Please welcome Rachel Haimowitz to the blog, author of the upcoming novel Crescendo: Song of the Fallen Book II. Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions! I’m thrilled to have you visit my blog today.

Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…
A: I write gay romance in a number of genres, mostly speculative fiction (fantasy, alternate universe, etc.) and BDSM.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?
A: I’d actually been writing professionally for years, but primarily in nonfiction. I was an early columnist for the Huffington Post, and did some ghostwriting, primarily in the small business and personal finance space. In terms of fiction, I’ve been writing that ever since I can remember, but my first concerted effort began at the age of sixteen when I started my first novel. Took me nine years to finish it, and goodness was it ever tripe! But of course I didn’t know that at the time. Six years later, I sold my first novel, Counterpoint: Book I of Song of the Fallen.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?
A: Actually, my favorite is always the next one—the one I haven’t written yet. It’s that sense of energy and excitement, the thrill of mapping a new world and new characters and the anticipation of getting the words on the page in just the right way.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?
A: No. Certainly sometimes writing is easier than other times—sometimes the muse lights a fire under your ass, and it’s all you can do to type fast enough—but I’ve been writing professionally for about a decade now, with editors and clients who took no care for my state of inspiration and daily deadlines I had to meet, and I’ve learned it’s just a matter of discipline. Writing’s a muscle like everything else; if you do it enough, with enough focus and enough training, eventually you reach the point where you can sit down and write every day whether you’re inspired or not, and nobody will ever be able to look at the outcome and tell how you felt the day you wrote it.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?
A: Inspiration comes from everywhere—people I know, things I read, snippets of conversation, random links I click in Wikipedia… who knows. You never know when something might strike, but nothing’s ever struck me as particularly strange. I guess I just sort of take it as it comes.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?
A: Focus on craft. Stories are a dime a dozen, and telling a good one is easy. Telling a good story well, on the other hand, is something very few people ever manage. And unfortunately, no matter how brilliant or creative or inventive your stories are, if you don’t have the sentence-level foundations of craft—grammar, structure, flow, voice, pacing, POV, tone, show-versus-tell, passive-versus-active, all that jazz—then it’s very unlikely your story will ever get heard.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?
A: Kind of both? My EDJ is writing and editing on a freelance basis. I don’t make enough money off my fiction to live off the royalties yet, but I sure would love to! After all, I’d much rather write for myself and my readers and my own passions than write for clients.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.
A: I once (well, okay, three times a week for a month) performed naked on stage in a traditional production of Hair.

Q: What’s your favorite dirty word?
A: Fuck. It’s not very creative, but it’s eminently versatile. It’s basically every part of speech, and appropriate for every situation in which a dirty word might be called for.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
A: My ears are pierced and have been since I was maybe five or six. That’s it, though.

Q: If you could be intimate with three people (not necessarily all at one time *g*) without getting in trouble with your significant other (or theirs), who would they be?
A: Michael Fassbender because the man is sex on legs and also totally silly and seems like the kind of guy who’d really get off on getting you off; James McAvoy, but mostly I’d probably just sit back and watch him get plowed by Fass; and an old ex of mine whose name I’ll leave out to protect the innocent, because we’ve never really stopped loving each other, even though circumstances were such that things just couldn’t work out (and, LOL, now they’ll all think it’s them I’m talking about :-p).

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?
A: Laundry. I’m pretty sure this requires no explanation :-p

Q: What’s your favorite comfort food?
A: Oddly enough? Rice Krispies in whole milk. I never actually eat this except maybe at a continental breakfast at a hotel or something (I don’t keep whole milk in the house), but it’s definitely one of my all-time favorite things.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie?
A: My favorite book ever is probably Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, and my favorite movie is probably a tie between American Psycho and Memento. These all follow a fairly consistent trend for me: I love entertainment that makes you think, makes you uncomfortable, and maybe makes you laugh at some uncomfortable and thought-provoking things.

Q: If you don’t mind sharing, would you tell us about your latest work in progress?
A: I’m in the plotting stages of a novel I’m co-writing with Cat Grant that we affectionately refer to as The Big Perv Book. It’s basically going to be 80,000 words of all the darkest, kinkiest power-exchange desires we’ve ever had, and involves one guy basically “buying” another guy for six months of voluntary TPE submission, even though the bottom doesn’t want to admit—even to himself—how much he actually enjoys bottoming. This is sort of a gross oversimplification, but it’s something of a journey of self-discovery for both of them as individuals, and for the two of them as a couple, as well. And like most romance, the road may be—will be—rocky, but they’ll follow it into the sunset together at the end.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release (& share a yummy excerpt for those who aren’t yet familiar with your work)
A: Crescendo is the follow-up to Counterpoint, Book I of Song of the Fallen, and completes the story between Ayden and Freyrík. It’s a rough road for both of them in Crescendo, but they do get their long-awaited happily ever after, and they might even manage to fix more than just what’s broken between themselves. Here’s a blurb:

History made them enemies. Chance made them master and slave. Love overcame it all. But love isn’t always enough….

Bridging the hatred of centuries did not come easy for Freyrík Farr and Ayden Vaska. As prince of a war-torn human province, Freyrík could ill afford to fall for an enemy. And Ayden, and elven warrior with three hundred years of bitterness in his heart, wanted no part of love—not elven, and especially not human. Yet they came together despite themselves and despite the will of their peoples, joining heart and mind to fight a race of Dark Beasts threatening the extinction of mankind.

But the Dark Beast threat pales beside the dangers of the human High Court, home of the Aegis Exalted and the harshest test yet of Ayden’s and Freyrík’s fledgling love.

While Ayden is stripped of his magic, Freyrík is forced to choose between his love for elf, Aegis, and brother, all the while seeking the one uncertain path that might save his doomed race. Time is fast running out for mankind, and only by making peace amongst themselves and with their ancient elven enemies can they end the Dark war—and undo the tragedy that’s plagued humans, elves, and Dark Beasts alike for the last three hundred years.

To learn more about Rachel Haimowitz, please visit the following sites:
Website: http://rachelhaimowitz.com
Blog: http://Rachel-haimowitz.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rachel.haimowitz
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RachelHaimowitz

To purchase a copy of Rachel Haimowitz’s latest release, Crescendo: Song of the Fallen Book II, go here: http://stormmoonpress.com/books/Crescendo.aspx

I’m author of the month over at Queer Magazine Online. Pop over & check out the interview they did with me.

http://ow.ly/4repd

Please welcome S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet to the blog, authors of “The Keeper”.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.

Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A: [S.L.] Paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary, with the occasional smatterings of western, sci-fi, and speculative fiction.

[K.] Pretty much the same as S.L. We co-author most of our fiction, so we work in the same genres. I very much enjoy writing in the paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary genres, but I keep an open mind to branching out.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A: [S.L.] Actually, we chose not to seek traditional publication. We’d considered several of the e-presses, but in the end, we wanted as much control over the finished product as we could, and so we chose to release our work ourselves. We founded Storm Moon Press to publish our work as well as the work of other authors through anthologies, and we haven’t looked back. However, I wrote for about ten years before making that decision, spending handful of years in fanfiction, and then writing original fiction for about three years before taking the plunge and finally publishing “The Keeper”.

[K.] Unlike S.L., I had very little experience writing professionally before we collaborated on “The Keeper”. I had written plenty of essays and research papers for college as a student in Kinesiological Sciences, but I never expected to become swept away into the world of writing fiction. It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and I feel like I learn something new with every step we take in establishing Storm Moon Press as a GLBT and alternative lifestyles romance press. Other than a terribly written poem published in a local collection back in High School, “The Keeper” is my first publication.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: [S.L.] Hmm. I have to say my favorite would be “Catalyst”. It won’t be available until March, but it’s a contemporary BDSM story that really delves into the psychological maze of a masochist. It was a lot of work, went through a couple of rewrites, but the characters of Kasper and Logan have stuck with me.

[K.] S.L. and I think alike! “Catalyst” is also my favorite. It was a challenge to write, but I hope our love for the characters is clear to readers once it is published in March 2011. For the sake of having a different answer, I’ll also add that I love the stories we are still formulating for the World of Egaea. Rarely have I had the opportunity to world build on a large scale, and I’ll be thrilled when we can share the stories of those characters a couple years down the road.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: [S.L.] For certain types of scenes, yes. If it’s a dark scene, I need to be in that sort of headspace for the words to come. Usually, it’s only the darker stuff that requires a little mood setting.

[K.] It really is the darker scenes that throw me for a loop and demand I break out some music or write in a dimly lit room. When I’m writing very emotional scenes, I also prefer to write in solitude. It saves me the embarrassment of getting all weepy in front of others.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?

A: [S.L.] A Venetian mask. *laughs* I ran across a brief statement about what they were historically used for, and a series of books came into my head in an instant. Those will take some time to fully develop and write, but it was the strangest thing to me. A single sentence about Venetian masks, and I had a whole sci-fi sort of world formed in my head with a main character and plot ideas.

[K.] An epic adventure dream that featured the main characters from Sailor Moon. Hey! Don’t hate! When I sat down to write out the dream for fun, I realized the basic plot worked much better with original characters S.L. and I had created, so it ‘transformed’, if you’ll pardon the pun, into something completely different and made us rethink our approach to the World of Egaea books.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: [S.L.] Patience. Not every story is meant for publication, even when you do it yourself, and you should have patience in cultivating the ideas, writing them, and editing them to the best of your ability. I also think, for new writers in the M/M erotic romance field, the best piece of advice I can give is to make sure you have a *plot*. Sex is all well and good, but it isn’t a plot. You need to ensure your readers relate to the characters so the events-and the sex-mean something to them.

[K.] *nods in agreement with S.L.* Patience and plot are essential. The other tidbit I would offer would be to surround yourself with a support system of people who will give their honest opinions. This definitely ties in with finding ideas worth publishing, writing, and then editing them. You have to find others who are willing to give truth with compassion, not blindly allow you to put out something that is sub par. Their advice, though sometimes hard to swallow, will be invaluable in the end.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?

A: [S.L.] I write and publish full time.

[K.] I wouldn’t call my day job ‘evil’. *chuckles* I am a massage therapist when I’m not writing. I love the profession, and I feel it balances my creativity with my more analytical and scientific side. I also enjoy working with others, and massage therapy is a hands-on job that satisfies my need to connect with other people.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A: [S.L.] I am incredibly socially inept. Whether that’s surprising or not is whether or not you buy into the myth that all writers are introverts.

[K.] I once performed on the flying trapeze! I’m a lover of the circus arts, so I’ve tried quite a few of the disciplines, from trapeze, to diabolos, to contortion.

Q: What’s your favorite dirty word?

A: [S.L.] Hands down, fuck. It’s such a versatile word.

[K.] Oh, definitely fuck. I second that.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

A: [S.L.] I have pierced ears. One hole in each lobe. I am looking to get small glyph tattoos on the inside of each wrist in the near future, one Pisces and one Scorpio.

[K.] I technically have pierced ears (two holes in each lobe), but I haven’t worn earrings in so long that the holes have all but closed up. I’d eventually like a tattoo, but I haven’t found anything both artistic and meaningful enough to me to be placed permanently on my body.

Q: If you could be intimate with three people (not necessarily all at one time *g*) without getting in trouble with your significant other, who would they be?

A: [S.L.] I have no idea, really. *laughs* I’m more enamored of my fictional characters than I am of real people. Besides, my significant other and I are polyamorous, and so I already have a second partner I adore quite a lot in addition to my husband.

[K.] What significant other? I’d be more concerned about *their* significant others, since I’m single. I don’t know any real people that I’d actually consider. I’ll just stick to fictional characters: Daeron from J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, Moondance and Starwind from Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage trilogy (they would come in a pair, I believe. No arguments here!), and Sheik from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. God, I feel like such a geek!

Q: If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on?

A: [S.L.] Oh, gods, I would pay off my debts, pay off my car and then FIX my car, buy a house, and then put a good chunk of the money into investments. Not very outlandish, is it? Very practical, but I’m a practical sort of person.

[K.] I’d pay out my apartment until my move next year along with a bunch of Storm Moon Press expenses, finally buy myself an ebook reader, and go see every Cirque du Soleil show I haven’t been able to afford to see. Since that would hardly make a dent, I’d do much like S.L. and go the house and investments route. A couple small, fun things, but the bulk of it would be practical.

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?

A: [S.L.] I don’t do the dishes. Ever. I hate it. I make my husband do them.

[K.] Cleaning bathrooms, and that goes for humans and the kitty litterboxes. Fumes from cleaners and potent cat litters just really irritate my senses. I only do it when I have to.

Q: What’s your favorite comfort food?

A: [S.L.] Good, old fashioned macaroni and cheese or a decent bar chocolate.

[K.] Cheesy garlic bread or cookies (I love all different kinds).

Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie?

A: [S.L.] I love Tolkien’s world. It’s been a staple in my life for a long, long time. As for movies, I never get tired of “Two Weeks Notice”, even if it is utterly a chick flick. It simply amuses me.

[K.] S.L. and I bonded over Tolkien’s work, so I have to agree with her on that for both books and movies. It’s had such a wonderful impact on our lives. I also love the film “August Rush” for the way music impacts the characters’ lives and serves as an invisible bond between them.

Q: If you don’t mind sharing, would you tell us about your latest work in progress?

A: [S.L.] We tend to juggle a couple projects at once. One is the first novella in a series about a night world and vampires and what goes on with various men in that world. Another is a polyamorous contemporary with two men and a woman trying to make their relationship work as they adjust to adding a fourth (third man) to their lives. There’s also a contemporary western about a country singer and a ranch owner, and a M/M erotic horror set at a haunted hotel.

[K.] In addition to all that, we’re fiddling with the Venetian Mask concept S.L. mentioned and a dystopian society involving vampires. We are very busy people!

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release (& share a yummy excerpt for those who aren’t yet familiar with your work)

A: [S.L.] Our latest release is actually in an anthology called “Cast the Cards”, which is an anthology that includes M/M, F/F, and M/M/F stories. My contribution to the anthology was a short story called “Oneiros”, which is about a man named Caleb coming to terms with the fact he has HIV. It’s mainly about how he copes as well as how love unexpectedly finds him. Our joint release that is separate from the anthology is “The Keeper”, which is a non-traditional vampire novella we’re happy to have out.

[K.] My contribution to the anthology is a short story called “Surrender”, which is about a man named Aaron and his experience at a private fetish party. When he becomes involved with another Dom named Travis, the foundation of his sexual life as a decided Top is shaken to its core. It’s also my first solo piece to be published, so I’m incredibly excited to have it included in “Cast the Cards” alongside pieces from other talented authors. Thank you very much for interviewing us, Amanda! We hope you all enjoyed the ride and have fun with the excerpts below!

Excerpt from “Cast the Cards - Oneiros” by S.L. Armstrong:

The touch was so real. His skin was soft, warm and smelling of rain and moist earth, against his overheated face. Those hands drew his face upward, and Caleb whimpered when Morpheus’ lips touched his. It wasn’t the desperate passion of the night before; this was something sweet, something tender. Caleb parted his lips, his hands resting atop Morpheus’ as Morpheus slid his tongue into Caleb’s mouth.

It was just a kiss, Caleb told himself. A kiss shouldn’t make him so hard he hurt. It shouldn’t make his pulse pound in his ears. It shouldn’t make him feel so weak, so needy, but it did. The kiss made him want to let the god take away all the worries he felt when he was awake, all the fear and self-loathing and sadness. This was all a dream, something his mind conjured to ease his own loneliness, and even if it was a lucid dream, it really was just a dream.

So, why didn’t it feel like just a dream?

“Dreams are the gateway to the self,” Morpheus whispered into his mouth. “Dreams are what give heroes their courage, kings their bravery, and the common man a reason to believe. Dreams are made of the stuff of legends, Caleb, and I am the maker of those dreams. Dreams are not ‘just’ anything.”

Caleb shuddered, his breath short as their lips teased lightly at one another. “I’m tired of being alone,” he said. “I miss being touched.”

“I know,” Morpheus breathed, pressing Caleb back against the mattress.

Excerpt from “Cast the Cards - Surrender” by K. Piet:

Aaron was about to comment on Travis’ lascivious tone when another strike landed, firmer than before, and he gripped the bedspread with a gasp. It hurt more, the force of it rocking him into the sheets, but with the low throb came an almost unexpected jolt of pleasure. Part of him wanted to protest the treatment-to end the experience right there-but a deeper part of him seemed to stir and stretch. His pride wouldn’t allow him to speak the safeword when he was still on the proverbial fence.

It should have made him uncomfortable, the pulsing pain that slowly seeped into his muscles with each strong blow. It should have made him tense even more and call it all off, but instead he felt the beginnings of arousal flare low in his gut. It made the light rocking of his groin against the bedspread so much more erotic than he’d thought it would be. The pleasure of it dulled his wits, or maybe it just forced his mind stop questioning every reaction so he could simply feel. Either way, he found himself relaxing even more instead of tensing against every strike, and Travis’ voice coached him through every moment.

“You know how it is from my place. You watch the reactions, how the body moves, and you play around with pace, power, and placement until you find just the right combination. When you receive… you feel that experimentation, don’t you?”

The pressure became more stingy and rode higher up on his backside, and he grunted, tensing when the hand went too high. “Yeah,” he admitted, his voice a little breathless as his heart pounded against his ribcage.

---

To learn more about “Cast the Cards” and “The Keeper”, please visit http://www.stormmoonpress.com/. S.L. can be found at http://www.slarmstrong.net/, and K. Piet can be found at http://www.kpiet.net/.

Please welcome M. Jules Aedin to the blog, author of Windows in Time and Every Good Thing.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.

Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A:  Right now I’m only published in m/m romance, but I’ve got stories in progress in YA and f/f romance as well.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A: I have been writing all my life in one way or another, and then got tossed into fanfiction.  My first finished original story (because I have lots of unfinished ones!) got picked up by Dreamspinner Press.  It might have helped that I tailored it to one of their open calls.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: My favorite story is usually whatever one I’m working on at the time or the ones that are only a vague shape in my mind.  They’re the ones with the “new project energy” keeping me obsessed with them. As far as already-published, I don’t know.  I’m very pleased with Can’t Hurry Love because I managed to keep a comedic tone through it, which is a challenge for me, and I’m fond of Windows in Time because my cross-dressing character in that stole my heart.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: Not so much a physical place, but definitely a mental one.  If the mojo isn’t there, I can’t force it.  There was a psychological study done a little while back that found supporting evidence for the hypothesis (sorry, psych major) that creative types enter a state of self-hypnosis while they are creating.  I definitely think that’s true.  Although, that said, I do tend to get a lot of writing done in class when I should be taking notes.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story? Read the rest of this entry »

Please welcome Suzanne Rock to the blog, author of Dark Deception.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…A: I write paranormal and erotic romance.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A: I wrote five manuscripts over two years. My fifth manuscript, Spyder’s Web, was contracted by Loose Id. Dark deception is a complete re-write of my fourth manuscript.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: It’s so hard to choose! I have o say whatever story I’m working on at the moment is my favorite.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: No. I do need quiet, however. Some people like to draft with music in the background. I find it to be too distracting. For some reason I can listen to music while I edit, though. Maybe because I’m more focused on grammar, spelling and other mechanics, rather than story.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?

A: I got the idea for Spyde’s Web from a blog challenge to come up with the most intriguing first line to a story.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: Don’t ever, ever give up. Allow yourself 24 hours to grieve a rejection, then put it behind you. Learn from it, if you can. The difference between a published and unpublished writer is that the published writer didn’t give up. Sure, you hear about people who sold the first manuscript they ever wrote to New York. People win the lottery, too. For most of us, the road to publication is paved with rejection slips.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?

A: I wish I wrote full time!! Unfortunately, I have to pay the bills. I’m a scientist and mom by day, and a writer by night.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a brand new interview out. Michele, from Michele N Jeff Reviews, was kind enough to interview me for their blog. If you want to hear more about me(like what’s under my bed), then make sure you swing by the blog and check it out. Michele’s questions were really fun to answer.

http://michelenjeff-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/amanda-young-interview.html

Please welcome Viki Lyn to the blog, author of Ryan’s Harbor and Last Chance.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A: I write m/m romance, a new genre for me and one that I fell in love with after my first story was written. Also, I’ve written a paranormal romance epic with angels and priestesses (not yet found a home for it). Paranormal is also a new genre that I began to explore over a year ago. My first published books are historical romances under another pen name.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A: About six years of writing short stories and fan fics. It took me a while to learn how to write a decent story and I’m still learning the craft. It’s a long term study and an arduous process, but I find it challenging and fun, so I keep doing it!

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: This is a hard one because each story is unique (I hope, anyway! LOL). Last Chance flowed easier than others, and I love twisting the vampire mythos into a world I specifically created. There is a special place in my heart for my ‘straight’ gay romances (traditional) because I love to read them.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: No, and I move around a lot - I have a laptop and I’m always taking it to the local coffee house, or plopping it on my kitchen table where there is more sunlight than my office, or perching it on my lap while watching the golf or football.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: Keep at it! That’s it…if you have a passion for writing then that will carry you through the tough times. Even though I’ve been published I still get rejections, writer’s block, self-doubt creepy crawlies, all that stuff that plagues new writers, too. It’s my love of the creative process that keeps me going, and hearing from my readers.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you. Read the rest of this entry »

Please welcome Karenna Colcroft to the blog, author of Eternal Love.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.Thanks for having me!Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A: Under this name, I write primarily contemporary romance, but I’m starting to branch more into paranormal romance. Eternal Love is my first paranormal romance novel. Under a different name, I write young adult urban fantasy.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A: Hmm… I started writing when I was 5 years old, and I got my first contract in 2001… have to do the math… I was 31 then, so I wrote for twenty-six years before I got my first contract. (And that was for a phonics-based reading program.)

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: So far I’d have to say Eternal Love. It contains the first erotic scene I ever wrote, back in 2006, and a man who was then my closest-and completely platonic-friend helped me brainstorm the plot.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: Nope. I usually write at my computer, and can spew out 1000 words in fifteen minutes when I really get going. But I’ve also written in doctor’s waiting rooms, at my kids’ schools while waiting to pick them up… pretty much anywhere I have to wait for something, I can write. Even in the checkout line at the grocery store.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story? Read the rest of this entry »

Please welcome Sheri Lewis Wohl to the blog, author of Bridge of Souls and Dirty Deeds.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A:I usually write in the paranormal genre.  I love all the things that are dark, dangerous and go bump in the night.  I recently did a suspense novel without a single paranormal element. Was a fun change of pace although rest easy…I’m still in the paranormal business!

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?

A:  I wrote off and on for about fifteen years before I published my first novel.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A:  My favorite is the first in an ebook trilogy I wrote for Loose Id titled Necuratul.  It’s the story of Cat Lohr, a Canadian psychic who hunts evil and the Spokane Indian shape shifter she loves.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A:  Nope, I can pretty well write anywhere, any time.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?

A:  In the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.  I happened to be at Cathedral when services were beginning and decided to stay.  As I sat listening to the wonderful service, boom-it hit me, the plot for my latest WIP.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A:  Never give up.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?

A:  For the last 19 years, I’ve been your friendly neighborhood fed.  I actually really like my day job so I work during the day and write in the early mornings and evenings.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A:  I participate in triathlons.

Q: What’s your favorite dirty word?

A:  Gotta be fuck.  A simple word that conveys a lot.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

A:  Nothing exotic.  No ink but a couple piercings in each ear.

Q: If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on?

A:  Odd as it sounds, I’d go back to school and complete a doctorate.  I enjoyed earning my masters in literature and would love to take it to the next level.

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?

A:  It’s yardwork for me.  Hate it!  Hubby says I can disappear quicker than anyone he’s ever seen when the yard tools come out.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie?

A:  My favorite book is the classic, Rebecca.  Gotta love the psycho housekeeper Mrs. Danvers.  My favorite movie is Interview with a Vampire.  It’s all about Louie for me.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release (& share a yummy excerpt for those who aren’t yet familiar with your work)

A:  Dirty Deeds is my latest release and it’s a romantic suspense.  Louie Russell is a bounty hunter and Paul McDonald is the hockey coach who becomes her unwanted shadow.  There’s danger, intrigue and passion.

Dirty Deeds

 

By Sheri Lewis Wohl

 

Available at Liquid Silver Books, www.liquidsilverbooks.com

 

Excerpt:

From the rapid succession of thumps Louie could hear from the outside corridor of the Spokane Arena, she’d have sworn the entire hockey team was on the ice. Instead, one man circled the arena, methodically lining up a row of small pucks on the red line. Once they were in an order that seemed to please him, he would circle to the opposite end of the ice and then race back toward them. One by one he flew to the pucks, striking them with such force they crashed into the boards and made the glass rattle. Strength and fury roared through each and every shot. Impressive, very impressive.

Louie didn’t need to ask who the skater was. Paul McDonald resembled his younger brother or rather, young James McDonald resembled his older brother Paul. Resembled was the key word, for they were most definitely not twins. James’ stats had him at five-foot-ten and about one-sixty which pretty much jibed with her memory of the man who’d come into the office. His face was soft, and tough was definitely not the adjective she’d use to describe James.

This McDonald was well over thirty and decidedly not thin or soft. From where she stood, her best guess was at least six feet tall. She’d be able to look him pretty square in the eye, though the skates gave him a few more inches. His shoulders were broad and muscled. He wore a white workout jersey with the recognizable Chargers logo. Without all the pads normally worn under the jersey, she could see thick, strong arms flex each time he swung the stick. Oh yeah, this was a big brother in a big way.

“Not bad,” Louie muttered.

© Sheri Lewis Wohl, 2010
All Rights Reserved
www.sherilewiswohl.com

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To learn more about Sheri Lewis Wohl, please visit www.sherilewiswohl.com and www.sherilewiswohl.wordpress.com

Please welcome Giselle Renarde to the blog, author of ONDINE and AUDREY & LAWRENCE.  Thank you for agreeing to answer my nosy questions and share them with everyone visiting today.

Q: To begin, please share which genre(s) you write in…

A: I’m up to my eyelashes in Erotica.  I write it all: straight, gay, lesbian, bi, queer and questioning, and ménage of all sorts, from m/f/f/f to f/m/m/m/m/m!  There’s great variation from work to work.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: Oh, that’s like choosing your favourite child! I mean, there’s a clear winner, but you hate to admit it.  “Third Rail” is close to my heart, as it’s largely based on real life events.  (I know I shouldn’t fess up to stuff like that, but you can keep a secret, right?)  “Third Rail” is a story from lyd Alterotica’s “TransFix” line of authentic transgender erotica.  Bisexual BDSM, anyone?

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?

A: I’m not a muse-driven author, so I’m not too picky when it comes to atmosphere.  I know this sounds terribly unsexy, but for me it’s work that needs to get done, like anything else.  That said, I find I write best and most on my Mac in the wee hours of the morning.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?

A: I once wrote a romance story about a pair of penguins: “Penguins in a Dangerous Time.”  It was for the 2009 blog action day on the topic of climate change.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: Submit your work everywhere and be humble when you get those rejection letters.  Rejection’s just part of the game.  It never goes away.  Accept constructive criticism.  Take everyone’s advice-someone’s bound to be right eventually.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?

A: I did what every author dreams of and quit my day job to write.  When I get antsy, I do contract work-everything from warehouse work to grading exam papers.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A: I never jaywalk. Never.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

A: Depends who’s asking.  If it’s the police, I swear that wasn’t me jaywalking.  I never, never do it. *grin*

Q: If you could be intimate with three people (not necessarily all at one time *g*) without getting in trouble with your significant other, who would they be?

A: Oh, my girlfriend wouldn’t mind in the least because she’s one of my three.  In fact, she’s my top pick.  We’ve decided to indulge in a threesome with Professor Snape from Harry Potter, and then she’ll watch me get it on with pin-up model Bernie (Belle) Dexter.  Is that weird?

Q: If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on?

A: Food and women.  Meaning, I would donate most of it to charitable organizations that feed the hungry and give women and other members of marginalized populations chances to improve their lives and the lives of their families.  The rest I’d spend on fancy dinners and prostitutes.

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?

A: Dusting.  I have two cats and their fur forms the most elusive tumbleweeds you’ve ever seen.  It even gets stuck in between the pages of all the books on my bookshelves.

Q: What’s your favorite comfort food?

A: Christmas Dinner.  In my mind, that’s just one food.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, biscuits and veg and pumpkin pie all meld together into the perfect comfort food.  And it has to be cooked by my mother.  She’s a terrible cook, but that doesn’t matter.  It tastes like home.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie?

A: As an ally-advocate of the transgender community and the partner of a trans woman, I think “TransAmerica” is an important movie.  It’s highly approachable in terms of plot and character, and I think it provides a pretty authentic outlook on being transgender.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release (& share a yummy excerpt for those who aren’t yet familiar with your work)

A: My novella “Ondine: An Erotic Tale of Art and Deception” is pansexual in the sense that it contains one straight romance, two lesbian romances, and one polyamorous adventure.  “Audrey & Lawrence” is a complete collection of all my-you guessed it-”Audrey & Lawrence” stories.  These shorts have been published far and wide, and explore the relationship between an older married man and his younger mistress-from the mistress’ perspective.  Now they are together at last, along with a number of never-before-released stories and a foreword by the author.  That’s me.

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To learn more about Giselle Renarde, please visit her website http://www.freewebs.com/gisellerenarde/ or blog http://donutsdesires.blogspot.com