
Hi, everyone! Thanks to Eloreen for having me on her blog today to talk about my new release, The Playerâs ProtĂ©gĂ©. This is the second story in the Campus Connections series and features Jerry, the cynical best friend of Eric from The Kinsey Scale, and Arlo, a sweet, inexperienced guy for whom Jerry becomes a mentor.
This is blog post #1 in The Playerâs ProtĂ©gĂ© blog tour, so why donât we start at the beginning with some of Jerry and Arloâs childhood memories?
Iâm interviewing each one separately, because they arenât together yet.
JERRY
Tell me some of your best childhood memories.
Jerry: My childhood was basically utter crap. I was a flaming queen, even as a boy, but I grew up in the middle of Texas and my dad was a macho oil man. So you can imagine how my being gay went over with him and all the other homophobes around. But you were asking for good memories. Mom taught me how to sew when I was in the sixth grade. I fell in love with fabrics and fashion and creating costumes. Momâs sewing room was my safe haven.
How about one of your worst childhood memories?
Jerry: Did the âutter crapâ remark pique your interest? I was the target of mean and toxic boys insecure in their own masculinity from first grade on. I never made any secret of my feminine sideâI couldnât, because it was just me. I fought back with snarky remarks that mostly went over their heads and when the bullying turned physical I could usually outrun them. One time I didnât. After they beat me up, I vowed Iâd never let anyone get to me like that againâphysically, emotionally, or any other way. And I havenât.
ARLO
Tell me some of your best childhood memories.
Arlo: Growing up on the dairy farm was mostly real fun. We worked hard but we all got along. I have fond memories of my motherâs Mexican cooking. A favorite memory is when I discovered Tae Kwon Do. A martial arts studio opened up in Lancaster and my parents enrolled me in a class. I watched these guys and gals in white robes and bare feet doing these amazing moves and I was hooked. Iâve been doing Tae Kwon Do ever since.
How about one of your worst childhood memories?
Arlo: My dad getting sick. He has MS which was diagnosed when I was around seven. I still remember seeing him in pain and having to be in bed or a wheelchair at times. It was so hard because Dad had always been Superman in my eyes. He could do anything. To see him helpless, felled by this disease, really shattered my comfortable world. Luckily, the disease has periods of remission fairly frequently. But my dad having to deal with a chronic illness shaped me. My friends call me a caregiver. I guess I am.
Thanks for stopping by on The Playerâs ProtĂ©gĂ© blog tour. If you want to follow along as Arlo and Jerryâs story progresses, check my website at http://cjaneelliott.com/the-players-protege-release-and-blog-tour/ for a schedule of all the tour dates and more chances to win.
Title: The Player’s Protege
Series: A Campus Connections Story
Author: CJane Elliott
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: 6/7/19
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 93 pages
Genre: Romance, New Adult, contemporary, college, coming of age

Synopsis
When his friends bet cynical Jerry that he canât turn sweet Arlo into a player, Jerry might win the bet but lose his heart.
College senior Jerry Helstrom survived a gay childhood in Texas by being fierce and fabulous. At school heâs known as a player and has kept his heart so guarded that heâs forgotten he has one. When his friends bet him he canât teach inexperienced Arlo Barnes to become a stud like him, Jerry takes on the challenge and quickly finds himself drawn to his enticing trainee.
Arlo kicks butt as a Tae Kwon Do black belt, but his sexual game is lacking. Heâs been dumped by his only boyfriend and needs help getting himself out there. Enter Jerry Helstrom, player extraordinaire and happy to provide Arlo with some hands-on coaching. Jerry encourages Arlo to ask for what he wants in sex and in life, something Arlo struggles with. The struggle deepens when Arlo discovers that what he truly wants is the seemingly unattainable Jerry Helstrom.
Jerry can teach Arlo to play the field, but can Arlo teach Jerry to play for keeps?
Excerpt
After Arlo left, Tyrone blew out an exasperated breath. âWhyâd ya have to be so mean, boo?â
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
Eric laughed. âJerryâs mean to everyone at first. Right, Will?â
âI never noticed,â Will drawled.
âYou wouldnât.â Eric leaned in for a kiss. âBut believe me, he had you down as a boring sports jock.â
âHot, though,â Jerry murmured. âThat won you points right away. And the fact that you were driving Eric crazy was entertaining.â
âFor you.â Eric glared at Jerry.
Will put his hand over Ericâs. âYeah. Eric was driving me crazy too. Blue balls city, man.â
âOh my.â Jerry put his chin in his hands and widened his eyes. âI always wondered how yâall managed to beat off with the other one right there. Do tell.â
Tyrone held up his hand. âGuys, guys, can we have this conversation another time? Yâall need to help me talk Jerry into mentoring Arlo.â
âMentoring him in what?â Eric raised laughing eyes to Jerry. âAlthough I can think of several areas.â
<em>I miss you</em>. It came out of nowhere. He and Eric had been thick as thieves all through college. Once they sorted out that they werenât meant to be boyfriends, theyâd remained best friends and shared countless late-night conversations in this very restaurant. Most of them this year had been about Ericâs seemingly hopeless crush on Will. But all of that had come to a halt now that Eric and Will were lovers. Not that Will would mind if Eric and Jerry continued their habit of hanging out in Alekos. At least Jerry didnât think he would. But Will and Eric were currently wrapped up in their own romantic world.
Jerry shook his head and focused in on what Tyrone was saying.
â⊠and since Jake dumped him on his ass after cheating on him, Arloâs been moping around. We were talking, and he was telling me that he needed some advice about getting out there. Jake was the only guy heâs ever dated, and he needs help in figuring out the hookup scene.â
âThat guy? Wants to dive into Grindr?â Eric shook his head. âI canât see it.â
âWell, thatâs what he tells me,â said Tyrone. âAnd who better to teach him but our Jerry here? Gay stud extraordinaire.â
âYou called me a stallion before. Make up your mind.â
Will smirked. âGiven the look on your face, Jerry, Iâd say the odds of you performing this service are nil to none.â
âAh, but Jerry owes me, and Iâm calling in the favor. Right, boo?â
âOwes you for what?â Eric asked.
âFor hooking him up with Ted. Too bad they were together for, like, two seconds.â
Jerry huffed. âI never meant it to be a thing. Although our little affair did have its moments. But still, the answer is no. Think of something else for me to do.â
âYeah, Tyrone. No fair assigning Jerry an impossible task.â
Jerry narrowed his eyes at Eric. âImpossible? I never said that.â
âWell, Iâm saying it. That guy Arlo? Youâll never turn him into a player. Heâs a one-man type. I can spot it a mile away.â Eric hugged Will. âThis guyâs the same.â
âTrue.â Will gave Eric a slow smile. âIâm not complaininâ.â
âYou all are truly over the top. But youâre wrong, Eric. Iâm sure I could transform Arlo into a player if I put my mind to it.â
âWanna bet?â
Ericâs clear disbelief goaded Jerry into rashness. âSure. What do you want to bet me?â
Tyrone clapped his hands. âI knew youâd do it.â
âHmm.â Eric tapped his fingers on the table with a thoughtful air. âIf you turn Arlo into a player, Iâll do your laundry for a week.â
âPlease. Youâd mix the fabrics, turn my whites pink, and shrink my favorite shirt.â Inspiration struck. âHow about, if I win, you tear yourself away from Will there and commit to regular late-night Alekos runs with me? Plus one cage dance at Club Risque?â
âOkay. And if I win, you do my and Willâs laundry for a week, plus make us cool costumes for Pride.â
âDeal.â Jerry extended his hand, and Eric shook it. If Eric thought he could win this bet, he was seriously underestimating Jerryâs abilities.
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Meet the Author
After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasnât looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work, and her characters are travelers too, traveling into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming-out stories. In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her family supports her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intently at her laptop.
CJane is the author of the award-winning Serpentine Series, New Adult contemporary novels set at the University of Virginia. Serpentine Walls was a 2014 Rainbow Awards finalist, Aidanâs Journey was a 2015 EPIC Awards finalist, and Sex, Love, and Videogames won first place in the New Adult category in the 2016 Swirl Awards and first place in Contemporary Fiction in the 2017 EPIC eBook Awards. All the Way to Shore was Runner Up for Best Bisexual Novel in the 2017 Rainbow Awards.
Tour Schedule
6/7 ~ Moonbeams Over Atlanta
6/8 ~ Gay Book Reviews
6/9 ~ Stories That Make You Smile
6/10 ~ Love Bytes
6/11 ~ MM Goodbook Reviews
6/12 ~ Bayou Book Junkie
6/13 ~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
6/14 ~ My Fiction Nook
6/15 ~ BFD Book Blog
6/16 ~ Drops of Ink
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