Talking with Alex Beecroft

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

There's not much to tell.  I'm a person whose fantasy life is a lot more interesting than their real life, thank goodness!  I have several genres that I enjoy – Historical, Fantasy and Mystery.  I've also written a contemporary and a ghost story.  In fact, other than Horror and Western, I don't think there's a genre I wouldn't attempt if you asked me to.

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

Characters, definitely.  I often take the first five chapters or so to find out who my characters are and what they want, and only then do I sit down and figure out what the plot is.  The characters have to be alive and kicking before they can start making the decisions which lead to the plot.  This method often means that I have to go back and re-write the first five chapters once I know what I'm doing, but it's worth the extra effort.

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

Yes.  I'm not a very visual writer.  I don't see pictures in my head when I write, so if I didn't find a photo to use as a visual reference, I would probably not know, myself, what my characters looked like.   I usually start off by "casting" actors to play my characters.  Peter Kenyon from Captain's Surrender, for example, is played by James D'Arcy and John Cavendish from False Colors by Simon Woods.

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

It depends on the length and complexity of the book.  I would say that a novel length book, 80,000 words or more, takes me not less than nine months and sometimes a year.  I do three drafts and a final polish, and an awful lot can change between drafts.  Usually the more I think about the book, the more ideas I get for how all the different pieces can be tied together.  My first drafts are terrible!  Almost all the good stuff gets added in during my revisions.

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

My latest book is called Shining in the Sun.  It's a holiday romance between a rich yachtsman and a poor surfer.  They both have terrible lives (in very different ways) and react by running away from them for one month of freedom every year, but this year they run into each other and discover that together they're strong enough to turn around and start facing their problems.

I was inspired by my own summer holidays, which I spend in the same village that I write about in the book.  It's such a lovely place that I wanted to wrap it up with a bow and give it to everyone, so that they could have a Cornish summer holiday too.

How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author? Do you read your own reviews?

Reader reaction is hugely important to me.  I read all the reviews I can find, and when they're good I feel that this slaving over a hot typewriter is all worth while.  Good reviews definitely make me want to write more.  Bad ones do make me want to give up, but – fortunately for me – the impulse rarely lasts more than a week before I pick myself up again and go on regardless.  But I treasure all my positive reviews, and keep them to re-read when I'm feeling down and depressed.  They always cheer me up.

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

At the moment I'm writing a very long Fantasy novel called Under the Hill.  It may even end up being two volumes.  It's a quirky tale of a group of amateur ghostbusters and how they bite off more than they can chew when they find themselves going up against the Faerie Queen.  It was inspired in part by the ending of Torchwood.  I had enjoyed Torchwood when it was fun and slightly silly, rather than when it became very slick but dreadfully depressing.  So I wanted to do a story about a paranormal investigation agency myself, but to keep it fairly lighthearted and romantic and avoid laying on too much angst.

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

At the moment I'm absolutely swamped in research.  I'm reading all about World War Two for a historical romance I mean to do after I've finished Under the Hill.  So I'm enthralled by Enemy Coast Ahead by Guy Gibson, and Bomber Boys by Patrick Bishop.  And for light relief I'm reading the Inspector Barnaby books by Caroline Graham.  I can't wait for my copy of Counterpoint by Ruth Sims to arrive from America, though.  That will trump everything, when it gets here.

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

I would say False Colors because it's the book I'm best known for.  It's also more representative of what my writing is normally about than Shining in the Sun.  I am very proud of Shining in the Sun, but partly I'm proud of it because it's the sort of book I didn't think I could write – I'm not a contemporary fan in general – and I don't know that I would be able to do it again.

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

Probably Thomas Clarkson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Clarkson

Because there is a straightforward example of a man whose life made the world a better place.

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

I'm sure that ebooks will go from strength to strength.  Once I got my ebook reader I became a firm convert to the idea of having a library in my pocket.  As far as publishing goes, however, I hesitate to guess.  It seems clear, though, that reading is not going to go away for a long time, so I don't think that writers are going to become obsolete quite yet.

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

It's as hard to choose which character you love most as it is to choose which of your children you love most.  You love them all equally, though sometimes for different reasons.  I love John Cavendish from False Colors because of his delicacy, and Garnet Littleton from Blessed Isle because nothing phases him at all.  I love Darren (also known as Ryan) from Shining in the Sun because he's such a foul-mouthed vulnerable mess, and Jasper from The Wages of Sin because he has suffered and been made stronger and more compassionate by it.  

I don't hate any of them, but I pity Captain Edwards in Captain's Surrender and Darren's father in Shining in the Sun because they are so self-centered and self-righteous that they will probably never understand how hateful they've allowed themselves to become.

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

I don't think I actually have one.  I have a strangely personal relationship with my characters, who come to life and often refuse to do what I think they should.  I'm always very happy when they surprise me, because it means they have become their own people.  But I don't think I have a muse in addition to them.

When I'm feeling uninspired I just wait until something comes along that interests me, and I go with that.  Sometimes the interest fizzles out, and sometimes it gets stronger for feeding – the way the WW2 idea has.  When it carries on getting stronger and starts becoming an obsession, I know I have my next idea/setting for a book.

If there was a soundtrack to your latest novel, what genre/songs would be included?

For Shining in the Sun, The Boys of Summer by Don Henley, definitely.  Also lots of Trance music – Sunset on Ibiza, God is a DJ, Southern Sun, Rapture by Armin van Buren, that sort of thing.


Which of your characters would you most likely fall for if they were real?

Either Jasper or Alfie (from False Colors), I think.  They are both uncomplicated, sensual, sunny characters who enjoy life and are well able to cope with anxious, nervous, self-sabotaging partners like me.  Jasper would be better for me because he doesn't have Alfie's temper and would stay calm when I yelled and threw plates. 

Having said that, though, I would have to be a gay man first, because falling for any of them would not do me any good in my present state.


Besides the bedroom, what's the sexiest part of your home in your opinion and why?

The garden – it's enclosed and surrounded on all sides by climbing roses, honeysuckle and jasmine, so that in the evening it's cool and full of scent, and none of the neighbors can see in.

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

I have a website here:

http://alexbeecroft.com

but I'm most often found hanging out on livejournal

http://alex-beecroft.livejournal.com/

Or, if you are in the UK, come along to the m/m meetup in Ely this September and meet me in person:

http://community.livejournal.com/ely_meet/profile

Sneak Peek into Shining In The Sun:

Footfalls gently whispered across sandy soil and grass.  He was turning when Ryan's arms slipped about him.  His shoulder collided with the yellow skeletal fish on the front of Ryan's T-shirt, which gave him a quizzical look. 

The kiss that must have been intended for the crown of his head landed on his temple.  It might have been the clapper and he the bell, the way he rang with it.  A sweet shock vibrated through every particle of him, echoed in his chest and trembled into silence at his finger ends.

"Ah!" he said, thought whiting out in sensation as Ryan shifted behind him to align himself better, chest to Alec's back.  Alec's buttocks nestled into the curve of Ryan's groin.  He could feel the press of his own thin linen slacks and Ryan's numerous pockets and zips, keys and change and the hot, smooth bulge of his swelling prick.

"S'OK," Ryan murmured into the nape of his neck, breath stirring the little hairs there, making him shiver all over.  "You don't have to do that."  His hands burrowed under the blazer's rough wool, stroking over Alec's stomach.  Splaying out wide, they pulled Alec gently but inexorably back against him.  There must be electricity in the palms of them: the fingertips poured out gentle sparks of need into each millimetre of skin over which they slid.  Ryan touched his lips and then his tongue to the back of Alec's neck, and harbour path, sea and sundial swam into steel before him as his eyes unfocussed and slid shut.  "You don't have to do anything."

Oh God!  Alec's life unravelled under Ryan's hands.  His own cock stiffened, needy and demanding, and Ryan's hand slid slowly down his belly to cup it, heat welling through his palm.  The firm slow press filled Alec's backbone and belly with writhing prickly pleasure.  Summer was here, beating on his back, boiling in his veins and balls. 

All at once, he thought of his father, his share portfolio.  Whist foursomes, wedding plans, his mother's tears and hopes for grandchildren rose up to blot out the sun.  He thought he stiffened with realization, but instead found himself pushing into the hard encircling fingers.

"The car!  Oh, God, I… oh… I never called back for the car!  And they'll be…"  A kiss just beneath his ear, the laving press of Ryan's tongue down the side of his neck and the words skittered away.  He groped for them as if they could shield him from this – oh – this glory.  "Shut.  They'll be shut now."

"You can stay with me."

http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shining-in-the-sun-p-5869.html

Getting to know author Charlie Cochrane

Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?

Not at all. Like many teenagers I dabbled with writing ‘slash’ (only it wouldn’t have been called slash then) but it was pretty awful. It was only as I hit my late forties I got into writing again (fanfic) and sort of took it from there.

Your work is very popular with readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such positive recognition for your work?

Gobsmacking. Mind boggling. Seriously, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to getting a good review or receiving one of those lovely e-mails from a stranger saying “I really loved your story, because…” To open the inbox and find one of those waiting is the highlight of my day.

Of course I get negative reviews/comments as well, but that’s part of the game. The only proper public reply to a naff review is, “Thank you”, then you can go and swear and gnash your teeth in private. As my writing hero E M Forster said, “Some reviews give pain. This is regrettable, but no author has the right to whine. He was not obliged to be an author, He invited publicity and he must take the publicity that comes along.”

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

It’s as simple (and as hard) as making the reader want to turn the page and find out what happens next. Maybe that boils down to having characters you care about or maybe it’s just a cracking plot. Or the book’s hilariously funny, like ‘Three Men in a Boat’.

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

Lessons in Desire is the second of the Cambridge Fellows series of historical gay romantic mysteries and it’s in print on 6^th July. I was inspired by all the wonderful holidays we’ve had on the island of Jersey. It really is a magical place, where you feel the weather’s always good, the food’s magnificent and you’ve almost stepped back in time. All those elements found their way into the book.

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

I love Jonty most because he’s gone through awful times and emerged whole and honourable. And he’s gorgeous. I pity one of his tormentors (his old House Master) because the man simply doesn’t understand what’s right and what’s wrong.

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

It’s a him, my muse. He can be placated with good music, sport, jelly babies and just writing about anything. Also, if I start scribbling/typing something not necessarily related to what I should be doing then he gets jealous and makes me focus again.

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

I have a Cambridge Fellows story set in 1919 that I’ve just finished and submitted. Otherwise, I have a short story coming out in an anthology and several projects I’m working on as the muse allows. 

 What is the most ridiculous thing that you have thought about doing to any of your characters but never did?

If I think of something ridiculous I usually do it (Jonty and Orlando rolling down a hill and thinking they’re going to die in Lessons in Desire springs to mind).

How do you keep track of your world building?

With difficulty. I do keep notes (to which I have to refer often) but my mind finds that uncomfortable. I like to keep as much as I can stored in my brain, partly because if I can’t keep tabs with who’s who and what’s where, how can the reader? (And does any of that make sense?)

 

Which author(s) is your favorite? And who has most influenced you work?

Patrick O’Brian probably heads the list. Talk about characterisation, world building and all the rest of it, because he had it in spades. And humour, too. I suspect consciously or subconsciously, he’s influenced my writing hugely, as have writers like Jerome K Jerome (for the right tone for my historical fiction) and Alan Bennett (for sheer invention and an appreciation of what it is to be English).

I also like ‘classic’ cosy mystery writers like Simon Brett and Ngaio Marsh – and for non-fiction, you can’t beat the thinking woman’s crumpet, Michael Wood.

 Do you feel your writing is character driven or plot driven? How do you balance these two elements?

Character, always. I only work from the vaguest plot outlines—getting from A to Z with no particular details about how we get there. I like to find out where my characters want to take me and if that means having to go back and rewrite earlier bits to keep a unity within the whole, so be it.

 What is your favorite movie of all time? The one where you can watch it and still get affected at the same spots each and every time?

Master and Commander. I’ve watched it a bajillion times and still get choked up when the young acting lieutenant gets killed. The best viewing has been on a big screen, under the stars in a park on the island of Jersey, with bats flitting around and shooting stars in the sky. Perfect.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 5 things would you have with you?

Can I have a laptop with internet access and unlimited power? Or a satellite TV? (I have to be able to keep in touch with sport!) otherwise I’d like: the sweatshirt Sophia Deri-Bowen gave me, the one that’s absolutely wonderful to snuggle up in; paper, pens and pencils for writing and sketching; my black haematite necklace; and a huge supply of jelly babies. 

What is your favorite way to relax after a hard day working and writing?

Anyone who vaguely knows me could probably guess that it would be watching sport on TV. Rugby, cricket, golf, we don’t mind. And it’s great camaraderie, sitting as a family cheering on your team, especially on cold winter nights.

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

That’s really hard to answer. I suspect Lessons in Trust or Lessons in Power are my best books, but as they’re books 7 and 4 respectively in the Cambridge series, that might not be logical. Lessons in Love is the first in the series, so you could start there.

Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?

My website is www.charliecochrane.co.uk, but I tend to update my blog http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/ or facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000878813798 a bit quicker. If you want to e-mail me, cochrane.charlie2@googlemail.com usually gets through!

*~*

Sneak peek into Lessons in Desire now available in print and e-book from Samhain Publishing

Jonty drew his hand down his lover’s face, across his lips. It was the first time they’d touched with any degree of intimacy since they’d left St. Bride’s. The caress made Orlando shudder afresh, as if they were touching for the first time. “We may have two bedrooms, but do we really need to use them both? It’d be easy enough to slip across before the early morning tea arrives, if we set your alarm clock.”

Orlando looked up, determined to refuse. He was still feeling skittish about staying in a suite of rooms with his lover. Sharing a bed was beyond any imagining although, ironically, the item in question was a glorious double bed such as he’d dreamed, on many an occasion, of sleeping in with Jonty. “I’m not sure I feel sufficiently recovered from the journey to want to do anything except sleep.” He studied his hands, the shirt he was trying to hang up, anything but his lover.

“That would be fine. I’m as happy to simply slumber next to you as anything else. There are plenty of other days for romance—we could just be fond friends tonight, or pretend to be that old couple we played cards with. Still very much in love yet beyond the thralls of passion.” Jonty gently touched his friend’s hand.

Orlando felt as if a spider was crawling down the back of his neck, and his discomfiture must have been plain. “What if we slept apart, just for tonight?”

They had reached the crux of why he’d been so keen not to come on holiday. He was frightened of taking their relationship outside the college walls, displaying it to the world. Within the ivy-clad, male-dominated locality of St. Bride’s, it had been easy to maintain a friendship which was more than close without raising a suspicious eyebrow. He’d spent little time with Jonty out of Cambridge, apart from a visit or two to London, where they’d stayed in the relatively safe environs of the Stewart family home. To be with the man in a strange place was to put himself at risk of making a demonstration of his affection by an unguarded look or touch.

Any footman could walk through the streets of town in his bowler-hatted Sunday best, hand in hand with a parlour maid. A pair of dons could never be allowed such freedom; not in Cambridge and certainly not on Jersey. If they ever were mad enough to be tempted, all they had to do was remember the law—two years of hard labour and public disgrace would be no holiday.

Jonty slammed down the toothbrush he’d been unpacking. “Oh, go and sleep in the bath if you want to! I haven’t the heart to put up with this nonsense. I’m going to sleep in my own bed, in my own soft pyjamas, with my own book. If you change your mind and decide to join me, make sure you knock, because I might just have found other company.” He spun on his heels, entering his bedroom with a slam of the door which caused the windows to shake.

http://samhainpublishing.com/coming/lessons-in-desire-print

Meet Author Donica Covey

Tell us about your latest project/release. What inspired it? Is it part of a series or a stand alone?  My latest release is a romantic suspense paranormal called Cry Wolf coming from Samhain Publishing on June 8^th. It is a standalone book about wolf shape shifters, Lycans. I had been switching the television channels and came across a rerun of an old TV series called Wolf Lake about a community of shape shifters. I was like “huh…what if he was in love with her and…” I came to my computer sat down and within a matter of weeks the book was written.

Do you work on multiple projects at the same time? Yes, I do. It should be hard for me to concentrate when I have so many different irons in the fire but sometimes my brain needs to switch gears and go from writing extremely deep angsty, edgy dark to something a bit lighter. For example I just finished a romantic suspense novel for a four book series that deals with all sorts of murder, mayhem, interstate human trafficking and drug running and am anxiously awaiting the editor to contact me and let me know what they think of the series/book. In the meantime I'm writing a fairytale-esque fantasy to lighten up the mood that settled in my mind while dealing with the VERY bad guys.

What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself? Hmm. Well I’m actually very happy where I am. Way back when I had original taken up writing my dream was to be an award winning, bestselling author with a NY house. As I’ve grown I’ve realized the golden ring of NY is actually brass and I love the freedom that comes from being with ebook publishers. Will I ever try NY again? I try never to say never but I just don’t see it happening. So, what goals have I come up with? To be the BEST author I possibly can be. In the next five years I’d love to see my reader base multiplied by a couple hundred readers.

When you're not writing, what do you like to do to just kick back and have fun? There’s so many things I do! I love to bake, spend time with my daughter and son once removed (I am TOO young to be called Grandma!) or hang out with my friends the K&R crew. I love ATVing, shooting, hunting, fishing, hiking and reading.

Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it? Writer’s block? Please, it’s the BANE of my existence. I get it very frequently. I’ve tried all different remedies for it. Sometimes forcing myself to write even if its garbage helps, other times I put away the file and work on a new project to give myself a break. Sometimes I have to completely unravel the story and begin fresh in order to get the muse back on speaking terms with me.

Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress? Actually? I’ve never had a deadline issue before.  **knocks wood** I mean the only real deadlines I get are for edits and usually I have those returned within 48 hours so…

 Where can readers find you on the web? I LOVE the internet! I can be found hanging out all over:

 My website www.donicacovey.com

FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/donica.covey

Twitter http://twitter.com/DonicaCovey

Mavens of Romance website http://mavensofromance.wordpress.com

Infinite Worlds of Fantasy http://www.iwofa.net

Shades of suspense: http://tinyurl.com/c8y7zl

The Writer’s Vineyard http://thewritersvineyard.com

Missouri Authors Blog http://moauthors.blogspot.com

The Raven Happy Hour http://tinyurl.com/yc5tajo

Gateway Guardians http://tinyurl.com/dn6rp5

What summer movie(s) are you itching to see? I’m not a big “going to the movies” fan. But I’d love to see Iron Man 2, Letters to Juliet, The Back Up Plan and the Brendan Fraser movie Furry Vengeance—that looks sufficiently silly. It seems as if Hollywood has no original thoughts—they have to try to make money by recycling Clash of the Titans and Nightmare on Elm Street? Please! Show some originality. Beside’s they’ll NEVER touch the originals! I know it’s done all the time. Each decade has recycled films but it just grates on my nerves LOL

Excerpt of Cry Wolf 

The dart hit Remy in the hip and he loosed a pained yelp. He wouldn’t be able to shift now. Crap, was he ever in a bind. His plan to be captured was working just a little too well, he decided miserably before he passed out from the drug.

Remy?

He blinked several times and finally opened his groggy eyes. The cage he was in had a plywood bottom set over metal bars. He pushed into a standing position and scanned the room. Angela stood across the room from him, locked in the cage he’d seen in his dream. Her face was streaked with tears and lined with worry.

I’m all right, sweetheart. I promise.

Why did you do it? Have you lost your mind?

I had to get to you.

She didn’t reply and he tensed. A squat man with wire-framed glasses, a piggish nose and matted brown hair stepped up to the cage.

“Well, well. Hello boy. Decided to finally wake up?”

Remy felt all the hair on his body rise. He growled deep then pulled back his lips to bare his fangs.

The man merely laughed. He turned and moved toward Angela.

The fear radiating from her was a tangible thing. He could see it in a halo around her body. The yellow-green haze clung to her tightly.

Remy growled and snapped at the cage door. Memories flashed through her mind and he watched as she relived the horror of the man touching her, invading her body.

Rage surged fresh and Remy’s desire for blood grew equal to his hate.

The man paced between the two cages. His face was masked with thought. “The fertilization worked,” he said with a smile spreading across his face. He moved closer to Angela. “The cells are dividing and splitting normally, although they seem to be reproducing more quickly than normal. Of course, considering what a magnificent creature the mother is, I shouldn’t be surprised.” He moved closer. “Which would you prefer, male or female?”

Remy stared at the man but he was focusing on Angela.

“You seem shocked. You aren’t aware of this? See, when the embryo is only three days developed we can do a cell retrieval that will reveal if it contains male or female chromosomes. So, would you prefer a male or female…what, child? Pup?”

He paced away again. “Implantation—”

Remy read the moment her mood changed from fear to rage. She was swallowed in a red-tinged black mist. Her hands clenched into tight fists and there was death in her eyes.

“It will never happen,” she snarled.

The man chuckled briefly. “When are you going to learn? Things happen the way I say they will.” He seemed to hesitate. “Tomorrow. Yes, I think tomorrow, if things continue to develop as they are now.” He threw back his head and boomed a laugh. “Develop. Get it?”

I’m going to kill the crazy bastard.

Angela turned and glared at him. I don’t think so. I get that pleasure.

http://samhainpublishing.com/coming/cry-wolf

http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/donica-covey

Idea Farm

Where do you get your ideas? It’s the question everyone asks—and like most authors, I can only say from the recesses of my cracked mind. However—the other day I was tooling around looking up an old movie for a friend and I got distracted reading the brief plot lines IMDB has listed for all their movies.

Wheels began to turn.

And I thought—Good God. These could all be used for gay romances! Just move one word or change a he to a she and --ta da!-- an endless supply of possible storylines for future LB Gregg m/m comedies. It's an IDEA FARM.

This thought makes me breathe a sigh of relief happy.

Without further ado—here’s five random picks of

Movies That Could Be Turned Into LB Gregg Novels**

(**Based on their plot line as told by IMDB. I'm not STEALING. I'm simply...doing something else that is totally on the up & up)


The Good The Bad and The Ugly

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

That’s what I call Possible Historical Cowboy Menage. M/M/M. This could be a new arena for LB.


Alfie

For Alfie, the only real life is sex life; only then can he kid himself he is living. Sex is not used as the working-class boy’s way to ‘the top’…

D/s. Is this just me? I see the words 'boy' and 'top', not to mention sex x's 2, and I know this could be a winner.


The Trap

A trapper takes a mute boy as his unwilling wife to live with him in his remote cabin in the woods.

Does anyone out there remember Oliver Reed? I saw this movie when I was a young teen and…it was an eye opener. I think it would play better as a sort of Victor Banis inspired Bear/cub story. Think of this also as a kinky capture fantasy book.


Sabrina

A playboy becomes interested in the son of his family's chauffeur. But it's his more serious brother who would be the better man for him.

OK total pronoun confusion. I see that...but...let's just tinker a bit, shall we?

A playboy becomes interested in the son of his family's chauffeur. But it's his more serious older brother who would be the better man for Sabrina.

This would make a fine romantic comedy for men, if you can find it in your heart to love a man named Sabrina. Best of all it works that May/December trope I adore. Who's the male equivalent to Audrey Hepburn? Would Montgomery Clift play Sabrina? Yes. Yes he would. Oh man. Uhm...this is hot. ::fans self::


Pretty in Pink

A poor boy must choose between the affections of his doting childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy.

Oh. That's exactly the kind of story I would write....with...a playlist and perhaps a car chase thrown in to keep things fun--and then sex in that car with Echo and the Bunnymen playing over the radio. 0_o

Although--why does he have to choose? Could this be a contemporary m/m/m coming of age rom com?

::LB runs off to scribble madly::

Thanks Dawn for inviting me today! You can catch my latest release, Catch Me If You Can, on Kindle, at ARe, or at MBaM (#3 today!) I'm running a special contest on my blog--up for grabs are two $15 gift certificates.

About LB:

LB Gregg began writing in the spring of 2008 at the encouragement of author pal, Josh Lanyon. She never once looked back (although occasionally she looked down and tripped over her own feet). 2009 saw the publication of her best selling Men of Smithfield series.

LB lives in the Connecticut hills with two lazy dogs, three above-average children, and a smoking hot husband who, thank the good Lord, loves to cook.

You can find LB at her blog, Noseinabook or visit her website www.lbgregg.com .

Meet Author Mychael Black

Tell us about your latest book/upcoming releases. Is it part of a series and if so, can we read it as a standalone or do we need to read the others in the series first?

My latest release is The Lost Son, and it’s book 1 in the Secrets of Socendor series. It was previously published with another publisher, but I expanded and revised it for Samhain. It’s no secret that fantasy is my first literary love, and The Lost Son is my first full foray into the genre. It just happens to include gay men as the heroes.

What makes a good book to you? Story? Characters? Exotic locations?

All of the above, really. Though, if I HAD to pick one, I’d have to say characters. I have to feel for the characters in order to keep reading.

What's your favorite pizza toppings?

Hm, well, Papa John’s Pizza has this AWESOME BBQ Chicken & Bacon pizza that’s to die for.

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

LOL Killed him. Of course, he’s an angel, so he came back, but at the time, it was absolute HELL.

Which of your books contains the sexiest love scene?

Oh, wow. That’s a tough one. I’m quite partial to the scene in The Lost Son where Micheil and Kalen do it on the back of Micheil’s horse en-route to the elven lands.

  

Which of your covers is your favorite?

The Lost Son. I LOVE the cover and it perfectly conveys the story and characters.

Which of your books was the easiest to write? The hardest?

Probably The Prince’s Angel (TPA 1) with Shayne Carmichael. It was our first book and we wrote all 90k+ words in a month. Of course, we/I haven’t even *touched* that record since. LOL The hardest, too many, to be honest. My muse has been temperamental lately.

What is coming in 2010 from you?

Let’s see… Spirits of Abaddon: Sanctified (book 2), Blood & Fire 3 (both with Changeling); my Chaser series, Hearth & Home, in a single volume/ebook (Torquere); a Spice It Up story for Torquere using Vervain as the herb. There’s no telling what else. LOL

Where can readers find you on the web?

http://www.mychaelblack.net/
http://mychael-black2.livejournal.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theprincesangel
http://www.theprincesangel.com

If you could meet any character from any book, who would it be, what would you do and why?

Dain Lavrans or Mychael ab Arawn. Dain is the hero in The Chalice and the Blade, and Mychael is the hero in Dream Stone. They are books 1 and 2 (respectively) in Glenna McReynold’s medieval romance trilogy. (Book 3 is Prince of Time.) And yes, that’s where I came up with the name ‘Mychael’ for my pen name. LOL

What would I do? *grins*

As for why… I read those books years ago, and those two heroes have held strong places in my heart since.

The Lost Son

Secrets of Socendor, Book 1

Mychael Black

Samhain Publishing

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/the-lost-son

One warrior, one sorcerer, and a legacy that will change their lives forever…

In the world of Socendor, humans are forbidden from using magic and elves keep their distance.

Kalen Ysindroc has risen far from his humble beginnings as a blacksmith’s adopted son. Now the king’s general, he investigates reports of magic-wielding half-human, half-elven lithings sighted along the kingdom’s borders. It would be a lonely life, if not for the company of his best friend and long-time elven lover, Micheil Theirauf, the king’s sorcerer.

An attempt on Kalen’s life makes it clear to Micheil that there’s more afoot than random breaks in the land’s defenses. His lover is plagued by dreams no human should endure, and Micheil’s probe into Kalen’s subconscious reveals a past neither of them expected. And a future Kalen can’t escape.

Suddenly, everything Kalen never knew about his life is laid bare. A father possessed of terrible magical power. A half-brother who could be the family Kalen never had—or the catalyst that will rip Micheil out of his life forever…

This title was previously published but has been revised.

***

EXCERPT:

Micheil watched Kalen’s chest rise and fall with every breath. Kalen slept deeply, possibly already dreaming. Micheil smiled. Perhaps this would be easier than he had expected. He moved closer to Kalen and felt himself settle within the general’s mind. Snippets of Kalen’s dream came to Micheil then.

Fire. And smoke. Deep crimson red. The brilliance of a newly struck fire. And death.

“From the depths of the earth and the sea,

From the endless skies and the mists of time,

I call thee, beasts of fire…”

An unseen force threw Micheil to the ground. When he rolled over, the sight that greeted him nearly stopped his heart.

Kalen stood on a hilltop, his arms raised to the swirling forms above him. In and out of the voluminous clouds, great beasts flew. Fiery plumes of red and orange surrounded the behemoths, and their obsidian scales glimmered in the silver moonlight as it cascaded down onto the valleys and hills below.

Then Kalen turned. The green depths of his eyes blazed with an internal fire as his gaze settled on Micheil.

“You are in danger,” Micheil warned after several moments of silence.

“Aye,” Kalen said with a slow nod. “As are you. You are mine. And for that very reason, you will be hunted.”

Micheil sat bolt upright in his bed. Sweat beaded on his skin and trickled slowly over his face. The chill of the room pierced him, yet it did nothing to cool the fire within. Kalen’s fire. But how? Kalen Ysindroc had no such magic within him.

“Sweet Malin, save us.”