Author of the Week - Andrew Grey

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This week Andrew Grey visits the blog. I met Andrew in person at Authors After Dark in New Orleans in 2012, and connected with his compassionate and down-to-earth personality. Andrew writes just about everything M/M, but he has a gift for heart-felt, sexy and sensual romance with dramatic background stories. Today I asked him one question about how he got started writing romance.

BBTF: The romance genre is often dominated by female authors. What got you into writing the genre?

Andrew: My mother read them all the while I was growing up and I have to admit I sort of made fun of it until I started reading gay romance when I was trying to get into shape a number of years ago. I wanted something light and sexy to read on the treadmill. They were fun, light, hot, and gave me something in gay stories that I had rarely seen before. A happy ending. The gay stories I grew up with were either satirical and stereotypical or simple tragic. After reading them for a while, I got an idea and decided to try writing one. I actually accomplished my first manuscript in about two months and told no one until it was half way completed. I firmly believe that everyone should see themselves in a story and I think writing romance is my way of showing that people like me can find love.

I think you're right, Andrew. You can find out more about Andrew Grey's books on his website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading! 

Author of the Week - Ann Mayburn

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

This week Ann Mayburn visits the blog. I met Ann in person at Authors After Dark in New Orleans in 2012, and fell in love with her forthright, no-nonsense humor immediately. Ann writes just about everything, but she has a gift for BDSM romance in both contemporary and paranormal settings. Today I asked her one question about how she budgets her time with family.

BBTF: You put out a great deal of work each year. How do you balance your writing time with your family time?

Ann: Not easily. Either the house is dirty and the book gets worked on, or the house is clean yet I got 0 word count in. :P I've found the best I can do is balance between the two, clean when my muse is on strike, write when she won't shut the hell up. There is constant clutter, something always needs to be cleaned, but I manage to play in my worlds and throw video games at my kids so it all works out. ;)

Somehow that sounds a lot like my house, Ann. :D You can find out more about Ann Mayburn's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading! 

Author of the Week - Draven St. James

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This week Draven St. James visits the blog. I met almost met on Facebook and we share a love (and origin) in the Pacific Northwest. Draven writes erotic male/male romance in both contemporary and paranormal settings. Today I asked her one question about how she .

BBTF: You write M/M romance. What's your favorite subgenre and what techniques do you use to get into the best place where your stories flow?

Draven: My personal favorite for a genre within m/m romance would be contemporary with paranormal as a close second. Generally to get into the mood to write I listen to music. It helps that I can pick songs to go with the mood of the scene I'm working on. At the end being able to read the scene and feel those emotions reflected in the same way they are in music is fantastic. I think the stories overall flow just develops because I let the characters lead the way. I start a book with a rough outline from beginning to end and then let myself go. With every book I've written, as the characters have moved through the scenes, the book and how it gets from A to Z always changes.

You can find out more about Draven St. James's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading! 

Author of the Week - Lila Shaw

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This week Lila Shaw visits the blog. I met almost met in person in Las Vegas when she'd come into town for a work conference. Unfortunately, she wasn't staying long enough for me to come and see her. But we've visited a lot online and we share a love of hairy me (Teddy Bear Thursdays are our favorites). Lila has a couple of pen names, but she writes contemporary and paranormal romances laced with humor. Today I asked her one question about where she gets her inspiration.

BBTF: Many of your books have a deep thread of humor through them. Where do you find the inspiration for those scenes?

Lila: Where do I find inspiration for humor? I feel like I should answer this question with a joke. So, let's start there.

First of all, I don't go looking for Humor, because if I look for it, I never find it. I don't know where it lives or what its favorite color is. I don't know if it loves, has a family or any friends.

Truth is, it finds me, and not always at the best times or places. It waits for me after school on the playground in torn jeans and a tshirt bearing an inappropriate saying. It wears too much eyeliner and garish red lipstick and doesn't care if its bra strap hangs out the sleeve. It has no discipline, no goals or ambitions. It's the sexy siren from the wrong side of the tracks a man will happily get horizontal with but will never marry.

Because marrying Humor means welcoming her family into the mix, inviting the pain, humiliation, impotence and suppressed aggression that birthed her. Humor is a cowardly prostitute. Rather than saying, "Hey! Look at me! I'm [angry] [sad] [depressed] [frustrated] [embarrassed] and I need your attention, your love," she offers you a joke for a laugh, a chuckle, a smile.

Now, I'll answer more seriously or less seriously, depending on your perspective. Where do I find inspiration for humor?

Everywhere.

I grew up silly. I have a silly mother, sister, cousins and husband. I like to hang around silly people. I love the ridiculous and thrive on innuendo. When I was young my cousins and I would covertly pull down the underpants on male underwear mannequins and then run and hide. We drew faces on watermelons in supermarkets.  We threw chicken skins on passing cars at night. I hid SOS messages in the mouths of the dissection-destined frogs in biology. I sweet-talked my male college friends into being my makeup models. (Why they let me remains a mystery.) My mother and I defaced more Sears catalogs than we used for placing orders. I do voiceovers for my dog, trying my darndest to make my husband laugh at "her" wit. I text my son funny selfies when he's been out too long with his friends. He shares them, which gives me hope that one day he'll be just as silly as his mom.

Truth is, I may be growing older--putting my kids through college while biting my nails that I don't lose my job before I can retire--but I refuse to grow up. The world can be a pretty shitty place, but as long as there is something to laugh about, it's not only bearable, but enjoyable.

I don't know about you, but I prefer laughter over tears, though if I have to cry, let the tears be ones of uncontrollable mirth. I'd rather write stories that make readers laugh than cry. I doubt I'll ever write anything like The Fault in Our Stars. Why the hell would I? I'd surely screw it up by having the nurse fart during a chemo session, anything to break up the tension, but in doing so, I'd surely ruin the book.

But real life is a book begging to be "ruined" with laughter, don't you think?

I do.

I do, too, Lila. :) You can find out more about Lila Shaw's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!

Author of the Week: J.T. Schultz

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This week JT Schultz visits the blog. I met JT in person at the Golden Nugget Casino in 2013 and we talked about Hollywood, movie rights, and romance conferences. Since then, I've visited with her online and she recently moved to Las Vegas to be closer to other authors and the growing book scene. JT writes cowboy and contemporary romances. Today I asked her one question about how being in the movie business has influenced her writing.

BBTF: You have a connection to the movie studios. How has that influenced your writing and promotion?

JT: I don't have connections to the studios as per-say, currently, I am wrapping up a deal, where a movie slate of movies is getting financed. As far as the influence on my writing and promotion, interestingly enough the movies involved in the slate are based on a couple of my books that will be out in the coming months.

I can definitely say, writing is a business, and for success it needs to be treated like a job (even though I love it) it requires effort and dedication. Another influence on my writing is I can't see me doing a book on Hollywood anytime soon. I know a lot of people in the industry...the last thing I would need is for them to think the book was about them or someone they know.

I'd say that's a wise choice, JT. :) You can find out more about JT Schultz's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!