Guest Author Day with Scarlet Hyacinth

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

I started reading when I was four. I've always loved books, and my first memories always come entwined with reading. As for what I read, usually fantasy or adventure novels. I used to love Russian fairytales – in fact, I still do. Actually, genre-wise, I read pretty much what I write now, except without the m/m haha J

Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you call home?

Bucharest, Romania. Let me tell you it's very strange to find my country in other books, especially when there are so many different assessments over it. Also, to my knowledge, there are no vampires here. I have yet to be bitten by one, although I will investigate further, just in case.

Tell us a bit about your latest/upcoming book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

I have two releases just this week. One is Fire of the Four Seasons. It's actually inspired from Russian fairytales – like I said, I really love them. And for me, there's nothing quite like a twisted fairytale. I find something particularly fascinating about it.

My second release is Artie the Good Witch. This is a very special book for me since it's my first attempt at comedy. I wrote it plainly because I wanted something new, a challenge and a change from my usual tone. In the end, angst slipped in – how could it not? – but on the whole, I love the result. As for what inspired it… Not sure. I just started writing and went from there.

Do you go with the flow or plot out the storyline when writing?

It depends. I generally have a vague idea as to where I'm headed, but from there, I mostly go with the flow. For example, I might know how I want it to end, but as I write, the story could take me in a different direction. The characters always have minds of their own and anything is possible. With Artie, I had no clue what I even wanted from the story. With Seasons, I had a general outline – especially since I used several fairytales as basis. So yes, it varies.

Do you have a favorite couple(s) from your many series?

I'm really not sure. I don't think I have a favorite one, since I love them all so much. The characters in Kaldor and Deadly Mates will always have a special place in my heart, especially the ones in the first books – Gabriel and Lucien, Kai and Victor. But right now, my most recent character crush is probably Artie. He's just too clumsy and cute for words – and I think Tristan is a great match for him. We'll just have to see what readers think about him J.

Do all your books require a lot of research?

It's very rare to write a book and not research something. Even fantasy settings have things you'd want to research. For example, for Artie, I looked a lot into pagan rituals and magic. For Seasons, I searched for the best possible combination of fairytales. In other stories, the research is more specific. Sometimes, it's geographical. I choose a location and I need to find out details about it, anything from weather to transportation. Shapeshifter books demand research regarding the animal of your choice, or mythology. Others might need scientific and technologic information, in the medical or mechanical field. Of course, each of these examples often come combined. But I love research, so I don't mind.

You have extensive world building in your stories. How do you keep all the worlds you created straight when you are writing? Have you ever confused two worlds when writing a WIP?

I really do love world building, but yes, it's sometimes difficult to keep track. I only ever confused things once – when referring to a geographical location in my sci-fi series, Love and Lies. I mentioned The Endless Sea there – and I almost chose the same name in my recent mermen book, Awakenings. Thankfully, I realized it before it could go further. It's all in the small details – because the larger ones I can keep track of.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

Does chocolate count? J Maybe coffee. I need the energy to write, but it's not exactly healthy either, so I try to avoid it.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

I don't see myself as a servant for anyone to tell you the truth. I love ancient history and would love to travel in the past, but slaves and servants were treated so poorly then and I don't have a death wish.

What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

It's funny you should ask. I actually wrote my master's dissertation on e-books. I think e-books will become more and more important. Sales are increasing more and more, and even if there are disadvantages, the ease and cheap price of a download make up for it. At the same time, I don't think print will disappear, at least not in the near future. Maybe sometime in future centuries, when cutting trees might become a problem, but not now. Holding a book in your hand is very different to reading on your computer/e-reader.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I love all of them, maybe not equally, but I love them all anyway. My ever-present character crush – besides the one for Artie – is Jean Luc D'Argent from Kaldor. He has that combination of power and pain that I like so much.

I don't hate either of my characters. I pity some of my villains, like Lothar, also from Kaldor. I give them motivations for their actions, but they always end up unloved and punished for their crimes. Fear… Not sure. I don't actually fear any of them, but I would not want to meet some of them on the street. I like writing dangerous people but shapeshifter assassins like Jamari (Deadly Mates) aren't exactly next door neighbor material. So I suppose if I took my villains in a realistic context, I might fear them.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/him/it when she/he/it refuses to inspire you?

Sometimes, my muse does get on strike. When this happens, I generally try to take a break, read something, rest or spend time with my friends. It's not always productive to keep writing at a quick pace.

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

I have lots of projects in the works. First of all, the sequel for The Plot Bunny and the fifth book from the Deadly Mates series. I also have a more ambitious project in the works. It's my five-book series called Spirit Wolves, all complete and due for release in a couple of months with Siren Bookstrand.

Please tell us where we can find you on the web?

  I am all over the place on the web.

• Contact email: scarlet.hyacinth@gmail.com
• My website: http://scarlethyacinth.webs.com/
• My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000898624333
• My blog: http://scarlethyacinth.blogspot.com/
• My LiveJournal: http://scarlethyacinth.livejournal.com/
• My Twitter: http://twitter.com/scarlethyacinth
• My Google group: http://groups.google.com/group/scarlets-slash?pli=1
• My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3149556.Scarlet_Hyacinth
• My publisher links:
• Siren Bookstrand: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/scarlethyacinth/
• Noble Romance: http://www.nobleromance.com/BrowseListing.aspx?author=94
• Silver Publishing: http://silverpublishing.info/index/book_authors_id/89/typefilter/book_authors

Artie The Good Witch

Blurb

My name is Artie and I have a problem. My dear grandfather Brew died, succumbing to his love for pastries and leaving me all of his possessions. I now officially own a crumbling tower and two black cats. Unfortunately, this means I also have to take on his responsibilities as a wizard, an impossible thing for me, since I am not one. I am a witch, a good witch, and terribly poor at it. My cats are no help, and they only mock me. My parents are off gallivanting Goddess knows where. I suck at casting spells, yet I am supposed to participate in the very important ritual of the Beckoning in Brew's stead.

To top it off, instead of trying to figure things out, I keep drooling over weird men and finding love in all the wrong places. Wizards and necromancers? What's next, a dragon? In my defense, choosing a boyfriend is really difficult when you're trying to resurrect the land and save its ungrateful people. It doesn't help that I have to avoid being seriously hurt by evil geniuses and cackling witches. Help me out here. I pay in hugs and black kittens. For an inquiry, call 0-900-ARTIE-THE-GOOD-WITCH.

Link:  https://silverpublishing.info/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/artie-the-good-witch-p-280

Excerpt

The cats meowed desperately as I clucked my tongue. The broom took off with a swoosh, obeying my not-so-knowledgeable command. I did manage to hold on without a problem, so the potion must have worked at least to some extent. In fact, I was quite enjoying myself, and ordered the broom to go faster. The speed made me feel powerful and wild, and I loved the feeling of the wind beating against my face.
We traveled for the longest time, but it seemed all too soon that we reached the royal capital of our kingdom. Since our kings and queens have always been unimaginative, they named it just that, Capital. Of course, I shouldn't be the one to speak, since I still called my familiars Cat Number One and Cat Number Two. At least we had a name for the country, although it was just as ridiculous. Okay, so it wasn't so ridiculous. In fact, Brudiwr Deyrnas sounded quite elegant. Even so, in the common tongue, it meant something along the line of "Wizard's Realm", to which, of course, I took a personal offense.
Not even the thought of the insulting name of my country could put me in a bad mood. In fact, I laughed all the way to Capital. It didn't help that, once we were there, I saw the pathetic state of the flags and walls. One would think the great capital of the Wizard's Realm would look better and more magical.
I was so busy laughing I didn't notice the effect of the magic potion beginning to dwindle until it was too late. I swept through the streets, laughing gaily, balancing on my broom and stealing kisses from the youths - both male and female - as I went past. And then I noticed him. A tall, handsome man stood straight in my path, watching me with an unfathomable gaze. I instantly knew he was a wizard. The way he braved my less-than-rational approach radiated stern arrogance. I disliked him on sight and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Of course, my mother's old broom chose this particular moment to act up on me. The potion's effect vanished, and the cats' yowls startled me. With a less-than-dignified yelp, I rolled through the air, landing straight at the man's feet.
From this angle, the only thing I could see was the bottom of his immaculate white robes. It had always been a mystery to me as to how wizards, and witches for that matter, never dirtied their long garments. It was the one thing they seemed to have in common, the long robes they wore. Well, I didn't, because I loathed the damn things, but that was a different matter entirely. Could it be some sort of magic making their clothing impervious to something as trivial as dirt?

My Personal Review for A Troubled Range by Andrew Grey

I have to admit I am a shameless groupie of this author and his books. From the first book I read of Mr. Grey's (The Best Revenge), I have fallen further and further under his spell with each subsequent release.

A Troubled Range is the sequel to A Shared Range and one that had me crying and smiling through the entire story. I thank god no one was home when I read this because frankly, they would wondered who died from all the tissues I was using up. *grins*

Meet Haven Jessup, the cowboy who lives next door to Dakota and Wally (you met Dakota, Wally and Phillip in the first book) for all his life and for the life of him, can not figure out why his dad hates the Holden's so much. Meeting Phillip Reardon was an unexpected treat after visiting Dakota and Wally. Haven is a man who has hidden his secret desires from everyone due to his father's opinions. With each page the reader is drawn into Phillip and Haven's sweet romance and man do the sparks fly between them. I was afraid my computer would start smoking from the sexual tension between the two. 

A Troubled Range is a perfect story to heat up your afternoon with especially as it was gray and cold outside my window. A Troubled Range delivers  sexy cowboys, romance and mystery all rolled up within its pages. Andrew Grey has another winner with his follow up Range story and I, for one, want to know when he will be back to the wilds of Wyoming again. If you are looking for a sweet and sexy M/M Story to enjoy then grab A Troubled Range then settle back. It will be a hot and bumpy ride. I am eager to see what else this author has up his sleeve in the future.

Chatting with Andrew Grey/Excerpt/New Release News

I have the pleasure of havingone of my favorite authors here today, celebrating his brand new release (TODAY!!!) and sitting down with me to chat about chocolate, books and more. Welcome author Andrew Grey to Dawn's Reading Nook. *clap and the reader hears a woo hoo in background*

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?  Today is Valentine’s Day and the release day for Accompanied by a Waltz.  I also have the next installment in the gym series, Crunch Time, and A Troubled Range come out next month.  I also have Seven Days coming out in April. 

What makes a book great in your eyes?  Emotion.  The story can have plenty of action, but if it doesn’t engage me emotionally, I’m going to read it and go on to the next one.  The greatest books of all time are the ones that move us to tears or make us laugh, hopefully both.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?  Chocolate.  I’m an absolute fanatic for it, especially dark and Belgian.  If you mean reading pleasures, I don’t think so.  I hope I write other people’s guilty pleasures.

How much of the book is realistic?  In every story I write there is a basis in reality.  However in Accompanied by a Waltz many of the places are real and some of the situations are real as well, but the characters themselves are strictly from my imagination.

What is the hardest scene you have had to write (published or not)? Why?  In A Taste of Love, I had to write the scene where Billy learns that the boys he always thought of as his brothers, weren’t in fact his brothers and that he was going to lose them to their real parents.  I went through more tissues writing that portion of the book.  Although I will confess that at some point in almost every story I get choked up and have been known to ball my eyes out.  That’s how I know it’s good.  

If you had a reporter follow you around for the day, what would the readers get to see in your daily schedule?  Just how completely and utterly boring a life I lead and how sweet and wonderful my partner is for putting up with me.

When you begin your stories, do you go with the flow, or go with an outline?  I almost always go with the flow.  I never have an overall outline, but I may have ideas of where I want to go.  My vision for a story often includes the beginning and the end.  The rest in the middle happens.

Is it hard coming up with titles or characters names?  God yes!!!  Character names are tough, but I work through them.  My partner comes up with most of my titles.  I’m crappy at it, but he seems to have a gift.  

What does your workstation look like?  I write at home sitting on the sofa with my laptop on the coffee table so I can ignore the television.  All the material for my current story is in my bag or files.  I tend to work wherever it’s comfortable or convenient.  I’ve written on planes, trains, in cars, you name it, very little stops me.

Are you the type of individual who gets weepy at the end of a good movie, or a sad movie, or do you just stay neutral through it all?  I cry like a baby.  If you put on a sad movie, I’ll be crying with the best of them.  

Is there any books coming that you are itching to read (either electronic or print) from your favorite authors?  It’s funny.  I read quite a bit and I find I never have a shortage of material.  I am looking forward to the next Nightrunner book from Lynn Flewelling.  I met her at Yaoicon and she gave me a copy of one of her books and got me hooked. I read everything in a few weeks and am anxiously awaiting more.

If you were to replenish your cabinets with one junk food, what would it be?  Godiva Chocolate.

What is one thing scientists should invent?  A cure for climate change.

Are you a morning person or a night person?  I’ve become more of as morning person although I rarely write early in the day.  I get most of my writing done after noon and into the evening.

Do you like thunderstorms?  No, I absolutely hate them.  I was a crawl under the bed kid and they still scare me to death.  

Where can readers find you on the ‘Net? www.andrewgreybooks.com

 Accompanied by a Waltz

Available TODAY from Dreamspinner Press

MM/Contemporary

Jonathon Pfister’s life has settled into a maudlin existence since the death of Greg, his lover of seventeen years. But Greg’s daughter Jeana has decided she’s had enough, so she rents a small apartment in Vienna for him as a Father’s Day present. Jonathon agrees to go, against his better judgment.

Surprisingly, Jonathon finds the change of scenery refreshing, and he even makes a young friend in Hans, his landlady’s son. Then Hans’s older brother returns home, and Jonathon begins to truly awaken. Fabian touches something inside him, especially when the younger man takes it upon himself to woo Jonathon in full Viennese style, with a waltz. But shadows of the past and expectations for the future loom over them both and will have to be banished for their lovers’ dance to stay in step.

Excerpt

At the docks, Jonathan removed the cover from their small boat. When they’d first bought the cabin, they had just had a fishing boat with a motor. After the first time they’d gotten caught in the rain, Greg had bought a larger boat with a Bimini top. After transferring their gear from the car to the boat, Greg parked the car while Jonathon started the boat motor, and soon they were skimming over the surface of the water, Greg at the wheel, Jonathan sitting next to him.

Greg took his time, like he usually did, keeping the speed down and letting the peacefulness of the lake, trees, and sky work their magic. A few homes could be seen, but most of them sat back far enough that most of the lake looked like the trees came right to the water, like they were in the middle of nowhere.

Almost at the far north end of the lake, Greg slowed the motor and eased the boat against the dock. Jumping out, Jonathan secured the craft, and Greg cut the engine. The sound echoed for a split second and then faded away. There was nothing to replace it except the slosh of the water on the shore and the birds calling from the trees.

The sun was already starting to set by the time they’d hauled everything up from the dock to the four-room log cabin. Outside and in, the place was rustic domesticity at its best. Carrying the suitcases inside, Jonathan placed them in their bedroom, the larger of the two. He loved this room, with its log walls, pine plank ceiling, pine windowsills, and rough beams.

“Would you like me to unpack in here while you check out your kitchen?”

“Okay,” Jonathan answered, “but I’ll meet you on the porch in twenty minutes.”

“Deal.”

Jonathan checked out what had been provided and smiled when he saw fresh steaks, chicken, and a foil packet marked “use first” in rough script. “Looks like lake trout for supper.” God bless their caretaker, Winston, a lifelong laker and their neighbor one cove up.

Grabbing two beers from the fridge, Jonathon carried them to the porch, setting them on a table before standing at the birch-branch railing, looking out over the water. It wasn’t long before a pair of arms snaked around his waist and a head rested on his shoulder. “When you asked to buy this place ten years ago, I didn’t understand why.” Greg’s breath tickled his ear.

“Do you know now?” Jonathon leaned into the touch as a loon called to its mate from the lake below.

“The peace and quiet gets into the soul. I didn’t know how much I needed it.”

“That’s why I bought it, but not why this place is so important now.” Jonathan turned in Greg’s embrace. “This place is important now because when we’re here, you’re mine and mine alone.” Jonathan couldn’t help hugging Greg tightly. “There are no phones, no office, no kids, no courts, no lawyers,” he whispered in his lover’s ear, “and before you say it, you don’t count. You’re not a lawyer when you’re here. You’re just my lover. That’s why this place is so important. I would have sold everything I owned to have a place like this with you.” Jonathon felt a hand on his hair, petting softly. His emotions were very close to the surface, and he didn’t look up.

My New Favorite M/M Author-Shawn Lane

I found a new M/M author to enjoy. If you haven't read any of this author's books, then I must ask.....WHY NOT????!!!!! Shawn Lane is an author that had me crying, laughing and giggling within a space of a few hours. DH thought I was indeed cracking under it all but alas, it was this wonderful book that hit me in the heart. The following is my review for TWICE IN A LIFETIME, a Sutter Bay story.

Twice in a Lifetime
A Sutter Bay Story
Amber Quill Press
Available NOW

M/M Contemporary

Five years before, Jude thought he had everything he ever wanted-a nice life with a wonderful man to love until it all crashed down around him. Leaving San Francisco for Sutter Bay, Jude has tried to rebuild his life with a new career-owning & running a flower shop-and trying to live each day without Martin. Jude doesn’t believe love comes twice around and when the new vet doctor in town sets his sights on Jude, Jude is about to find out that love indeed can be twice as nice the second time around. He just has to believe in love again with Rex and in himself. Can Jude find the strength to let go of a past in order to have a future?

 Shawn Lane does a fabulous job in creating stories that hit you straight in the heart. I fell in love with Jude, with his madcap hair colors to his kohl lined eyes, this was a man I would love to be friends with and have him lean on me in trying times.  This was the first Sutter Bay story I read and when I finished this, I had to check the author website to see if there were any more available. I was thrilled to see there was with another planned. Jude and Rex had sparks from the start yet Jude was a broken man....one who had his life changed in the years before and he is still trying to find that peace again in Sutter Bay. The characters are multi-dimensional, the storyline quick and I have to admit...keep a box of tissues close by...you will need it! Shawn Lane is now on my auto buy list and I am working her back list of M/M titles to enjoy. 

If you  haven't experienced Sutter's Bay yet, I highly suggest you grab TWICE IN A LIFETIME and settle in for an afternoon of tears, heartbreak, healing and the power of love. I just hope I have more tissues in the cupboard for the next book.

NOTE: This  is not an endorsement nor has money changed hands for this review. It's just my opinion on a book I enjoyed and the author has not paid me for this.

Win a FREE Book from Rick R. Reed

M/M Author Rick R. Reed just announced his first ever full length M/M Romance story TRICKS is now out and he wants you to check it out. Go to his blog HERE and get all the information on how to enter the contest for a chance to win a signed print copy of TRICKS. The book looks really good and I know I cannot wait to read it. Can't wait? You can grab it at Amazon, Kindle store or at MLR Press.

TRICKS Blurb:
Tricks can mean many things: sex partners, deceptions, even magic. In Rick R. Reed searing love story, it means all three.

Arliss is a gorgeous young dancer at Tricks, the hottest club in Chicago's Boystown. Sean is the classic nerd, out of place in Tricks, but nursing his wounds from a recent break-up. When the two spy each other, magic blooms.

But this opposites-attract tale does not run smooth. What happens when Arliss is approached by one of the biggest porn producers in the business? Can he make his dreams of stardom come true without throwing away the only real love he's ever known? And will this question even matter if the mysterious producers realize their dark intentions?


Rick will draw the winner on Sunday November 7th.

What are you waiting for? Love M/M.....take a chance with Rick R. Reed's wonderful books.

Getting to know Jan Irving

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

My latest book just out is Jesse, a contemporary western from Loose Id. I wanted to do a May/December romance of a hard working ranch foreman, Kyle Jacobs, and Jesse Coulter, a twenty year old who takes a job working for Kyle—he’s in love with him, even though Kyle was once his older brother’s lover.

What are you working on now? Anything you want to tell us about?

I’m working on A Barley Moon, a paranormal western contemporary romance. Rafael Coulter is a cougar shifter and ranger who lives in the mountains, sheltering a band of misfits. When dedicated teacher Angel Stone arrives at his door with a young boy he claims is Rafael’s son, Rafe is not happy. He doesn’t want to be a father, but Angel may not give him a choice. I’m also working on an unusual m/m/f ménage which I think will be a lot of fun.

What books are currently on your nightstand/bedside? Anything coming you are dying to read?

I’m anticipating reading J.C. Owens’ The Emperor’s Wolf. I read the other stories by this author and enjoyed them. I am also reading Nora Roberts Black Hills.

If one of your books were to be made into a movie, which book would you choose and who do you see playing your characters and why?

I think probably The Janitor. Maybe a young Colin Firth as Noel, the shy graduate student who falls for boxer and janitor, Dane. Dane would be played by Ian Somerhalder. Why it would be a good film is Dane is a very endearing hero who winds up in the boxing ring at that climax of the book.

What is your favorite pizza toppings?

I sometimes go hiking on a small island with a fantastic wood fire oven pizzeria. My favorite is olive oil, cracked salt and fresh rosemary, only that.

Which do you prefer:Mac or PC? 

PC. I’ve never used a Mac.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to one of your characters?

I think probably when I killed a father figure one of my heroes loved deeply. But I had to do it.

Which of your books contains the sexiest love scene? (if you have one that is J)

That’s a tough question. I usually like whatever one I’ve done most recently. I think it would be a tie between Mastering Toby and Jesse. There is a threesome in Mastering Toby and in Jesse, the first kiss leads to a pretty explosive scene.

Which of your covers is your favorite?

Very tough question. I think I’ll have to go with April Martinez’ cover for my first book The Janitor. It’s riveting.

Which of your books was the easiest to write? 

Most recently Jesse was the easiest because I wrote it in a white heat over six weeks. I didn’t work on anything else except for edits of other material during that time, really swept away.

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

Sometimes the endings are very hard. I sometimes add something to them later, like with Luke, I added an epilogue a few months after I finished the novella.

Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?

I write under Jan Irving but it’s not quite my full name, so there is a degree of separation.

Where can readers find you on the ‘net for more information on you, your books and other fun stuff?

My website: www.janirvingwrites.com

Sneak Peek Excerpt: Jesse by Jan Irving
Loose Id Publishing
M/M Contemporary Western

When Jesse Coulter roars up on a Harley one dusty afternoon back into ranch foreman Kyle Jacob's life, Kyle is confronted with everything forbidden he has wanted for years. Jesse is twenty years old, with a ruff of dark hair and blue eyes that remind Kyle of the heart of a lit gasoline flame, yet Kyle can’t let himself touch Jesse because not only is he too young, he's the brother of Kyle's lost lover Mac. That they also share an uncanny telepathic bond hasn’t made things any easier for an ordinary working cowboy; Kyle is drawn into Jesse’s dreams of him as the hot older man Jesse holds captive, pleasuring him every night with Jesse’s raw man-takes-man brand of lovemaking. But Kyle and Jesse face other problems to their unconventional romance. Jesse has custody of his vulnerable younger brother who aches for a stable home, and an enemy from Kyle’s past is threatening not only his beloved draft horses and carriage business but the new life and family he yearns for.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM elements, male/male sexual practices.

Excerpt:

When Jesse Coulter roared up on his battered Harley, a dust cloud a high plume behind him, Kyle ducked behind the bunkhouse on the Double M Ranch.

Ducked, hell. Here he was, the foreman, and he was hiding! He pulled off the leather gloves he'd been wearing while working in the horse barn and wiped his damp, shaking palms on his dusty jeans, tears burning his eyes.

Jesse.

He couldn't stop himself from taking another look at the young man as he removed his motorcycle helmet, his dark brown hair still cut short, but spiky at the front. His lean face was on the long side, with a trace of early beard on his chin, adding the texture of manhood to his olive skin. But it was his eyes that made Kyle feel like he'd taken a punch, eyes the pale blue flame of a lighter flaring in the dark.

His lover Mac's kid brother. Kyle had missed Jesse intensely, an ache in his gut.

Kyle hadn't seen Jesse since the day of Mac's funeral. He squeezed his eyes shut, remembered pulling up in his truck at the ranch that terrible day, Jesse and his younger brother, David, crammed together in the passenger side, Jesse looking at Kyle so Kyle could see his bewilderment. Why had Mac died?

"Jesus, kid, I don't know." Kyle's voice had broken as he undid his seat belt. It'd been an accident. Looking for reasons… He couldn't help doing it too while the clock ticked in his empty bedroom.

Jesse had helped the dazed twelve-year-old David out of his seat belt from habit. They'd all stumbled from the truck, the boys wearing black jeans and T-shirts because there'd been no time to purchase suits for Mac's funeral. Suddenly David had thrown himself into Kyle's arms.

"He's never coming back," he’d whispered.

Holding on to David, rubbing his back, Kyle had felt lost. He had been forty-one, and he'd felt lost. He'd stared at Jesse, at the single tear that tracked down his cheek before dripping off the edge of his jaw. "Jesse," he had whispered, aching to give comfort. Kyle took a deep breath and tried the other way to communicate with Jesse, to offer him what solace he could.

"Jesse, I don't know why Mac's gone. It doesn't make sense."

Jesse's jaw ticked, and for a long moment Kyle thought he wouldn't make use of the strange telepathic bond that linked them. Hell if Kyle understood it, but from the moment Mac had brought his younger  brothers to the ranch, Kyle had been able to pick up on Jesse's thoughts sometimes.

"I have to take care of David. How do I do that?"

Jesse's voice sounded like everything that made him Jesse. Like his love of tinkering with engines at school, like a fork of lightning before connecting with a tree.

 "You and David will always have a home here with me. We'll find a way to stay a family, I promise you.”

Buy Jesse here: http://www.loose-id.com/Jesse.aspx

Getting to know Lee Rowan

Like a lot of writers, I go blank when faced with “Tell us a little about yourself.”  So I enlisted two of my favorite colleagues to give me the third degree—Alex Beecroft, who writes like Patrick O’Brian might have if he’d been doing gay Age of Sail novels, (Captain’s Surrender, False Colors), and Charlie Cochrane, who’s had plenty of experience questioning suspects via her handsome sleuths in her smash Cambridge Dons series that begins with Lessons in Love.

Okay, ladies, I’m in the hot seat:

ALEX:

How long have you been writing? What made you start?

I wanted to write those books based on TV shows... the original-novel sort, “pro fanfic.”  But I was only in junior high and though my queries were turned down gently... they were turned down.

What was your first book and what was it about?

It was a Man from UNCLE fanfiction, and it was about twenty pages--before I gave up because I was only around 12 or 13 and didn’t know enough about the world.  Frustrating!  My first published book was Ransom, about two young Naval officers who decide love is worth risking death for.

If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?

I’m not sure I would want to be one of my characters—not permanently, anyway.   Maybe Lord Robert Scoville... he’s got a lovely man to keep house for him, and he gets to travel the Victorian world in first class accommodations

What are you looking for in a hero?

A person who, when things are really bad, would put himself (or herself) between danger and the one s/he loves.  Someone who knows the easy way out, but does the right thing.  Sounds corny, but that’s what a hero is.

What are you enjoying reading at the moment?

Mysteries by Rex Stout and Georges Simenon—two masters at creating a unique and specific world—New York City for Nero Wolfe, Paris for Inspector Maigret.

What do you do when you're not writing?

Lately, haul my animals back and forth to the vet, or pour water on the garden, or engage in hand-to-hand combat with an apparently endless string of home improvement projects.

What do you like better to write - series or stand alone novels?

Series, apparently.  When I get a set of characters who really work for me, they seem to take up residence in my subconscious and keep tossing out ‘oh, and by the way, did you know what we’re doing now...?’ sort of teasers.

What automatically puts you off a book?

Graphic depictions of physical cruelty, especially to animals.  And if it’s committed by someone who’s supposed to be a ‘good guy,’ that’s it for the book.   In fact, if there is no one character I can even like, I won’t finish the book.  Twenty years ago I would have, but there are enough unpleasant people in the real world—I refuse to spend my time to fictional jerks.

Tell us about the books you have out at the moment?

Home is the Sailor – AT LAST!  The fourth novel in the Royal Navy series.  It’s interesting how the series has worked out—Ransom was mostly about Davy, Winds of Change and Eye of the Storm were more about Will, and Home brings us back to Davy and sets the course for the rest of their lives together.   There may be other books, but if the series ended here, I’d feel I brought them safe to harbor.

CHARLIE:

If you had twenty four words to describe what you write, what would you say?

Ordinary people who find themselves in situations where they also find, within themselves, the ability to ‘give and hazard all’ for the sake of love.

That’s one word over your limit, but I could hardly leave out the love!

Why do you write the genre you do, as opposed to something that people might call more mainstream?

I write the stories I want to read, and there’s not much of it in the mainstream! 

Where would you like to see m/m romance in five years time? What do you think it would take to get it there?

Right on the shelf beside other romances.  It’ll take time.  It always does.

Can you tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise your readers?

I’ve walked on fire.  And no, the next stop was not the hospital!   I was trying to get up the nerve to quit a full-time office job and go half-time to open my massage therapy practice, with the idea that, one day, I could do massage and write in my free time.   It’s very interesting:  once you have put your bare feet on red-hot coals and crossed without being burned, your mind kind of redefines the word “impossible.”

Can you tell me about one book/story that is your style to a T - the sort of 'If you like this you'll love the rest of it' story?

I think Ransom or Gentleman’s Gentleman fit that bill...  one is my writing at its most serious, the other is a little lighter. 

And…. one of these days, I’ve got a few questions of my own!

Talking with Scarlett Parrish

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

I write erotic romance. Within that genre, I dabble in contemporary, M/M and urban fantasy. I want to try a little bit of everything, as long as it’s spicy, too!

I’ve always written. Always. But I never felt I’d really hit my stride until November 2008, when I complained to my ‘partner in grime’ Lori (who writes as Lauren Gallagher and L.A. Witt) that I had no ideas left in the tank. Being a no-nonsense type she said, “Ah, just make up some characters, get them drunk and have them fuck a lot.”

I took her advice and the result was Long Time Coming, which is why that book is dedicated to her.

I have never had so much fun since I started writing erotic romance. Finding my genre was like coming home.

What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?

Character is plot. If my characters are three-dimensional, they determine their own course of action much of the time. Even with the projects I outline, my characters have a tendency to turn around and say “Nope, not doing that. This is a better way to make the story develop.” It’s fun when that happens; it shows they’re becoming real people...if only in my own head.

It’s really helpful for me to ask all my main characters three things: What do you want? How far are you prepared to go to get it? What will happen if you don’t?

Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?

Sometimes. But as with the original spark of an idea, by the time the book’s finished, the characters and situations bear no resemblance to whatever (or whoever) inspired them.

It’s fairly accurate to say I use templates on occasion, but the characters soon become wholly themselves rather than offshoots of so-and-so.

How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish?

From opening up MS Word and typing ‘chapter one’ to finishing the first draft? It averages out at around three months. I know I can write faster than that; I’m not as self-disciplined as I ought to be so that’s my number one thing to work on regarding my writing. Lori is a great motivator for working harder and faster – she’s a robot ninja from the future with pens for fingers. She can write an entire novel in the time it takes my laptop to boot up.

I’ve been advised by well-meaning folk, “Don’t push yourself,” but that’s a mindset I’ll never subscribe to. I’m in this game specifically for that reason. I want each book to be better than the last and I always want to be pushing myself.

But no matter how long the first draft takes to write, I never need more than two weeks to edit it to submission standard. It must work because my editor told me I gave her one of the cleanest manuscripts she’d ever seen in all her years in the job. (Strange, as it’s a ‘dirty’ book)!

The thought of taking a year to write one book fills me with horror. Anything longer than three months feels like an eternity. I’d like to get it down to two for a novel, one for a novella. There are too many books to be written to spend longer than that on one.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

My only published book thus far is Long Time Coming, which I mentioned earlier. It was written less because of inspiration, more because of a dare. I wrote it blind, with no outline, no plan, nothing. It ended up being the story of a woman who’s a bit of a player, and the man who finally tames her. I wanted to see if I could write a sexy book and ended up falling in love with the hero, Leo, myself!

When you're not writing, what do you like to do to just kick back and have fun?

I’m not gregarious by any stretch of the imagination, so I like to spend time alone or in very, very small groups – no more than say, four or five people. Ideally one-on-one. Truthfully, I’m an introvert, which doesn’t mean psychotically anti-social; whereas an extrovert would be energised in company, I feel like that about solitude. Company drains me. I like to go to the cinema alone or stay home and read. To be honest, writing’s the most fun I can have on my own (snerk) and that’s why I do so much of it. I’ve found what I most love to do, and I get paid for it. No hobby or pastime comes close to giving me that much pleasure.

Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?

I don’t. I say it doesn’t exist.

People who claim to have it are putting the responsibility for their work outside of themselves. Blaming time, family, work, illness, whatever. Yet there are others in exactly the same situation who get on and do it. There are twenty-four hours in everyone’s day.

Ideas are all around us. There’s always something to write. We never hear of hairdresser’s block or dentist’s block or shop assistant’s block. We don’t always feel like bouncing out of bed and getting on with the day at hand and that’s tough but if you want to pay the bills, you do your job.

You know the best cure for ‘writer’s block’? A mortgage.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

Definitely yes and I have no idea where it came from; no-one else in my family was a reader.

The first book I read that made me realise what words can do was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. The Twits by Roald Dahl was another childhood favourite. I read Dracula at the age of seven and that sparked a lifelong love of all things undead. I binged on Danielle Steel novels in my teens. I still read children’s and YA books in my thirties. There’s no rhyme or reason to my reading tastes over the years. I was a voracious reader throughout my youth and still am today, though the vast majority of books I read now are in the genre I write – erotic romance. I carry my e-reader everywhere. I also like historical biographies and historical fiction set during the Wars of the Roses or the Tudor period.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

I lean towards Anne Boleyn. She was innocent of the charges against her in my opinion. I would have liked to have known the real Anne, rather than the historical figure. But as the saying goes, “History is written by the victors.”

Or Leonardo da Vinci. Can you imagine picking that genius’s brains?

What do you see for the future of publishing and ebooks?

There are a lot of doom-merchants when it comes to publishing. I don’t believe a word of it. As Adam Ant once sang, “There is always room at the top/ Don’t let them tell you that there is not.” Storytelling’s been with us since the dawn of mankind. It’s not going away any time soon.

As for ebooks? They’ll grow in popularity, like any new technology. A couple of decades ago mobile phones were expensive and as big as housebricks. Now everyone’s got one. The same will be true of e-readers.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

Love? Daniel Cross from The Devil You Know, which will be on submission by the time this interview’s published. He’s a shameless flirt who’d nail anything that moves, male or female. His flirting is of the sort that makes the object of his attention feel like the only man or woman in the world. So by his own admission he’s a slut, but he’s charismatic and fun with it.

Hate? None of them. Cian Ambrose from A Little Death (a novella which will be on sub soon after this interview goes public) is a psychopathic killer, but hey, we’ve all got faults. And he’s just a little angry at the whole ‘undead and condemned to a life of bloodsucking and no-one truly understanding or loving him’ thing.

Fear – see above. Cian again!

Pity? I treat all my characters badly; it’s a wonder they don’t hate me, but everyone gets what they deserve in the end. I do feel sorry when I have to hurt one of the good guys, though.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?

Just like I don’t believe in writer’s block, I wouldn’t say the muse is a real person either. However, just as there are things which make writing more challenging but not impossible, there are other things which make writing easier.

Having a good night’s sleep (rare). Having nothing to do for the rest of the day, which frees me up to think of whatever book I’m working on at the time. Music. I don’t listen while I work, but if I’m doing chores for example, I’ll listen to a favourite album or two which I nominate as soundtrack for my work-in-progress. It’s a way of almost hypnotising myself into the writing mindset. And caffeine. Caffeine is always good. Twining’s Assam tea is nectar.

Plus, when my partner in grime, Lori, is online, I find it much easier to get work done. I have no idea why this is the case, but it works, so I’ll take it. She’s the only person I can talk to on MSN without getting distracted. I’m miles more productive when she’s around.

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

I’ve always got one book on the go. Just like Lori, I only draft one book at a time, but I may also be working on galleys, edits or revisions for another and synopses and queries for still more.

At the moment I’m drafting a novel with the working title Family Jewels, set in – yes, a jewellery store. The owner’s daughter and the acting manager take a shine to each other, and you can imagine the rest...

Have you ever experienced weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?

Um...I write erotica. Cravings? You do the math. ;)

I think I’ll leave it at that.

What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had?

A conversation with a complete stranger in a library about the works of Anais Nin and the Marquis de Sade.

You come back from the dead as a spirit, what message are you trying to get across?

That 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park and Goo Goo Dolls are the three greatest bands in the universe, if every good-looking man had at least three tattoos the world would be a better place, and whatever the question, chocolate is the answer.

If you were a world ruler and you were given a choice of 3 laws to enact, what would they be?

1 – The ‘If your surname is Leto, shirts are illegal and tattoos are compulsory’ Law.

2 – The ‘If your neighbours make too much noise, homicide is the only option’ Law.

3 – Jude Law.

Where can we find you on the web?

I don’t have a website – yet! – but I have a blog at http://scarlettparrish.blogspot.com/ and both fan mail and hate mail are welcome at scarlettparrish@gmail.com