Release Blitz: Climbing to Believe by F.A. Ray
Climbing to Believe | F.A. Ray
Rock Jocks #1
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Blurb
“You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Then I better make it worth it.”
Ty never planned on sleeping with his biggest climbing idol, but when he gets the chance, is he really going to say no?
As a teen, Ty idolized Elijah Reed for coming out publicly. Now Elijah is here watching Ty climb, and it’s everything Ty fantasized about as a young climber searching for his place in the sport. Elijah might be older than him, but Ty won’t let this man slip away that easily.
When Ty invites Elijah out to dinner, Elijah actually says yes, and Ty knows this is his chance. Elijah could be a lot more than a distant climbing idol if he’d just let Ty get close. But the mere mention of competitive climbing seems to open an old wound. Elijah clearly wishes he was still competing.
Why can’t he?
They could have it all — climbing, each other, even a relationship. That is, if Elijah will let Ty in.
Climbing to Believe is a high-heat, low-angst MM sports romance with an age gap, rock climbing adventures, an idol/fan dynamic, spicy open-door scenes, and a HEA.
Excerpt
His toe caught. The surface he found to stand on couldn’t have been larger than a marble, but the rubber of his slightly pointed, down-turned climbing shoes clung to it like it was as wide as a six-lane highway. Some of the weight and pressure came off his hands as he shifted his weight onto that tiny, tenuous foot.
Elijah peered up the face of the boulder. The sun was starting to creep over it, glaring right into Elijah’s eyes. He squinted, blinded, body trembling, hands and feet screaming for relief as they perched on razor blades made of rock.
It was the greatest feeling in the world.
If Elijah weren’t gasping for breath, straining every muscle, he’d be whooping with pure joy. There was nothing like being on real rock, nothing like the bite of a boulder, the grit of a fleck of a foot, the strain of glimpsing the crest of the climb but not knowing if you’ll manage to reach it.
He had only seconds before his body gave out. Climbing a boulder was generally a sprint, not a marathon. And this climb had pushed his body to its limit. He’d fallen off dozens of times — not just today, either. Elijah had battled this particular foe many, many times already. He’d never yet won.
Today, a mere foot of rock stood between Elijah and victory. There was no reward awaiting him, no prize or glory to be gleaned. Nothing but the pure intrinsic need to conquer his own limits.
Doing so would require Elijah to push off of that marble-sized foothold and propel his body upward. He’d only get one chance. Once he started moving, there was no way he’d be able to reset. The momentum would rip him right off the microscopic crimp holds keeping him twelve feet off the ground.
“Come on, Elijah,” someone shouted beneath him. “Stay with it.”
Several other voices joined in shouting encouragement up to Elijah. Elijah couldn’t spare a look down at the climbers both rooting for and spotting him, but their words pushed him to give this final move his all regardless. He knew that if he missed he was in for a long fall, but the climbers on the ground had set up large crash pads so he could land safely. And they would spot him so he fell only on those pads and not on the hard ground. Too often, missing or misplaced pads resulted in broken ankles and other injuries, but the folks with Elijah today were all highly proficient climbers with years of experience spotting each other outdoors.
If only things outside were as simple as they were in a gym. There was no substitute for real rock, for sun and air and nature. But Elijah did have to confess that climbing in a gym was sometimes nice simply because the entire floor was made of these squishy crash pads. Injuries weren’t impossible, but they were certainly more rare.
He shook himself, mentally, at least. This wasn’t the time for doubts. This was the time for single-minded focus.
He gazed up again. Even though the sun blotted out his view, he could tell where the rock above him ended. It wasn’t far to the lip. He just had to go for it. Off tiny holds. Twelve feet above the ground.
Come on, he thought. Don’t give up on it. One move.
If I fall, I’m screwed, a voice answered, a voice that had been growing ever louder over the years.
About the Author
F.A. Ray started writing as a child and never really stopped. They live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with their partner and cat – and lots of good bouldering rocks.
Social Media
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Climbing to Believe, F.A. Ray’s giving away two e-copies of the release
Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings 
You must be logged in to post a comment.