Cameron D. James's Blog, page 33

Barbara Elsborg

To finish off National M/M Book Month, I’m thrilled to interview M/M author Barbara Elsborg!

 

Barbara Elsborg lives in West Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.

After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.

She writes in a variety of genres including MM, MMF and MM – contemporary, paranormal and sci fi romances. Her books feature quirky characters, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write.

More about Barbara can be found on her website/blog – www.barbaraelsborg.com

 

 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A spy. I really wanted to join the foreign office and be an undercover operative. But I told so many people, it sort of ruined my chances. Apart from which, I couldn’t cope with being tortured. I used to think I could but husband pointed out, they’d only have to threaten my kids and I’d say anything. Or tickle my feet.

 

Why do you write?

I write because the world in my head is far more interesting than the one I live in. I write because without it, I’d go crazy with boredom. I write because it’s what I love doing. I write because I hate shopping and cooking and cleaning.

 

Who (if anyone) has been instrumental in inspiring you as a writer?

More of a what. My first real memories of writing were in my teens – when I filled notebooks with fan fiction. I was a TV addict and a movie expert. I still have the 200 or so stories I wrote. My first serious writing started when I’d left university. I wrote about a girl who was abused by her step-father and ran away to New York only to be snagged by a mafia boss and then seduced by his son. It’s a rip-roaring tale of sex, drugs and violence and lies at the bottom of the closet for when I need a good laugh.

Apart from an obsession with television in my teens, which sparked off the fan fiction, books in general have been my inspiration. Every book I’ve ever read has inspired me in some way, though some authors are so good they make me think I can’t write at all. (Compared to them I can’t) I can never say who’s my favorite author because there are so many and I don’t always like everything they’ve written. I have maybe 20 or 30 that are automatic buys for me.

 

Do you ever read reviews of your books?

I’d love to say no, I never read reviews but I’d be lying. It’s lovely of course to hear nice things being said. If I ever get down, I might browse GR or Amazon to read something nice about one of my stories but of course, my eye inevitably gets drawn to the comments that aren’t so kind. How I can be so gutted by one ‘didn’t like it’ or ‘you’d have to be mentally ill to like this trash’ comment when I can see ‘loved it’ or ‘best book I ever read’ above, I do not know!

I don’t let reviews influence my writing. If I saw comments that continually said the same thing – such as – why does she always make her heroes so stupid – THEN, I’d listen and rethink but I get completely opposite remarks about the same book. For instance – for a recent book someone said there was no angst, and another review said love the loads of angst in this story. Reviews are just opinions and everyone is entitled to say what they think – but hopefully in a civilized way. I haven’t liked books that others have loved so I have to expect the same reaction to my stories. I can’t please everyone.

 

How important to you are your titles?

I can’t start writing until I’ve fixed on one and I can’t make the story work until I’ve fixed on the right one. I suspect a lot of authors are the same. Sometimes I know them before I sit at the laptop, other times, I’ll brood for hours.

It’s a good idea to choose a title no one else has used but not that easy with romance books. Mackerchar’s ‘The Romance of Leprosy’ lacks that something – it probably dropped off. Oops. Sorry.

I need to pick a title with zing! Not like Rossi’s ‘The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe.’ Which I suspect is not sexy at all.

Plus choose something that appeals. Unlike Joseph’s ‘A Letter to the Man who Killed my Dog.’ That doesn’t sound like it has a happy ending.

I don’t know how other authors come up with their titles but I find listening to lyrics helps. Robbie Williams in particular. If that fails, I just ask my crit partner and she comes up with something. Thanks, Arlene!

Cowboys Down – just popped into my head. I wanted something with Cowboys in the title but it was hard to find one that no one else had used.

Every Move He Makes – inspired by a song Every Breath You Take by The Police

With or Without him – also inspired by a song – With Or Without You by U2

Bloodline – well that just popped into my head too. It’s a vampire and faerie story to do with er – blood!

 

 

Bloodline

My first but not my last paranormal MM – about a faerie and a vampire – plus I threw in a talking horse and a zombie among other things.

Blurb

No one can tattoo better than Inigo, a two hundred year old vampire, who works on human and supernatural skins. But he’s never tattooed a faerie and when a bunch of them insist he comes with them to tattoo one of their kind, saying no proves not to be an option. His skin is Oberon, the faerie king, and Inigo fears this will be the last tattoo he’ll ever do.

The moment the faerie Micah lands in the faerie king’s bed chamber, he knows the guy is trouble. But if he’s to save his sister and his family, let alone the job he’s paid to do, he has to stay in Faerieland and endure Oberon’s sadism. When he’s thrown into a starving vampire’s cell, covered in blood, he fears this day will be his last. But Inigo finds Micah’s blood too delicious to give it up by killing him.

Pretty soon, he’s feeling that way about Micah himself.

Buy on Amazon

 

Book Review: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found)

Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann

Business is down at Quark’s Public House, Café, Gaming Emporium, Holosuite Arcade, and Ferengi Embassy to Bajor. Way down. Lower level of hell down. The station is bustling, but residents and visitors are spending more time (and latinum) at the new Deep Space 9’s park, sports fields, theater, swimming complex, and who knows what else, than they are at Quark’s establishment. All of Quark’s misfortunes just could be reversed, however, when he finds out that one of the steamiest holonovels to hit the Alpha Quadrant in years is up for grabs. And he has an inroad to acquiring it before anyone else. Or does he?

I don’t usually read the Star Trek ebooks — but I’m a sucker for Deep Space Nine (as, in my opinion, it is, by far, the strongest Star Trek series ever made) — so I picked this one up.

It was a delightfully fun read, which was a refreshing change.  The Star Trek novels have gotten very dark and very dense of late, which I truly do enjoy, but it was a nice surprise to read a short novella that had me chuckling and smiling through the whole thing.

The holo-novel Vulcan Love Slave has been mentioned in several Star Trek books over the years, though I’m not sure if it was ever mentioned on screen, as one of Quark’s most popular holo-novels for his customers in his holosuites (though it has been mentioned in non-DS9 books too, I believe).  This novella opens with Quark receiving a teaser sample of a new sequel to the Vulcan Love Slave series — one that far surpasses all previous entries in the series in terms of eroticism and quality.  This sets Quark on an urgent mission to find out who created this holo-novel and secure exclusive distribution rights.

I think one of the aspects I most enjoyed (aside from the fun nature of this story) was seeing the real-life aspect of life on Deep Space Nine and in the Star Trek universe.  For example, Quark has to rent a shuttle (and until now I don’t think we’ve ever heard that you can rent shuttles like you can rent cars) and go to a publishers convention to meet with the publisher of the previous Vulcan Love Slave stories.  We learn of publishing contracts and business arrangements in the Star Trek universe, including seeing fearsome aliens in mundane jobs — like a Naussican who serves as the publishers right-hand man.

The journey Quark undertakes to get his hands on this holo-novel is fraught with peril, as it seems every step he makes leads him into trouble.  All the while, though, the authors had me chuckling and flipping the pages on my ereader.  The Star Trek universe has undergone many dark developments in recent years, which, as I said, I’ve really enjoyed, but Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found) was a wonderful little diversion.  It was like a little pick-me-up.  Now I’m eager for the next DS9 novel…

Book Review: Lucifer’s Lunatic

Lucifer’s Lunatic

Marc Alice & Destiny Blaine

With a name like Manson, it was no great surprise when Manson Angola ended up in the pen. Some believed he’d been doomed for such a fate since birth. Others thought he was guilty as charged and still others believed he just downright deserved what he had coming to him.

What he had coming was shackles and chains, solitary confinement, and numerous attempts to make his life a living hell. Until one day, in walked a man who could’ve been the devil’s child, but in fact, had a more befitting name—Lucifer.

Dolled up in deception and as pretty as any man had a right to be, Lucifer—or Luke for short—stood about six-foot-two and weighed around two hundred and twenty-two pounds to be exact and he was as real to Manson as the guards who made a habit out of throwing him to the real wolves—the fellows who seemed to have a thing for a young fellow serving back-to-back life sentences for murders he didn’t commit.

Most men should’ve been afraid of someone like Manson. Then again, most men in the maximum security prison knew why he’d been sentenced.

He belonged to Lucifer. And the other prisoners were just doing their jobs by breaking him in.

Lucifer’s Lunatic was a hot read.

This is definitely a darker erotic romance.  Because, one, it’s set in prison, two, the main protagonist is in there for being a serial killer (though he claims to be innocent), and three, his love interest is supposedly the devil.  This is one of those novels where there’s not a clear romance element, which means there’s no lovey-dovey stuff, and I think the novel is all the stronger for it.  Would a dark jail-set novel populated with murderers and the devil be believable if it featured flowery language punctuated with hearts and warm embraces?

What I found particularly appealing about Lucifer’s Lunatic was the sex scenes.  Alice and Blaine portray the sex as dirty, sometimes dub-con, rough, and raw.  The writing in the sex scenes was of a level I don’t often see in M/M romance — it was more on par with gay erotica.  (And I see this as a huge plus.)  The setting, scenes, and characters almost bring to mind gay porn (the jail-set stuff).  Hmm… perhaps this wandery paragraph just goes to show how hot I thought the sex was.

As for the devil — I enjoyed the ambiguity throughout much of the novel.  Is he really the devil?  Or is he a master manipulator with mental illness?  The uncertainty of which is true is carried through most of the novel and leaves the reader questioning exactly what is happening and why, but in a good way.  I was almost disappointed to find out the answer to if he is really the devil or not, as I enjoyed the ambiguity.  However, in hindsight, if the answer was never revealed, then it probably would have been a less satisfying read.

This is a tale of forbidden love.  Even Manson knows it, despite falling for this guy that everyone thinks is the devil.  I thought the use of making Manson’s cock grow hard against his will an interesting device I don’t see too often — it’s true that the cock can betray a man.  A guy can be so set against something, but his cock can have a mind of it’s own and get really horny.  And then the cock can control him.  This may be partly what’s behind Manson’s infatuation with this dangerous man — he seems to know to stay away, or feels that he should stay away, but he can’t help but grow hard in his presence and then that clouds his thinking.  I think what I’m getting at here is that Alice and Blaine used the male anatomy effectively, and in ways that I don’t often see in M/M books.

In summary, definitely a hot read.

Book Review: Blind Items

Blind Items

Kate McMurray

Columnist Drew Walsh made his career by publicly criticizing conservative, anti-gay politician Richard Granger. So when a rumor surfaces that Granger’s son Jonathan might be gay, Drew finds himself in the middle of a potential scandal. Under the guise of an interview about Jonathan’s new job teaching in an inner-city school, Drew’s job is to find out if the rumors are true. Drew’s best friend Rey is also Jonathan’s cousin, and he arranges the meeting between Jonathan and Drew that changes everything.

After just one interview, it’s obvious to Drew that the rumors are true, but he carefully neglects to mention that in his article. It’s also obvious that he’s falling for Jonathan, and he can’t stay away after the article is published. Still, Jonathan is too afraid to step out of the closet, and Drew thinks the smartest thing might be to let him go-until Jonathan shows up drunk one night at his apartment. The slow burn of their attraction doesn’t fade with Jonathan’s buzz, but navigating a relationship is never easy-especially in the shadow of right-wing politics.

(I’m a bit behind on my book reviews, so this one will admittedly be a little short as it’s been a while since I finished this one.)

I found Blind Items to be an engaging read.  The premise, at least to me, seems fairly original — a gay columnist (Drew) who’s made a name for himself bashing an anti-gay politician falls in love with that politician’s closeted son (Jonathan).  Jonathan has his reasons for staying in the closet, only some of which seem to be the oppressive anti-gay stance of his father.

The set-up creates some interesting internal tension for Drew.  He hates Jonathan’s father and would love to do anything to bring him down — and he knows outing Jonathan would destroy Jonathan’s father’s presidential ambitions.  With one article, he could destroy his enemy’s platform… but he can’t bring himself to do so.  Not only does the thought of outing someone like that seem to bother him, he’s more concerned about how doing so would destroy whatever relationship he has with Jonathan.

The struggles for Jonathan are believable and relatable.  His journey through his struggles to the choices he makes at the end of the novel are realistic and true to the character.  (I thought the ending was a tiny bit obvious leading up to it — as this genre’s endings often are — but it was a very enjoyable and fulfilling conclusion.

Kate McMurray brings a fun and enjoyable story to the reader in Blind Items.  (And like I said at the start — it’s been a while since I read this book since I’m behind in my reviews.  I don’t remember too much about the details of why I liked this book, I just remember that I thoroughly enjoyed it.)

AJ Truman

 

September is National M/M Month!  In honour of this special occasion, I have AJ Truman here for a special guest interview!  Check it out!

 

 

A.J. Truman writes college-set M/M romance, or gay new adult. Whatever you call it, he loves looking back on those awkward, exciting, emotional collegiate years. His debut novel OUT IN THE OPEN is about a shy, awkward guy who begins an enemies-with-benefits relationship with the cocky fratboy who sits next to him in class. They begin fooling around in public, and soon their sexual relationship turns romantic. Filled with humor, heart, and hot guys, OUT IN THE OPEN will make you long for the life of dorms and frats and college tailgates. The book comes out September 30th. For more information, go to his website ajtruman.blogspot.com.

 

Describe OUT IN THE OPEN in 5 words.

Guys hook up in public.

 

Who or what inspired you to start writing?

I’ve always loved to write. As a kid, I’d try to write skits to act out. I’d been interested in writing M/M college-set romances, but for a long time, publishers wouldn’t accept those manuscripts. The setting was too young for adult readers and too mature for teen readers. Then I read Social Skills by Sara Alva and was like “This is what I want to write!” I decided to give the indie route a shot, and I’ve never looked back.

 

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

I’m definitely most like Ethan. I was (or still am, depending on who you talk to) quiet and awkward and very unsure of myself in college. Some of what he experiences happened to me. I latched onto a group of friends that weren’t the right fit for me, and for a while, I was too scared to branch off on my own. I didn’t want to be deemed that loner kid. I met my best friend because she was roommates with someone in that group. I got drunk off one and a half beers my first week of college and made an ass of myself in the dorm.

 

If OUT IN THE OPEN had a theme song, what would it be?

“Dirty Little Secret” by All-American Rejects

 

Why did you choose to set your book in college?

College is such fertile ground for storytelling, especially stories about gay men. That’s when a lot of us (like me) come out of the closet, have our first gay experiences, and meet other gay men. I had never met another gay person until I went to college. Those four years are such an emotional roller coaster because it’s when you’re finding yourself and trying to figure out who you are and what you want to be. Plus, people come to college with rich backstories that they’re trying to work past. For a lot of us, high school was hell, and college was a fresh start.

 

Looking for Some Kinky Books

I’m looking for some recommendations of kinkier gay/mm books — either novels or short stories, either professionally published or indie published, and either erotica or erotic romance.  The only hard and fast rule is that I’m looking for things that are for sale through regular vendor sites like Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords — I’m not looking for nifty.org recommendations.

In particular, I’m looking for recommendations that feature or explore these general categories:

Power relationships (Teacher/student, priest/parishioner, cop/criminal, etc.)
Pseudo-incest (Step-father/step-son, and things like that, but please no real incest.  Ick.)
Master / slave (Or other aspects of BDSM, but I’m not really looking for a story featuring a newbie to BDSM; I’m looking more for where the guys are already fully into it.)
Rent-boys (AKA male prostitutes.)
Niche fetishes (Watersports, scat play, foot fetish, or any other fetish or kink that you normally don’t see.)

I’m also open to suggestions outside this list if it’s so dirty/hot you need a shower after reading it.

Whatever you recommend should be:

Exceptionally well-written.
Kinky/dirty as hell.

If you’ve got a suggestion, please leave it in the comments below.  Or, if you don’t want the internet to know you’re reading certain dirty titles, you can also email me at camerondjames(at)hotmail(dot)com.  If I get enough good recommendations, I may compile a reading list blog post in the next couple weeks.

Thanks for your help!

Erotic Voices: 5amWriterMan

Welcome to this week’s edition of Erotic Voices — today we have 5amWriterMan!

 

 

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is “Vacancy/No Vacancy 2: Sammy’s Story.” It is the second book in the series but it behaves as a prequel to “Vacancy/No Vacancy.” In the first book (written in Peter’s first person point of view), we learn that Peter and Sammy hadn’t seen each for over 10 years after their first sexual encounter as best friends. My readers enjoyed the first book but most commented that they wanted more so I decided to write Sammy’s story during the 10 years that he was absent from Peter’s life. Similar to the first book, it’s about a man exploring and pondering relationships with other men while taking the reader into multiple fun, erotic and explicit sex scenes.

 

What’s your favourite part about writing a sex scene?

When writing a sex scene, there are two things I enjoy: being turned on and being able to turn others on. If I have an erection during the entire time that I write a scene, I know it’s a good one for me. If I have to masturbate to continue writing then it’s a scene that will definitely make the cut!

I love receiving feedback from readers who say they were turned on by the sex scenes. One reviewer recently tweeted me: “By the way, Vacancy/No Vacancy gave me a raging hard and sticky poolside boner. You wonderfully horny fucker – loved it!”

It brings me closer to my readers and that’s a HUGE turn on!

 

What made you decide to write this genre?

I’ve been toying with writing since I was a child. During my awkward adolescence, I explored my sexuality through chat rooms, pornos, and banned Madonna videos (remember ‘Justify My Love’…swoon!) I would write about my “experiences” in my journal or as poetry. Growing up, I found myself in a “career” and I had very little time to write. When I did, it was very dark because I was in a dark place. My first book, Infected Thoughts, reflects this. The first draft was not fun to read so I allowed the main character, Guy, to spiral into his mental illness through alcohol, drugs, AND sex. The sex scenes were my favourite to write and it made for an interesting erotic thriller while maintaining the integrity of my initial main theme on mental illness in the gay community. 

Once Infected Thoughts was self-published and released, I wrote short erotic stories and posted them on my blog. I had so much fun, and cum-stained underwear, from writing these stories that I was hooked. The response from these stories was also very positive and that was the catalyst I needed to keep writing.

I shouldn’t forget to include that I adore reading gay erotica and M/M romance novels. As much as I enjoy the classics (Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is one of my favourites!), I reached a point where I wanted novels to have a gay theme and erotica was my favourite “theme” to read!

 

Do you have any upcoming releases?

I put together an anthology of short stories and poetry from my blog called “My Man Pussy is on Fire! A Personal Collection of Gay Erotica.” I self-published it and released it as a free download for the readers of my blog. It was a way for them to access some of the stories and poetry on their eReaders. After 491 downloads, it was removed from Smashwords because they “don’t allow floppy bits, nipples, nudity, butt cracks or graphic sexual content on cover images or inside material.” I refused to change it, so it’s not available at the moment but I am planning to post it soon as a free download on my blog.

That said, from the response of this collection, I am currently writing original gay erotic short stories and poetry that have not and will not be posted on my blog. When I feel I have enough for a second anthology, I will self-publish it. This time, I will sadly refrain from “floppy bits” and all, but the stories will be more explicit and unique than anything I’ve written up to this point.

 

Which of your characters would you like to meet in person? What would you say or do with that character?

I’d love to meet both Sammy and Xander from “Vacancy/No Vacancy 2.” The book begins with their first sexual encounter and it was based on something similar from my past. They both possess a raw, sexual chemistry that it makes me want to be the pig in their roast spit! No words necessary. Just thinking about it makes my tight man pussy quiver in excitement!

 

 

If you would like to connect with 5amWriterMan:

Twitter: @5amWriterMan
Blogs: 5amWriterMan.blogspot.ca; 5amwritermantgiff.blogspot.com
Email: 5amWriterMan@gmail.com
Goodreads: 5amWriterMan

 

His books are available at Smashwords and Amazon

 

Zoe Perdita

 

September is National M/M Month! To celebrate, I’ll be featuring a few extra guests for interviews — and the second special guest to join us is M/M author Zoe Perdita!

Zoe Perdita writes shifter romances with an action/adventure twist. Her books are crawling with assassins, crime bosses and all manner of sexy bad boys. Her new book Omega in the Shadows (Lost Wolves Book One) is out now.

 

 

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid, I made picture books all the time. I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t have the patience to learn how to draw, and I wasn’t very good at it. However, I always liked telling stories in just about any format. I used to write plays and force my friends and sister to perform them. I wrote a ton of fan fiction, tried my hand at film in college (it’s very difficult) and even drawing comics (I still suck at drawing). So the only way I could tell the stories I wanted was by writing them. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t until I was 21 and wrote my first book that I realized I could be a writer. Then I knew I had to be a writer or go crazy. Now, I’m both.

 

What do you believe are the foremost obstacles in being a woman writer for your chosen genre (M/M romance)?

I’ve seen some critical views of women who write m/m romance, and I can’t blame them. We are writing about the lives of gay men, and I’m not one – last time I checked. Some people feel like it’s inauthentic to write what we write. True, no matter how much anal sex I have, I’ll never know what it’s like to have a prostate. However, I’m not a shifter either. Or an assassin. Or a cop or a mob boss, but I can write about those things without (most) people being overly critical. I’m a writer, and I make up characters and stories. In my romances, there are two dudes who fall in love instead of a lady and a dude.

When I come up with a story, I think of the characters as humans first and everything else falls into place after that – including their gender and sexuality. I try not to perpetuate harmful stereotypes, but beyond that there is nothing to do besides write the best books I can.

 

Are any of your characters based on real life people?

Haha! Nope. Some aspects of certain characters are based on certain aspects of people I know. I tried writing a villain based on someone I don’t like and it didn’t work out. I ended up changing it. I feel like a crazy person, but it seems like my characters just pop into my head one day and tell me to write them a story. Then, as I’m writing, their motivations and personality come to life. I do as the voices command.

 

How many hours a day do you typically spend writing?

I don’t write as long as some people, but I have hand issues from typing too much. Typically, I aim for 4,000 words a day. But I also edit what I wrote the day before in order to get back into the flow of the story. That takes about an hour or two on its own (and part of my word count is added there). The rest of the pure writing time could take anywhere from two to three extra hours. Maybe five to six hours total, I’d guess. Though some days are much better than others. And that doesn’t include my ‘staring out the window, drinking coffee and mentally planning’ time either.

 

How did you get interested in writing m/m stories and shifters?

The magically wonderful world of slash (or yaoi) fan fiction! It was my first introduction to gay fiction in any way, shape or form, and I was hooked. Read: addicted. Still am. Gundam Wing slash was my cup of tea, if you must know, and I still have a soft spot for it. Then, when I realized there was such a thing as original m/m romance my head exploded. I could write the stories I wanted to write and people would read them? Say what?!?! Awesome!

I got into shifters even before I got into yaoi stuff. Well, actually, I got into paranormal stuff when I was twelve and read Interview with the Vampire. I fell in love with Louis and Lestat and all things dark and beautiful. Then I wrote a bunch of bad werewolf and vampire fan fiction as a teenager. When I found m/m romance and figured out shifters were a big part of it, I went for it and never looked back.

How much of yourself is part of your characters?

Any character that has a sarcastic, snarky sense of humor is all me, like Seth, Elijah and Ben. Not every aspect of their personalities, but the humor is mine. So are any bad puns that a character uses. And every book has some bad puns; I make sure of it! I have a hard time not writing quippy remarks in my books, maybe to a fault. I was raised by a family of snarky people who make jokes about everything – it was like living in a Joss Whedon wet dream – so that was bound to rub off.

 

What was the hardest scene you’ve ever had to write?

Well, it contains some slight spoilers. It’s in Crash (Westside Wolf Pack 1) when Axel comes home from his lovely summer day with Ben and finds his dad being arrested. Maybe it was the juxtaposition between the last good moment in Axel’s life before everything goes to shit. Or that he knew, deep in his heart, that his dad killed that girl. It was really draining to write, and I felt like a zombie afterwards. However, I skipped eating any brains.

 

What is your favorite food? How about your favorite color?

I like too many types of food to choose one favorite. But if I had to it might be pizza. Homemade margarita pizza. Easy and delicious. Or saag paneer. Or chocolate cake. Dammit! I love food.

Color wise, if I’m going to wear it, I like pink. I own way too many pink vintage dresses and different shades of pink lipstick. It’s a little ridiculous. But if it’s just a color I like, than orange. It’s bright and makes me happy. In fact, I have an orange fridge.

 

Your characters often find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

The hardest situation to get out of was probably when I had a stalker in Japan. Yeah. Straight up, I had a stalker. This was back in 2007, and I had only been in Japan for a few months. I lived alone and worked as an ESL teacher.

On a shopping trip to Tokyo, I met a Japanese guy who would not leave me alone. Well, I was young and kind of stupid, but he seemed nice at first. He offered to show me around. I accepted. Then it got weird, and I bolted. Of course, I had already given him my phone number! Why did I do that? Ugh!

Anyway, he didn’t know where I lived, but he called all the time. It got to the point I had to unplug my phone. The police couldn’t do anything. My work wouldn’t get involved, so I had to handle it on my own. This guy hung out at my favorite place in Tokyo and always followed me and harassed me if I went there. Finally, I went on a date with another guy to that particular place, my stalker saw us and backed off. It was a pretty scary six months, overall.

 

What’s your favorite movie?

I feel like I should say something deep and meaningful, like The Fountain. That is a wonderful film, and I love it, but it’s not my favorite. In reality, it’s a tie between Hot Fuzz and The Princess Bride. They are both funny, endlessly quotable and have big hearts. And can you say bromance? Hell yeah! Also, I guess Buttercup and Wesley have a thing for each other too.

 

What’s your favorite TV show?

Currently, Free! Eternal Summer! Because, uh, swimming and Nagisa (how adorbs is he? Really!). I love anime and watch way too much of it. Short list (besides Free!): Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, FLCL, Natsume Yuujinchou, Gravitation and Attack on Titan. All coming of age stories, in their own way. Non-anime wise, I’d say Reign. It has a great cast and really strong storylines. Oh, and it doesn’t suffer from characters making dumb decisions because tension. Also, Catherine is amazing. She’s so much fun to watch.

 

What’s your favorite book?

This is a tough one. I love so many, but the top spot goes to the one I’ve read the most: The Secret Country Trilogy by Pamela Dean. These have been my favorite three books for years and years. I never get enough of them. Really. The books are fantasy YA about a group of kids that get stuck in their own story and have to deal with the consequences of that story going just as they planned (which isn’t always a good thing). The characters are believable and wonderful. It has my biggest fiction crush – Fence the wizard (complete with a bad haircut). Love!

 

Who’s your favorite character out of your own books?

This answer would change with every new book, I’m sure. At the moment, it’s Simeon Kane from Omega in the Light (Lost Wolves Book Two). He was so different from anyone else I’d ever written that I sort of fell in love. Yeah, he’s kinda crazy (and a little bit scary), but he’s also funny and sad and sees the world in a unique way. He’s hyper aware of everyone else, but has no idea what he’s feeling. Oh, and he has a very good sense of humor that isn’t all snark. How many mildly suicidal assassin wolf shifters do you know? Not many, I’d wager.

 

How did you come up with the idea for the Lost Wolves series’ world and the split between the humans territory and the shifter territory?

I wanted to start a new series, but I needed a reason not to set it in one of my existing worlds, like Haven City. So I decided to try something new – splitting the world into sections divided between shifters and humans. I usually have shifters hidden from humans, but I decided to try it the other way. What if humans know about shifters and every country deals with them differently? It was like building a whole new playground with a new set of toys. Plus, it’s a great place for assassins to live and work. And there are so many possibilities just simmering with tension since human territory has modern technology and shifter territory doesn’t. Oh, and I wanted to write stories that took place in the past, but it felt too constricting. Now I have the best of both worlds.

 

Elijah Kane does some pretty bad stuff in Omega in the Shadows. Why did you choose to write about an assassin like him?

I’ve always liked antiheroes and, sometimes, just straight up bad guys. But I don’t want to write the normal kind of books with characters like that. You know, the ones were they get what they deserve. So I thought, well, what if the bad guys are really the heroes now? It’s not a new idea, by any means, but it appeals to me. I like filling my books with amoral assholes and finding ways they can redeem themselves. Elijah was a risk since he does do some pretty shitty things, and he’s an assassin. I questioned everything he did with my beta readers, and he passed their test. Fans seem to like him too (thank goodness!), so I think it all worked out.

 

Most of your books deal with characters who have heavy, dark pasts. What’s the appeal for you as a writer?

When you start off with happy characters, it’s just not as satisfying. I like stories of redemption and growth. When a character has a terrible backstory, it gives their growth in the book more weight, for me. If you start out with a character with a nice life and no drama, it’s just not as interesting. I like to see how characters overcome their pasts. Oh, and I love the angst. It’s probably a byproduct of my fan fiction days, but angst is my crack. Give me more!

 

What do you like about writing shifters?

They’re dual nature appeals to me. I like how animalistic and gruff they are. Plus, putting those traits on people is sort of fun. The social dynamic is interesting too, especially with wolves. Although, my characters are usually challenging it because they don’t like the status quo. Also, I like putting shifters in normal situations just to see what would happen.

 

Is Haven City based on a real place?

Sort of. Superficially, it’s based on Portland, Oregon. But that’s mostly for the names of the streets and the location. I wanted a city with a river and forests around it. Portland fit the bill. Places like Forest Park are real too. Otherwise, it’s more like my twisted version of Gotham – a dark city overflowing with the need for a hero. But Haven doesn’t get Batman, it gets shifters and magic users.

 

What do you think Elijah would do if you met him in real life? How about Rowan?

Ha! Elijah would kill me. After he found out I’m the one who created his miserable upbringing just because it made a good story, I’d be dead. I hope he wouldn’t torture me first, but you never know. I don’t think Rowan would be much kinder. He might not kill me, but he’d sure as hell be pissed off. Note to self: don’t enter a magical portal into the Lost Wolves’ universe.

 

Why do you think your books connect with readers?

I wish I knew! I think I write characters people like – maybe characters that are a little unique. I honestly think most of my books are a little bit weird, but maybe that’s just me. I always wonder if readers will like them, and I’m usually pleasantly surprised. I try to put a nice mix of action and humor and angst in each book. Readers, I hope, connect with that.

 

What is the best thing about writing m/m books?

I get to sit around and think of ways for guys to kiss. Oh, and fall in love, but the kissing usually comes first. I’m a lot more at ease writing m/m romance than I am writing m/f romance, though I have tried it. Maybe it’s my history of slash and yaoi. But it’s what I gravitate toward and enjoy. What’s not to love?

 

Do you have any hidden talents?

I can sing! I’m not super talented, but I can carry a tune and kick some ass at karaoke. I also sew clothes. Once again, I’m not great at it, but I can do it. My biggest talent, however, is my ability to never give up. I’m determined to do what I want to do, probably to a stupid extent. It’s worked out for me so far.

 

What’s your favorite part about being a writer?

Everything! I get to work at home in my pajamas and drink coffee while I make up stories. What’s not to love? Also, I get to interact with my awesome fans. It’s crazy to think I even have fans. When did that happen? It’s totally humbling and cool. I can’t believe it.

 

What influences you as a writer?

Waking up in the morning. Being alive. Honestly, everything influences me. I find hints of ideas in nearly everything I do. So many ideas, in fact, I’ll never be able to write them all. Story-wise, I take a lot of inspiration from anime, manga and Japanese video games. I like the way those stories are set up, usually with a stronger sense of backstory or a more interesting narrative structure.

 

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise your fans.

I’m really tall. Like a giant. Okay, I’m actually 6 feet tall, but that’s pretty tall for a lady. And I’ve been this tall since I was 12 years old. Yeah, middle school sucked. Also, I used to live in Japan, which is kind of cool. Right? Yeah. Sort of. Being tall and living in Japan = I got stared at. A lot. But it was a great experience, and I’d love to do it again.

 

You have several books about omega wolf shifters. What is the appeal for you as a writer?

Because they’re the underdogs. Get it? (Har har). Omegas interest me because they are supposed to be the weakest members of the pack, but that’s rarely the case in my books. I like characters that spit in the face of social norms and do their own thing. Omegas rising above the constructs of their packs is a nice analogy for anyone who doesn’t fit in with what is so narrowly defined as ‘normal.’ Plus, it’s a great source of tension.

 

What do you like most about the m/m genre?

How amazingly expansive it is. There are m/m books about everything from shifters to sci-fi and fantasy to just normal contemporary stories. But they go beyond that too. There’s yaoi (Japanese comics) and now m/m web comics are getting pretty big (and they’re great!). It’s nice to see something that started out so small explode like this.

 

Omega in the Shadows involves a lot of travel around Europe. Where’s the most interesting place you’ve traveled?

Every place I’ve been is interesting in its own way. The most amazing – in terms of me thinking I’d never get to go there – is Cambodia. I went to see the Angkor Wat temple complex, and it was really incredible. Words don’t describe it. I got to hang out with monkeys in the jungle. Climb the walls of Angkor Thom. See the banyan trees that grew over some of the temples that have yet to be reclaimed from the jungle. However, the most humbling aspect of everything were the killing fields outside of the capital city. Human bones litter the ground. It’s a place that was witness to horrible atrocities, and it’s hard to walk away from that. That memory sticks with me.

 

Do you have any interesting hobbies?

I’m not sure if it’s interesting, but I’m obsessed with vintage stuff. I collect a number of things from the 1920s through the 1960s – mostly clothes, toys, pins and hats. Everything old has a story that new items are missing. I like to imagine where the pieces in my collection came from. Who owned them before me and what they were like. Plus, it’s nice to recycle stuff instead of letting it sit in a landfill.

 

What’s the most important thing you want to accomplish in your books?

I should say something meaningful like love or acceptance, but if someone is reading gay romance, they’re already accepting. I really want people to have fun when they read my books. Fall in love with the characters and worlds I create, and maybe get something meaningful out of it. A little snippet of social commentary here and there. Oh, and I also hope they laugh. At least once. That’s all.

 

Thanks for stopping by, Zoe!

If you’d like to learn more about Zoe, or check out some of her books, be sure to click on some of these links:

Omega in the Shadows (Lost Wolves Book One) on Amazon
Zoe’s Twitter Feed
Zoe’s Website & Blog

Erotic Voices: Brock Wilder

This week on Erotic Voices, I’m excited to have gay erotica author Brock Wilder!

And make sure you read through the interview, because Brock will share some coupon codes to get some of his dirty titles for dirt cheap!

Let’s jump right into this:

 

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is How To Write Erotica: 50 Authors Share Their Best Advice.  It was a thrill to spend the months that it took to complete this project.  It involved connecting with a ton of authors and thankfully, 50 authors (including this site’s very own Cameron D. James) agreed to be a part of it. They were so forthcoming with their advice and I really believe that it will help other erotica authors towards having more success.

 

What kind of research went into this book?

This book took the longest for me to research. I put together a survey and then tested it with some erotica author friends. I wanted to ensure that it wasn’t too time consuming and was easy to use. After this, I began the process of connecting with a number of erotica authors. I likely wrote to over 200 authors, many agreed to participate, but unfortunately, didn’t pull through in the end. Thankfully, 50 authors did take the time!

From there, it was about reading through the entries, determining a good flow for the final book, and also editing for purposes of brevity. So many authors had great advice, but if I included every word, then this book would’ve never ended.

 

What’s your most favorite book you’ve written? Why?

This one is tough, as I’ve written 10 erotica ebooks and now just released my first non fiction book. I think I’m most proud of my erotica series, From Work Colleague To Leather Slave.  Not only was it my first release, but I was shocked that it warranted enough interest to add another two books (The Initiation and Obey Your Master).

It’s a lot of fun to watch the journey of a shy closeted virgin become a naughty sexual leather slave take place over 3 books. Plus, it’s the one that most of my Twitter followers write to me about and request for more books.

 

Are you writing anything now? Can you tell us about it?

After releasing 10 erotica ebooks, I opted to take a break from writing fiction and am now focused on releasing some naughty non-fiction titles.   I have two upcoming books that will focus on gay sex tips and gay men’s fantasies. Both of these follow the similar format of my How To Write Erotica release. I have interviewed hundreds of gay men about their sex tips and fantasies and am putting them together into two separate naughty releases.

I’m quite excited about both of them, as I think that while gay men love to joke about sex and fantasies, we don’t really talk in detail about them with our friends and lovers. As well, there’s so many shy and/or closeted folks out there that I think will benefit from both of the books too. The book on gay sex tips will hopefully give gay men new tips on everything from masturbation to oral sex to anal. The fantasies books will serve two purposes: a) let gay men know that other people share their fantasies and b) provide some insight as to why we’re not fulfilling our sexual fantasies.

 

Do you have any advice for writers who want to try this genre?

Shameless plug, but I’d definitely pick up my new book, How To Write Erotica: 50 Authors Share Their Best Advice. Or if you don’t have the funds, then simply contact erotica authors on twitter. The erotica community is quite friendly and many of us are here to help out others to find success.

 

 

If you’d like to learn more about Brock or pick up on of his sexy titles, check out these links:

Brock Wilder’s website
Brock Wilder’s Twitter feed

 

And, as promised, Brock has some special coupon codes to share with you!  Both of these coupon codes expire September 30, 2014, so make sure you take advantage of them now!

50% off How To Write Erotica, with coupon code YZ43F, when purchasing from Smashwords.
100% off From Work Colleague to Leather Slave, with coupon code ZZ37N, when purchasing from Smashwords.

 

Thanks again, Brock, for being my guest today!

Piper Kay

September is National M/M Month! To celebrate, I’ll be featuring a few extra guests for interviews — and the first special guest to join us is M/M author Piper Kay!

 

 

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest releases are books one and two of the Invicta Series. Invicta Salvation was released at the end of May. Invicta Sanctuary was released as part of the Naughty Box 2 set, but will go solo on its own on October 15th (with additional chapters added in).

 

What was the hardest or most difficult scene to write?

For me, it was the scene in book one, Salvation, where Holton is being kicked out of his home, by his homophobic father at age eighteen. It was just very emotional to write that little part of it. I guess because I write in first person, I have to sort of make myself feel the way the character does, and I was a blubbering mess after that one. lol

 

What’s the most difficult part of writing a sex scene?

Hahaha! Keeping track of body parts and which character they belong to. lol

 

What’s your favourite part about writing a sex scene?

The build-up, foreplay, and the balancing act of emotions. I try my best to have the sensual parts of it: caresses, nibbles, kissing and touching, etc, blended in with the want and need, the aching to rip into each other fulfilling the lust factor of it as well.

 

What kind of research went into this book?

Invicta is a male Go-go club, so I had to first learn what the moves were called. That took a lot (I MEAN A LOT) of time watching youtube videos for the dance moves. (I know, horrible right? Poor me-it was just awful-lmao NOT) I also had to check through google to make sure the lingo is still the same today versus five or ten years ago.

 

Are you writing anything now? Can you tell us about it? Do you have any upcoming releases?

I do. Currently I just finished writing a non-erotica story for the LGBT charity anthology called Love and Hope. It’s about a teenage boy dealing with coming out. That releases the end of Sept. I’ve also finished up the additions to book two of the Invicta Series, Salvation which releases Oct 15. And the final book in The Passion Series, called Passion’s Pride releases on December 5th.

 

Do you like music while you write? Or do you prefer total silence?

I have to have music blasting through the headphones to connect, and block out everything else. It sets my mood and balances the emotional level for me. It’s kind of like valium, only not. lol.

 

 

Sounds hot, Piper!  (And I looooove the covers!)

If you’d like to pick up some of Piper’s books or connect with her online, you can find her here:

Amazon Author Page
Facebook
About Me
Twitter
Authorgraph
Google
Blogspot

 

And be sure to check out these links:

Invicta Salvation book trailer
Invicta Sanctuary book trailer