Behind the Scenes of Growing Pains by Cass Lennox (@casslennox)

I had to research a ton of stuff for this book – everything from the distance between Toronto and Sudbury in Ontario, to drag acts, to domestic abuse, to hipster weddings. I thought I’d compile a list of fun stuff that cropped up behind the scenes of writing Growing Pains. These are things I kept looking up over and over, joked about during edits, or just found funny.

1. All this to sort out one (very) minor driving detail. Turns out automatic driving isn’t like manual driving at all. (I’m entirely to blame here, my editor was very understanding.)

Unnecessary.

2. Gigi’s dad, John Rosenberg, is a total babe: headcanon accepted.

3. Hipster aesthetic: mason jars.

4. So many mason jars.

5. The town of Maney is made up, but this stretch of highway definitely isn’t.

Oh Trans-Canada Highway, why did I have to keep looking you up.

6. Reading is fundamental. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyZ6JZkdXSk

7. Musicals, which ended up with me singing this all the freaking time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5cgecGIhg

8. NAYCHUH, or the trees in the great Canadian landscape (at least around Sudbury in the middle of Ontario), are comprised of beeches, oaks, maples, birches, aspens and pines. Did you know that? I had to look this up something like five times because I kept forgetting :/

Research can be a lot of fun 😉

*****

About Growing Pains

Gigi Rosenberg is living his best life: performances in the big city, side gigs at a dance company, a successful drag act, and the boy of his childhood dreams who now adores him. Even if the boyfriend part isn’t the sparkly ride of passion he expected it to be, life is sweet. So when his sister’s wedding calls him back to his hometown, he sees an opportunity to show the hicks from his past how wrong they were about him. Only, his boyfriend isn’t quite on board.

Brock Stubbs left their hometown and his parents behind for a reason, and the prospect of facing them again is terrifying. He swore he’d never go back, but Gigi has made it clear refusal isn’t an option, and Brock will do nearly anything for him. There’s just one deal-breaker of a problem: Brock promised Gigi he was out to everyone, including his parents. He lied.

It’s magical to run into the sunset together, but staying the course takes work. For Gigi and Brock, going home feels like the finale of a long, disappointing year. Sometimes love isn’t all you need.

Available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/growing-pains

*****

About Toronto Connections

The winters might be cold, but hearts are warm in Toronto. Canada’s largest city is home to a big lake, a big tower, and a big queer community. People here are trying to get by like everyone else: pay the bills, deal with life in the city, and maybe find some happiness along the way with someone who’s sweeter than maple candy and more constant than a Canadian’s love for Timmie’s coffee.

For some, falling in love is a real challenge. For others, falling is the easy part—it’s the happy ever after that proves a little more difficult. But in the end, love is worth every complication, misunderstanding, and occasional swear word.

*****

About Cass Lennox

Cass Lennox is a permanent expat who has lived in more countries than she cares to admit to and suffers from a chronic case of wanderlust as a result. She started writing stories at the tender age of eleven, but would be the first to say that the early years are best left forgotten and unread. A great believer in happy endings, she arrived at queer romance via fantasy, science fiction, literary fiction, and manga, and she can’t believe it took her that long. Her specialties are diverse characters, gooey happy ever afters, and brownies. She’s currently sequestered in a valley in southeast England.

Connect with Cass:

Blog: casslennox.wordpress.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Cass-Lennox-1704635609768647/

Twitter: twitter.com/CassLennox

*****

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Growing Pains, one lucky winner will receive $15 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 25, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!