiling hopefully, I extended my hand to him.
“Hello, my name is Christopher Dunn.”
As he shook my hand, I took the opportunity to search his golden-brown eyes. My initial hope turned to disappointment, for while something was there, it was not another’s essence. Though disappointed, I was intrigued.
“Davidmartelli.”
He slurred the two names into one in his haste to get the words out.
As I gazed into his eyes, the feeling of a purpose to our meeting appeared—first Laura and now David.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, David Martelli,” I said, saying his name distinctly.
David blushed attractively, causing a twinge in my heart.
“Can I get you a drink?”
He looked so crestfallen when I held up my cup that I was tempted to down my drink and ask him for another.
“Oh, you have one.”
“I do, but I appreciate you asking.”
I gave him a smile to back up my words. It was apparent that David was struggling to find something to say, the frustration evident in his handsome features. I wanted to get him away from the people surrounding us and talk to him alone, but I did not see how I could do so without offending everyone else.
Conscious of the eyes watching us, David blushed again and backed away.
For some reason, I knew that this behavior was out of character for him. Watching him walk away, I hoped we would meet again as I wanted to discover what I saw in his eyes.
Author Interview
Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how
this works for you...
I am self-published. I had wanted to go the traditional route,
but finding an agent was difficult. The first novel in this series defied
genre, making it difficult to market. In addition, one agent who read my
manuscript told me that if I wanted to publish traditionally, I needed to
change most of the plot to make it commercial. If I did that, the story I felt
needed to be written would be no more. Because my belief in the story I had
written was more important, I opted to self-publish.
It has worked out well in that I had full control of the story
and cover design. The hindrance is that I have to self-promote, which is
challenging.
Do you pre-plot your books, use an outline, fly
by the seat of your pants or some combination of things?
By nature I am a
planner, but for writing, it depends on what I am writing. For the Christopher
novels, I was more a pantser than a planner, letting the story unfold before me
as I wrote. This became more evident with each book as I had gotten to know the
characters so intimately that I knew what they would say or do in any given
situation. The books practically wrote themselves.
I am
currently working on a completely different style and type of novel, for which
I have had to plan out the story as much as possible. Even here, the plan does
deviate a bit as I write because I realize the order of events is wrong or that
I am missing something that must happen first.
I
had little issue keeping track of my characters in the series as I knew them
so well by the time I got to the
second and third books. I occasionally wrote
down certain facts, but for the most
part, I didn’t have a need.
Tell us about your first published gay
fiction/romance
-
Search for Complete is
the first book in the Christopher series and my first novel. I do not consider
this story a traditional LGBTQ+ story, but a human story. It is about people
wanting to fill a void in their lives, be it with another person or a thing or
event. It is also about inter-personal relationships and how conversations
between two people can be a catalyst for change in one’s life. There is a
speculative element in that the story is inspired by the Aristophanes Myth on
the Origin of Love, but it isn’t the main focus of the book. It is there to
explain why there is a whole spectrum of sexuality and gender in the world.
and then your most recent one…
-
When the Sun and Moon
Touch is the third and final book in the Series. It is about people defining
who they are rather than societal norms dictating. This book brings all the
storylines in all the books to closure, and my main character, someone who will
love him for who he is and for what he can be.
Do you write full time or part-time?
-
Writing is my full-time
career, though I write when time allows as I manage our home and am an active
board member for Ballet Arizona.
If you could invite 4
people (real or fictional, living or dead) to a dinner party, who would you
invite and what would you serve?
-
There are so many
people I would love to dine with, but I would choose: Queen Elizabeth the
First, the late actress Glenda Jackson, Jane Austen and Stephen Fry. I would
serve a curried chicken salad so we wouldn’t have to worry about it getting
cold when we get lost in our conversation.
Something people would
be surprised to know about you…
-
People who know me now
would be surprised that I was an introvert as a teenager and young adult and
lacked confidence.
Which character still
pops into your mind to visit from time to time?
-
Christopher is always
with me, but lately, it has been his children, Loren and Christine, who were
born at the end of book one. I am toying with writing a spin-off featuring them
as young adults.
Where do you
write? Do you have a routine?
-
I have a mid-century
desk set up in my husband’s and my bedroom, as he uses the guest room as his
office when he works from home. I don’t have a routine, but I try to write on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, at the very least, as on those days, I have
very few chores or errands to distract me.
What are your writing
goals for the next year? The future?
-
I have always wondered
about Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley's friendship, so I want to write a prequel to
Pride and Prejudice. It seems so unlikely, and I want to explore the reason for
it. I am attempting to write in Jane Austen’s vernacular, which is quite a
challenge, but I want readers to think Austen wrote it. I am about a quarter of
the way through the first draft. My goal is to have the first draft complete by
the end of 2024 with the plan to get an agent to represent me. In addition, I
have the idea for a spin-off to my Christopher novels, and I hope to get
something written on it as well.
What’s the hardest part
about writing M/M romance or erotica?
-
The hardest part of
writing an M/M romance, and I consider When the Sun and Moon Touch to be one,
albeit not a typical one, is making it all seem plausible and natural. I wanted
to represent falling in love as a beautiful event that is not clouded by lust.
What else do you want us
to know about you?
-
Anything I write must
have a purpose or a reason to be written. I can’t write fluff, as it would seem
disingenuous. I want my readers to reflect on what I have written, and even if
they do not agree with something, that it made them see a situation is a
different light.
How can we connect with
you?
-
I am on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/stephen.hardy.319/
-
and Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/stephenghardy/, and my author email is stephengilberthardy@gmail.com. I also have a website, https://stephenghardy.com/
Who’s your biggest
supporter/cheerleader?
-
My husband, Addison,
is my biggest supporter. He allows me to grow and develop as a person.
What made you decide gay
romance was the genre you wanted to write?
-
I don’t know that I
decided to write in that genre as much as it chose me. I do have two ideas for
M/M Romance, but I have to make sure there is a reason or a purpose for them to
be written. I don’t think I can write what might be called fluff.
Where do you find
inspiration?
-
For my first novel,
Search for Complete, I was inspired by a conversation with friends over brunch.
Sometimes, a piece of music or a random thought inspires me. For the prequel to
Pride and Prejudice, I was inspired by a question the book raised: Why are
Darcy and Bingley friends, given what we know of Darcy’s pride?
How do you combat
writer’s block?
-
When I hit a wall, I
lay on the ground with my eyes closed and let my thoughts wander. At other
times, I go for a hike, and as I walk, my thoughts wander freely, and often, a
solution to a problem emerges.
What do your friends and
family think of what you write? Do they know?
-
My husband has not
read my novels, and I am not sure I want him to do so. They contain a lot of
me, and I don’t know how I will feel if he does. My friends tell me how unique
the stories are, how they made them pause and reflect on their own perceptions.
One 74-year-old female friend said she felt normal for the first time in her
life when she read the first book in the series.
What is your favorite
thing about writing gay romance?
-
I get to write about what I feel as a gay man in love. I didn’t
have that growing up in the 60s and 70s.
About the Author
Stephen Hardy was born in the San Francisco Bay Area but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. His career as a fashion designer took him back to San Francisco before he headed to New York City, where he met his husband of twenty years. Tiring of the hectic pace of the fashion industry, Stephen gave up his career to become a stay-at-home dad for his and his husband’s two adopted sons and a quiet life in Connecticut. Now residing in Phoenix, Arizona, and with the kids grown, Stephen returned to university, where he rediscovered his love for writing. His focus is on contemporary fiction, examining social issues regarding gender, sexuality, and relationships. Search for Complete is his first novel.
Author Links
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