Monday, January 16, 2012

Welcome Ellis Carrington

Good morning! 

Welcome to Michael's

Today, I'm happy to have Ellis Carrington on the blog today with an interview. Please enjoy our virtual chat!

How long have you been writing?
As I can remember, but mostly just the "for fun" kind like composing silly stories and poetry in English class because it was more fun than literary symbolism. As far as m/m goes, I only started a couple of years ago after I got a kindle for Christmas and I found Marie Sexton's Promises on Amazon. I fell in love with the genre immediately and it was off to the races from there.
What is your favorite subgenre to write?
I love paranormal that has a little urban fantasy mixed with it. I like the idea that mystical, magical, sensual creatures exist right under our noses that the rest of society manages to not quite be aware of. Lately Ive also gotten into contemporary more, as well. The next thing after I finish my current project will be a contemporary novel.
What is your opinion on the chicks with dicks analogy? In your opinion, is it wrong for your males to be emotional or romantic?
I dont claim to be an expert, but I dont see it as necessarily being about men who are emotional or romantic. I think its about relationship dynamics that are realistic the way men would handle them. My husband is more emotional than I am. But even though he cries more than I do, he still tends to go into fix-it mode when theres a problem. A woman, generally speaking, wants to talk things out. Its probably a subjective term to some extent, but its also the reason I make sure to have male beta readers. Ive never dated a guy as a guy. I try to compensate for that.
What books are you reading at the moment? Its okay to give a fellow author a plug!
I just finished Take Me Home by Sloan Parker and am getting ready to start it all over again, because I can never read her books only once. The sex scenes are hot, the emotions are raw, and then she always throws in a good suspenseful plot to keep things interesting. I really enjoy her writing.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am wrapping up edits on a Valentine's Day boy-meets-vampire novella called Immortal Valentine.
If you write gay romance or erotica, just how descriptive are your in their sex scenes?
I definitely classify what I write as erotic romance. The story focuses on the romantic journey between the two characters, and theres always a happy ending. I also write very explicit love scenes.
What is your opinion as to why publishers only want to group all manlove stories under erotica? Do you feel this is a hindrance to our genre?
I suspect they file it that way because gay sex is still seen by many as something naughty and taboo. I do think this does a disservice to our genre. Among other things, it is a very basic inaccuracy in labeling. I can write a gay romance that isn't erotic, for one thing. Erotica focuses primarily on sex, whereas in a romance the focus on the love story between the. In romance the sex, regardless of heat level, should only be there if it is key to moving the plot along. There must be a happy ending, which is why I write romance and why I read it. Not so, with erotica.
*What is your opinion about some review sites not accepting m/m books?
Its a bummer, but theyre free to review or not review any book they choose. I dont want a site to review m/m if their reviewers arent fans of the genre, because thats going to result in a poor rating no matter how well the book is plotted, or how strong the writers voice.
*Your favorite gay fiction author not m/m romance writer.
David Pratt! His Bob the Book will truly change the way you think about what you keep on your shelves. Although, he is a very cerebral writer of gay literary fiction, his book has romantic elements story lines. You can't really get me away from romance.
*As an m/m romance author or gay fiction author, should there be more m/m or gay YA novels? Why or why not?
I absolutely applaud people who are lead to write YA, and I think that books geared toward gay teensespecially ones with a happy endingare definitely a good thing.
Fun questions pick at least 3
*Your favorite gay celeb?
 Adam Lambert. Say what you will, the glitter totally works for me.
*Are you tired of Lady Gaga yet?
I actually kind of dig Gaga. Id kill for those legs of hers.
If youve watched gay porn, tell me your favorite movie and or star.
The one porn star who stands out for me is Chad Brock. I love his eyes. And uhthe rest of him isnt too bad either.
Please give us your links to website, blogs etc as well as the cover of your latest book, blurb, excerpt and buylink.

You can find me at EllisCarrington.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
My latest is a contemporary short story from Dreamspinner Press called Feeling Neighborly:

Teagan Matthews is thrilled to discover his new townhouse comes complete with a sexy new neighbor, but plans go south when Teagan realizes that Matt has a child. While thats normally a dealbreaker for Teagan, his conviction wavers when he and Matt have a run-in that turns hot and steamy. After a sweaty one-night stand, Teagan and Matt agree to be just friendswith benefits. Over time, hanging out turns into occasional dinners that kind of seem like dates, and soon friends-with-benefits is starting to feel an awful lot like a relationship.

Thank you for being a guest on Tabooindeed or IRM!

Thank you for having me!

4 comments:

S.Lira said...

TY Ellis for being a guest!

Ellis Carrington said...

Thanks so much for having me!

Dorien Grey said...

Nice interview. Congrats. And I like the cover to "Feeling Neighborly."

Ellis Carrington said...

Thanks, Dorien!