Tempeste O'Riley's Blog, page 17

Inquire with Tempeste: Favorite Muppet

Here’s one that I find indicative of someone’s personality: who is your favorite Muppet, and why?

Trix

Dear Trix,

I love hearing from readers like you, so thank you!

As to your question: That’s a hard question, honestly. I’m assuming you mean the Muppets from the Muppet Show, specifically (Jim Henson made so many more Muppets than those for the show….). With that in mind, I’m torn between Miss Piggy and Kermit. Though my absolute favorite Muppet is Animal *bashing the drums in the background

As someone that’s always been overweight, even as a child, Miss Piggy being so pretty/glamorous was always a huge thing to me as a kid. Here was a creature that made being chubby okay. Now, that in no way means I thought her attitude at times was at all acceptable, but still, big and beautiful was a huge thing for me.

Kermit was able to endure anything, no matter what. When I wanted to give up on things, even me, watching the old Muppet show (I loved old shows, still do, lol) actually cheered me up no matter how low I felt. I spent a lot of time growing up depressed, low, in pain both mental and physical (abuse is never okay!!!), and the Muppets was one of the bright spots in my life for a long time.

As for Animal…. What’s not to love about an insane creature that lives his life the way he wants, and damn other peoples opinions? He does what he wants, occasionally reining in his actions/attitude for the benefit of those he cares about. However, he never changes who he is, even for the others. He’s always true to himself. I always wanted to have the courage to be like that—only without the drums.

I know I answered a little more than you asked, but my childhood would have been a much darker place without Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Animal!

xoxo,

Tempe

Visit Tempeste’s Temptations, Tempe’s fan group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TempestesTemptations/

Follow Tempe at Twitter: @TempesteO

Let’s hear your best questions (and nothing is off limits!). I’ll answer a new one ever week. For more info on how and the giveaway attached, click HERE.

Character Names by #GuestAuthor Dirk Greyson, Author of "Day and Knight"

Why did you chose the title
and names for the
characters? Is it significant
to the plot or the characters
who hold the names?

Yes it is. In some ways these two men have quite a bit in common, but in others they are very different. Knight is older, cynical, and he’s been hurt very badly. His disposition is quiet, almost somber, and the man can be as prickly as a cactus. There are times when he can’t hold in his assholeness. Even his friends, what few there are, tend to think he can be an ass. Knight had his family ripped away from him and he crawled into a bottle. So there’s plenty of darkness in his life. But he’s also loyal, dutiful, courageous, and forthright, a good Marine. So Knight is very appropriate.

Dayton (Day) has had his share of heartbreak, but his outlook on life is much different. He’s strong, very smart, intuitive, and tends to see the glass as half full. He can be just as stubborn as Knight and doesn’t back down from him,, so he can cut through Knight’s bullshit and shed light on the man himself. Day shares a number of traits with Knight including loyalty, courage, and just plain guts. Knight even said he’d have made a good Marine.

The funny thing was that as I developed these characters, they named themselves. I didn’t have to work at it, or try to come up with something clever, they told me their names and who they were, loud and clear.

Title: Day and Knight 
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: M/M Contemporary Mystery/Suspense Romance
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 4, 2015
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Length: 200 pgs 
Add To Goodreads

As former NSA, Dayton (Day) Ingram has national security chops and now works as a technical analyst for Scorpion. He longs for fieldwork, and scuttling an attack gives him his chance. He’s smart, multilingual, and a technological wizard. But his opportunity comes with a hitch—a partner, Knighton (Knight), who is a real mystery. Despite countless hours of research, Day can find nothing on the agent, including his first name!

Former Marine Knight crawled into a bottle after losing his family. After drying out, he’s offered one last chance: along with Day, stop a terrorist threat from the Yucatan. To get there without drawing suspicion, Day and Knight board a gay cruise, where the deeply closeted Day and equally closeted Knight must pose as a couple. Tensions run high as Knight communicates very little and Day bristles at Knight’s heavy-handed need for control.

But after drinking too much, Day and Knight wake up in bed. Together. As they near their destination, they must learn to trust and rely on each other to infiltrate the terrorist camp and neutralize the plot aimed at the US’s technological infrastructure, if they hope to have a life after the mission. One that might include each other.

Amazon 
All Romance 
Dreamspinner Press

“Yeah, I know that, but it’s been two years. Don’t you think it’s time you took off the black dress and veil and went to purple at least?” Mark always had these sayings that rarely made sense. “It’s time you rejoined the living and stopped mourning.” Mark lifted his glass to his lips and sighed after taking a sip. “Damn, that’s good.” He sighed and then let his gaze wander back to Knight. “Kid, you need to get back to life or you’ll end up a grumpy old man before you’re forty.”

“Shit,” Knight sighed and drank from his tea. “That’s what Dayton called me today.”

“Who’s Dayton? Your partner in this mission?” Mark barely stopped long enough for Knight to nod. “Then that kid pegged you fast.” Mark seemed pleased about that… too pleased.

“What?”

“At least this Dayton isn’t going to take any of your crap. You need that.” Mark grinned, the small scar at the corner of his mouth showing. It was a souvenir he had gotten from a bar fight in Mexico when he’d rescued Knight after he’d done something stupid as a newbie. “Any partner that will let you walk all over them isn’t the partner you need.”

“You walked all over me,” Knight said.

Mark paused with his glass halfway to his lips. “Did I?” He raised his eyebrow slightly to the left, catching Knight in a whine without saying a word. “You were fresh out of the Marines and as gung ho as they came. Damn, you were scary as shit, always raring to shoot or blow shit up.” Mark smiled. “Came in handy in Ecuador, though.” He sipped his whiskey again, still grinning. “You needed a firm hand. Still do. Now, sometimes we end up with the partner we need and sometimes we end up with the partner we get. It’s up to you to decide which this is.”

“He’s the partner I got….” Knight gulped from his glass, the liquid coating his suddenly dry throat. “Just like I was the partner you got, and you were the partner I needed.”

“Are you sure about that, kid?” Mark expression was unreadable. “You sure we didn’t both get what we needed?” He downed the rest of his whiskey and signaled the waitress for another. “Don’t be too hard on this Dayton, but don’t go easy on him either. Fieldwork is fucking hard. Everyone thinks it’s excitement and glamor, but it’s really days of waiting surrounded by moments when shit happens.”

“Tell me about it. He’s so gung ho he’s probably spending the evening reading files and reviewing intercept transmissions.”

Mark stared at him. “That sounds smart to me. The question I have for you is, why aren’t you doing the same thing? It sounds like the kid is getting himself ready and doing the preparation you’d want a partner to do.” He lifted his glass to his lips but then sat it back on the table without taking a drink. “He may be new, but maybe the one who isn’t ready for this mission is you.” Mark folded his hands. “You never shirked on any mission we had. You pulled your weight and then some. That’s what he’s trying to do.”

That hit Knight like a punch in the gut. “Shit.”

“I ain’t saying you need to be a newbie about this. It’s your job to act as the seasoned pro. Help him along but don’t be an ass about it… well, not all the time. Asking you not to be an ass is like asking you not to breathe. But at least keep your assness to a minimum.”

Dirk is very much an outside kind of man. He loves travel and seeing new things. Dirk worked in corporate America for way too long and now spends his days writing, gardening, and taking care of the home he shares with his partner of more than two decades. He has a Master’s Degree and all the other accessories that go with a corporate job. But he is most proud of the stories he tells and the life he’s built. Dirk lives in Pennsylvania in a century old home and is blessed with an amazing circle of friends.

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#Interview w/ #GuestAuthor Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese: Romance without the Rules!

Interview with Guest Author

Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese
Romance without the Rules!

Thank you for stopping over to visit, Erin and Racheline. In case my lovely readers don’t know who are—though I’m certain they all do… right guys?—I thought I’d do a little sit-down visit with you and help us all get to know you a little better.

 

What makes your stories different from other authors out there?

Everything we’ve written to date is in the present tense, and there’s always a reason for it, whether that’s because we want our books to have an energy similar to reading a screen play (Love in Los Angeles) or because our heroes have tragedies in their pasts and can only be happy in the present (Love’s Labours).

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to get past it?

Raise the stakes! If we’re stuck, it’s usually because the stakes aren’t high enough.

I was asked this recently and would love to find out your take on it… If your writing was translated, which would be your preference: TV, movie, play, or Broadway?

Those are all spaces that at least one of us has written for to some degree. We have TV and film projects together and Racheline has written plays and books for musicals. This story probably lends itself best to TV. It’s a bit Slings and Arrows with a mysterious love story under it.

Does your family know what you write, and if so, how did they react when you first told them what and how explicit your writing would be?

We both write under our real names. Racheline’s parents don’t read her work, either in or out of the romance and erotica space, by long-standing agreement. Erin’s parents have been enthusiastic about many of our titles. Her mom sends her concerned emails about the Love in Los Angeles characters.

Have you ever met someone in real life, or a stranger, that you turned into a MC?

Everyone is a potential character. Everyone.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Erin: Neal Stephenson hits a glorious sweet spot of cyberpunk, history geekery, kickass heroines, and epic narrative.

Racheline: Ellen Kushner does a huge amount with dialogue and is really great at stories where drama uses farce as an engine.

Boxers, briefs, commando? What’s your favorite way to “dress” your man?

Depends on the man! Paul (from Love in Los Angeles) is a boxers guy. Alex (Also from LILA) would really prefer not to talk about it. And Michael (from Love’s Labours) thinks the less clothes he has on in general, the better the world is.

We already know you love to write/read in different genres, but why do you feel you share your voice best when writing amongst the different genres?

We don’t really pick stories to write according to their genre. Rather, we just end up in the place the story wants to go. We write a lot of contemporary, because we like writing about the film and TV industry, and also about the cities in which we live. We write a lot of magical realism because we like writing about death and witches. But we’ve also done some paranormal and adore ourselves some historical.

And just because I love to tease

Inquire with Tempeste: Fresh and New Ideas?

I love your stories and your writing style and have read most of your books! As a fairly new reader to the world of M/M how do you continue to have fresh and new ideas?

Thank you,

Julie

Dear Julie,

First, I’d like to say “Thank you.” I love hearing from readers like you! There is little more heartening than touching a reader with ones words

As to your question: I take a lot of my inspiration from life. Things that have happened to me, friends of mine, even total strangers, then twist and turn them until my characters get the happily-ever-after I hope for. As my bio says, I’m a hopeless romantic. I want the world, real and imagined, to find love, trust, and hope, so that’s what I set out to create.

Also, as I have a rather strange life, it leans well to making things up for fiction. Though… sometime what I am told is fiction, isn’t—like my inclusion of Ehlers-Danlos in “Designs of Desire” as I have it and life with the complications all the time. I always strive to not just retell the stories out there, but to give you a glimpse of my views of hope and love, while speeding your hearts a little, lol.

xoxo,

Tempe

Visit Tempeste’s Temptations, Tempe’s fan group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TempestesTemptations/

Follow Tempe at Twitter: @TempesteO

Let’s hear your best questions (and nothing is off limits!). I’ll answer a new one ever week. For more info on how and the giveaway attached, click HERE.

“Ask the Author” segment

Something occurred to me today. I’ve asked questions of many people, but not of you, my lovely readers, directly. I’ve intended to, started to, but somehow I always manage to get distracted and forget.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt since beginning my journey as an author, it’s that I’m lucky to have such intelligent, varied, and loyal readers.

Now that we all know what I think of my readers, I’d love to make a serious request of y’all (yes, I know, my Southern is showing lol). I’d love to start an “ask the author” segment where I answer questions that my readers want to know the answers. Just be forewarned, as I’ve told previous employers… make sure you really want to know the answer to your question, because you might not be ready to hear what I have to say.

If you have more than one question, that’s perfectly fine with me. Pick one or send me many. In any case, let me hear what you want to know! I can’t wait to read your replies.

I’ll be focusing on one question a week, every week. Don’t worry if you don’t have a question for me today, if you think of one tomorrow, next week, or in six months. Simply send me an email with your question and it will be added to my reader inquiries list and will be answered!

Also, don’t limit yourself to the obvious questions. Ask the weird, off the wall, or just plain and pure curiosity question. It can be about one of my books, one of the covers (I love ’em all!), about me, or….. Just remember, be careful what you wish to know, because I can and will answer. *evil cackle*

Oh, and when I reach 10 questions (real questions, not just to make the count, lol – this will go for each 10 I answer so this will be an ongoing giveaway game.), I’ll choose a winner for a $10 gift certificate to Dreamspinner Press.

Here we go! Let’s hear your best questions (and nothing is off limits!). I’ll begin answering them on Mondays… so see you again soon.

Thanks in advance for participating.

 

Hop Against Homo-, Bi-, and Transphobia: Reaching out for our Youth! by Guest Author Áine P Massie

Welcome again to the HAHABT!

First off, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the coordinators and all the authors and bloggers participating in this years Hop! Tempe has been kind enough to allow me a day on her blog to join in the Hop, so thanks.

Youth suffer in silence so often; either due to fear, confusion, or abuse. So many of the youth that are homeless across this and many other countries are LGBTQ, because it was too horrible to stay in the abusive home, or because that home… the parents that should love unconditionally, threw them out for not being what they wanted them to be.

Even in non-bashing homes, there is often a lack of understanding and support for teens as they struggle with who they truly are, what they want in life, and how to navigate a world where they are constantly told they are perverts, sick, hated, evil, and such much more vitriol that it breaks their hearts and spirits.

This is the reason that I, along with Tempe and 13 other authors, put together a donation anthology where all the proceeds go to supporting the LGBTQ Community Center in Milwaukee, WI. They have a great Youth program where they do things like peer support, helping to find housing, support and resources to become the amazing people they want to be, but don’t always have the backing to become.

I truly wish that there was no need for such programs! That there was no need to rescue the throwaways, to support the homeless and abused, to help guide the lost and desperate. I wish our world didn’t allow such hate and abuse, that our societies didn’t support it in so many cases and ways. That the heart of a person was what mattered to all, not just that they “fit in” or what “parts” (i.e. gender bits) one has or what the gender is of the one they love is or…. Love is love. The only things that should matter is that love is love. Not body shapes, not the gender of your lover, not if you are what others deem as “normal”. (Personally, I don’t see what’s so freakin’ great about being “normal”. It’s those that are true to themselves that change the world for the better, after all.)

There are a lot of great posts that are part of this hop, and I hope you visit every one of them! Share the message that hate is not OK, no matter who it’s directed at, and that being gay, lesbian, bi, trans, fluid, asexual, androgynous, ……. is all the right thing/s to be, if that’s who you truly are. One day society will look back on this time and attitudes and be ashamed. That is my true belief, I just wish that time would hurry and get here.

Youth are such a vulnerable group and those that hate destroy them faster than groups like the community center above—or the hundreds across the country—can find them and help.

PRIZE TIME! Towards that end, I’d like to donate $25 in your name to the charity of your choice. Simply comment with your name and contact information for the chance to be my winner, chosen by Random.org

DON’T FORGET… To enter Tempeste’s giveaway, you must comment on her main post HERE!

Hope & Love Anthology (purchase here)
Genre: GLBTQ Multi-genre Romance (non-explicit)

It starts with hope. That’s what LGBTQ Centers all over the world give us, the hope, the community, the care and education we need in a world that is often hate filled, scared of the unknown, and downright scary. When first introduced to community many of us rejoice as it’s often the first time we’re able to be out and be our true selves without fear or shame.

This anthology is for the benefit of one such center, one that touches many many lives, and like others, needs help and nourishment as well. Centers like the MKE LGBT Community Center depend on the love and support of others so that they may help and support us.

Within this collection of stories, you will find hope, family, love, and community. Take a chance on a new author or one of your beloved… read, enjoy, and know that you are helping children, adults, teens, and elderly alike in our greater LGBTQ community!

One hundred percent of the income from this volume goes directly to The MKE LGBT Community Center in Milwaukee, WI USA.

A Change of Heart by Adan DePiaz, All The Wrong Numbers by Kameron Mitchell, Blue Eyes by Hope Ryan, Breath of Life by M. LeAnne Phoenix, Camp Kennevan by Donovan Alekzander Crane, Dinner for the Dead by Áine P Massie, Five Down, Three To Go by Victoria Kinnaird, Forte’ by Marcus Maichle, Joey’s Choice by Piper Kay, Letter from Sarah by Aaron Silver, Micah’s Medicine by Tempeste O’Riley, My Book Boyfriend by Elaine White, Sanctuary by Jocelyn Sanchez, Something to Hold on to by Milla V., The Queen Dethroned by B. David Spicer

Follow along the hop…

About the Author
Áine P Massie is originally from Florida, she now lives in Wisconsin where she works on her House Millar series full time while raising four children (the term herding cats comes to mind). Her major in College was Childhood Education (specializing in ages zero to five) with a minor study in Deaf Culture/ASL. She is also a Wiccan priestess dedicated to the gods, family, and love.
Áine is a proud member of the Rom-Critters, the Romance Writers of America®, WisRWA, and Rainbow Romance Writers. Áine has always had a particular fascination with vampires, mythology, and the unusual. When she can escape from her children and books, she enjoys… oh yes, reading, playing, ritual, a good cappuccino, and working with her healing stones.
Her first published work came in high school where she was part of a writing and drama group. However, she has been reading the likes of Shakespeare and Poe since late elementary school and enjoys most forms of fiction.
Site | Blog | Author FB | House Millar FB | Twitter | Google +

Hop Against Homophobia, Bi- and Transphobia: Breaking through the walls we build

Morning ya’ll! Today is the start of the Hop against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia! If you click on the button to the left, you will go directly to their page, but never fear, if you read to the end you will also find all the other lovely authors involved in this hop so you can participate!

The participants are offering prizes, yes, that means me too , and if you’re up for a little bounce and travel, some reading on the topic, and playing along, then you can enter to win the prizes and maybe enjoy the journey a bit.

Before we begin, I thought I’d go head and let you know what I’m offering up for one lucky reader/commenter (the giveaway extends from Sunday, May 17th, to Wednesday, May 24th!)
* One copy of any of my eBooks from my backlist. Yes, it’s the winner’s choice—of book, and format
* Anyone who comments on THIS POST is eligible to win.
* Winner will be chosen by Mr. Random at 10 pm on the 27th.
* Winner will be announced in a separate post.
* This will not be the only post I make during this hop—on this topic—but you must comment on THIS POST for a chance to win. (Don’t worry, I’ll remind you in those later posts about this one.)

ho·mo·pho·bia noun \ˌhō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə\
Definition of HOMOPHOBIA:
An irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals
* The same goes for biphobia, transphobia, and so much more.

Yes, you read that right. The official definition says it’s an irrational fear or aversion to US. To people being whom they were born to be. And while I’m not sure I agree (hate isn’t fear, it’s being an ass hat and hiding behind religious, societal, etc. excuses to hate, abuse, and even kill others) I will thank the dictionary for admitting that it’s irrational.

We as a society do the most harm to the individual. It’s that simple, yet it’s so much more than that. Humans like things in boxes. The problem is that so many people don’t fit in those boxes, the ones that others deem acceptable or real. Yes, we even argue over which boxes are valid, not just which ones we want to accept as okay.

I have to say a big Hell No to those that try to not only put me in boxes, but also tell me which boxes are real. I was recently asked what it is that draws straight women to read M/M books and I had to answer that I had no clue as I’m not either of those things. I am a omnisexual/pansexual (even less believed in that being bi :/ ) and genderfluid person. I happen to have been born with female bits, but that does not mean that’s who or what I am.

Boxes are things I both love and hate. Love them for storing things; hate them when others try to classify me. I’m not homosexual enough, being bi/omni/pan. I’m not straight enough, being bi/omni/pan. I’m not male enough, being I have girl parts. I’m not female enough, being I have many, many male days. I’m not trans as I have many girl days. I’m not cis, as… I have many boy days. And then you have those that don’t believe Bi even exists (your belief in me does not invalidate my existence, I promise).

Now, my experiences may skew my worldview, but from others I’ve met, the political fights going on across this, and many other countries, and the thousands of blogs and people out there, I don’t believe I’m unique. Instead of boxes and walls, we need to focus on the individual. Why does the body matter so much to others? And why do others feel they have the right to categorize, and then often dismiss, others?

Don’t assume what the person you are speaking to or about is what you think they are. That beautiful woman may be struggling because her body isn’t what matches her mind and spirit. That handsome man may have been born a woman. That pretty boy you assume is a gay twink might just be a straight man. And that big butch man? Yeah, he just might be a happy, dedicated bottom.

We build the walls that imprison us, and only we can make the change needed to tear them down. Take a moment to look around you and check out the walls and boxes you live in. Are they right? Are they restrictive? Do they even truly match who you are inside?

We are many individuals, not one singular society. We have many hearts and lives, not one collective experience. Never allow yourself to be placed in a box or hidden behind a wall—that goes for the boxes and walls we build ourselves. You can only be who you are, to be anything less would be to betray your very soul. Never let others (or self) force you to be something you are not.

We are individuals. We are people who have hearts and souls. We love, laugh, live, fight, and die. But we are not merely the labels others give. I am who I am, and that’s enough for me. If it’s not for others, that’s their loss as I will not hide my soul or allow others to hide it for me.

Want to Hop along?…

Goals, health, and loss….

Afternoon all!

Instead of letting my negative losses get to me, I’m trying to focus on the positive. I’ve lost a whole person weight wise, but I need to evict another. To do that, I’m monitoring me diet, trying to get more active (ha-ha, yeah, that’s so easy when I can’t do anything right :/ ), and being more open with my goals.

I know, everyone wants to weigh less/more/different than they do, but I need to for my health. I’m not 100% sure the best way to do this, as the nutritionist my Dr. sent me to was not helpful. No guides, just “eat enough to feel almost full” or “watch your carb and fat intake”. Yeah, like we don’t all know to watch our intake *sigh*. If it were that easy, no one would be over weight that didn’t choose it, right?

Add in that I use a wheelchair (I love my chair, yet completely hate it. Yes, I know that makes no sense, ask anyone that’s been forced into one, it’s a love/hate thing until it becomes just another part of you—or so I’ve been told. Not to that point yet) and it’s beyond hard. I can’t walk/jog/run. Thanks to the EDS I can’t lift, play sports, use 99% of exercise equipment….

BUT, I refuse to allow my body’s failing health to ruin my enjoyment in life. Yes, I know that was a lot of ‘can’t’ and all, but I don’t want to let my genetic disorder rule my life. So, to help in that goal, I’m going to lose weight, go trough a pain and rehab clinic to better deal with the sever chronic pain and build up my mobility within the bounds of what it can be, and I’m going to work my damnedest to have a more positive attitude. Being a disabled, single parent was never something I wanted to be, but I wouldn’t give up a thing about my kids, my work (hello, author here, lol), or my wonderful friends (for those of you that follow me on FB and gave hugs, pics, words of love and hope, THANK YOU! You have no idea how much it meant to me last night and today to read all your loving comments! You truly battled my emotional pain and brought smiles and laughs to me again).

Now, how to I lose weight, get as healthy as I can—taking into account my body and all—and keep motivated? Yeah, that’s the hard part right now. I’m searching for ways, but I hate F2F social things for health, mobility, migraine reasons so that’s another limitation. BTW, I truly hate limitations! But, I thought I’d let you be my goal keepers so I’ve added a weight loss ticker to my sidebar right along with my writing goals. I will update it on Mondays and hopefully we can all watch my flutterby get closer and closer to the pot o’ gold

Anyone want to join me?

#Interview with #GuestAuthor Pat Henshaw, author of “What’s In A Name?”

Interview with Guest Author

Pat Henshaw
A barista, a bartender, and love.

Thank you for stopping over to visit, Pat. In case my lovely readers don’t know who are—though I’m certain they all do… right guys?—I thought I’d do a little sit-down visit with you and help us all get to know you a little better.

What makes your stories different from other authors out there?

Pat: I think of my stories as entry level M/M romances since they have no sex scenes, but are primarily about love and how two men fall in love. I see my reader/s as men and women who never thought they’d ever read a romance, but have heard so much about them that they want to read one to find out what they’re like. I also see my reader/s as curious about exploring love, not sex, as we both try to figure out what makes one person love another one.

When did you first consider yourself an author?

Pat: I’ve always been a writer—having been a reviewer (books, art, film, stage) for many decades and for many venues. So in a way, I’ve always thought of myself as a budding author. But the big moment for me was split in two parts: when I self-published my fantasy novel, The Vampire’s Food Chain, and when Dreamspinner offered me the contract for my novella, What’s in a Name?

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to get past it?

Pat: Rarely do I suffer from writer’s block. (Have you read David Markson’s Reader’s Block, by the way? Brilliant book. But then I think Markson himself is brilliant.) Writing is like everything else in life. It’s not going to get done if you don’t do it. So sitting down and writing just anything is my cure for the writer’s blahs (uh, block).

I was asked this recently and would love to find out your take on it… If your writing was translated, which would be your preference: TV, movie, play, or Broadway?

Pat: What’s in a Name? would be a cute made-for-TV movie, I think. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone picking it up for TV, though.

Does your family know what you write, and if so, how did they react when you first told them what and how explicit your writing would be?

Pat: Yes, my family’s been very supportive. My husband is my harshest editor, and our younger daughter is my eager reader and fan. Beck is the daughter who went to the RT convention in New Orleans with me and was more excited than I was to be there and to talk with all the gay romance authors. She’s enraptured with J. P. Barnaby and can’t read enough written by her.

LOL. Sounds like she’s a ton of fun Have you ever met someone in real life, or a stranger, that you turned into a MC?

Pat: I taught English composition at a community college for decades, and many of my students were gay men who wrote essays about being gay and their lives as gay men. I’ve put bits and pieces of Curtis and Dennis and Hei and others in my main characters mixed with traits from other men. But so far I’ve never created a character who is totally one of the men I know.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Pat: I can’t answer this question because it depends on the genre and my recent reads. I have way too many “favorite” authors that span centuries and continents and genres and languages.

Boxers, briefs, commando? What’s your favorite way to “dress” your man?

Pat: My men stayed clothed pretty much all the time in my books. Funny story about men’s underwear? I once watched a student de-pants himself in his effort to turn in his essay. His foot caught on the hem of his baggy jeans which pulled down the jeans and the boxers. In front of the entire class. For some reason, he didn’t come back the next class period and dropped the class.

Sad in a way. Hope he kept writing.
We already know you love to write/read in different genres, but why do you feel you share your voice best when writing amongst the different genres?

Pat: I’m happy writing both contemporary gay romance and vampire fantasy. In the gay romances I’m trying to get a handle on how men view love, and in the fantasy, I’m struggling with the concept of god and immortality. One series is a little lighter than the other.

And just because I love to tease

#Interview with #GuestAuthor Joe Cosentino

Interview with Guest Author
Joe Cosentino
Writer. Actor. Professor.

Thank you for stopping over to visit, Joe. I loved hanging out with you when Wt. interviewed us on WON Radio! In case my lovely readers don’t know who are, I thought I’d do a little sit-down visit with you and help us all get to know you a little better.

What makes your stories different from other authors out there?

Joe: Since I was an actor and playwright, my stories are theatrical, humorous, dramatic, romantic, and often contain mystery, suspense, and surprise. After reading my stories, most readers and reviewers comment on how they laughed, felt romantic, cried, and were totally surprised by something in the story. I love that!

When did you first consider yourself an author?

Joe: As a playwright it was after my first play was produced in New York City. As a novelist it was when I saw my books on Amazon—with lots of positive response from readers who I didn’t know.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to get past it?

Joe: Never! It’s the total opposite for me. I have so many stories in my head that it is a challenge for me to decide which one to write next.

LOL I know you were in movies and in theater productions, but what made you want to write stories instead of acting them out?

Joe: It’s all connected for me. Storytelling is storytelling whether you are acting, writing, directing, singing, dancing, or drawing. If you go to You Tube, you can see MY MOTHER WAS NEVER A KID, an old ABC-TV I did (I’m in the last third of the movie) and a more recent humorous short play, JULIE (I also wrote that as well). After acting on stage, screen, and television opposite people like Rosie O’Donnell (AT&T Industrial), Nathan Lane (ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT in dinner theatre), Jason Robards (Commercial Credit computer commercial), Bruce Willis (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM in regional theatre), Holland Taylor (MY MOTHER WAS NEVER A KID ABC-TV movie), and acting Off-Broadway, in many television commercials, and on NBC’s ANOTHER WORLD, the acting work started to dry up. So I moved on to playwriting and directing, and now writing novels. I hope to come full circle one day by acting in the film versions of my novels. I want to play Mr. Ringwood (the high school principal) in AN INFATUATION, Simon Huckby (Jana’s agent) in PAPER DOLL (Jana Lane mystery book 1), and Martin Anderson (the department head) in DRAMA QUEEN (Nicky and Noah mystery book 1). So come on film producers. Make me an offer!

Does your family know what you write, and if so, how did they react when you first told them what and how explicit your writing would be?

Joe: As a teenager, when I told my mother I wanted to be an actor (unlike my cousins who are lawyers), she said, “Take this knife and stick it through my heart.” Eventually my parents became accustomed to the idea and supported me. When my mother heard I was writing books, she said, “Don’t you have anything better to do than write novels?” I wonder if Shakespeare’s mother said that. Anyway, my parents, now ninety years old, are accustomed to it and enjoy my novels. They keep asking me, “How do you think up all those amazing stories?” Since I don’t write erotic fiction, they haven’t complained about the heat level of my stories.

Have you ever met someone in real life, or a stranger, that you turned into a MC?

Joe: Constantly, but not directly. I combine people or change someone’s race or gender. The most fun is changing their sexual orientation. While the situation is fictitious, Harold in AN INFATUATION is based on me. I really admire Harold’s resilience, honesty, intelligence, wit, and ability to keep going in trying situations. His heart may be broken, but his spirit always stays intact. Harold’s devotion to his spouse, Stuart, is admirable, as is his honesty about his teenage infatuation with Mario. I love that the story spans twenty years, so we see Harold (and Mario) develop and mature. Harold’s spouse, Stuart, is based on my spouse who is totally organized and a real list maker, but also sweet, creative, and caring. He creates an itinerary for our trips in ten minute time blocks! Mario is based on a few handsome, muscular, and a bit self-absorbed guys I knew as an actor.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Joe: Armistead Maupin, due to his amazing wit, surprise story twists, and engaging characters. I’ve read all nine TALES OF THE CITY books.

Oh, some great stories / authors! So… boxers, briefs, commando? What’s your favorite way to “dress” your man?

Joe: I always go for comfort and freedom, so boxers are great.

Do you as an author concentrate on one genre? Or do you feel like you should try to find your voice amongst the genres?

Joe: Often people question whether I’ve really written all my books (a la Shakespeare) since each one is so different. Believe me, I’ve written them all. AN INFATUATION is a Bittersweet Dreams MM romance novel with endearing characters. The Jana Lane mystery series (PAPER DOLL out now with PORCELAN DOLL and SATAN DOLL following) is an MF mystery/romance series about an ex-child star solving a mystery of her past and present with the help of her gay best friend and gay agent. The story is plotted with clues and secrets that are all revealed in the shocking ending. The Nicky and Noah comedy mystery series (DRAMA QUEEN releasing this summer with DRAMA MUSCLE and DRAMA CRUISE following) is a laugh out loud, wild and crazy, MM mystery/romance series set in the theatre department of a college. As a college professor I can relate, though thankfully there have been no murders at my college. However, I kid my colleagues that if any of them annoy me, I may murder them in one of my novels. Hah!

And just because I love to tease what are you working on now, and what is coming up from you next?

Joe: I just finished A SHOOTING STAR (a new MM Bittersweet Dreams contemporary romance novella), PORCELAN DOLL (the second Jana Lane mystery), and DRAMA MUSCLE and DRAMA CRUISE (the second and third Nicky and Noah mysteries). Up next is SATAN DOLL (the third Jana Lane mystery). Reader response has been incredible to all of my novels with reviewers and readers telling me these novels have changed their lives, and begging me to keep writing. Those words are magic to my ears, and inspiration to my brain and computer keyboard.

How do you imagine the ideal reader of your book?

Joe: My ideal reader is a lover of a good story, someone who craves being swept away and becoming part of the novel. My reader enjoys humor, and being taken on a roller coaster ride. Finally, my reader relishes in captivating characters and earth-shattering romance, as she/he willingly enters the portal of my book. That’s why I love hearing from my readers! http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.

Here are the blurbs and excerpts from my two current offerings.

An Infatuation

M/M Contemporary Bittersweet Dreams
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Christy Caughie
Release Date: February 4, 2015
Length: 103 pages / Novella

With his ten-year high school reunion approaching, Harold wonders whether Mario will be as muscular, sexy, and tantalizing as he remembers. As a teenager, it was love at first sight for Harold while tutoring football star Mario, until homophobia and bullying drove Mario deep into the closet. Now they’re both married men. Mario, a model, is miserable with his producer wife, while Harold, a teacher, is perfectly content with his businessman husband, Stuart. When the two meet again, will the old flame reignite, setting Harold’s comfortable life ablaze? How can Harold be happy with Stuart when he is still infatuated with his Adonis, his first love, Mario? Harold faces this seemingly impossible situation with inimitable wit, tenderness, and humor as he attempts to reconcile the past and the future.

Dreamspinner
Amazon

One Friday afternoon I accidentally ran into my hero in the boy’s locker room. I’d had enough of the big guys banging me into gym lockers, pushing me into cold showers, and hanging me from the gym ropes. So I was on my way to give Mr. Adoni a note from Dr. Dlorah excusing me from gym class for the remainder of the school year (due to my highly contagious disease being studied by my doctor in Guatemala, where he could not be reached for the next year).

The locker room smelled of an odd combination of soap, cologne, sweat, and desire. Mario was getting ready for football practice, standing at his gym locker without a combination lock on it. Nobody would dare to break into it (Except for me that one time I smelled his jock strap. Okay maybe it was a few times, but not more than ten.). Mario slid his T-shirt (red today) over his thick, black hair and threw it on the nearby bench. No longer harnessed by cotton, his arm, back, chest, and neck muscles swelled to full size. I was half hidden behind the adjoining row of lockers, wearing my usual green and blue flannel shirt and brown corduroy pants. Mario, who wasn’t looking in my direction, said something really beautiful to me that I will never forget. “Hi.”

“Did you just? Oh. Hi. Hello. Good afternoon. Nice to see you. I mean, change with you.” I looked down at the floor (but cheated a bit) as Mario kicked off his boots, slipped off his jeans then threw them in the lucky locker. His red underpants (briefs) revealed ample manhood. This is better than the newspaper’s underwear ads!

“Good gym class today with Mr. Adonis, I mean, Mr. Adoni.” Did I just say that? “Harold High.”

“Hi.”

“High.” How can I get my pulse down to 260?

“Hi.” Mario reached into his locker for his sweat clothes.

Shouldn’t people be doing that for you? “Oh, my last name is High. Like a kite.” How can I stop my arms from waving like an airport flagger on speed?

“Mario Ginetti. Like nothin’ else imaginable.” Mario smiled, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth, and held the sweat clothes in his hands as if he was mortal.

“I know. I watch your body play.” Why can’t I stop talking? “I mean, I watch you play … football … on the field … in your football outfit.” I feel like Michelangelo with his David!

As Mario put on his sweats, I continued to sweat.

“I’m voting for your body … I mean I’m voting for you for president of your … our … the student body.” I need my jaw wired shut. “I’m your lab partner in Chemistry class. Ms. Hungry’s class … I mean Ms. Hunsley’s class.”

His olive-colored face glistened as Mario’s face registered recognition—of me! “I thought I knew you from somewheres. Hey, thanks for doing the lab reports.”

“It’s my honor … I mean my pleasure. It’s fine. If you need help putting up posters for your campaign, I can … ”

Having just tied the laces of his sneakers, Mario stood absolutely still. He looked at me as if he was staring into my heart and somehow knew what I was feeling. “I gotta take a wicked piss.”

Can I watch?

“Thanks for helping me out, Buddy.” He slammed the locker door and left.

He called me, Buddy! My heart was as soft and silly as putty that Mario held in the palm of his hand like his soap on a rope.

Paper Doll
Jana Lane mystery 1

M/F Hollywood Mystery Romance
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
Cover Artist: Christy Caughie
Release Date: March 5, 2015
Length: 103 pages / Novella

Jana Lane was America’s most famous child star until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. Now a thirty-eight-year-old beauty and mother of two living in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York, Jana’s flashbacks from her past turn into murder attempts in her present. Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana visits the California movie studio she once called home. This sends her on a whirlwind of visits with former and current movie studio personnel. It also leads to a romance with the son of her old producer—Rocco Cavoto—the devilishly handsome filmmaker who is planning Jana’s comeback both professionally and personally. With Rocco’s help, Jana uncovers a web of secrets about everyone she loves, including the person who destroyed her past and threatens to snuff out her future.

Whiskey Creek Press
Amazon

No longer postponing the inevitable, she rested back on the tree stump. As Jana peered out at a tree with a yellow ribbon tied around it, she thought of how her life had been held hostage during the past twenty years. With eyes sealed tightly shut she blurted out, “They’re like flashbacks. I see myself at the studio on the set of my last film—on the final day of shooting.” She moistened her lips. “We’re outside in Lot C. After my father, playing the town sheriff, makes me an assistant sheriff, I strike my last pose on my horse, Ginger. She bucks underneath me, but I control her until Mr. LeClerc, the director yells, ‘Cut!’ Hank, the trainer, helps me off my horse. A few speeches are made. My agent, my sister, Mr. Cavoto—the studio head, and his son are there. Everyone applauds. As usual—”

“—you walk inside to your dressing room with your agent.”

She opened her eyes. “How did you know that?”

He bit at a blade of grass. “I just assumed.”

“You really are good at this.”

Another satisfied nod from Jackson led her eyelids to close again.

“My agent, Simon, waves at someone who passes us in the hallway. Then a flash hurts my eyes. I think it’s a photographer. Simon approaches him, scolds him I think then leaves me alone…and this part of the dream occurs over and over again…”

“Tell me.”

After a shaky breath, she said, “A masked figure in black appears in front of my dressing room door. I’m forced into a dark corridor…pushed down onto the floor…we struggle. His touch is angry but somehow…familiar. I try to scream…but…nothing.” She opened her eyes.

“Then what?”

“Then Jana Lane—the girl who swam the rapids, climbed Mt. Everest, parachuted from a plane to save the world from mad scientists in her movies—wept uncontrollably in a psychiatric hospital for nearly a year while the masked man got off free.”

“How do we know it was a man?”

She replayed her nightmare and came to a realization. “I guess we don’t.” Her eyes suddenly swam in tears. “Jackson, the years since I left Hollywood, I’ve been hiding. Housewife, mother, community fundraiser—they’re shields, so I don’t have to face an assault and breakdown from when I was eighteen years old…or face something worse.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Maybe I should see a shrink again.”

Jackson diagnosed in his best German accent. “You don’t need a shrink. You have me.”

“I wish I had Brian, too.” She knew Jackson would understand.

Jackson helped her to her feet, and laid a pansy in the palm of her hand. “Brian will come around.”

“So will the F.D.R. Benefit,” she said, happy to change the subject. After a nervous glance at her watch, she added, “Let’s get to work.”

* * * *

The room was cold and full of ominous shadows. As the viewer waited in anticipation, the most famous child star in history filled the screen nearby.

Jana Lane, at eighteen in Sugar and Spice, was dressed in a canary and brown leather cowgirl suit and matching boots. With determination beaming from her face, she pushed a kidnapper off a cliff and lifted her little friend, Timmy, onto her horse. After she sped Timmy down the mountain to safety, her father—the sheriff—kissed her on the cheek and proudly presented her with an assistant sheriff’s badge. Jana remounted her horse, Ginger, and waved her cowgirl hat triumphantly as Ginger stood up tall on hind legs.

As Jana’s celluloid face filled the room, restless fingers lifted a glass of liquid and sent it crashing into orange droplets against the screen.

Eerie laughter transformed into a hushed voice. “It’s time to play again, Jana. The first time was sweet, but the second time will be so much sweeter!”

.

Joe Cosentino is the author of An Infatuation (Dreamspinner Press), Paper Doll, the first Jana Lane mystery (Whiskey Creek Press), Drama Queen, the first Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press-releasing this summer), and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. His one-act plays, Infatuation and Neighbor, were performed in New York City. He wrote The Perils of Pauline educational film (Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. His upcoming novels are Porcelain Doll (the second Jana Lane mystery) and Drama Muscle (the second Nicky and Noah mystery). 

Find & Follow Joe Online:

Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KRPXJP6