Literary Nymphs Interview
Title:
The Gifted One
Author: Jacob Z. Flores
Publisher:
Dreamspinner Press
Genre:
paranormal m/m romance
Release
Date: April 5, 2013
Do you write in more than
one genre?
The Gifted One is my first dabble in
paranormal romance, but prior to that I published 3, which is a contemporary m/m/m romance. I don’t know if I’ll
write in any other genre of gay fiction. I truly enjoy what I currently write a
great deal, so I’m not in any hurry to write anything different. In fact, I have
so many ideas for stories; I lack the time to tackle them all!
What if any, is the hardest
part of writing for you?
The
writer’s block that inevitably strikes. It can be quite crippling, and I never
know when it’s going to hit. Sometimes, it’s in the middle of the book, either
right before or after the climax. I either don’t like how I’ve outlined the
rest of the book or the story has taken a turn I didn’t anticipate and have to
find some way to fix the rest of the narrative. Still, despite the writer’s
block, I love writing. It’s what I most enjoy doing.
What inspired the story?
This
is quite an interesting answer, at least to me. Haha! The Gifted One came from a plot bunny.
I
had a nightmare about being confined in a dark room with only a lone door in
front of me. Something was on the other side trying to get in while I was
trying to keep the door shut. The door turned to paper and then caught on fire.
I had no choice but to back away, and when the door was gone I knew whatever
was on the other side was going to get me. Luckily, this blinding light
appeared and when I turned around to see who brought the light, I woke up.
I
wrote the dream down, wondering what was on the other side of that door and who
brought the light. My answer became The
Gifted One.
If
you read the novel, and I hope you do, you will gain some insight into my truly
weird dreams. They are pretty funky and scary, and I love them! I know that
sounds terribly strange, but they provide some excellent fodder for novels.
Blurb:
As
his birthday approaches, Matthew Westlake fears more than just growing a year
older. He fears never seeing another year at all. Each birthday brings a close
call with death, leaving holes in his memory, recurring nightmares, and one
more glimpse of his guardian angel. This birthday Matt must stand against
ancient evils that have hounded him since birth, because he is a Gifted One—a
seventh son of a seventh son.
Within
Matt rests the unlocked potential of a force for good, but it also makes him a
target. Being the Gifted One and dodging demonic attacks aren’t Matt’s only
problems, though. He’s fallen in love with his protector, the Archangel
Gabriel, and Heaven will condemn that love to save Matt’s soul. But Heaven
doesn’t count on Gabriel loving Matt in return, defying divine law, and placing
them in danger from demons and angels alike.
EXCERPT:
“You won’t get anything more
from me than money,” Matt challenged as he tried to stand.
Blade kicked Matt back onto the
asphalt before pulling a switchblade out of his pocket. “Oh yes, I will,” he
snarled before lunging at Matt.
A wall of denim and leather suddenly
appeared before Matt, blocking Blade’s path. When he looked up, his savior
stood between him and his assailant. They scuffled for a few seconds before
Blade flew backwards and landed hard against the green dumpster sitting outside
the restaurant’s rear exit.
His savior pulled the knife
jutting from his stomach out of his body and tossed it onto the pavement
without a second glance. Matt instinctively knew the wound wasn’t serious. In
fact, as hard as it was for him to believe about a stab wound to the abdomen,
Matt suspected the knife didn’t do much, if any, damage at all.
And before Matt had time to
register how he could possibly know that, the man then leaped toward Blade, who
was scurrying to get to his feet.
“Matt!” a voice from behind him
called.
He looked over his shoulder and
saw Dee, Shane, and Craig turning the corner of the building. When they saw the
two men fighting, Dee and Shane stopped in their tracks. Without thinking,
Craig rushed into the fray.
“Stop!” Craig cried, while
trying to pull his savior off Blade. “Police.”
Neither man took notice of the
warning.
Craig raised his fist to punch
the man who had twice saved his life, and Matt immediately sprung to his feet.
He rammed into Craig, knocking him over. Dee and Shane shrieked in response.
“What the hell?” Craig asked,
when he hit the pavement with Matt on top of him.
“Don’t hurt him,” he replied.
“He saved me.”
Suddenly, Matt found himself
lifted from Craig and safely scooped within the arms of his savior.
“Don’t touch him,” his savior
warned Craig.
“He’s getting away,” Dee shouted!
They all turned to watch Blade
jump on top of a car and then bound over the wooden fence to safety beyond.
After he was gone, everyone
stared at Matt, who was still safely cradled in his savior’s protective arms.
Matt gazed deeply into the man’s blue eyes. Where once a storm of rage blew,
they were again as calm as a windless day.
“Are you hurt?” he asked Matt.
Unable to speak, Matt shook his
head no.
His savior then, reluctantly,
set him back onto the pavement with great care as if he were the most fragile,
special person on the planet. And though his friends and Craig stared at the
two of them in bewilderment, Matt wanted nothing more than to return to the
comfort of the arms that seem destined to protect him from harm.
I hope
readers will enjoy The Gifted One. I know I enjoyed writing it. It
combines two of my favorite genres—romance and horror. It will get your blood
pumping from the demon attacks to the tender, yet hot moments that occur in
between.
Where can we find your website?
Jacob Z. Flores lives a
double life. During the day, he is a respected college English professor and
mid-level administrator. At night and during his summer vacation, he loosens
the tie and tosses aside the trendy sports coat to write man on man fiction,
where the hard ass assessor of freshmen level composition turns his attention
to the firm posteriors and other rigid appendages of the characters in his
fictional world.
Summers in Provincetown , Massachusetts Texas
You can follow Jacob’s
musings on his blog at http://jacobzflores.com or become
a part of his social media network by visiting http://www.facebook.com/jacob.flores2, http://twitter.com/#!/JacobZFlores, or http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5142501.Jacob_Z_Flores.
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