Hey there,
Welcome Grace Duncan to my humble blog. She brings along two of her characters from her new book Healing.
Hello! We’re talking today to Mark and Duncan from my latest release, Healing. Part of the Pandemus Chronicles, Healing, tells the story of a nurse who’s turned his back on medicine and the man who needs medical help.
Welcome, guys. Thanks for talking to me.
Duncan: Not like we have much better to do.
Mark: *snorts* Speak for yourself.
Duncan: *grins* Well, I can think of something.
Mark: *turns red from the neck up to his ears* Duncan!
You two are funny. So, tell me, what’s it like to be out there? The world has changed quite a bit.
Duncan: Scary. I mean… I’ve read Stephen King and Dean Koontz and… well, name a horror writer, right? And I’ve watched all the horror films. But… living it? Totally different thing.
Mark: It’s… I’ve lived and worked in some pretty scary parts of town over the years. Imagine the worst neighborhood in your city and multiply that by about a million. It’s… you know, before you could call the cops or at least hope someone would intervene, but—
Duncan: But that’s not going to happen, not now. It’s pretty much everyone for themselves.
But Mark helped you, didn’t he?
Mark: *grins* He didn’t want me to. Tried to tell me he just needed a Band-Aid and some Tylenol.
Duncan: *rolls his eyes* I said bandages. Not Band-Aid. Even I know it takes more than a Band-Aid for a broken bone.
Mark: *snickers* Not much different.
Duncan: Fine, yeah. I mean… dangerous, right? Well, I’ve tangled with the wrong person before. Lost all my food, most of what I had on me. I learned—the hard way—to be careful.
Mark: He shouldn’t have trusted me.
Duncan: *looks at Mark and smiles* I’m glad I did.
Mark: *blushing again* Yeah, yeah. *sighs* Me too.
Okay, tell me what’s the one thing you miss the most about life before?
Duncan: *purses his lips* That’s a tough one. I’d guess new books. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to run out anytime soon, but I will, eventually.
Mark: Fresh coffee.
Duncan: *laughs* Oh, with chicory. God, it’s been so long.
Mark: Oh, don’t get me wrong, we find it when we can, but having it fresh? Yeah, not so much anymore.
Duncan: We ought to go hunting for more.
I can personally attest to how terrifying and horrible life would be without coffee. *Mark and Duncan laugh.* So… that said, what don’t you miss?
Mark: This is horrible. But… I don’t miss fighting with my late wife. I don’t miss the way she turned nasty toward the end. It didn’t have anything to do with the disease, either. And it’s a rotten thing to say, but I was relieved when she gave in, if only for that to stop.
Duncan: That’s not horrible, baby. *kisses Mark’s temple, making Mark blush again* I don’t miss hiding who I am. I don’t really have to much anymore because I just don’t see people. But… *he shrugs* I don’t hide it. If they don’t like me, they move on. I don’t deal much with people anyway.
Do either of you have anything you’ve kept with you through the pandemic? Pictures? Or other mementos?
Duncan: I have a signed copy of The Stand from Stephen King. It was my favorite book for a long time, though I can’t really read it anymore. Too real, you know. But it’s old, it’s beat up and I think he appreciated that. So, yeah. I’ve held onto that. And, of course, pictures of my parents and Angie, my sister.
Mark: *digs into a pocket and pulls out a pin, holding it up* The nursing pin I got when I graduated college. I tried to throw it away more times than I can count. I never could seem to let go of it. And now, I’m glad I didn’t. It’s what helped me make a decision that was difficult and shouldn’t have been. So… and, of course, yeah pictures. Of my siblings, parents, even my late wife.
Thanks a lot for talking with me. I know it’s hard to think of some of these things. Are you two doing well?
*Mark and Duncan look at each other and grin*
Duncan: Well, I haven’t wanted to feed him poison yet.
Mark: And I haven’t been tempted to overdose him on something. *both laugh then kiss*
Good luck with everything. I hope you manage well enough.
Mark: We will. He’s smart, most of the time. And I can patch him up when he’s not. *Duncan rolls his eyes but is grinning.*
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When Duncan stumbles into a pharmacy in search of something to fix his broken leg, he’s surprised to find someone else there. Like the rest of the post-pandemic world, it appeared empty. Instead, he discovers Mark, a former nurse who walked away from his profession after losing too many patients to the virus. Despite swearing he’d never practice medicine again, Mark patches Duncan up over Duncan’s protests. He even finds an abandoned house in the tiny town, and they settle in until Duncan heals enough to look out for himself. Much to the chagrin of both, they find themselves caring for each other.
Duncan welcomes it, thrilled at finding someone he can trust. However, he’s well aware of the shadows in Mark’s eyes and understands Mark’s reticence as he learns the story. But as he’s starting to do things for himself again, Duncan realizes he doesn’t want Mark to leave. He’s not sure if can get Mark to let go of his fears so they can stay together and love. But Duncan’s damned sure going to try.
Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5534 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Pandemus-Chronicles-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00OWKJS84/ref=la_B00BCMBWY8_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414433407&sr=1-6 AllRomance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-healing-1656462-145.html
And now an excerpt from Healing!
“Put the gun down. I don’t want trouble.” If it weren’t for the immediate danger Mark was in, he’d have savored the deep bass tones in the voice instead of simply noticing them.
“I don’t either. You okay, man?” Mark took half a step forward, but the gun in the other man’s hand steadied.
“Fine. I just want a few things and I’ll go. Just… don’t make a move.”
Mark paused and considered the other man for a moment, but right as he was about to back away, the gun hand shook again and he started forward instead. “You need help.”
“I’ll be fine. Haven’t you learned not to challenge people?”
Mark actually chuckled. “Yeah, I learned that right after things started to go to hell. But man… if I sneeze on you, you’re gonna fall over. What’s wrong?”
The man didn’t speak for a long time, and Mark thought he wasn’t going to, but then he said, “I think I broke my leg. I need bandages and painkiller.” The words held a sharp edge of pain that Mark hadn’t heard before, too focused on his own survival. He cursed under his breath for letting himself miss it and moved.
The man raised his gun again, but Mark ignored the movement, tucked his own back into the waistband of his jeans, and kept moving. After another couple of steps, the other man lowered his gun too… and promptly swayed.
Mark hurried forward and got under the arm not holding the stick. “I’m Mark. And I can help you.”
“Don’t need help,” the man said, his voice now slurred. “Just need—”
“Yeah, yeah, just need bandages and painkiller. My ass.”
“Haven’t seen your ass yet,” the guy muttered, and Mark looked up at him with raised eyebrows, but the eyes were glazed and it was obvious the pain was getting to be too much.
“Come on. Let’s get you over here. I saw a bench. Got a name?”
“Duncan,” he mumbled.
“Nice to meet you, Duncan. Now, let me help you.”
About Grace
Grace Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age – many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children – both the human and furry kind.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.
Grace’s website: http://www.grace-duncan.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceRDuncan2 Twitter: @GraceRDuncan
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Stein's Station 
Very sweet interview and funny. Thanks Grace!