Guest Blog: Jamie Mayfield and Waiting for Forever

YA author Jamie Mayfield is celebrating the release of the Waiting for Forever series with a 12-week blog tour and giveaway. View the full tour schedule HERE. Comment on any blog tour post or tweet using hashtag #WaitingForForever to enter to win a Kindle! Drawing will be held on 8/15/2013. You must be 18 to enter and have a valid US mailing address.

Here’s an interview with Mike and Alex from the Waiting for Forever series. It was originally posted for the Little Boy Lost blog tour with Joyfully Jay.

Mike glances at Alex who smiles demurely and looks up at Mike through his long blond bangs.

Mike: Okay, fine, I’ll start. Alex doesn’t like to talk about himself, he finds it “pretentious”. It’s hell trying to get him to do an interview for Hartley. My name is Mike, I’m a landscaper with Archer’s Acres, I moved to San Diego when I was about 15, I like long walks on the beach at sunset and cuddling in front of a fireplace with a good Shiraz.

At this, Alex snorts and tries to hide his laughter behind his hand. Mike winks at him and then bumps his arm, indicating that it’s his turn to speak.

Alex: Uhm… My name is Alex, and I’m a model with Hartley entertainment and a few other studios. I’ve lived in San Diego my whole life, and uhm… I love sex on the beach and sex in front of the fireplace, especially with him.

Mike puts a hand on Alex’s leg who leans over and kisses his cheek.

Mike, you met Brian when he first moved into Leo’s boarding house.  What did you think of him when you first met? Were you surprised to hear about his search for Jamie?

Mike: I thought he was freaking adorable, a sweet little runaway from God’s country. He threw me for a loop when he had me take him out to that concentration camp, but now that I have Alex, I can see why.

You and Brian hit it off right away, starting off as good friends and moving into friends with a lot casual sex on the side.  Were you attracted to Brian right away?

Mike: Heh, yeah, from the minute I saw him standing in the hallway of the bath house. His blush could have lit up the whole damn room.

Mike glances at Alex and squeezes his knee.

Was it difficult knowing Brian’s mind was so focused on Jamie?  Did you ever feel jealous? Or were you happy being just best friends with benefits?

Mike: I was fine being f*ck buddies. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Brian. He’s one of my best friends, but I never fell in love with him.  We hung out, we fucked, and we had a good time. I didn’t really understand what love was until I met Alex. He taught me, and I hope that I’ve been a good student.

And Alex, how did you and Jamie first meet? Was it both working for Hartley doing porn videos?

Alex shifts slightly in the chair as the focus switches to him.

Alex: Jamie and I met on Hartley’s set. We were both outcasts – me because I was “too gay,” and Jamie because no one wanted to cross Steven O’Dell. They saw the bruises, just like I did, but his situation made him almost unapproachable.

One afternoon while we were waiting for a shoot – a three-way with Josh, he was sitting alone out on the back deck, so I went out and sat with him. Brandon was in a mood, something about his wife, and I didn’t want to listen to him rag on me anymore. Jamie was nice and he listened. About a week later, Nick had me putting make-up on him to hide the bruises. We talked a lot more then.

It took a while before he trusted me enough to tell me about Brian.

When you met Jamie he was already involved with Steven O’Dell.  I know you encouraged him to get out of that relationship, but he was too afraid of what would happen to him and his friends.  Can you tell us more about what that was like watching him go through all that pain and abuse?

Alex: I… It was awful. Steven put up with me because he wanted Jamie to be happy if he could control it. He didn’t see me as a threat. But I thought I could talk Jamie into leaving, if I could just get him to listen. Once Brian showed up, though, I knew he’d never listen to me. So, I talked to Brian. He’d listen to Brian.

The bruises and the blood were awful, but the worst part of it was watching the light die in his eyes each time I saw him. It was like putting a glass over a lit candle and watching the flame die.

Mike and Alex, you two knew each other before the trip to New Orleans through Hartley, right? Was there ever any spark between you before the trip?

Alex: I’d seen him around the house where we shot, but I was new and I’d never really talked to him. As hot as he was, I figured he’d just be like the rest of them.

Mike: I didn’t know anything about “Tyler” except what the other guys said. The ironic thing is that I was supposed to shoot with him and got pulled to shoot with Brian instead. We might have gotten together long before we did. When we ended up in the same room in New Orleans, I thought it would just be good sex. I had no idea he’d rock my whole world.

So I know you shared some of this with Brian and Jamie, but can you tell us a bit more about how you guys got together?

Alex and Mike look at each other before Alex nods and lets Mike take the question.

Mike: Brian had taken us aside and practically begged Alex to switch rooms with him so that he could spend the week with Jamie. I tried to talk him out of it because at that time, I thought Jamie was a self-absorbed prick. But I couldn’t. So, I figured at least I’d get a couple of hot nights with “Tyler,” who was a gorgeous little bottom.

But when we started talking, it was like… like I’d known him my whole life. I can’t even explain it. And when he told me about the shit that he took from the other guys, I just wanted to take him into my arms and protect him. Believe me, that shocked the hell out of me. I’ve never been in a long term relationship my whole life.  Now, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.

Alex leans over and whispers just loud enough to hear “I love you”.

Once you all got back, things really escalated with Steven and Jamie.  I know everyone, including Jamie, knew that it was only a matter of time before Steven ended up killing him, either with violence or drugs.  What made you guys finally decide it was time to intervene and get him away from there?

Alex: Watching him show up with the bruises was so awful, and Mike thought it was just a matter of time before Steven did something to me. We’d been talking about it for weeks, trying to figure out what to do. When Steven freaked out over Mike and Jamie, we all saw the fear in Jamie’s eyes. We knew we had to do something. So, I moved into the boarding house, Leo called in a favor and got Brian the apartment, and we spent the next week moving everything. It took a lot of talking to convince Nick to cast Jamie. He didn’t want Steven anywhere near the house, but Brian talked him into it.

When he showed up, oh my God, I almost died. He was so broken. We weren’t sure that we could take him that day, but when Brian saw him, he called Leo and we decided that we’d get him out even if we had to knock Steven unconscious to do it.

Alex, you had to give up your apartment and basically go into hiding.  Did you ever think it wasn’t worth all that upheaval, or was it an easy choice to get involved and put yourself at risk?

Alex: Honestly, it was an easy decision. Yes, I gave up my apartment, but I moved in with a bunch of guys that took me right in. They’re like brothers now. Well, except this one because that would be just wrong… And I was already at risk. Helping Jamie helped me too. It made me safer.

As Brian and Jamie’s best friends, it must be hard watching them go through all these struggles with their relationship. Do you guys secretly talk about them all the time to each other?

Mike: Yep. But then, I’m sure they talk about us too. I know they did in New Orleans when Alex and I first got together. I’m sure they talked about us a lot. <laughter>

So what do you guys think is in your future? Any long term plans? What can we expect from Mike and Alex?

Mike: Sex. Lots and lots of sex.

Alex: You’re a pervert, you know that, right?

Mike: Yep.

Alex: (laughter) Well, Mike is exclusive with Hartley and he’s going to keep working with them. I… well, I’m going to go back to school.

Mike: Tell her what for.

Alex: Cosmetology. I want to do hair and make-up on like photo shoots and movie sets and stuff.

Mike: I’m really proud of him.

Alex: I’m proud of me too. Thank you for standing behind me while I do it.

Mike: Baby, I love to be behind you.

About Jamie Mayfield

A survivor of the ex-gay residential institution The Sunshine Center, fictional author Jamie Mayfield went on to find his voice in novels. Always a great lover of books, Jamie found his passion as he began to pursue a liberal arts degree in creative writing. An avid reader, he’s a fan of gay romance, suspense, and horror—though not all in the same novel.

Jamie lives in San Diego with his fictional husband, Brian. He writes YA fiction as a way to let kids know that they have an entire LGBT family all around them. Above all, he wants them to know that they are not alone. It does get better.

Jamie Mayfield is a fictional character from the acclaimed Little Boy Lost series by female author J. P. Barnaby.

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