GA Hauser presents Mark Antonious Richfield

Up and Coming- Book 10 of the Action! Series

Mark Antonious Richfield, Steven Jay Miller, Jack Charles Larsen, Adam Lewis...Alexander Mark Lehman-Richfield, Lt Billy Sharpe...
Names that to me are like a roll call of my friends.
Writers are insane. In case you didn't know. They spend 90% of their day in their heads, weaving tales. They may be working other jobs, going to school, exercising, cooking, whatever, but they are weaving stories in their heads constantly.

Back in 1990 I began writing full length fiction books. And the first character I invented was Mark. Mark Antonious. Where did he come from? I wanted him to be more beautiful than any woman, with a body that was perfection, yet with so many flaws you could bear him.
I remember reading a quote and I don't know who said it but it struck me. Beauty to be acceptable must somehow be punished. Something like that. And well, it made sense in my warped mind. So Mark Antonious became my greatly flawed beauty.

My first books about Mark were of his struggle to choose between his best friend, Jack Larsen, and his woman suitor, Sharon Tice. I wrote four books about those three, beginning to flesh out who Mark and Jack were. In those books Mark and Jack were lovers, and Sharon had to accept defeat. I remember thinking, I wanted the reader to root for Jack to win Mark, because inevitably Jack was better for Mark than Sharon was. It had nothing to do with gay or straight. Just compatibility. Jack was better suited to handle a mess like Mark.

Mark was an architect, with an abusive father, and a cold British mother, rich, yet, isolated. Why was he all those things? I have no idea. But that's always who he was to me. I have several sketch books of Mark's image. What I think he should look like. Him and Jack together. Back then there wasn't such an incredible selection of photos on the net, I could never find Mark reflected in a real person. I perhaps now have with a super model, which is ironic since that is what Mark is in fiction.
Did I ever think Mark would become a character who was loved by his fans? No.
Actually I have had several hate reviews about him. Someone on All Romance ebooks actually tagged the Action! Series with 'Kill Mark' 'Kill Alex'. Amazing how fictional characters could emote such a strong feeling. But alas, Mark overcame most of his haters and is loved by many. Does my series always get rave reviews? Hardly. There is a strong mixture of love and hate there too- I have to admit, writing a series is a challenge. You tend to write for the people who read them all, and some do not stand alone. Which is something I am aware of, but I'm trying not to be repetitive to the fans who know these men inside and out, quite literally. So some have been slammed while others praised. Normal stuff for a writer. I try to keep their stories rich without the melodrama of soap opera type happenings. After all, how much trouble can 4 gay men, 1 gay son and his lieutenant lover, get into? Well, there always is Alex. I love Alex. He is my comic relief and my trouble causer. What would I do without him?
So onward we go to Book 10- Good God! Ten? And to be honest you have to include, Capital Games where Steve met Mark, and When Adam Met Jack, (self explanatory) not to mention Love You Loveday, or perhaps Mark and Sharon and Miller's Tale. It depends how much you love those guys and who you want to know more about.
But as I draw closer to releasing this next volume in my best selling series, I feel more a part of those men than ever- after all, they are all little bits of me and knowing them for nearly 22 years? That's longer than most marriages last.
I hope as release time draws near, you are happy with the latest installment of Mark and the boys.
Because if you love it, well, then there will be a number 11!