SERIES TOUR with AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW PROMPTS
The prized possession you value above all others…
- My health. After an appendicitis attack in May 2023, I was in hospital the day my book was released. I fortunately recovered beyond my doctor’s expectations, and it made me appreciate the value of having taken care of myself over the years.
The unqualified regret you wish you could amend…
- I generally don’t hold with regrets because what is done is done, but if I have to choose one, it would be to have trusted in myself more as a teenager and not cared what people thought of me.
The book that holds everlasting resonance…
- Pride and Prejudice is a book I can return to again and again. I love how Austen knows her characters so well, and her analysis of behavior is remarkable given her limited movement in society.
The film you can watch time and time again…
- This is a toss-up between Amalie and Enchanted April.
The person who influenced you the most…
- My mother
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity…
- Extreme weather. I love to watch documentaries about tornadoes.
The poem that touches your soul…
This being human is a guesthouse, by Rumi
The event that altered the course of your life…
- I changed majors from interior design to fashion design in my sophomore year of college. This led me to change schools, provided the opportunity to travel the world and move to NYC, where I met my husband.
The happiest moment you will cherish forever…
- The day I met my husband. We had seen his profile on Match.com, and we exchanged a message followed by a phone call. Our first date lasted nine hours and included a meeting at a photography museum in Manhattan, coffee in Bryant Park, a walk up and through Central Park, dinner in Chelsea, and drinks and kisses before we parted for the night. I fell in love that day with him.
The way you would spend your fantasy twenty-four hours, with no travel restrictions…
- I would like to wake up with my husband in a beautiful Parisian flat in the Marais, enjoy a coffee and fresh croissant at a small café, and then wander aimlessly along the streets, stopping at galleries and museums. Lunch at a bistro, sitting on the pavement, watching the passersby. This would be followed by a walk among the artists in Montmartre. Returning to our flat, we would change and go to the ballet, followed by an elegant dinner and topped off by a boat ride on the Seine before retiring to bed.
The unqualified regret you wish you could amend…
- I don’t believe in regrets. What happened happened, and hopefully, I have learned something from it.
The figure from history you would most like to buy a pie and a pint…
- Queen Elizabeth the First. What a survivor!
The piece of wisdom you would pass onto a child…
- Trust in yourself, and don’t let others dictate who you should be.
The philosophy that underpins your life…
- Know thyself; nothing in excess
The character you enjoyed writing the most…
- Christopher Dunn is the character I enjoyed exploring the most over the course of three novels.
The character you found difficult to write…
- Laura Chasen was difficult only because I knew most readers would not like her.
The book you enjoyed planning/writing the most…
- When the Sun and Moon Touch, the final book in the Christopher series. It almost wrote itself, and it brought me closure and a sense of completion.
And the promo…
The Christopher Trilogy is about interpersonal relationships, the desire to be seen for who we are, and that everyone is of value. It is also about the power of conversation. If we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and share who we are with another, those conversations can be a catalyst for change.
As a writer, I know that I am far from perfect. But in writing this series, I bared my soul. I wrote them because I felt there was a purpose, a reason for them to be written. My readers have said that the books made them reflect on their lives, causing them to look inward and outward. The greatest compliment I received from Search for Complete was from a woman who said that after reading the book, she felt normal for the first time in her 74 years of living. I can think of no greater accomplishment as a writer than that.
Christopher is unlike anyone we will ever meet, but I wish everyone could have a Christopher in their lives. He is not perfect, but he is decent, kind, caring, and empathetic, traits that are sadly rare these days. In the publishing When the Sun and Moon Touch, the emotions were bittersweet. I was happy and proud of my work but sad that I had to say goodbye to the people I created. But it was time to set them free for others to discover. But in thinking about it, because I created this story and the characters, as long as the books are being read, so are they. So, it isn’t really goodbye after all.
Thank you.
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
Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram
Lily G Blunt 