Recommended Reads Author Interview

Tell us about Keeping Claire

Claire has been on the run for five years, changing identities, locations and personal habits more often than most women change lipsticks. When she really feels the need for a man, she looks for disposable. A guy who will do what she tells him to get the job done, then disappear quietly. Which is why she has a firm ‘look but don’t talk and sure as hell don’t touch’ policy with the owners of her company. Ryan is gorgeous and confident and nobody’s dishrag. So not her type.

Ryan can’t understand why Claire doesn’t want his help. He’s a Fae warrior, trained in fighting demons, he can certainly handle whatever problem has her thinking she needs to run away without exploring their highly combustible attraction. Getting a taste of her only makes him more determined to do whatever he needs to do to keep Claire right where she belongs – with him. But when her enemies get too close, his efforts to save her may just kill any chance they have at a future together.

What was your inspiration for the plot?

I had this noisy heroine that was a bit more of a smart-ass than my others, and wanted her story told. Claire’s the type who will trip her lover if he’s pulling her down the hall too quickly, or laugh with (at) him during sex. Which meant, of course, that she needed a hero who was confident enough in himself to fall in love with such a prickly heroine. Of course, she’s got reasons to keep people at a distance, such as keeping them safe. But as a Fae warrior, Ryan’s not much interested in letting anyone stand between him and danger. He’s certain he can fix everything, if she’ll just give him the chance. If only it were that simple!

What would you like the new fans to know about you?

I write what I like to read, and love it when readers like what I write J I’ve written contemporary m/m/f ménage (Perfect Formation), werewolves (Alpha Turned), mages (Bound by Sunlight) and, of course, the Fae. I’ll be attending the RT Convention in Los Angeles in April, signing at both the Ebook Expo and the Book Fair. Look me up if you’re going to be there!

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

I’m currently working on another contemporary with threesome, as well as the second in my werewolf series.

Where can we find your website?

www.kbalan.com

Keeping Claire by K B Alan

Golden Blush Award
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Genre: {M/F} Paranormal
Reviewer: Rose Nymph

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/