Sacred Fate and Hallowed Bond by Eresse

Tell us a bit about Sacred Fate and Hallowed Bond.

Sacred Fate and Hallowed Bond are Books One and Two of my fantasy erotic romance series Chronicles of Ylandre. Both novels are set in Ylandre, one of the most powerful nations of Aisen, a world peopled by masculine hermaphrodites. Hence the m/m and LGBTQ labels. Sacred Fate follows the relationship between the king of Ylandre and his concubine as it develops over a period of several years while Hallowed Bond focuses on the love story of the king’s bastard half-brother and the diplomat whose life he once saved.


What was your inspiration for the plot?

I enjoy historical romances with emphasis on the historical part if the romance doesn’t appeal to me. In particular, I’m fascinated by how the socio-political structure of an era affects relationship dynamics. But the problem with basing a story on history is that you have to work with what actually existed or occurred in the past. You can’t write something that goes against the grain of certain historical periods. At least, I can’t. I feel guilty about invoking creative license just to shoehorn an inaccurate or implausible theme or course of action into a story.

I guess that’s why I started writing fantasy. I could tap history but not be restricted by reality. However, I didn’t think my story ideas were publishable so I expressed them via The Lord of the Rings fan fiction. Tolkien had definite rules about his literary universe and his world building is formidable but there’s room for improvisation or creative leaps when writing in this particular fandom, not to mention the opportunity to step outside the figurative box. You could say that’s where I honed my writing skills. Then when I saw a number of m/m authors daring to try out unusual ideas, the need to write my stories strengthened and before I knew it Sacred Fate was completed, submitted and accepted.

The political and social structures described in both books borrow heavily from history ranging from the Norman Conquest to the Regency period in Britain and the culture and politics of imperial China and feudalistic Japan but tweaked to suit the premise of a dual-gendered race migrating to and colonizing an entire world. As to why I decided to take on such an unlikely theme—well, it was a case of “been there, read that, is there anything that hasn’t been fully explored yet?” In short, it was different, challenging and stimulated my imagination.

Do you have another vocation besides writing?

I used to work for my family’s retail company but cut back in order to devote more time to writing. I contribute articles to local publications and freelance as a copywriter for advertising and promotional materials. I also bake and sell cakes and pastries, an especially lucrative endeavor during the holidays.



What can we look forward to in the future from you?

I hope to complete Chronicles of Ylandre. All the stories in the series are about various members of House Essendri, the preeminent clan of Ylandre. I’m currently writing the third book in the series—its working title is By Chance Met. I might consider writing contemporary LGBTQ novels as well if the right plot idea comes along or the mood strikes me whichever comes first.


Where can we find your website?

My website Tales by Eressë is at http://eresse21.weebly.com./ I also keep a live journal at http://eresse21.livejournal.com/ where I post pretty regularly as well as archive my fanfic stories.

Match Maker by Alan Chin

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about Match Maker

Match Maker is the tale of two tennis players who were blackballed from the professional tour (think Rafa and Federer as lovers.) Four years later, one has the chance to coach a straight, teen tennis star, and they both return to the game they love. But, of course, there are people in this straight-dominated sport of tennis that will go to any length to stop them.

Match Maker is a story of courage, love and of picking yourself up and following your path, no matter what.

What was your inspiration for the plot?

I played in amateur tennis tournaments for over fifteen years, usually playing five to six tournaments each year on the West coast and Hawaii.  I took lessons from two different coaches during that time. I know a bit about tennis, and it’s a game I’m passionate about.

I combined my love of tennis with the inspiration I got while reading Patricia Nell Warren’s famous novel, The Front Runner. Although, I did not make this a love story between coach and student. It is much more than that.


Do you have another vocation besides writing?

I managed groups of software engineers in San Francisco until 1999, when I walked away from corporate America to become a writer. Since then, I’ve become a world traveler and writer. I travel the globe four to six months every year, and write full time. Between those two activities, and keeping up with my husband, Herman Chin, I am twice as busy now as I ever was working a 9-to-5.

What can we look forward to in the future from you?

Dreamspinner Press has just released my new novel, Butterfly’s Child, the story of a gay man who goes back to his hometown for his grandmother’s funeral, only to find that he has a teenaged son he didn’t know existed. It’s a story about a gay father and straight son coming to terms with each other, with a little romance thrown in with one of the locals. This is a tale of family values, about finding love in unlikely places, about finding one’s path in the world. Mostly it’s a heartbreaking/heartwarming story of gay-parented families.

I am also finishing the final polish of another modern Western called Simple Treasures. I’ll be  sending it to my publisher before the end of this year. The protagonist is a gay Native American who has no long-term memory, and faces a difficult life like an Alzheimer patient. But he finds hope with a sexy, yet equally troubled, young man.

Also, my husband and I have recently started a screenplay with a DADT theme. We’ve never collaborated on a project before now, so we have no idea how this will work. If you never hear from me again, it’s because we’ve killed each other…

Where can we find your website?
My website addr is: http://alanchin.net/

My blog addr is: http://alanchinwriter.blogspot.com/


Thank you for the opportunity to talk a bit about myself and my work. There are few things writers enjoy more, and I’m no exception.

Blacque/Bleu by Belinda McBride

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about Blacque/Bleu

Blacque/Bleu is a paranormal m/m romance about a closeted werewolf who falls in love with a dying vampire. In this story, our heroes find what they most want and need in their lives, and choose to sacrifice their happiness for the well being of others. My heroes are tough, blue collar men, much like my father and his friends, who were truck drivers and mechanics. Both have rigid codes of honor and responsibility, which gave rise to the major conflict in the story.


What was your inspiration for the plot?


Well, I wrote Blacque/Bleu for Loose Id's Coming Out series. I wanted to write a book where 'Coming Out' included not only the hero's sexuality, but other facets of his personality as well. In fact, every character in this book has secrets that they share over the course of the story.

I started with an idea: a vampire with insomnia. From there, I developed the werewolf Lukas Blacque as his love interest. I chose to set the story in a magical town called Arcada, which I've used before in short stories. Its a town where anything can, and will happen.



Do you have another vocation besides writing?

A few years ago I left my day job as a public health paraprofessional to become full-time care-giver for my 22 year old niece, who is developmentally disabled and severely handicapped. I sometimes take freelance historical jobs as well.


What can we look forward to in the future from you?

I'm currently finishing up the sequel to An Uncommon Whore, an award winning m/m science fiction romance. In late spring, the second Dark Haven BDSM anthology will release at Loose Id. My novella will once again feature the Truckee Wolves, who were so popular in the first Dark Haven anthology.


Where can we find your website?

My website is
http://www.belindamcbride.com/

 

A Different Breed by Angel Martinez

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about A Different Breed


A Different Breed is a story of loss and redemption, of the dangers of blind prejudice and of misplaced trust. Both Richard and Josh are haunted by violence and tragedy - my vampire-knight and his cocky, hot-headed lover.


What was your inspiration for the plot?


A Different Breed is an amalgam of inspirations, a product of that wondrous, synchronous moment where several thoughts coalesce into the tantalizing beginning of a story. It began with my son grumbling about how vampire stories had become too sanitized, sparked and spat when I was doing some reading about the founding of Munich, and finally caught tinder with a half-joking dare from a fellow writer. I've always rooted for the vampire, so the leap for me from vampire as monster to vampire as tortured hero is a natural one.

Do you have another vocation besides writing?

Vocation? No. I've had a long string of jobs that I thought might be vocations. Soldier, nurse, retail worker. banker, corporate middle-manager drone, and so on, I've done a bit of everything. The current job is there to put food on the table, but it's necessity rather than identity.

What can we look forward to in the future from you?

I have some fun things in the works. My next full-length novel will be a M/M SF Romance, currently titled Gravitational Attraction (intrigue, physics, mayhem, alien cultures and steamy love scenes - my favorite mix.) I'm also working on a short story retelling of a rather unlikely fairytale for a romance - but I think I'll keep the details to myself for now.

Where can we find your website?

I'm at Angel Martinez: Erotic Fiction for the Hungry Mind
http://www.freewebs.com/angelwrites/

Black Passion by Lorie O’Clare

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about Black Passion

Before I started Black Passion, I knew writing Ran's story, with him being the computer geek, Ran would need a woman perfectly created just for him. He was the middle boy in their family, his hair was longer, and he was the rebel with a cause. Mad computer skills and distracting, almost haunting good looks. Not just any lady would be able to snag this guy. Olivia began coming into play in my mind when I pictured a quiet, yet feisty lady, who was smart as hell but had more than just a little bite to her. She wouldn't be noticed in a crowd, but try pushing her into a corner and you'll walk away with your ass kicked. She doesn't take any crap, prefers numbers over people, but treat her just right and she'd start purring like a deadly erotic female cat. (Oh wait, she is a deadly erotic female cat.) Olivia was the perfect choice for Ran, so I started writing. :)

What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

I'm not sure if getting to know the characters in the book, or getting wrapped up in their turmoil and conflict means more to me. I get so intrigued learning about a character once they come to me. Olivia was that way. She was quiet--picture that deadly cat again--and could move around you without your even noticing her. But get her hackles up and she could scream and throw a fit better than my youngest son. :) And she was intelligent. So much smarter than me. I suck at numbers. I liked her right away.

But once she and I were good friends, and I learned to respect her boundaries, the trouble she and Ran found themselves in fascinated me so much I couldn't walk away from the story. I had to know what happens next.

So to answer your question, writing the book was my favorite part. :) Every aspect of it. From the very beginning to the end. I absolutely love exploring their world with them.

What can we look forward in the future from you?

As many of you have guessed, Rafe's story is next. Black Surrender is coming soon from EC. I'll have a release date for you soon. The fastest way to find it, and any release dates from me, is on my coming soon page. That page is always updated within a day of my learning a new release date.

Here is the link to my coming soon page. Bookmark it and check back frequently. It's updated often at least once a month. http://www.lorieoclare.com/comingsoon/

If you're like me and get so busy you forget to check on books, even when you can't wait for them to release, another way to get release dates and other information from me is through my newsletter. Jaded Sensations goes out once a month to once every other month, just depending on how much news there is to share. Here is the link to join that newsletter. Jaded_Sensations-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

There are at least two more Black Jag books after Black Surrender.

With my other publishers...

Get Lucky, my second bounty hunter book, Marc King's story, releases in March 2011. Stay Hungry, Jake King's story, releases in September 2011. I just turned in Natasha King's story to my editor.

Temptation Island is my third island book. The island books are all stand alones so can be read in any order. I'm working on edits with my Kensington publisher for Temptation Island. I'll have a release date for everyone probably here in the next month or so with that one. I also have a novella, Fight Fire With Fire, my first firefighter book, appearing in an anthology with Kensington, which releases May 2011. I should have the title of that anthology on my coming soon page here soon.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

Umm...all of my books would be blockbuster movies. :)

Seriously though, I am so incredibly blessed to be where I am right now it's hard to find anything to complain about. I've been very lucky so far as a writer. My characters never leave me alone. I'm never lonely. LOL. And my editors keep offering me more contracts. There really isn't much else a writer could ask for, well then for all of her readers to love her unconditionally.

Where can we find your website?

www.lorieoclare.com

If you would prefer to receive updates on my books through snail mail instead of in your in box, please email me at lorieoclare@aol.com. Send me your mailing address. Please put "newsletter" in the subject line.

As well, I love hearing from my readers. Feel free to email me anytime. I'm always willing to hear what you think of my books!

Mortal Enemies by J. L. Farnsworth

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about Mortal Enemies

Mortal Enemies starts in the middle of my characters, Ryan and Tyler's, relationship. They have known each other for over four years, when Ryan, a trauma surgeon, saved Tyler's life. When Tyler, an undercover narcotics officer and "ex" Navy-Seal, and his police partner and childhood best friend, Tommy, go on what they believe is a simple drug bust, things quickly get out of hand, and they realize that Tyler's cover has somehow been blown. In the chaos that ensues, the suspected drug dealer gets away and we quickly learn that this man is out to seek revenge against Tyler, and not only wants him to die, but to die a very slow and very painful death. With a leak in the police force, tracking down this madman, Harry Jackson, proves to be extremely difficult, who continues to taunt and hunt Tyler throughout the book. As the story progresses, and new discoveries are made about who this man really is, Tyler's past begins to come back to haunt him. A past that Ryan wasn't fully aware of, which puts a strain on their relationship. When Jackson finally has enough of Tyler's continuous ability to slip out of each attempt to kidnap him, Jackson kidnaps Ryan instead and gives Tyler a choice, Tyler's life for Ryan's. Left with no other choice, Tyler, who would do anything to save Ryan, gives himself up to the psychotic killer. As he fights for not only his life, but Ryan's as well, even more of the past that Tyler had desperately tried to keep anyone from ever finding out, comes to the surface, and Tyler is left to explain a life he has kept so well hidden - from everyone - and deal with the repercussions his admittance to the truth of these accusations brings.

What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

I believe my favorite part of writing Mortal Enemies was how deeply the characters began to affect me. They could be anyone I wanted them to be, do anything I wanted them to, and they began to take on a life of their own. They took me on a whirlwind adventure that I hope continues for quite some time. To me, writing, just like reading, is an escape; it's an adventure that takes you away from your daily life, even if only for a little while. And in writing this book, I found that I could go anywhere, do anything, and create a world that I wanted to see.

What can we look forward to in the future from you?

I am in the process of putting the finishing touches on the second book in The Tyler Michaels Chronicles, and there will be several more that follows. I am also working on a children's series, and a young-adult series.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

I have been so pleased with my publishing career so far that at this point in time, I can't think of anything that I would change. My publisher, Dreamspinner Press, has been absolutely wonderful to work with, and I have been excited about the reactions Mortal Enemies has received.

J.L. Farnsworth
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Love, Jamie by AKM Miles

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

~AKM Miles~


Tell us a bit about Love, Jamie.

My mother had fallen and broken her hip and was in a rehab facility. As I visited her daily, I began to notice a tech that was, literally, Jamie. The little old ladies loved him because he cared for them so well, taking pains to ease theirs and make their stay a better experience. He joked and teased and flirted with them to make them feel special, all the while getting his job done. I talked with him and he was taking classes to become a physical therapist. I thought, "Boy, you need a book."

What's your favorite part of writing this book?

I like characters, and though I have often been slammed for the fact that I have such nice characters (they're all just so damn nice) I write what I want to see in people. Jamie was a good person and I enjoyed writing him that way. He cared about others and I could see him loving Miss Wilhemina and having the dog and falling for Grant. I haven't seen the guy who inspired the story since, but I know he is still making people happy somewhere.

Why? 

 I liked developing the storyline with Jamie and Grant, since Grant was new to his feelings and wasn't sure about how to go about things. It was fun.

What can we look forward in the future from you?

I have a novel coming from MLR in the fall called Cold Winters. It is about a sheriff in a small rural town in Kentucky. In December (11th) Something for Santa comes out from Silver Publishing. I have started writing For Gom's Sake!, which is a sequel to Soldier...and seems to be much-anticipated by fans who keep asking for Gom's story. Tommy's was a short one, but this will be a full novel and will come from MLR.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be?

I wish I could write faster and better. I don't want to lose any quality, but would like to be able to get more out there. I'm proud of what I've done so far and hope to get better as I go. I need to ignore negative feedback and not let it bother me. There hasn't been that much, but I need to grow a tougher skin.

Why?

I wish I could care less about what reviewers say, but I'm just not made that way. I take it to heart. But, that's my problem, not theirs. They come out with their opinion and I just have to live with it. On the whole, I've had fair, good, to great reviews. Some, though, have really not cared for my style of writing, but... alas...The response from the fans makes it all worthwhile. Their letters and encouragement have made this new career a wonderful experience.

Where can we find your website?

I'm working with someone now to get one set up. You can find a complete list of my works here: http://bookworld.editme.com/akmmileshomepage I intend to get a web site and lose a couple of the blogs and so on, so it can all be more centralized. I need to streamline my information into one or two spots and make it more user-friendly for me to keep it up. Hang in there and I will announce it when it is a done deal.

http://bookworld.editme.com/akmmileshomepage

I really appreciate the support of the reviewers at Literary Nymphs. Thanks for the good reviews!

Truth in the Dark by Amy Lane

AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Tell us a bit about Truth in the Dark


Okay—bear with me here, I’m going to answer this one in a roundabout way:

I’m a big girl—fairly overweight, extremely weird, and, just for masochistic kicks; I teach high school English in an urban environment. Every year I have to do the same thing: put on my bitch armor and get ready to go face the masses. Now, I actually like kids—I LOVE them. But for the first couple of weeks I have to be a raging bitch, absolutely determined to take no crap, take no prisoners, and to draw first blood whenever possible. It’s a necessary ritual—if I let the students in too quickly, the rest of my year is a disaster, it never fails. And, sure enough, by the end of the first month, there are always the kids who get your jokes, know you’ll help them if they ask, and stop between classes to tell you something funny. By the end of the year, there are kids who will say “Hi!” to you when you’re walking down the halls, just to hear you do the same.

But that vicious period at the beginning, when you have to have your defenses up—that’s brutal. That’s when the nice person you are has to be ruthlessly squashed down, because if you let her show, she’s going to be destroyed. It’s that experience that I tried to channel with Naef, the first person hero in Truth in the Dark. He’s been deformed since birth, and he’s a sensitive soul. The people in his village got wind of this and savaged him. When he’s finally presented with someone who can see past his defenses, it’s going to take a while before he can ever really trust that it is true. Aerie-Smith, the man cursed with the lion’s body, is smart enough to see Naef for who he really is—and strong enough to hold fast against the man’s quick tongue and bitter sense of humor. I love that dynamic—and readers seem to as well.



What’s your favorite part of writing this book? Why?



I wrote this poem a gazunga years ago (that’s a real number you know!) about ‘the writing dragon’—and how it gets a hold of you and doesn’t let go. When the dragon has you, you can be writing along a pathway you’ve been planning for months, and the dialog and the characterization and even the plot just take over on their own. Suddenly, you’re not writing, you’re flying, and the story is riding you, and you just keep writing as fast as you can to see where it’s going to take you. It’s wondrous. Hell—it’s almost divine. The last two chapters of “Truth” were like that—I was flying, and crying, and I just had this ball in the pit of my stomach like the night before Christmas, but better. I felt like I was doing it right—just all the way down to vitals and spine. It was awesome—doesn’t always happen like that.



What can we look forward in the future from you?



Oh gods... that question always gets me to the never-ending writing queue, but I think right now I must tell you about stuff that’s already been accepted! I have three novellas coming up at Dreamspinner Press—Talker, Guarding the Vampire’s Ghost, and Hammer and Air. Vampire’s Ghost is a novella from my self-published work, The Little Goddess series, and it features a much lamented hero from Vulnerable. I can’t wait to see Adrian make his big debut—I think people are really going to fall in love with him! Hammer and Air is another one of the fairy tale covers that Dreamspinner put out, and the fairy tale it’s based on—“Snow White and Rose Red” is not well known—but it was always one of my favorites when I was a kid. This is one those stories that surprised me and took over, and by the end, I was sobbing over my keyboard like Kathleen Turner at the beginning of Romancing the Stone. (I love it when that happens. That usually mean it will move other people too.) Talker is different—it’s sort of a haunting short novella about two college kids taking care of each other, and how we all try to hide our most obvious scars in plain sight.



If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?



I’d re-edit Vulnerable, Wounded, and Bound (my first three self-published novels) within an inch of their lives. I think they’re all sound work, and I am SO tired of having my story-telling ability confused with my craptacular editing. I got better—MUCH better, with a LOT of help from my friends on-line, and my next three books were damned near professional quality—but those first three books are really dear to my heart, and I’m not sure if they’ll ever get a real shot until they get re-done.



Where can we find your website?



My un-updated, boring website with the hella old photo? That would be at http://www.greenshill.com./ (And I need to have my husband update it this weekend—this is the second time I’ve been asked that question!) My boring, pictureless blog where I talk about knitting, motherhood, and teaching and (sometimes) writing, is at http://www.writerslane.blogspot.com/



The Little Goddess series, The Bitter Moon duet, the Promise Rock series, and other Dreamspinner Press titles.

You can find her at:
http://www.greenshill.com/
http://www.writerslane.blogspot.com/

AUTHOR INTERVIEW  Lena Austin


Tell us a bit about Berdache

Believe it or not, Berdache came out of a hypnotic regression session. So, whether you believe in such things or not, it definitely came out of a weird little event. I couldn’t resist sharing the story, though the original was very short and much less professional. I love telling the story of the Berdache medicine man called Lizard and his quest to help his friend Red Wolf, and his generous inclusion of Moon.

What’s your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

I enjoyed most writing the exploration scene with Red Wolf and Lizard. Poor Red Wolf was so awkward and yet still managed to be strong that it was a joy to write.

What can we look forward in the future from you?

While I still enjoy writing short stories best, I have promised Aspen Mountain Press the rest of the Majesty Mysteries and two more God’s Wife stories. Lately, I’ve found myself writing a lot of comedy, perhaps in reaction to all the misery caused by the economic downturn. Who knows? My muse is as psychotic as I am. LOL!

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

Like anyone else, I’d love to make more money. LOL!! However, I’d much prefer to be the author who finally walks across the stage to shake Oprah’s hand and convince her that ebooks are just as viable, just as literary, and most of all, here to stay.

Where can we find your website?

http://www.lenaaustin.com/ Please be forgiving! I recently lost my host, and I’m in the process of rebuilding the entire thing from the ground up.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Joey W. Hill


Tell us a bit about Board Resolution

It’s the first in a five-book series called the Knights of the Board Room. Here’s the premise for Board Resolution that sets up the rest of the series (excerpt is on my website):

“Savannah has been groomed since birth to take the reins of her father’s manufacturing empire. Her emotional armor is as tough as the steel used in her factories, and no man is allowed past it. Business partner Matt Kensington realizes that the key to entry is not to ask permission, but to command her submission. Calling on the unique sensual talents of his four-man management team, he engineers an aggressive takeover, determined to rescue the woman he’s always loved from the steel cage she’s manufactured around her heart.”

That four-man management team includes Lucas, Peter, Jon and Ben. After I wrote Board Resolution, it was clear the four of them needed their own stories. Hence, the Knights of the Board Room series was born. I’ve written three so far, all of which were initially released as novellas in multi-author anthologies, though of course Board Resolution is now available digitally as a standalone through Ellora’s Cave. The other two, Controlled Response and Honor Bound, are part of the Unlaced and Laced with Desire anthologies, respectively, offered by Berkley Heat. You can find blurbs and excerpts for them on my website as well.

What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

Well this series was spawned by a personal fantasy of mine – that of being overpowered and thoroughly ravished in a board room setting by five gorgeous sexual Dominants. So to bring it to life, not for myself (it’s better if it stays a fantasy – grin – I’m not that flexible anymore), but for the lucky heroine Savannah, was a treat.

What can we look forward to in the future from you?

The next one, Afterlife, is almost finished. That’s Jon’s story. He’s pursuing a yoga instructor who’s 13 years older than him, a closet submissive who’s given up hope of ever finding a Master. I hope to have it contracted with Ellora’s Cave Publishing sometime in August, and if I’m lucky, we’ll get a late 2010 or early 2011 release date for it. Soon as I turn that in, I’ll start work on the final book in the series, Ben’s story, as well as the next book in my vampire series.

In the meantime, my next book in the Vampire Queen series, Vampire Trinity, releases in September. This book picks up where Vampire Mistress, my May release, left off. It’s a ménage, featuring the vampire hunter Gideon Green. He’s fallen in with Anwyn, Mistress of a BDSM club, who was forcibly turned by an unstable vampire. Unbeknownst to Gideon, she also has a vampire lover, a mysterious vampire named Daegan Rei, and the two of them have to join forces to help Anwyn through her rocky transition.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

I can’t think of a step in the ladder I regret, honestly. I wish I had more time. It seems if I’m not writing, I’m doing promo, and if I’m not doing promo, I’m writing. Everything else gets stuffed in the cracks wherever it can fit, and that’s not always a good feeling, but the drive to write keeps pushing me forward. And the readers are always so encouraging and supportive. Therefore, I simply hope that I’ll get some breathing room in the future, and that maybe this chaotic pace is merely typical for this step in the career!

Where can we find your website?

http://www.storywitch.com/

I also have a fan forum, http://fansofjoeywhill.forumotion.com/forum.htm, where I regularly post vignettes featuring characters from my full length works. There’s a seven-part one happening right now featuring Mason and Jessica from Beloved Vampire. There are also exclusive excerpts, deleted scenes and character interviews representing my other books. Speaking of the Knights, there will be two character interviews with them coming up in the autumn months. You can also subscribe to my newsletter through my website home page, and I run a monthly contest for a free book through that, as well as keeping you up to date on everything happening with my work.

Recommended Reads by Josh Lanyon

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about Dark Tide

The Dark Tide is the fifth and final book in the Adrien English mystery series. Adrien English is a smart -- and smartassed -- Los Angeles bookseller and mystery writer who finds himself involved in a real life murder. Through that awful and terrifying experience, he starts a relationship with a closeted LAPD homicide detective. You're probably groaning as you read this because by now every other m/m writer out there has pretty much done this story in some form, but but when I started the series ten years ago nobody had done it. It was very fresh and it turned the series into something of an m/m classic. In The Dark Tide we reach the end of the line with Adrien and Jake. They've been through a lot -- five murder cases, for one thing! -- and it's the turning point for them. They've both reached their breaking point.



What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

Well, it's a very emotionally intense book. The series was laid out from the start, so all the other books built to this final, pivotal story where each man has to face what he really wants and needs -- and be willing to make a sacrifice in order to get his happy-ever-after. For me, it was satisfying to finish what I'd started out to do a decade earlier. And it was a really sweet feeling to deliver the finish I knew readers had been waiting for, longing for. A lot of my readers have been with me from the very beginning, so it was like we had taken this journey together and now we had reached our final destination.

What can we look forward in the future from you?

A new series that I think will be especially popular with fans of the Adrien books. It's the Holmes and Moriarity series. Christopher Holmes is an irascible, slightly reclusive writer who has lost his lover, his publisher, and his drive to write in one horrendous year. Did I mention this is a comedy? It doesn't sound funny, but it is. At least...I hope it is. Anyway, Christopher too finds himself in the unlikely role of amateur sleuth. His romantic foil is J.X. Moriarity, an ex-cop mystery writer -- someone younger, more handsome, and a lot more successful than Christopher. He triggers all of Kit's insecurities and defense mechanisms, not least because he seems to really love Christopher. That's not something Christopher is used to or knows how to deal with. The first book is Somebody Killed His Editor. I'm working on the second book right now -- All She Wrote is due out in late October.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

Good question. I think I would have gotten serious a lot earlier. I've been publishing professionally for over twenty years, but it's only the last decade that I made two crucial changes: I focused on what I really loved to write and I assumed a completely businesslike attitude. Until that time I'd had a fair bit of success, but I wasn't particularly professional in my attitudes or work habits. If I had been, I'd be retired and living very comfortably by now. As it is, I earn a living, but I work hard and I work full-time -- and I do mean full-time.

Where can we find your website?

http://www.joshlanyon.com/

The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about The Gentlman and the Rogue


What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

Kate: My favorite part was 1. Working with Bonnie (this was our first book together) It’s a lot like that party game where one person writes a bit then hands it off to the next.

2. Watching the characters come alive, especially Jem. I think he was fairly clear to both of us from the start and it was fun making him more vivid.

Bonnie: Jem, absolutely. I was totally invested in this character, the humor and cockiness and warmth. I really enjoyed the cant Summer supplied for him and all the other details from her research. For example, I would never have thought to throw in an epergne (what the hell’s that?) It was a challenge to make sure the brooding figure of Alan wasn’t eclipsed by Jem.

What can we look forward in the future from you?

We have another book, The Nobleman and The Spy, in the editing process at Loose-Id. It’s the story of former enemies who once met on a field of battle. Now one of them is a spy sent to observe a German/English nobleman whose life may be in danger. A complicated political situation is the crux of the story—and of course, two men who despite their best efforts can’t keep their hands off each other.

If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?

Kate: I think I would probably have all of my books under one name (I use Summer Devon and Kate Rothwell) and I would have spent less time trying to write the sort of book I thought New York wanted and more books that I enjoy.

Bonnie: They recommend “author branding” for a reason. People love to know what to expect if they pick up a book by so and so--romantic suspense, historical or what have you. Because I haven’t restrained myself from dabbling in a lot of different genres, I think it’s hobbled my sales, making it more difficult to find a particular niche of readers. But you know what? No. I wouldn’t change it. I had to write what I felt like writing, whatever stories interested me.

Where can we find your website?

Kate: I have a bunch. My blog is http://katerothwell.blogspot.com/ http://www.katerothwell.com/ and http://www.summerdevon.com/

Bonnie: http://bonniedee.com/, I no longer keep a blog. I’m on Facebook and Twitter.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about L.A. Bytes


L.A. Bytes came about through two events. One was the big Eastern blackout back in 2003 and my reading a book called Black: the Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism by Dan Verton. In the book he discusses the possibility of something like the black out being caused by a terrorist attack, then followed by physical assaults on our power grids. He made a very chilling case for it and I became fascinated with the idea. But instead of doing it as a broader thriller, with global consequences, I decided to put it in L.A. with Chris and David the ones at risk. After L.A. Boneyard, where David was central to the book, I wanted one that gave Chris more focus. So in L.A. Bytes, he gets to use his computer skills to save the day and David.



What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

In some ways I like the revision best. I've done the hardest part, which is finishing it, now I get to play around, get some feedback from beta readers and sculpt a good story out of the bones that are already there.



What can we look forward in the future from you?

There will be at least 2 more L.A. stories. One is already in first draft. It's called Bermuda Heat and takes our lovers out of familiar territory and puts them in an alien world. The second one after that is barely in outline form. I want to return to L.A. next year for research. I'm also branching out into historical novels, some gay and some straight. I'm heavily involved in researching the 1920s and 30s. I have one novel finished set in L.A. and am writing another.

There may be a third Geography book with Alexander Spider and Jason Zachary. I haven't been hit with any ideas yet, but I like those 2 and I'd like to see more of them.

There is another book set in L.A. coming out this year. It's called Between Darkness & Light and puts an LAPD detective with a dark secret in his past with an up and coming fine artist to find out who's killing art critics.



If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?



I wouldn't have waited so long to try to get published. I wrote for decades before L.A. Heat, but aside from one or two submissions I never worked very hard at getting published. I guess I didn't really believe in myself then. I would have like to have seen where I'd be now if I had put more effort into it even 30 years ago.

Where can we find your website?

My main site is: http://www.pabrown.ca/

My new historical site, which I write under my pen name GK Parker is here: http://gkparkerhistorynoir.blogspot.com/

Roped In by Sindra van Yssel

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

• Tell us a bit about Roped In

Roped In is the first of a series of books set in Bondage Ranch, a rural retreat for the BDSM community. Laera is camping in the woods and misses a trail, gets lost, and twists her ankle. The woods she’s camping in are right next to Bondage Ranch, and she’s discovered by a sexy Dom named Bruce. Bruce isn’t your typical BDSM hero -- if you’re looking for a “bad boy” he’s really not it. He’s a very gentle, caring person, who is also very dominant. He convinces her to spend a day with him at Bondage Ranch, and she’s totally hooked by him and by his way of loving.

• What's your favorite part of writing this book? Why?

It’s hard to pick just one part. I liked writing the minor characters; Dylan and Alex Allison and Mistress Sue. There’s a funny exchange between Sue and Bruce, the hero, that was really fun because BDSM romances are often so serious. There’s a scene where Laera meets a real jerk of a dom, and he gets put in his place -- that was fun to write, too, because there’s a real visceral satisfaction in it. But Roped In was fun to write the whole way through, really; it all went very quickly and just flowed.

• What can we look forward in the future from you?
• A sequel to Roped In, Pushing Limits, was just published by Loose Id in June. I’ve written book three in the Bondage Ranch series, which was harder to write than the other two but after several rewrites I’m now really satisfied with the results and I think it’s one of the hottest things I’ve ever written. I also have a paranormal BDSM series coming out from Cobblestone. The first one, Dark Xanadu, was published in July, and the second one, Chilled to the Bone, was just contracted. There should ultimately be four books in the series if all goes well. I’m trying to do something different with the traditional vampires and werewolves in those books. For instance, the heroine of Chilled is a vampire, and even though she’s more powerful than the hero, she’s still the submissive in their relationship. My current project is a stand alone Contemporary BDSM romance, which I don’t have a title for yet -- titles are definitely not my favorite part of writing.
• If you could change one thing about your publishing career, what would it be? Why?
• I went through a long period, years really, where I was just too afraid of getting a rejection letter. I submitted my first romance years ago to a publishing house -- it was one of those situations where you send in a few chapters and if they like it they ask to see the whole thing, so they asked and I sent, and I didn’t hear back from them. While I was waiting, I didn’t write at all -- just waited. And they never did get back to me. I sent them letters after a year, and they didn’t reply to them. What I should have done is keep writing and sending things off to different publishers, but I let the whole experience throw me off. What writing I did for a while was either non-fiction, or fiction for which there is no market. If there wasn’t a market, I didn’t have to submit, or worry about whether my writing pleased anyone but me. When I finished writing Roped In I was on vacation, and I immediately started working on the next book. When I got home I did some editing, sent Roped In off to Loose Id, and then went back to working on Pushing Limits. I figured I’d get a rejection letter, so I didn’t even worry about the wait to hear back -- I just kept writing. And that’s the right way to do it -- just keep writing, keep sending things off.
• Where can we find your website?

That’s easy. www.sindravanyssel.com! And thank you. This was fun!


Sindra van Yssel

www.sindravanyssel.com

Roped In and Pushing Limits from Loose Id

Dark Xanadu from Cobblestone Press