Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?
I live in NSW Australia, close to the beautiful Blue Mountains. Born and raised in England, I moved to Ireland and lived there for four years before pulling up roots and moving to Australia in my early twenties. I love to travel, and I go back to England and Ireland for visits but intend to see more of Australia and bring those travel experiences into my books.
I write m/m erotic romance which I absolutely love. To me there is nothing more inspiring than writing about two people falling in love, and when both of them happen to be male, it just makes it more interesting.
Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?
My first book was Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, which are crime/adventure books for children. I read the whole series of twenty one books when I was about ten years old. Then somewhere in my teens I found horror -- which I became addicted to. I still read it. The gorier the better.
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
Blind Passion is about Adam, who believes no one would be interested in a relationship with him because of his lack of sight, and Luke, who’s hiding something in his past he doesn’t want Adam to find out. A special link binds them together, but it takes patience, gentleness and trust to make them fall in love.
I love characters that work to overcome their fears and are prepared to face challenges life throws at them. What inspired me to write this story was my own challenge of writing scenes where a main character couldn’t see. It made it interesting because he had to use his other senses to “see” things. A lot of fun when thinking up the sex scenes.
Did your book require a lot of research? How long does it take to write a book for you?
Blind Passion did require more research than normal because I had to study ways a blind person interacts with the world around him. I wanted to be accurate on how acute his other senses would be and how he could train himself to use them better. It took me about three months to write the story, then another three months to edit it. From start to finish that seems to be the average length of time for me to get an idea out of my head and on to paper.
If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?
I’d eat more chocolate.
If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?
I would never want to be a servant to anyone, but let’s just say I wouldn’t have minded bringing cups of tea to Mary Shelley while she was writing Frankenstein or to Bram Stoker while he was penning Dracula.
What do you see for the future of publishing and e-books?
E-publishers are going to become the leaders of the industry. There are so many medium devices with which to download e-books to and there are so many genres in which readers may not want to go to a bookshop for, so the idea of being able to download a book instantly and remain anonymous is a distinct advantage.
Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?
I actually pitied Luke in Blind Passion because he was so scared of loving Adam and being rejected, but it was only because he was hiding something from his past. What I felt for Adam was nothing short of admiration. Despite his lack of sight he lives his life to the full.
I fell in love with Kyle from Bringing Him Home because though he put himself in a bad situation he tries everything he can to redeem himself to Jared.
I could never hate or fear any of my characters because they just wouldn’t be mine otherwise.
Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/it/he refuses to inspire you?
If I have a muse I’d love to meet him. It would have to be a man because of what goes on in my head. Where are you my man of inspiration? Maybe chocolate is my muse…
Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?
I have several books bouncing around in my head (must be the chocolate). The characters are set, the plots are ready, I’ve just got to get my fingers onto a keyboard. I’ve just had Bringing Him Home accepted by Loose-Id, a m/m contemporary which has both protagonists agonizing about living together in a rural town. I’ve also got a series I’m working on about a mirror that shows you your one true love. Kind of clique I know, but there are twists. I also have a proposal, Murphy’s Law, with Loose-Id for a “December Holiday” collection they are doing. If it all works out well I could have at two to three more books out this year. I keep up to date postings on what I’m doing on my blogpage www.pennybrandon.blogspot.com if readers would like to follow.
Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?
Please see above re the chocolate. I’ve eaten two HUGE bars in one sitting while on a writing spree. Why is chocolate good for the creative process but bad for my hips?
Which do you prefer:
Denim or Leather on a man/woman/significant other?
Denim. The softer the better.
Irish or Italian accent in a man?
My husband is Irish. Does that answer your question?
Front seat or Back seat to make out in?
Only a teenager would make out in the front. I once was a teenager…
Dark eyes or Light eyes?
Actually I like hazel because they change color in moments of passion.
Sleeping bag or Bed?
Bed. Softer and more room. Though you can really snuggle in a sleeping bag.
Dinner or Movie for a first date?
I would prefer a dinner as a first date, but my husband took me to see Bambi. I cried. Seriously, who would take a woman to see a film about a deer that dies?
Coffee or Tea?
Neither, can’t stand the stuff. Give me a plain glass of ice cold milk. Isn’t chocolate made of milk?
Chiseled jaw line or Chiseled abs?
I’d go for the abs though I’d know they’d never last but at least the guy went to a lot of effort to get them.
If you got three wishes from a genie, what would they be? (They can be silly, serious or in between).
Wish one. To become a character in one of my books, but then I’d have to write a m/f/m ménage.
Wish two. Go back to my mid twenties but have the knowledge I have now.
Wish three. Yeah, you guessed it, a never ending bar of chocolate – without putting on weight.
If you could spend a day with one actor/actress, who would it be and what would you do together?
I would love to spend the day with Sandra Bullock and try to persuade her to turn one of books into a movie. Failing that I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to the Grand Canyon and some of the Old West ghost towns.
What is on your bucket list to do before you pass from this earthly plain?
Jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute that works.
Swim with some sharks.
Travel to the most northern/southern/western/eastern tip of Australia.
Go on an African Safari. Sneak Peek into Blind Passion
Available at Loose Id Publishing
MM Contemporary Paranormal
Attraction for Adam was not a handsome face, a striking smile, or beautiful eyes, but a scent that would drive him to distraction or a voice that could make his heart beat faster. When the combination of the two walked into his life in Luke, Adam couldn’t help but want him. But how was he supposed to know if Luke felt the same attraction? He had no prior experience, no past encounters, nothing to help him. Not even his sight.
One look at Adam and Luke wanted him. Sensual, gorgeous, kind, with a strength that Luke was drawn to, Adam was everything Luke desired. Being in Adam’s arms, showing him the pleasure of a man’s body, being touched, held, and desired in return, had Luke wanting more, had him wanting what he knew he couldn’t have.
It didn’t matter to him that Adam was blind, but Adam deserved more than someone like him. Luke was a man with a broken past and falling in love with Adam was a foolish thing to do, especially because Adam would never love him back if he found out what Luke was hiding.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices, voyeurism.
Excerpt:
Adam groaned, releasing the banked-up tension and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him. He’d never felt this way before, never been turned on like this. Being gay wasn’t a problem; it was just another circumstance he lived with, like his blindness. It was just that his blindness made being gay hard, if not impossible to act on or even appreciate. He could never tell if another man was interested in him. He didn’t know what signals to pick up on or what signals to give. Until now that hadn’t really been an issue, because he’d never felt an attraction for anyone. But he was undeniably attracted to Luke, and he honestly didn’t know what to do about it. Getting hard in front of Luke was definitely not something he should do, but it wasn’t something he could control either.
The instant Luke had walked into his home four days ago, Adam had been intensely aware of him. Luke smelled like a hot summer’s day just after the grass had been cut and before a rainstorm was about to break; he sounded like a soft breeze whispering across a pebbled beach—soothing yet edgy. Combined, they triggered something deeply primal in Adam. He needed Luke, needed to hear his voice, to smell him…touch him.
And God help him—if there was one thing he desperately wanted to do, it was to taste him.
Adam rubbed his hands over his face and winced. He was an idiot for thinking about Luke that way. He was an idiot for thinking about any man that way. He sighed, resigned, acknowledging what he knew to be an unending fact—his blindness would make sure it was never going to happen.
