Blog Tour: The Year of Maybe by D.B. Sayers #blogtour #newadult #romance #giveaway #interview #rabtbooktours @DirkSayers @RABTBookTours

 

 

Act II of Nyra’s Journey

New Adult Romance

Date Published: November 2022

Publisher: PhoenixPhyre

He’s nothing like her hopeful dream—and everything she wants.

Nyra’s transition from college grad scrambling for her first career job to full independence is as on track as it can be, these days. With her new marketing job is going well, even if she’s still living at home,Nyra’s pretty sure the light at the end of the tunnel is not an onrushing train.

Still, she gets bored, sometimes. A whimsical decision to take up surfing brings her together with Tai Abrega, a professional surfer and shaper so delicious Nyra’s imagination hasn’t even gotten around to fantasizing about a man like him, yet. Surfing awakens a latent, mystical connection with the sea along with a driven passion for the man himself.

But embracing one possibility often demands abandoning another. How can Nyra fit Tai and the seductive siren song of freedom into her “safer” vision of perfect? Can she blend her conventional world with his freespirited lifestyle, or is she doomed to disappointment and heartbreak? New Adult fans of It Ends with Us and Finding Perfect are sure to enjoy this upbeat tale of hope.

The Year of Maybe Act II of Nyra’s Journey continues the story begun in Best-Case Scenario.

 

Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

Absolutely. In The Year of Maybe, Act II of Nyra’s Journey, Nyra Westensee has gotten her professional career started, but her personal identity and who she is at her core remains indeterminate. In common with most of us at that age, she’s impatient to resolve the personal identity issues, to include her sexuality. But as Nyra learns, growth can’t be rushed and shouldn’t be. Growing into who she will become is half the fun, both for her and the reader.

 

Among the things Nyra learns is to be present in every moment, and to accept joy in whatever form it takes. At a deeper level, she also begins to realize that she is the ultimate arbiter of who she is and who she wants to become. She may live in society, but she doesn’t have to live up (or down) to the expectations of friends and family.

 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I’m a “plantzer.” I plan stories out, sometimes in considerable detail before I start writing. But usually, somewhere along the way, the “pantser” shows up and I wind up wandering off in pursuit of this “great idea” that occurs to me as I write. The idea often “works,” but rarely without affecting the rest of the story. So, I have to adjust the main story line in order to make my “great idea” work in the broader context of the story. Thanks to really great editors who (mostly) keep me out of trouble, it’s always worked, but sometimes getting there can be painful.

 

How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

I’ve written six and I think my favorite is probably my anthology of short stories, entitled Through the Windshield, Drive-by Lives. It’s a thought-provoking collection of short stories, some previously published elsewhere under non-exclusive license, others appearing for the first time in the collection. It’s a good representative introduction to my writing. Beyond that, I think my favorite tends to be the one I just finished.

 

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

I think it would probably be Nikki Reed from the Twilight Series and Thirteen. She looks very much like I imagine Nyra looks, is about the right height and does well with nuanced characters. She may be a bit old to play Nyra Westensee at this point. She does have that more seasoned beauty that’s kind of at odds with where Nyra is at this point in her life. But I’m guessing if she wanted the part, she has the versatility to pull it off.

 

When did you begin writing?

I’ve been writing on and off ever since I was a kid. But through two previous careers, first as a Marine officer and subsequently as a corporate trainer, I started a lot of stories, but never seemed to get around to finishing them. But in the backwash of the 2008 financial meltdown, the company where I was employed as a corporate trainer filed for Chapter 11 and laid off a lot of its staff. I was one of them. Cordially invited to leave and not return, I found myself out of work and excuses and went to work on my half-finished first novel, West of Tomorrow, while I job-hunted. Eventually, I took early “retirement” to write full time.

 

How long did it take to complete your first book?

All told, it took about five years to finish and another year and a half to go through the beta reading and editing process.

 

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be a writer. I don’t know how much of that had to do with my grandfather who wrote for the Associated Press and had his own “byline,” and how much of it had to do with the many authors I read growing up. I read virtually all of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Martian Series, The John Norman Gorean Cycle, as well as a lot of Robert A. Heinlein and JRR Tolkien, along with Jane Austin (yeah, even stuff that was not part of schoolwork) and a fair number of Frank Yerby’s historical novels. So, the short answer is not one, but a whole collection of really good writers fostered an interest in being as “like” them as I could. The journey continues…

 

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Revision. How warped is that? Most authors I know claim to hate it, but I love it. I never get it right the first time. But after a few more passes through my work, it starts to sound like a story someone might want to read. And after my editor finishes with it…? You get the idea.

 

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Nuanced, thoughtful, sexy, satisfying.

 

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I’m currently working on the third volume in my science fiction series (untitled as of this moment) chronicling first contact between the Knolan Concordant and Earth. It further advances the story begun with Tier Zero, (Vol. I of the Knolan Cycle) and continued in Eryinath-5, The Dancer Nebula (Vol II of the Knolan Cycle).

 

I’m also working on a racy contemporary novel of a man’s sensual/sexual path beginning with a surprisingly early sexual awakening. It’s working title is The Face in the Mirror.

 

 

About the Author

Dirk’s path to authorship wasn’t quite an accident, but almost. Through his two previous careers, first as a Marine officer and subsequently as a corporate trainer, Dirk started way more stories than he finished.

But when his employer filed for Chapter 11 in the backwash of the 2008 financial melt-down, he found himself cordially invited to leave and not return. Out of work and excuses, he focused on finishing his first novel, West of Tomorrow, while looking for another career position.

Since then, Dirk has written and published Best-Case Scenario, Act I of Nyra’s Journey a collection of short fiction entitled, Through the Windshield as well as Tier Zero and Eryinath-5, The Dancer Nebula, Vols. I & II of the Knolan Cycle.

The Year of Maybe, sequel to Best Case Scenario, is due out in Novemeber 2022.

Dirk also contributes to Medium, blogs on his website, and will accept editing work, by special request. Besides his work as a writer, he is an accomplished snow skier, woodworker, photographer and a compulsive gym rat.

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