Author of the Week - Nicola Cameron

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

This week Nicola Cameron visits the blog. I met Nicola on Mid Week Tease when she seduced me with her sexy M/M romance snippets. She's an Evernight author as well and writes some fantastic science fiction and paranormal M/M romance. Today I asked her one question about what finally gave her the push to publish.

BBTF: You started publishing in 2012. How long have you been writing and what inspired you to get your work out there?

Nicola: I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and I’ve been a professional science fiction writer since 1995. I’ve always loved exploring sex and romance in my work, but there were limits to just how explicit I could get in regular SF which was something of a downer. When ebooks and paranormal erotic romance took off in such a big way I knew I had to get in on it, so in 2012 I sent in “Tied With a Bow” to Evernight Publishing for their Christmas anthology call (“Tied” was also the first non-speculative fiction story I’d written in about 30 years). Much to my delight they bought it for A Vanilla-Free Christmas: Manlove Edition, and that was the start of my erotic romance career. My experience as an SF writer is also why my first erotic romance novel Storm Season has nanotech, bioengineering, battle scenes, and Alan Turing in it as well as a sizzling MMM ménage romance. What can I say — I like to mix and match genres.

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

Author of the Week - Hunter Frost

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

This week Hunter Frost visits the blog. I met Hunter in #ThursThreads #flashfiction challenge when she came to write for a special Valentine's Month of Love event in February 2014. I was struck with Hunter's writing style and voice, and was thrilled to find out she lived in Las Vegas like me. Except I moved before we could connect in person. :( Hunter writes sexy M/M romance set in contemporary times. Today I asked her one question about why and how she chose her pen name.

BBTF: You write m/m romance. What first interested you in the genre and how did you get started?

Hunter: Since I love to read m/f romance, I often scour bookseller websites for new and interesting titles. During one of my searches I happened upon a historical western romance. Reading the blurb, I quickly found the story featured two men as the main couple. I was in shock. Not because gay romance novels existed, but that I had no idea they did and had never come across them in my twenty-five years of reading romance. I felt cheated and utterly naïve. A whole other beautiful, erotic, and deeply emotional world had been kept from me all those years. I was not about to be kept in the dark for long. That story led me to seek out a plethora of others. Soon I had completely immersed myself in the works of a healthy variety of m/m authors. I completely fell in love with the genre.

I knew I wanted to write stories like these, but where did I start? Well, I read everything I could find on the craft of m/m romance - mostly blogs and articles written by authors I already had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, m/m writing isn’t much different than m/f writing - the mechanics and structure remain the same - but there are minor issues that require research and experts. Somehow I got the courage to contact my favorite authors in the genre and ask them for advice. I was astounded by their responses and their generosity. The m/m romance community is filled with some of the kindest people I know, and I credit my first publication to their support. From there, I keep looking forward and meeting new people who write romance of all kinds and I’m proud to be able to participate in such a diverse community. Thank you, Siobhan, for allowing me the opportunity to share part of my experience with your readers.

Diversity is the spice of life, I agree. Great choice, Hunter. :) You can find out more about Hunter Frost's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading! 

Author of the Week - Andrew Grey

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

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 - Draven St. James

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

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: Dianne Hartsock

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

This week Dianne Hartsock visits the blog. I met Dianne online at Six Sentence Sunday and found her writing to be heartfelt (makes sense, doesn't it?) and endearing. I wanted to know more about the characters, what they did to succeed in their love, and where she would take them. Today I asked her one question about how her muse became in engaged in her genre.

BBTF: You write heartfelt M/M romance in different genres. What about M/M romance captured your heart and your muse?

Dianne: I read my first m/m erotic romance about four years ago, and oh my! I was enchanted. I read pretty much every genre under the sun, but there's just something about two men falling into each other's arms and hearts that fascinates me, makes my pulse pound in my veins.

But I never thought to write an erotic romance story of my own until I attended an online conference for writers several years ago hosted by Muse it Up Publishing. One of the writers there, Jamieson Wolf, held a series of lectures called 'Riding the Lightning'. Did I say lectures? Definitely not! More like a slow seduction, coaxing and teasing us with the delights of writing male on male love.

More than this, Jamieson literally challenged us to write an m/m romance. And a tiny voice inside me whispered, why not? Go ahead. Imagine that strong body shiver under your hand. Feel the texture of his skin, the contours of hard muscles. Write that down.

Now go that one step further, add that bit of naughtiness by having it be two men in this room. See! For whatever reason, this image makes my heart jump and race. Go on, says the impish voice in my head, slide your hand down that sexy body. And if you write it as if your character is another male doing this, wouldn't you feel that slide as if it were on your own body? You would know the delicious pleasure of being rubbed and squeezed, the slow lick of a tongue. You'd want to give that pleasure to your lover. Write that down.

And this is why I write m/m romance! I start with my two men undressing and touching and kissing, one thing leading to another in a hot sensual dance, leading to climax. I love stretching my writing skills, imagining their movements and capturing every touch and emotion and position on the page. Love is Love! And I love writing about it.

Thank you so much for having me as your guest today Siobhan!

Oh, you write so delicious, Dianne! :D

You can find out more about Dianne Hartsock's sexy, seductive, and very male characters on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!