Author Spotlight Sue Brown

I'm very excited about this spotlight. She's my favourite author and Sheila was just the person to ask her in depth questions about her writing. Love this lady very much. She's so sweet and I hope to meet her someday. 

Please enjoy the interview with Sue Brown!

http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com/p/13th-author-spotlight-sue-brown.html

Author Spotlight Deanna Wadsworth

Here is the interview with Deanna Wadsworth!

I’ve read most of your works, only 2 shorts I haven’t read--yet.  I’ve enjoyed them.  I liked that none was predictable and none was formulaic. 

* Deanna: Wow, thanks! That is the greatest compliment you could pay an author :D

In Bear It All you have the younger man/older man.  How do you keep the older man, John, from taking over the story?  He has the money and the power and yet Travis and his needs are as much of the story as John’s wants. 

* Deanna: Well, Travis may be the younger, inexperienced man, but he is definitely the more assertive of the two. John is a widower, and has lost his mojo, if you will, but Travis shows up to the party with plenty to spare, LOL

I really liked the idea of younger, smaller man being the one to take charge, take the lead with a big bear of a man like John. He’s definitely a power bottom, LOL And as I wrote it, it seemed that Travis’s was able to remind John of what it means to be happy, desired, thus giving him the boost in ego he needed to learn to live again after his partner’s death

How important are the small details to a story?  Do they define a character?  Do they pull a reader into the story?  You have the rivalry of Ohio State and University of Michigan in Bear It All.  You have John’s thoughts about it but not being from Ohio nor following college football, it doesn‘t make a big impression on me (if you made it Pitt and West Virginia or Pitt and Penn State, I could understand better.;)  In The Naughty North Pole series you give the elves flavored semen. 

* Deanna: Oh god, I LOOOOOVE the candy flavored cum, ha ha ha! That one I came up with while talking to one of my clients who loves to brainstorm with me. My day job is a nail technician. She even got into the book, her name is Donna, like Ms. Claus’s secretary.

I tend to be a very long winded writer, or one comes up with too many details for a story in my first draft, sort of like back-story, if you will. In my editing process I wittle a lot of that down but always seems to leave  rich little details. The OSU UofM football rivalry is huge in the Midwest, like crazy competitive. I don’t care for sports but I thought the way John and Travis made the rivalry playful sort of paralleled their differences but showed how their personalities were by nature very accepting of differences.

Three of your stories are retellings of classics, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (m/m), Red Riding Hood (m/f), and The Frog Prince (m/m/f).  What made you choose to do erotic retellings of these stories?  I loved them!  How do you manage to add sex to the telling without going too far from the original classic?  Each story is of a different romance genre, also.  How did you choose which romance pairing to put in the story?

* Deanna:  So glad you liked them!! Funny thing about how I started writing these, is that I never had any intention of writing erotic fairy tales. I was writing mainstream paranormal romance at the time and several of my employees wanted to read what I wrote (I owned a salon at the time but I sold it to pursue my writing and now I am an independent contractor in a different salon and loving the freedom!) But as all my stories were in various forms of edits, they couldn’t really read any so the girls asked me to write a short story. One suggested a “really dirty Red Riding Hood.” So I went home, read the original story and wrote a BDSM erotica. In my original version I had a very macabre ending, but when I sent Red Riding Hood for submission to Decadent Publishing, I tweeked it and made it longer with a happy-ish ending.

Its not really hard to make these stories erotic, IMO, there are a lot of undertones in the original stories, or maybe that is just my dirty mind seeing things, LOL. The Frog Prince seemed ripe for a three way because why else would a Prince be turned into a frog if he wasn’t pissing off the king by having sex with his footman instead of marrying a woman like he should be? And my husband is the one who suggested I make The Legend of Sleepy Hollow m/m. He’d been drinking at the time and said, “You should write a story about the Headless Horseman and make him gay! Get it? Headless? He’s headless cuz he’s not getting any head!!!” Then he busted up laughing at himself and I was like, “Yeah, I could do that.”

So I guess I never really have a plan of who’s gonna be sleeping with who in the fairy tales until I read the original, have a few drinks and laugh about it with friends. Then the whole thing sort of falls into place. J

Is there a difference in your preparation for writing a m/m romance vs. a f/m romance?  Obviously there are the anatomical differences but do you have to change how to portray the characters having sex when writing within the different romance genres?

* Deanna: I actually prefer writing from the male POV, probably stems from growing up with all women and no real male influence. I’ve sort of made a lifetime but informal study of men and the way they think and interact which I hope lends itself to realistic heroes in my books. I wouldn’t say I prepare in any way, or that I have to switch gears when going between one and the other. It’s the characters and what sort of sexual history/preferences/fetishes they have which drive my scenes. For instance I’m writing a m/m and the one hero absolutely cannot get an erection bottoming but he does it for his lover. That opens up the door of some interesting conversations between the men and changes the dynamic of their love life, too. Every human, regardless of orientation has sexual likes and dislikes and I usually have those things established in my head for each character so gender doesn’t determine how I portray a character, rather it’s their history/preferences which lead the scene. LOL I hope I answered that correctly J

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of my favorite stories.  I have to admit that when adding sex to it (it is something of a romance in that Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones are both vying for the hand of Katrina in Washington Irving‘s telling of it) m/m is the most logical choice.  I got to wonder why Ichabod and Brom are so competitive with each other.  

* Deanna: Well, that competitiveness was where I developed their romance in my retelling. I thought a sort of in-bed and out-of-bed battle for dominance seemed in order for those two fellas. J

While the classic, Little Red Riding Hood, has never been a particular favorite of mine, your Red Riding Hood certainly changes my mind about it.  I have to admit I had a different ending or two for it.  How do you decide if you are going to put a twist into the story?  How do you work that twist into the story without giving it away as you are writing?  I was also surprised with the twist in Unscheduled Maintenance.  I never saw it coming and yet it made perfect sense.

* Deanna: I’m glad to hear that I didn’t give too much away in Unscheduled Maintenance, LOL, that one was fun to write because it was based on a photo someone posted in the M/M Romance group on goodreads. As far as adding a twist to the story, they sort of just come to me. In the actual writing process, I have been known to hilight the clues in colored font throughout the manuscript, then when I go back I can visually see when I am giving stuff away, if it is too much too soon or sprinkled nicely throughout the story.

Some of your shorts have appeared in anthologies for the M/M Romance group.  What’s it like to write for a specific project?  How does it differ from writing just for yourself?

* Deanna: Its is totally different to write for a project then just for yourself. It is a writing exercise every writer should at tempt, IMO. When you have prompts, like I did for Starch Contrast you have to force your story to bend and fit within the parameters, something writers don’t like to do. We want our characters to tell the story, but twisting them into compliance is an interesting thing to do once and awhile because it helps you refine your craft and learn to make deadlines work, and gives you a different perspective.

With Leaking Pipes and Unscheduled Maintenance, I was working off a photo someone else selected. This was an interesting challenge because I had to take small details in the photo and make them important to the characters and tell a story around them. I learned that this helped me when using description in my other stories: like whether or not I chose to describe a room. I have to decide what the description of the room means to the character and whether or not it is relevant to the story.

Example: I am writing a hero right now who lives in a Victorian home that he painted pink. Sounds silly, but for him it is just another layer into his life. Describing the house enabled me to tie in his past, where his abusive, homophobic father threw away the Barbie Dream House Santa brought him when he was eight years old. I never say that’s why he chose pink for his house, but when the detail about his father comes out, suddenly the description of the house is significant.

Writing from a photo made this important skill in the writing process very real for me.

Three of your stories are Christmas stories.  Yes, I did read them after Christmas.  Why do you think readers like holiday-themed books? 

* Deanna: Because everybody is obsessed with Christmas! LOL No, in reality I think people love to believe that at least one time of year people can be redeemed, generous and find the true meaning of happiness and life. That is why holiday books are so popular, they make us feel good

In your The Naughty North Pole series, you start with Ms. Claus’s List.  I have to admit this is probably my least favorite of your tales.  I’m not sure why but I think it is because Ms. Claus takes the lead in this f/m/m/m story.  For some reason to have her change her mind this Christmas season from lesbian to male ménage changes where I have her pigeon-hold based on what I  have been told about her in the beginning. I guess I was just used to the m/m genre from you.  Ms. Claus’s List does set up the series very well.  I enjoyed Pip’s Boxing Day Wish more.  How do you determine who will get sequels in a series?  I liked that Santa knows what is going on beginning in book 1 and it follows in book 2.  Will there be more sequels in The Naughty North Pole series?  I’d like to know Santa’s future.  Is there any chance that Frieda Claus will star in a f/f story for her future?

* Deanna: Yeah, those guys up in my North Pole are total swingers, they just love sex, with whoever they can get it, boy or girl! And I am so happy that you enjoy Pip’s Boxing Day Wish, he didn’t really get the attention that he deserved from reviewers and readers like Ms. Claus’s List did. J

And yes there will be sequels for The Naughty North Pole!

Three more for the next holiday season!

Ms. Claus will not get another story, at least I don’t think so, but Lars, Donna and Santa will all find love.

Lars will have to decide between a man and a woman…maybe both. Donna will find love with the girl of her dreams. And Santa…..well you will just have to wait and see!!!!

In Secret Santa everything is from Adam’s POV.  We readers know what Adam is thinking and feeling.  We know what is happening to Adam, what he hears, what happens to him physically.  How do you stay focused with the one character?  Is it tempting to have the omnipotent narrator take over and let the reader know who is in the room, what is happening to everyone in the scene, and what everyone is thinking?  How do you keep the omnipotent narrator from taking over?

* Deanna: I LOVE to write first person! The Naughty North Pole series and Secret Santa were all written in first person. It is easiest style for me and often I begin a book that way then have to go back and change to third since it is the preferred POV among publishers and readers. When I am in first person I am never tempted to become omnipotent--aka head hopping, and it almost never happens. When I write third, I do--just like every one else--accidentally do this. But that’s what my fabulous editors are there for, to keep me in line.

You write good sex in your tales.  You write it very well.  No matter what book I read the sex, while plentiful and graphic, was natural, realistic, and belonged in the story.  I have read books by best selling romance authors where the sex was so stilted that I wish they would have stopped at the bedroom door and let me imagine it.  I’ve also read books where it seemed the editor said you need a sex scene and the author just dropped one in where it made no sense to have sex.  How do you write the sex scenes in your books? How do you keep it fresh? What do you do to ensure it is believable and part of the story?

* Deanna: Why, thank you very much for the compliment!! *blushes*

I think I touched on this one a bit earlier. Just like a character has a past, they have a sexual history as well. I like to visualize all of my characters previous lovers, how they lost their virginity, what views on sex they were raised to believe, etc. It shapes who they are and why they have sex and when. Almost none of this info enters the book, however, but it helps me to know who they are as sexual beings and then the scenes just seem to write themselves.

Of course, a little porn is always in order when I’m not particularly feeling s sex scene, LOL. Sometimes I leave it on simply for sound effects when I’m writing a sex scene! Bet you didn’t know THAT one about me! LOL

And as far as just dropping in a sex scene, that’s a big no-no. If the sex doesn’t change the story, alter the relationship or character in any way, or move the plot forward, it does not belong there. Period.

You just had The Frog Prince published in January, 2012.  I really enjoyed it.  I liked how you allowed jealousy to enter the tale with Henry, the footman and fear from Elena.  How did you manage to keep the emotions from taking over the story?  I could imagine a totally different story if the emotions had taken over.

Deanna: Writing erotica is a fine balance between sex/plot/emotion. They all need to be there to make it really good. Personally I feel that Red Riding Hood lacked in emotion, which actually prevents me from feeling any attachment to the hero or heroine even though I love the story. That book was sexy and silly, which was the whole point at the time, but I really wanted to amp up the emotion in The Frog Prince and invest more into them as people. Henry’s jealousy was an interesting twist, because I think there would be so much uncertainty in a relationship between three people, someone would be bound to feel left out. But before I sent the final version back to my editor, I did the same color coding technique I do with clues and highlighted all of Henry’s jealous thoughts, to make sure it wasn’t too whiney or repetitive. I actually eliminated enough lines to almost make a paragraph, which I believe gave a very balanced portrayal of his fears and jealousy in the final book.

I find this hilighting technique helps me in a lot of ways, I am a very visual person, LOL

What do you have coming in the future?

* Deanna: I have a new One Night Stand story coming soon from Decadent Publishing called Accidentally Beautiful. It has ties to my book Bear It All and is part of an ongoing set of books my author pal Wendy Burke and I are working on. She writes m/f but her stories chronologically follow mine, with recurring characters we made together. For instance if you want to find out what happened with John and Travis from Bear It All, you should read Wendy’s book The One He Chose where the guys make a cameo because the heroine of that book is John‘s sister. In that story, you also first meet Martin, the uptight concierge who finds that sometimes the most beautiful things in the world can happen to you completely by accident in my book Accidentally Beautiful. This story takes a sweet and romantic twist on the classic D/s relationship and is set in the Caribbean. It is still in edits and I don’t have a release date yet, but I suspect it will be out by early spring

Where can we reach you on the web?

 I play a lot on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001206469235&ref=tn_tnmn

and have a blog at http://deannawadsworth.blogspot.com

Now for some fun, quick questions:

Winter or summer?

Summer because, well? Duh, it’s summer J

Westerns or dramas?

Westerns, I cut my teeth on Louis L’Amour books

Beer or cocktails?

Yes please! LOL, I love both

Cary Grant or Brad Pitt?

Hmmm, that’s a toughy…I suppose Cary Grant

Bazooka bubble gum or Double Bubble?

Bazooka

Chocolate chip or peanut butter?

Peanut butter, I’m not a chocolate fan

The beach or the mountains?

Mountains

The Monkees or The Beatles?

The Monkees, without a doubt!

Heels or flats?

Heels

Do you write in your books?

Sometimes…

 ** Wow what an awesome interview! Thanks Deanna and Sheila as always!

Featured Author Matthew Lang

Good morning!

It's spotlight time again. 

Today's guest is Matthew Lang!

SG:  You’ve published three short stories and one novel.  How do you have to differ your writing to make each one work?  Which is harder to write?  Why?

ML:  I think both art forms present different challenges. For example the challenge in writing a short story is fitting the plot—whatever it is—inside the allotted word count. It’s particularly challenging if you only have three thousand words. In a novel though you need enough plot to justify the extra word length—and not so much plot that it becomes too hard to pack it all into a novel length work. Honestly, I just find the story, and work out whether it’s a novel, a short or something else entirely. I wouldn’t say one’s harder to write than the other—I would say one is faster to write than the other, but that’s about it.

SG:  You are from Australia.  I know often books are “Americanized” for American audiences.  I cut my teeth reading Harlequin romance and I never had a problem understanding what the author meant when left in the British version.  How does that affect your work?  Should a book be changed because of word usage in different cultures or should the idiom be left as is because it fit’s the context of the story? 

ML:  My personal experience is that there’s a bit of give and take about it really. There’s a number of very Aussie phrases I put into The Secret of Talmor Manor, and while most of them made it through, there were a few that confused three editors and a proof reader and were dropped. Admittedly I could have kept them, but if a word or phrase can’t be deciphered readily from context there’d need to be a very good reason—beyond cultural flavour—to keep it. But I don’t write with that in mind—that sort of consideration is one I only look to in editing.

SG:  Your first published short was Mr. Perfect.  I found it quite humorous.  You used footnotes in it.  How did that occur? 

ML:  Actually, that started as background for a character in a role playing game—yes I am a massive geek. The footnotes were my attempt to write something reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s style, which is known for its humorous footnotes. Sorry, the story behind the story isn’t as funny as the story itself. I keep wanting to use more silly footnotes in my writing, but I haven’t managed to make it work in another story just yet.

SG:  I found Koan to be philosophical.  It was more Eastern in flavor and made me think about the bottle and its content.  How did you choose that style? 

ML:  Koan was very much influenced by Buddhist philosophy—specifically Zen philosophy. The style of the writing was dictated by the form of a Koan and the methods of teaching the Zen Buddhists use. The story is my attempt at showing illogic that is fundamental to the understanding of some Eastern philosophies. Now whether I’ve managed to capture that is something you as a reader would need to tell me!

SG:  I enjoyed The Secret of Talmor Manor.  It was different.  I know it is called paranormal but it was many different genres.  There was the m/m romance, paranormal, time travel, contemporary, myths, religion, suspense and probably others I didn’t pick up.  How did you choose which elements to include in this book?  How did you keep your storylines straight?

ML:  They chose themselves. I wanted a story about a man who dreamt about a ghostly manor and the rest just happened naturally. In terms of keeping everything straight well…that’s what several redrafts were for. And working out the logic behind everything-myths, magic, everything. I really don’t know how to answer that question. Everything I incorporated was necessary to tell the story. That’s basically how I operate. If it’s needed, it’s in. If it’s not, it gets cut. Preferably with a scalpel.

It’s funny, I’ve received both praise and condemnation for the wide range of genres I cross and elements I pull into my work. But it comes back to the answer to my first question—I write the story first and work out where it ‘fits’ later. If that means die-hard romance readers are going to be disappointed, well…that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I met a Harlequin publisher this year who was telling me of a massive list being delivered to them of things their readers did not want to read about. Top of the list was redheads. I don’t know why, but personally I think red headed guys can be really hot, and I really ought to put one into my writing soon…

SG:  I liked that I could not figure out the secret before the end of The Secret of Talmor Manor.  It’s always a letdown when I can figure out what happens on the mystery/suspense before the unveiling at the end of the book.  Did you have the ending decided before you began the book or did it develop as you wrote it?

ML:  Thank you, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone! I hate figuring out the plot and then having to wait twenty chapters for the villain to get his/her/its comeuppance! Admittedly, it can make me a horrible movie date, but that’s just the way I’m wired, I guess. I very deliberately wrote Talmor from Jake or Nate’s perspective to keep the reader guessing, although I left a few hints if you go back and look for them. I had a vague idea of the ending, but the specifics, and exactly how it would all play out…that changed almost constantly.

SG:  You had Jake coming from modern Australia and Nate coming from Victorian/Edwardian England in The Secret of Talmor Manor.  What difficulties did you encounter when writing from the different perspective of each man?  How much research did you have to do for Nate’s time period?  I found the two perspectives very interesting as you compared and contrasted them.  What difficulties arose as you wrote Jake explaining to Nate what his philosophies on religion and God were as well as the environmental problems facing Australia, and the earth, today?  How did you keep Jake from being preachy but yet informative?  I learned things I did not know and understood Jake’s philosophies, even agreeing with him most times.

ML:  You’ll notice I deliberately mucked up Nate’s time by letting the future infiltrate it, which got me out of a lot of research, although I ended up going back to look at what Nate’s world would have been like—that period just before world war one. I ended up using a lot of history textbooks from school actually—and Wikipedia. I also found BBC TV to be a great help. There was a series about the British High Street recently, with modern shopkeepers living and working through various time periods in history? Seriously, documentaries and shows like that are one of the best ways to get research done while you’re procrastinating.

In terms of Jake being informative and not preachy…I did the best I could. Jake’s a lecturer and an academic so he does tend towards lecturing, and some people would say I didn’t get the balance quite right. If you really want to deconstruct it, I gave him enough to get the point across and often made him shut himself up. Even Jake understands not everyone wants a lecture all the time! I think the biggest way I stopped him being preachy though was by giving Jake the quality I think we all need: the knowledge that for all of our tightly held beliefs and ideas, we could be wrong. When you live with the knowledge that you might just be wrong, it makes it easier to accept other people and their viewpoints—it’s also one of the first thing most organised religion tries to drum out of you! (Personal bias mine).

SG:  When you write do you know where you want your stories to end or do your characters decide where they want to go?

ML:  A bit of both really. I usually have a number of major plot points I want to hit, but often the characters have their own little tangents and side quests they want to go on. For example, Nate really wanted to experience a hot tub, so I let him. Of course, sometimes they go off in completely the wrong direction, and then I have to either work with it, or go back and reconstruct events so that they naturally choose to go where I want them to. It’s a bit like herding cats really. Or writers.

SG:  Thank you for letting me read your newest work, Christmas Memories.  It is a sequel to The Secret of Talmor Manor.  I found myself laughing out loud when Jake and Nate would coordinate their story and Nate questioned Jake on the answers to the questions.  When will it be released?  Often authors release a story at Christmas.  What made you choose Christmastime for the story and why a sequel?  I have to admit I’d have liked to have seen a scene at Obelisk Beach--maybe it’s the voyeur in me.  I enjoyed Christmas Memories very much.

ML:  Well, this actually started back in July when Laura Baumbach, the owner of MLR Press got on our little mailing list and said “I’m missing people, who wants to write a Christmas story?” and came up with the idea of going with the twelve days of Christmas and releasing a Christmas short a day. Only now I think there’s over forty stories being released from Mid-November. I’ll be putting the schedule up on my website as soon as it’s finalised. There’ll also be three anthologies being released for those who want the compendium version, but Christmas Memories will be released on December 9^th. So that’s why it’s a Christmas story, and it’s a sequel because there were a few loose ends in Talmor, most importantly, the fact that Jake and Nate never got to make the Christmas memories that neither of them had. It just all came together really.

And I apologise for not documenting their trip to Obelisk Beach, but the boys locked me in the car…

SG:  What else do you have in the works?

ML:  Well, I’ve got a short story coming out in banQuet 2012, and there’s a few others that haven’t been confirmed yet, but expect a couple of non-fiction pieces next year. I’m currently doing National Novel Writing Month, writing what I hope will be my next novel, currently titled Prophecy, which is based around the idea of taking a modern gay man and dropping him into a standard fantasy quest narrative—you know, kill the dragon, rescue the princess, marry the princess and rule half the kingdom—and see what happens.

I’m also donating $1 from each sale of Mr. Perfect made through Smashwords or Amazon during the month of November to The Office of Letters and Light, the charity who put NaNoWriMo on each year.

SG:  Where can we find you on-line?

ML;  The big ones are my website: http://www.matthew-lang.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MattLangWrites

Twitter: @mattlangwrites

SG:  Now to kick back and get to know you:

ML:  I’m part writing geek, part gaming geek, and part musical theatre geek, I like long walks on the beach and…oh wait, you meant something else?

Winter or summer?

Summer. I spent nine years in Hong Kong and got used to the heat. I hate being cold. Really hate it. I know people say you can just put more clothes on, but even then, you can be bundled in clothing and still be freezing. Not to mention I suck at typing with mittens on!

Favorite vacation?

Hong Kong’s pretty good, especially if you know where to go for the food and decent shopping. I have some friends there who know where all the funky urban malls are that the tourists miss, and where the little Michelin starred restaurants are where you have to wait two hours for a table but get the best yum cha for less than fifteen dollars a head. Canada was pretty good too though. I’m planning on Japan next, or possibly America for GayRomLit if I can afford it next year. I’m really bad at the ‘favourite’ games, sorry.

Favorite sport?

Tennis if it’s watching. In terms of actually playing I’m less of a sport person and more of a general exercise person. It’s funny, but once you’re out of university the opportunities to go rowing or sailing at a recreational level diminish markedly. Those were the things I pursued while I was studying anyway.

Coffee or tea?

Tea. Especially green tea, chai blend, oolong, rooibos, peppermint…um, you get the idea.

Beer or wine?

Depends on how I’m feeling. Can I go for cider?

Favorite food?

The edible variety! Seriously though, the healthy and tasty variety: I’m a firm believer that just because something is good for you doesn’t mean it can’t taste amazing. I’ve been eating a lot of seafood recently though, namely baby octopus, salmon and prawns. I like cooking up the baby octopus in a lentil curry and serving it over quinoa, although I’m just as likely to pan fry it and serve it over a cous cous salad with a sweet vinegarette.

The past or the future?

To live in? Probably the future. The thing about the past is that we romanticise it—and I’m as guilty of that as anyone else! You’ll notice that Nate is never described as having terrible rotting teeth as would have been quite common in his time! The past is fun to play in, but modern medicine and civil rights aren’t something I’m keen to give up anytime soon. Although the climate change thing is a little worrying. It would be nice if we could fix that one before we kill ourselves. I mean, seriously, forget the feel good stuff about saving the environment and other species—if we don’t sort out our own backyard, it’s us that won’t be around just due to lack of food.

Shop in the store or on-line?

Both. In store for clothes, online for most other things. I tend to get electronics online as well as all the geeky things that cost an arm and a leg down here, or just aren’t available. I love Australia, but we pay far too much for electronics (and video games) down here. It’s got to the point where I order most of my games and such online and get them sent over. I’m actually currently waiting for a new tablet PC to come in to I can have a more convenient (i.e. lighter) PC for writing while out and about.

Fantasy car?

Something unassuming with a hydrogen combustion engine? I just really like the idea of the car exhaust being steam. I’ll settle for electric though if the technology is rolled out—or rather if the petrol companies lose their grip on our society enough to let it be rolled out. You may have gathered I don’t really care too much about looking flash. I really want something understated that works well, and is good quality. Boring I know, but I’d rather spend the money on other things.

Sandals or bare foot?

I like the idea of bare feet, but my soles don’t like it too much. They have an aversion to being punctured and dislike overly hot surfaces. I’ll toughen up one day—or so I keep telling myself. So…on the beach, I’ll go bare foot. Walking over asphalt to the beach I’ll wear sandals. I don’t know, I’ve had too many horror stories of people cutting their feet open on glass to go barefoot all the time.

Welcome my new spotlight person, Sheila Gallagher

Good morning!


I'm really excited to be welcoming a special lady to work along with me here at Tabooindeed. Sheila Gallagher!


She'll be doing the spotlights from now on for the blog every first weekend of the month as well as her top 5 pics.


Here she is with her first post!


*****

Hello!  This is the first of my regular monthly posts.  As you read them you’ll learn more about me so I won’t bore you with a biography.

When asked about my five favorite anything, that list will change constantly depending on my feelings that day or what I have done between questionings.  Each answer is true because of that.  Today I want to share books that have had an impact on me.  These are books that after I have closed the cover, put them back on the shelf, and walked away, stay in my mind and can be recalled easily.  The authors have done their jobs well.

Many books I read are brain candy.  I close the cover and forget about them after I’ve posted them to my Goodreads or Shelfari pages or write the review for Two Lips Reviews.  I have to reread the ending to remember them, if I want to remember them.  But there have been some books I have read that have stayed with me.  These books either have changed my thoughts because of the topic or the characters have become beloved characters for me. 

That list includes:

 

5.  The Scientist and the Supermodel by Tara Lain.

This makes the list because I like Jake and Roan and because the question of how long can you lie to yourself must be answered.   Jake denies who he is and when he dates women, they just go out.  Nothing significant happens between them.  When Jake and Roan get together Jake freaks that he wants sex with Roan and enjoys it.  Watching Jake come to the realization that Roan is the one for him (and possibly his boss Emma) is painful.  Jake hurts Roan so much.  Roan is a saint to always take Jake back but it does take a toll on Roan.  His esteem gets kicked a lot.  When Jake finally does decide who he is and comes out to his family, it is anti-climatic because his family reminds me a lot of mine in that we accept and usually know before the person tells us things.  These characters were easy to identify with and extremely likable.

4.  The Cambridge Fellows Mysteries by Charlie Cochrane

These books make the list because of the characters--Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart.  The setting is turn of the 20^th Century England.  So few novels take place during that time.  Following these men and their relationship through the books is fascinating.  Oliver does not realize that he is gay but he accepts Jonty’s love for him.  Watching their love and relationship grow keeps bringing me back.  Now I have to admit I’m a bit behind on the series but I’ll be catching up with them soon.  They are two of my most favorite characters.

3.  Hard Fall by James Buchanan

Hard Fall makes the list because Joe is Mormon.  I wanted to see how James Buchanan made this work and what negative stereotypes of Mormons would be in the book since I am Mormon (not necessarily a good one).  There was no negativity.  This was a well researched book and what is said about Mormons both as people and the tenets is spot on.  This is also a book that is timely because two Mormons are running for President in 2012 and The Book of Mormon won best musical at the Tony Awards this year.

2.  Bashed by Rick R. Reed

Bashed makes the list because it is about gay bashing but it goes beyond that.  Yes, one man dies but Mr. Reed goes beyond looking at the crime.  He lets us into the lives of those left behind--the partner, the family, the friends, the perpetrators.  The collateral damage done to all those people.  He is very even-handed with it.  We see the partner one chapter and how he is coping with his lover’s death, then we see one of the perpetrators (not the one who did the killing) and what is happening with him.  It is a study in contrasts.  One trying to rebuild his life.  The other trying to keep his life from falling apart.  This is not a book I can walk away from and forget.

1.  Angels in America, Pt. 1 and 2

I read the play and saw the play twice.  Again it deals with Mormons and gays.  There is humor but more tragedy.  It is well-researched and the portrayal of Mormons is spot on.  Hannah, Joe’s mother, is the strongest character.  She takes the teachings of her Mormon background--charity, helping others--and actually lives them as she works with Prior and AIDS victims.  She leaves behind the judgment and learns to understand and love those who are different from her.   Yes, I get angry at the Church when I watch this play but I also know that many of the teachings are true and that it is always evolving.  I also know that there has been many church members that have questioned the teachings towards gays.  Proposition 8 in California caused a lot of rifts that have not been healed.  It is always good when a book brings controversy into the open.

So books matter.  Often I think of the pleasure to be gained by reading but there is more than pleasure.  A good book makes me think.  It challenges my ideas and makes me look at another side of an issue.   No matter what I read I always learn something.

Taboo Ten Final Winners and other great news

Greetings! Happy Saturday everyone.

This is a day late but I wanted to give my guest Rachel Haimowitz the whole day and I was sort of busy so I waited till today to do the final winners and tallies on the biggest event in Tabooindeed history!

WOW! What an event.

Guest posts everyday, SSS on Sundays with links to other participants.

Last months spotlight, Jay Bell was a success. His post was the most attended but it didn't mean that the others were ignored.

According to my Google Analytics, Taboo Tens brought 4600 unique page views last month. That's AMAZING the most I've had! Over 6100 total which means we had repeats.

Great event right? Lots of winners too.

Here are the last ones before today in this link

The last set are:

Sloan Parker - Penny B.

Catriana Sommers - Sheila

Michael Mandrake - Kellie K.

Karenna Colcroft - Bobbie Jean

Quite awesome...

Thanks for all the great comments

In case you missed some or all the great posts, follow this link

Taboo Tens

It will give you all of them from day 30 on back plus the winner posts, etc.

Lastly, I have a bit of news.

As you all know, I do author spotlights, asking the author about their books, some fun questions, etc.

Now that I'm more entrenched in this business, I just don't have the time anymore nor do I feel like it's fair for me to do this since I myself am a writer. 

So, my good friend and most likely my biggest follower, She or Sheila will be doing the spotlights.

Starting Next week, Sheila will be doing her top 5 as well as the book spotlighted at a later date which right now is Valentina Heart.

Welcome Sheila I'm so glad I'll be able to offer something to my readers. 

For now, she won't be taking any new authors to do the spotlight on but once shes done with my last few,she'll ask for new ones.

Thank you all so much for a great month and your continued support.

There were some great books given away, awesome posts and maybe, we'll do it again next year!

Have a great Saturday and holiday weekend!

7th Author Spotlight Andrew Ashling

Good morning! 

Today, I'm featuring fab author, Andrew Ashling along with his book

A Dish Served Cold.

Definitely a great read.

I'm happy to present the 7th author spotlight here at Michael's on a fab writer by the name of Andrew Ashling.

His book A Dish Served Cold, much like the last book I featured, Jay Bell's Something Like Summer is all real. This one however, had some interesting twists and turns. The main character, Andrew Ashton takes you through his life with all up's and downs and at the end even gives you a snippet of life after he and those around him are long gone. 

The book isn't an erotic romance. It's not really even romance though the MC does fall in love but there's barely any sex scenes here, just right in my opinion, considering that Andrew aims to teach and gives you the story of his existence, kind of like a memoir and not his escapades.

Today, Andrew answers a few of my questions and gives you a blurb an excerpt from his new book that's part of a series. 

*****

How long have you been writing?

As long as I can remember, even before I could write.
At least that is how long I have been visited by all kind of strange characters and have been making up stories. Only a few years ago I began giving them a somewhat more solid form.

What is your opinion as to why publishers only want to group all manlove stories under erotica?Because they're dumb? We're talking about the kind of people who are looking for the next JK Rowling, but wouldn't recognize JK Rowling before she became JK Rowling, if you follow my drift.

My "The Invisible Chains"-trilogy is about political intrigue, dynastic struggles, warfare, tactics and strategical issues. It is set in a pseudo-medieval world. Oh, and there is a prince who is in love with another man. How do you think it is classified? As Historical Romance? As Pseudo-Historical Fantasy? Of course not. A few explicit scenes and it is automatically Gay Erotica.

I don't care too much. I'm an indie and I'm set to break the mold. What mainstream publishers think or don't think, or even whether they think, is becoming more irrelevant with each passing day. The new gatekeepers are the readers. You know them? The people who vote with their wallet.

Do you think women being a good portion of the amount of gay fiction writers detracts from the genre? Be honest and why or why not?

Not in the least. Do you have to be a vampire to write about vampires? Well, there is Stepheny Meyer, but she's the exception.

Among the first gay or m/m novels I read was the Alexander-trilogy of Mary Renault. I never felt her Alexander to be anything other than male. Or her Hephaistion. Even her Bagoas, who is admittedly more feminine, was a real boy.

What matters is if, as a writer, you can empathize with your characters and make them live in the minds of your readers.

I read a blog about gay fiction writers losing their imagination because they are writing the same subjects repeatedly, what are your thoughts?

Maybe there is a lot of that going on, but isn't it everywhere? When was the last time you read a truly original thriller? Or a Fantasy novel in which the wizard doesn't speak as if he was a distant relative of Yoda the Jedi Master?

I myself use tropes. I use them as a starting point. Then I put them on their head.

Is there a subgenre you haven’t tried that you see yourself doing in the future

Time travel. I'm fascinated by the subject and I have some ideas, but don't expect it very soon.

===========

For the men in your books, commando or underwear?

In my pseudo medieval books some wear shorts, others loincloths.

 Name one celeb that you wish was gay and why?

Sarah Palin. Because it would immensely satisfy me when she was found out. 

 Name two male celebs that you’d like to see in a hot make out session?

Justin Bieber and Sean Connery. It would amuse me. It would also be a lethal blow against ageism.

Link to my website: http://www.ximerion.com/

Buy links:

Amazon (Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/3c59m5p
Ximerion (mobi, epub, pdf): http://www.ximerion.com/index.php/ebooks.html

Blurb:

Anaxantis, prince of Ximerion.

You will hate him... if your heart isn't big enough.

While the kingdom of Ximerion is threatened at its southern border by a major power, the high king sends his two youngest sons, the half brothers Anaxantis and Ehandar, as Lord Governors to the Northern Marches where minor raids by wild barbarians are expected. Under the guidance of an old and trusted general, the king hopes to keep the young princes far from the major conflict in the south, while at the same time providing them with a valuable learning experience. The estranged half brothers are rivals, but soon they feel attracted to each other. As if this was not enough of a complication, they begin to suspect that they were set up by their own father. The result is a fierce struggle for power where the lines between hate and love become almost indistinguishable and where nothing is what it seems.

When I first thought of the story, my initial reaction was: "This isn't going to be for everyone. You expect people to learn strange names, words and concepts in weird languages, casually digest half-brothercest annex rape annex domination, your main hero has a few flaws, to put it mildly, and you liberally sprinkle political intrigue over the mixture. This story should come with it's own supply of Pepto-Bismol."

From a fairly simple narrative it grew into a rather complex epic tale, set in a kind of medieval world, but, and this is important, not our Middle Ages. There are literally dozens of characters. It takes some effort, especially in the beginning, but I hope you will find it worth your while. Actually I am not so much just trying to tell a story as to create a series of books you can live in.
I can only hope some readers will like to visit this world and its many, many inhabitants occasionally.

Excerpt: 

Finally Anaxantis let the parchments fall down beside the chair and stood up. He walked up to Tarno and looked him over, lingering his gaze slightly longer on his groin.

“Turn around, Tarno.”

He did.

“Stand with your feet wide apart.”

Again, he did.

“Bend over.”

He obeyed.

“Deeper.”

He must have stood like that for more than a full minute. His lord took his time. Then he felt the tops of four fingers slowly wandering over the inside of his butt cheeks. Then one finger very, very slowly followed the groove between his buttocks, slowly moving over his entrance and still going lower.

“Stand up and turn around,” his lord commanded.

With a head, fiery red, both from shame and the exertion of bending over, he did. His lord's eyes met his, and he did his utmost not to look away under the inquisitive, investigating stare. He became even more red. He felt more naked than naked. More naked than he had ever felt or been.

A hand lay itself flat upon his underbelly, feeling for stubbles, and traveled downwards to just above his member, then beside it and under his ballsack.

All the while his lord's eyes kept studying him intensely.

Then he felt a calloused hand take his member, firmly, and it reacted, rising, rising, until it stood upright, hard and stiff in the hand of his lord, who, gently now, kept holding it.

He couldn't bear it anymore. He lowered his head in shame, closing his eyes.

“Do I beat you, Tarno?” his lord asked softly.

“No, my lord, you don't,” he whispered.

“Are my demands to do little chores around the room excessive, you think?”

“No, my lord, they aren't.”

Involuntary he moved a little, and his member inched a little bit forward in his lord's hand. It was both an exhilarating as deeply mortifying feeling. His lord must have seen his excitement, felt it in his hand, but didn't remark upon it.

“Don't I give you permission to stoke the fire as hard as you please, so you don't have to feel cold?”

“You do, my lord. You do,” he sobbed.

“Don't I share my food with you?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Again he couldn't help moving a little bit. This time backwards. It felt as if he was retained by his bald cock. He blushed even more intensely.

“Then why, Tarno? Why? You'll have to explain, you see, because I don't understand. What is it I don't understand, Tarno? What is it you are keeping from me?”

Again those inquisitive, steel-gray eyes bored deep into his being.

It was the last thing. The last thing that was his and his alone. His secret hiding place within himself.

His lord had seen it. Seen something.

“Do you think it is fair to hide things from me, Tarno?”

“No, my lord,” he cried out loud now. “No, it isn't. It isn't.”

“Well then?” his lord asked softly, sadly almost.

“It's... It's this place. This place in my mind.”

“Ah.”

“I sometimes go there...”

“And?”

“There I am... I am... There I am not Tarno.”

He saw his lord had to strain his ears to understand him. But he smiled. Thank the Gods, he wasn't mad. He smiled. He smiled.

“Not Tarno? You do know that is an illusion, don't you? A figment of your mind. A cruel deception. Because you are Tarno. Nothing but Tarno. Whatever, whoever you think you remember doesn't exist. 

Not here. Not now. Can you see anybody else?”

“No, my lord... no... I know... It was hope... Hope did this.”

“Hope, Tarno? There's nothing to hope for. Not for you. Haven't I told you, a long time ago, that this was it? Have you forgotten, Tarno?”

“No... Yes... for some moments, my lord... when I went there...”

“Another illusion, Tarno. Another illusion.”

“I know.”

“Is that why you are blushing when I touch your cock, Tarno? Is that why you are ashamed to show me your hole?”

“I... I...”

“It is, isn't it? Let me ask you: are horses ashamed to show their hole? Does the fox in the woods mind walking around with his cock for all to see?”

“No, no my lord.”

“Then why are you ashamed, Tarno? Do you think you're better than them. More? More valuable than a horse? More cunning than a fox?”

“This must be intolerable for you. Show yourself.”

The floods were open in earnest now. He couldn't stop his tears and didn't want to anymore.

“No, my lord, I am not. I am Tarno. Your Tarno. Nothing more. Nothing else. Just Tarno. I am yours, completely yours. Everything about me is yours to do with as you please.”

“Yes, it is. I want you to go to that place, deep, deep inside you, Tarno, and close it. Close it for good. For ever. It's for your own sake. That place is bad for you. Don't you see? It makes you unhappy. It makes you to want the world to be something it is not. It makes you to want to be someone you are not. It's idle hope. It's false. It's treacherous. It will be your downfall. Wanting something that never was and never can be. That is what makes you unhappy, Tarno. I don't want you to be unhappy.”

“I know, I know,” he cried out, unable to hold back his tears.

“Shh. I'll help you,” his lord said, softly rubbing his thumb over his member. “Don't I always help you? Close it. Take a few steps back. Now, see it dissolve, disintegrate into nothingness... It's easy, Tarno, because it was only an illusion to begin with. Illusions can't stand to be looked at. Their fabric isn't equal to inspection. Have you done, what I said?”

“I have my lord. I have. It's not there anymore. It isn't, it really isn't.”

“Good, Tarno, very good.”

And it really had disappeared. It really wasn't there anymore. He felt for it, but there was only emptiness. His lord had saved him from a great danger. From hope, terrible hope itself. His merciful lord, in his goodness, had taken hope away.

All would be well now. Only, not just yet.

“Wait here, Tarno,” his lord, his good, kind lord said. “Wait here while I try to figure out what to do about you.”