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!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Author of the Week - Karen Mercury
Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!
This week Karen Mercury visits the blog. I met Karen in person at a get together for Siren authors in Las Vegas in 2013. Karen and I talked dogs, writing, and number of books per year over dinner, and had a nice time. Karen writes hot menage for Siren, but she has also started writing some hot biker romance under another pen name. Today I asked her one question about why and how she chose her pen name.
BBTF: You have two author names. What made you choose another pen name and what genre(s) do you write with it?
Karen: When it was time to choose a pen name for my new motorcycle romance series THE BARE BONES, it suddenly hit me. I wanted to go with Layla Wolfe. As teens, my sister and I would hang in her bedroom smoking weed and taking turns writing “books.” These books were thinly-disguised versions of our real life. In other words, turmoil, drugs, drama, violence, illegal stuff, motorcycles, muscle cars, and more drugs.
My sister’s fake name was Layla Wolfe. I was Shelda Minor. Layla and Shelda would “jam it down the highway” in their Chevelles, Harleys, and SuperSports while outrunning the cops. They jammed it over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, into the slums of Oakland and Richmond, selling drugs, getting busted, and rumbling, while being super-cool hard chicks, of course.
Layla Wolfe sounded cooler than Shelda Minor, so I went with that. ;)
You're right, Layla Wolfe does sound cooler than Shelda. Great choice. :) You can find out more about Layla Wolfe's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!
This week Karen Mercury visits the blog. I met Karen in person at a get together for Siren authors in Las Vegas in 2013. Karen and I talked dogs, writing, and number of books per year over dinner, and had a nice time. Karen writes hot menage for Siren, but she has also started writing some hot biker romance under another pen name. Today I asked her one question about why and how she chose her pen name.
BBTF: You have two author names. What made you choose another pen name and what genre(s) do you write with it?
Karen: When it was time to choose a pen name for my new motorcycle romance series THE BARE BONES, it suddenly hit me. I wanted to go with Layla Wolfe. As teens, my sister and I would hang in her bedroom smoking weed and taking turns writing “books.” These books were thinly-disguised versions of our real life. In other words, turmoil, drugs, drama, violence, illegal stuff, motorcycles, muscle cars, and more drugs.
My sister’s fake name was Layla Wolfe. I was Shelda Minor. Layla and Shelda would “jam it down the highway” in their Chevelles, Harleys, and SuperSports while outrunning the cops. They jammed it over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, into the slums of Oakland and Richmond, selling drugs, getting busted, and rumbling, while being super-cool hard chicks, of course.
Layla Wolfe sounded cooler than Shelda Minor, so I went with that. ;)
You're right, Layla Wolfe does sound cooler than Shelda. Great choice. :) You can find out more about Layla Wolfe's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!
Monday, August 25, 2014
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!
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!
Monday, August 18, 2014
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
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!
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!
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