What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Rick R. Reed – Horror and M/M Romance (not together)
M.D. Neu – science fiction
Glenn Quigley – historical fantasy
Brandon Witt – M/M Romance (written under pen name of Rosalind Abel)
Jackie North – Love Across Time series is STUNNING
E.J. Russell – Supernatural Selection series was lots of fun.
E.M. Hamill – urban fantasy and sci-fi
Gillian St. Kevern – Thorns and Fangs series – I loved every word of these novels
Isabelle Adler – The Castaway Prince is so charming and sweet – must read
Slade James – Bear Camp series (one novel and one short right now, but more to come – it’s amazeballs!)
I’ve stopped reading the blockbuster novelists and have focused exclusively on LGBTQ authors who may or may not have hit that NYT best-seller list, and books with LGBTQ main characters. For so many years I grew up with a distinct lack of people like me in the books I read. So now, I only read books where I see guys like me as the leads.
What book do you think everyone should read?
I think people need to diversify their reading. Read stories about people from different cultures, different times. Read about stories of people with disabilities. It’s only when we step into someone else’s world do we actually get a sense of what their world looks like. And I think when we read those stories and see a world from a different perspective it makes us better people, more capable of empathy and compassion.
We need more of that in the world right now.
How long have you been writing?
Not that long! I started in my mid-forties. It was something I always wanted to do. So, I finally sat down one day and started. Didn’t have a hot clue what I was doing. And most days, I still don’t.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
My stories are like movies in my head. Sometimes I see the ending, or a cut scene, or the entire beginning, but I never see the whole thing all at once. That’s what makes it so exciting – I never really know where a book is going to take me.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
Not so much research BEFORE writing, so much as it ends up being research WHILE writing. I’ll put words down on the screen and then go…wait – is that right? Then start up the internet and start reading. I lose many hours to the research rabbit hole. And much like other writers, my internet search history is bizarre.
Do you see writing as a career?
Not for me. I actually have been at my day job now for twenty-one years. I’m set to retire here in another four. I will continue writing, as it’s something I enjoy doing, but I don’t think I’d ever make it another job. I’m pretty much done with ‘working’. I’m looking forward to a point in my life where I spend my time doing things I take pleasure in. I’ve worked long and hard to get there.
What do you think about the current publishing market?
Next question please. Honestly – there are a lot of issues. I try to stay away from them. I think the world in general is changing at a rapid pace – and that means all things – including the publishing industry. I think we have a long way to go before we can honestly say that mainstream publishing is truly diverse. But on the plus side, the arena of self-published works has allowed a lot of very talented writers an opportunity to get their stories out to the public.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read anywhere from 20-50 books a year. The pandemic has really screwed up my normal schedule, and I haven’t read as much as I normally do. I love lots of different kinds of stories. Urban Fantasy will always be my favorite, but I also love Horror, Sci Fi, and Romance. Truthfully though, if the story is solid, I am entertained by most stories. I want to be taken away.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
See above!
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
Oh dear lord. I have four series going on in my head right now and it is absolute pandemonium. I shouldn’t do this to myself, but there are so many stories up there…and a lot of characters with a lot of things to say. It’s insane.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer – 100% - all the way. I have notebooks where I might jot down ideas, or even sketch out images, hex script, runes, etc. but all my writing happens on the computer. As an IT analyst during the day, I know my way around a keyboard, and I can type way faster than I can write. And what’s more, I can read my typed words better than my written ones!
Advice they would give new authors?
Just do it! Don’t worry about whether or not you’re doing it right. You can always go back and edit. But get your first draft written. After that, you can decide what you want to do with your manuscript. So many people say, “Oh, I’ve often thought about writing a book.” Not many people can say they have.
What are they currently reading?
I have several books on the go:
Pulse by B.A. Bellec – Dystopian
Corpses and Cognac by Dorian Graves – Urban Fantasy
We Cry The Sea by Glenn Quigley – Historical Fantasy
The Called by M.D. Neu – Urban Fantasy
What is your writing Kryptonite?
The internet. I can get lost looking at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for HOURS. I often just need to shut it all off and focus in on the task at hand.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I try very hard to be original. Urban Fantasy has some very well-established tropes, and creatures. I like to try and give them all a fresh take, while incorporating elements that we all know and love. I think blending in the new with the familiar resonates with readers. Folks sort of know what to expect, and then are pleasantly surprised by a new twist or idea.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Depends on the story, and how complicated it is. My first book took me three years to write – but like I said, I didn’t really have a hot clue what I was doing. My second book – Magic or Die – took me four to six months to write. Summoned took me about eight months. Keep in mind I don’t sit and write every day. I write when the mood takes me – so sometimes a story will sit for a while until I have a creative lightbulb go off, and then I’ll write furiously for a few weeks.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
100%
I think there are times when the creative side of our brain is either ruminating on things, too exhausted to function, or has too many things going on in it which muddles everything and makes it harder to concentrate.
For me, I need to sit back, go do other things, watch TV or movies that inspire me, and I find that helps get the creative juices flowing again.
Thank you for hosting my new release!
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