Devon McCormack's Blog, page 2
August 25, 2014
Cover Reveal - When Ryan Came Back
Hey everyone,
It's been awhile since I've blogged, but I promise I've been busily writing and editing future projects. That's a good enough excuse, right? Anyway, one of my next releases is through Harmony Ink Press, and I just recently received the cover art from Aaron Anderson. Here's the cover and the blurb. Hope you'll add it to your TBR list on GR:
Steven's life changes forever the day he discovers his childhood friend and lifelong crush, Ryan Walters, standing in his bedroom. The problem? Ryan Walters committed suicide just days earlier.
Ryan tells Steven that he didn't kill himself. He believes he was murdered and that his death is linked to an article he was working on for the school paper. Steven sets out to solve the mystery, but as the story unfolds, so does Ryan's secret life of sex with guys and depression. Steven realizes suicide is more plausible than Ryan's conspiracy theory, but he struggles to convince Ryan of the real cause of his death. And despite revelations of his friend's closeted life, he must face the truth that Ryan doesn't—and never will—love him.
It's been awhile since I've blogged, but I promise I've been busily writing and editing future projects. That's a good enough excuse, right? Anyway, one of my next releases is through Harmony Ink Press, and I just recently received the cover art from Aaron Anderson. Here's the cover and the blurb. Hope you'll add it to your TBR list on GR:
Steven's life changes forever the day he discovers his childhood friend and lifelong crush, Ryan Walters, standing in his bedroom. The problem? Ryan Walters committed suicide just days earlier.
Ryan tells Steven that he didn't kill himself. He believes he was murdered and that his death is linked to an article he was working on for the school paper. Steven sets out to solve the mystery, but as the story unfolds, so does Ryan's secret life of sex with guys and depression. Steven realizes suicide is more plausible than Ryan's conspiracy theory, but he struggles to convince Ryan of the real cause of his death. And despite revelations of his friend's closeted life, he must face the truth that Ryan doesn't—and never will—love him.
July 10, 2014
Interview: Brenda Cothern
Hey everyone,
Brenda Cothern was the first reviewer for my first book Clipped. She's been so supportive and helpful in my writing journey, so I wanted to make sure to help her with the promotion of her new book, Guns & Hoses, which is currently in the top ten of Amazon Best Sellers in Gay Fiction and Gay Romance. The book also reached #2 on ARe's Best Sellers list. That said, I hope you'll all give Brenda and her new book a warm welcome.
Guns & Hoses
Synopsis:
Tigger Flint and Thomas Flame shared an instant mutual hate for one another from the day they met in sixth grade. Their dislike grew into competition and rivalry throughout high school as they were stuck in the same honors classes and played the same sports. That hatred and rivalry followed them into adulthood as one became a cop and the other a fireman.
Sharing the same haunt, Guns & Hoses, gave everyone from both departments plenty of opportunity to witness their personal war. Being forced back onto the football field for charity gave both men another venue for their hatred and rivalry to make an appearance.
But those feelings weren't the only emotions in attendance and the winner of game could just be both of them.
Here's where you can buy it:Amazon
Interview with Brenda CothernNew Release: Guns and Hoses What first drew you to writing?
Actually, I am not like most other authors. It wasn’t until the economy tanked and I became one of many unemployed executives that I changed careers at my husband’s urging. I had a story on my computer that was roughly four chapters, around 25k words, and my husband encouraged me to finish it and publish it. So, I did and six months later it was.
What kinds of books do you like writing and why?
I like it when I have characters whose stories involve an inner struggle about what they feel. Usually they are about coming to terms with who they are or along the lines of enemies/friends to lovers. I think these stories allow the opportunity for the emotional depth of a character to shine through and give readers something they can relate to. Real life is messy and never easy.
At what point in your writing career did you start considering yourself a professional writer?
I think it was the moment when I decided to attend a convention as an author to sell my books and speak on writing panels, somewhere around book 5 that I had published. Of course, it was long before that I was already treating my new career as a business. Since I have two bachelor degrees (in business management and marketing), I was already ahead of the game when it came to self-publishing.
I saw on Goodreads that Fates (The Goddess of Fate #1) is listed as your first published work. Can you tell us how that played an important role in your publishing career?
Ahh yes. This is the book I mentioned earlier that my hubby encouraged me to finish. This book was pivotal in turning me from a writer to an author. Fatesstarted out as my Dungeons & Dragons character, Zarkina, story. She has been my constant character for the last 35 years and it was her story that I had started and re-tweeked the first 25k words a killzillon times. It seemed like once I gave her permission to tell me her tale fulltime, I couldn’t get the words on paper fast enough. I was spending 16-18 hours a day writing and within 4 months, her 140k story was finished. Well, almost finished. Roughly 30k had to be chopped off and moved to start a second book (Destiny) to actually finish her story. Destiny is still a work in progress (currently around 65k and will end around the same size as Fates.)
The largest role Fates played for me was that it opened the floodgate in my mind for other characters to make themselves known. For the longest time, only Zarkina’s voice spoke to me but once I got the majority of her story out, it was like an open party in my head. Characters introduced themselves and fought for my attention. The loudest voices won and now have their own stories! Because of this, Zarkina has gone quiet for a while but I am sure she will speak up eventually so I can finish her story in Destiny.
What led you to writing stories with gay main characters?
I never intended to end up writing gay characters. I thought I was going to be a fantasy author so I have to blame Nick and Jordy. They were characters that made an appearance in Kira and Alec’s story, Soul Stealer (Shadows #1), this is now available for free on my website). They were best friends but toward the end of writing Soul Stealer they stated showing me they were meant to be more than that. It was weird, really, since they were both straight. Again, after getting their story out of my head, it was like waving a rainbow flag and the floodgate of voices became mostly gay men wanting me to tell their tale. In hindsight, it really isn’t surprising to me (or anyone who knows me) that I write male/male novels. I can count on one hand how many straight associates I have. Everyone else I know is gay and I have been an activist in my local community for so long, that friends argue that I really am a gay man. It’s a huge compliment!
You're a true indie machine. What does that entail? And what do you enjoy most about the publishing process?
A true ‘indie machine,’ huh? I don’t think anyone has every referred to me in that manner before, thanks! Indie / self-pub is hard and takes A LOT of work. An author has to do EVERYTHING themselves or have the money to farm out some of the work (like editing & cover layout.) Being published is a business and that business takes up about 2/3’s of my time.
At a recent convention, an audience member asked us (a panel of self-pub authors) what our average monthly income from Amazon was as self-published authors and I was surprised at how little some of my colleagues were making. Answers ranged from $10 to $75 a month and I don’t think I kept the shock off my face. I make much more than that on a monthly basis from Amazon. I’m not getting rich by any means but I can’t remember the last time I didn’t make at least$150-$200 a month (I think my largest monthly Amazon royalty was around $1900 when Not for Sale made the best sellers list.)All that being said, I enjoy the business side of self-publishing the most when it comes to the process. I think this stems from having two degrees that are business related and being an executive at a marketing company for six years.
On that same note, what's your favorite part of the writing process?
The actual writing itself. Aside from the fact that it quiets the voices in my head for a bit, I enjoy sitting down with a pitcher of beer (yep, I write all my books in a bar and call it my Hemingway style), a few legal pads, and a handful of pens. I just let the words flow and usually 7-8 hours later (and two pitchers of beer) I have around 7k written. People are always amazed that I spend that much time in one sitting in the bar writing. But in reality, most people work an 8 hour day and I am only doing this once a week, so it’s really not so bad *grin*.
What part of your writing do you notice resonates most with your fans?
The characters and how real they seem. Even in my paranormal series, Shadows, the characters are people you could know in your everyday life. They all have their quirks and insecurities. Nothing is ever cut and dry in life and even though what I write is fiction, I don’t think it should be in a story either. Not all stories are HEA’s (Happily Every After’s) and sometimes this upsets fans. But I have no control over this, believe it out not! I tell my fans all the time, ‘I don’t make this shit up; I just write what my characters show me.’ And yes, I realize I should probably be on (more) meds but thankfully my shrink doesn’t think so!
How do you like your sex in books you read and write, and why do you like it that way?
In the books I read, it varies. Sometimes I like reading hard, rough, and kinky. Other times, I want slow, sensual, and sweet. It really depends on what I am in the mood for but regardless of the ‘how,’ the sex should pertain to the plot. I tend to be a bit more critical of gratuitous sex just thrown in for no other reason than to boost word count. The best advice I was ever given when I started writing erotic romance was: “If you can remove the sex scene without it changing your plot, than you don’t need it in the first place.” I try to adhere to this when I write. When I write sex scenes, I also try to make them as realistic as possible. Reading that spit, blood, and water are used for lube makes me cringe because it is clear the author has never tried having anal using these as lube. Now, if the author includes the pain factor when these types of things are used as lube, that’s a different story, because anyone who’s done that knows it hurts like a bitch! Another thing that annoys me is the ‘washcloth syndrome.’ I know plenty of gay men (and women) who don’t dash off to the bathroom for cleanup after sex! But, I digress…if we start getting into my pet peeves about the unrealistic mechanics of gay sex in fiction, we could go on forever!
Tell us a little about your new release, Guns & Hoses...
Guns & Hoses hit me out of the blue while I was taking a shower. I was already almost 9k into writing Extraction (Mad Dogs #3), when Tig and Flame roughly pushed the Delta boys out of the way and took over my mind. Needless to say, I couldn’t get out of the shower fast enough to get them on paper. The story is a enemies to lovers with a HFN (Happy For Now) ending. Tigger Flint is a Tampa cop and Thomas Flame works for Tampa Fire Rescue. The title comes from a bar idea I had twenty-five years ago when I was a stripper. Guns & Hoses caters to local police and fireman and is filled with memorabilia from both. If I had the money, it would become a reality. They again, so would my nightclub Shadows!
Anything else you want to share?
Humm… Let’s see…. I love to hear from readers. I am always looking for serious beta team members. I frequently trade books in exchange for honest reviews. I read 3+ novels a week and love doing book swaps with other authors. Conventions are my favorite way to market because they allow me to meet so many cool people. I can be found on all the social networks and my books are in almost all online outlets.
Recently, I have been asked to help organize RainbowCon 2015. I am on the board for Florida Leather n’ Fetish Pride as well as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I am an associate member of the Tampa Leather Club and soon to be a supporting member of the Union Tampa (another leather club.) I have been in the leather and BDSM lifestyle for 17 years and happy share what I have learned on my journey thus far (especiallywith authors who wish to write about this lifestyle!!) And, in that vein, I have plans to start my own publishing company, Tied & Tethered Publishing, sometime over the next 6-9 months. I think that is about it (as if that wasn’t enough!!)
Thank you so much for having me here today, Devon!!
Thanks for coming on the blog today! For those of you who want to follow Brenda, you can find her on:
GoodreadsFacebookTwitterWebsite
Brenda Cothern was the first reviewer for my first book Clipped. She's been so supportive and helpful in my writing journey, so I wanted to make sure to help her with the promotion of her new book, Guns & Hoses, which is currently in the top ten of Amazon Best Sellers in Gay Fiction and Gay Romance. The book also reached #2 on ARe's Best Sellers list. That said, I hope you'll all give Brenda and her new book a warm welcome.
Guns & Hoses
Synopsis:
Tigger Flint and Thomas Flame shared an instant mutual hate for one another from the day they met in sixth grade. Their dislike grew into competition and rivalry throughout high school as they were stuck in the same honors classes and played the same sports. That hatred and rivalry followed them into adulthood as one became a cop and the other a fireman.
Sharing the same haunt, Guns & Hoses, gave everyone from both departments plenty of opportunity to witness their personal war. Being forced back onto the football field for charity gave both men another venue for their hatred and rivalry to make an appearance.
But those feelings weren't the only emotions in attendance and the winner of game could just be both of them.
Here's where you can buy it:Amazon
Interview with Brenda CothernNew Release: Guns and Hoses What first drew you to writing?
Actually, I am not like most other authors. It wasn’t until the economy tanked and I became one of many unemployed executives that I changed careers at my husband’s urging. I had a story on my computer that was roughly four chapters, around 25k words, and my husband encouraged me to finish it and publish it. So, I did and six months later it was.
What kinds of books do you like writing and why?
I like it when I have characters whose stories involve an inner struggle about what they feel. Usually they are about coming to terms with who they are or along the lines of enemies/friends to lovers. I think these stories allow the opportunity for the emotional depth of a character to shine through and give readers something they can relate to. Real life is messy and never easy.
At what point in your writing career did you start considering yourself a professional writer?
I think it was the moment when I decided to attend a convention as an author to sell my books and speak on writing panels, somewhere around book 5 that I had published. Of course, it was long before that I was already treating my new career as a business. Since I have two bachelor degrees (in business management and marketing), I was already ahead of the game when it came to self-publishing.
I saw on Goodreads that Fates (The Goddess of Fate #1) is listed as your first published work. Can you tell us how that played an important role in your publishing career?
Ahh yes. This is the book I mentioned earlier that my hubby encouraged me to finish. This book was pivotal in turning me from a writer to an author. Fatesstarted out as my Dungeons & Dragons character, Zarkina, story. She has been my constant character for the last 35 years and it was her story that I had started and re-tweeked the first 25k words a killzillon times. It seemed like once I gave her permission to tell me her tale fulltime, I couldn’t get the words on paper fast enough. I was spending 16-18 hours a day writing and within 4 months, her 140k story was finished. Well, almost finished. Roughly 30k had to be chopped off and moved to start a second book (Destiny) to actually finish her story. Destiny is still a work in progress (currently around 65k and will end around the same size as Fates.)
The largest role Fates played for me was that it opened the floodgate in my mind for other characters to make themselves known. For the longest time, only Zarkina’s voice spoke to me but once I got the majority of her story out, it was like an open party in my head. Characters introduced themselves and fought for my attention. The loudest voices won and now have their own stories! Because of this, Zarkina has gone quiet for a while but I am sure she will speak up eventually so I can finish her story in Destiny.
What led you to writing stories with gay main characters?
I never intended to end up writing gay characters. I thought I was going to be a fantasy author so I have to blame Nick and Jordy. They were characters that made an appearance in Kira and Alec’s story, Soul Stealer (Shadows #1), this is now available for free on my website). They were best friends but toward the end of writing Soul Stealer they stated showing me they were meant to be more than that. It was weird, really, since they were both straight. Again, after getting their story out of my head, it was like waving a rainbow flag and the floodgate of voices became mostly gay men wanting me to tell their tale. In hindsight, it really isn’t surprising to me (or anyone who knows me) that I write male/male novels. I can count on one hand how many straight associates I have. Everyone else I know is gay and I have been an activist in my local community for so long, that friends argue that I really am a gay man. It’s a huge compliment!
You're a true indie machine. What does that entail? And what do you enjoy most about the publishing process?
A true ‘indie machine,’ huh? I don’t think anyone has every referred to me in that manner before, thanks! Indie / self-pub is hard and takes A LOT of work. An author has to do EVERYTHING themselves or have the money to farm out some of the work (like editing & cover layout.) Being published is a business and that business takes up about 2/3’s of my time.
At a recent convention, an audience member asked us (a panel of self-pub authors) what our average monthly income from Amazon was as self-published authors and I was surprised at how little some of my colleagues were making. Answers ranged from $10 to $75 a month and I don’t think I kept the shock off my face. I make much more than that on a monthly basis from Amazon. I’m not getting rich by any means but I can’t remember the last time I didn’t make at least$150-$200 a month (I think my largest monthly Amazon royalty was around $1900 when Not for Sale made the best sellers list.)All that being said, I enjoy the business side of self-publishing the most when it comes to the process. I think this stems from having two degrees that are business related and being an executive at a marketing company for six years.
On that same note, what's your favorite part of the writing process?
The actual writing itself. Aside from the fact that it quiets the voices in my head for a bit, I enjoy sitting down with a pitcher of beer (yep, I write all my books in a bar and call it my Hemingway style), a few legal pads, and a handful of pens. I just let the words flow and usually 7-8 hours later (and two pitchers of beer) I have around 7k written. People are always amazed that I spend that much time in one sitting in the bar writing. But in reality, most people work an 8 hour day and I am only doing this once a week, so it’s really not so bad *grin*.
What part of your writing do you notice resonates most with your fans?
The characters and how real they seem. Even in my paranormal series, Shadows, the characters are people you could know in your everyday life. They all have their quirks and insecurities. Nothing is ever cut and dry in life and even though what I write is fiction, I don’t think it should be in a story either. Not all stories are HEA’s (Happily Every After’s) and sometimes this upsets fans. But I have no control over this, believe it out not! I tell my fans all the time, ‘I don’t make this shit up; I just write what my characters show me.’ And yes, I realize I should probably be on (more) meds but thankfully my shrink doesn’t think so!
How do you like your sex in books you read and write, and why do you like it that way?
In the books I read, it varies. Sometimes I like reading hard, rough, and kinky. Other times, I want slow, sensual, and sweet. It really depends on what I am in the mood for but regardless of the ‘how,’ the sex should pertain to the plot. I tend to be a bit more critical of gratuitous sex just thrown in for no other reason than to boost word count. The best advice I was ever given when I started writing erotic romance was: “If you can remove the sex scene without it changing your plot, than you don’t need it in the first place.” I try to adhere to this when I write. When I write sex scenes, I also try to make them as realistic as possible. Reading that spit, blood, and water are used for lube makes me cringe because it is clear the author has never tried having anal using these as lube. Now, if the author includes the pain factor when these types of things are used as lube, that’s a different story, because anyone who’s done that knows it hurts like a bitch! Another thing that annoys me is the ‘washcloth syndrome.’ I know plenty of gay men (and women) who don’t dash off to the bathroom for cleanup after sex! But, I digress…if we start getting into my pet peeves about the unrealistic mechanics of gay sex in fiction, we could go on forever!
Tell us a little about your new release, Guns & Hoses...
Guns & Hoses hit me out of the blue while I was taking a shower. I was already almost 9k into writing Extraction (Mad Dogs #3), when Tig and Flame roughly pushed the Delta boys out of the way and took over my mind. Needless to say, I couldn’t get out of the shower fast enough to get them on paper. The story is a enemies to lovers with a HFN (Happy For Now) ending. Tigger Flint is a Tampa cop and Thomas Flame works for Tampa Fire Rescue. The title comes from a bar idea I had twenty-five years ago when I was a stripper. Guns & Hoses caters to local police and fireman and is filled with memorabilia from both. If I had the money, it would become a reality. They again, so would my nightclub Shadows!
Anything else you want to share?
Humm… Let’s see…. I love to hear from readers. I am always looking for serious beta team members. I frequently trade books in exchange for honest reviews. I read 3+ novels a week and love doing book swaps with other authors. Conventions are my favorite way to market because they allow me to meet so many cool people. I can be found on all the social networks and my books are in almost all online outlets.
Recently, I have been asked to help organize RainbowCon 2015. I am on the board for Florida Leather n’ Fetish Pride as well as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I am an associate member of the Tampa Leather Club and soon to be a supporting member of the Union Tampa (another leather club.) I have been in the leather and BDSM lifestyle for 17 years and happy share what I have learned on my journey thus far (especiallywith authors who wish to write about this lifestyle!!) And, in that vein, I have plans to start my own publishing company, Tied & Tethered Publishing, sometime over the next 6-9 months. I think that is about it (as if that wasn’t enough!!)
Thank you so much for having me here today, Devon!!
Thanks for coming on the blog today! For those of you who want to follow Brenda, you can find her on:
GoodreadsFacebookTwitterWebsite
June 17, 2014
Another Release...Another Week of "Ah!"
June 19th is the official release of my upcoming YA paranormal novel, Hideous!
That's two days away. Ah! It's driving me insane. I'm working on my new cyberpunk book, which I'm about 80% through, and this latest release has definitely been creeping into my thoughts as I struggle to make progress on that book.
This morning, I reread some pages from Hideous. It reminded me how much I miss Luke Retter. He's an underdog. Things don't ever seem to work out for him, and yet, somehow, he keeps on going. That's something I admire about him. You can kick him and kick him, but he doesn't care. Unfortunately, I think that's only because he's been kicked so much that he doesn't realize when it's happening. It takes something far worse than anything he's experienced to wake him from his apathy.
Oh, Luke. I don't know what the future holds for you, but we had good times. It was frightening, and some days, I didn't know how we were going to make it, but we did. I only hope that others fall in love with you the way I did when I wrote this story.
Fortunately, some of the early reviews are fairly promising. Check them out. And of course, remember the book comes out this Thursday:
"A stark world, combined with raw, uncensored scenes of life in the dregs of society makes Hideous a great book along with the progression towards making decisions. Finding out who cares. After reading it I believe the key demographic is that of a young male audience, with the author’s writing style and themes likely to be appreciated most by those that this author is most akin to. I highly enjoyed Hideous and would gladly recommend it for those looking for a darker Paranormal book." - Josh at Greedy Bug Book Reviews
"I want to see young gay guys engaged by characters they can relate to, and with Hideous the author has succeeded. I’m not saying that every gay male is going to like it or that it won’t be enjoyed by the major demographic reading in this genre - females. I am way, way past my teenage years, and a female, and I was engaged from beginning to end. 5 Stars!" - Kazza at On Top Down Under Book Reviews
"Mr. McCormack (Clipped) seems to find it impossible to disappoint; his incursion into the young adult genre is as compelling and powerful as expected. And so another page turner is delivered in the form of a paranormal fantasy that must be read in one sitting." - Joha at Littles Books
That's two days away. Ah! It's driving me insane. I'm working on my new cyberpunk book, which I'm about 80% through, and this latest release has definitely been creeping into my thoughts as I struggle to make progress on that book.
This morning, I reread some pages from Hideous. It reminded me how much I miss Luke Retter. He's an underdog. Things don't ever seem to work out for him, and yet, somehow, he keeps on going. That's something I admire about him. You can kick him and kick him, but he doesn't care. Unfortunately, I think that's only because he's been kicked so much that he doesn't realize when it's happening. It takes something far worse than anything he's experienced to wake him from his apathy.
Oh, Luke. I don't know what the future holds for you, but we had good times. It was frightening, and some days, I didn't know how we were going to make it, but we did. I only hope that others fall in love with you the way I did when I wrote this story.
Fortunately, some of the early reviews are fairly promising. Check them out. And of course, remember the book comes out this Thursday:
"A stark world, combined with raw, uncensored scenes of life in the dregs of society makes Hideous a great book along with the progression towards making decisions. Finding out who cares. After reading it I believe the key demographic is that of a young male audience, with the author’s writing style and themes likely to be appreciated most by those that this author is most akin to. I highly enjoyed Hideous and would gladly recommend it for those looking for a darker Paranormal book." - Josh at Greedy Bug Book Reviews
"I want to see young gay guys engaged by characters they can relate to, and with Hideous the author has succeeded. I’m not saying that every gay male is going to like it or that it won’t be enjoyed by the major demographic reading in this genre - females. I am way, way past my teenage years, and a female, and I was engaged from beginning to end. 5 Stars!" - Kazza at On Top Down Under Book Reviews
"Mr. McCormack (Clipped) seems to find it impossible to disappoint; his incursion into the young adult genre is as compelling and powerful as expected. And so another page turner is delivered in the form of a paranormal fantasy that must be read in one sitting." - Joha at Littles Books
May 26, 2014
Transitioning to Young Adult from Erotica
Coming June 19th, 2014Here it is! The launch of my young adult novel through Harmony Ink Press. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Hideous--the story of a boy and his demon.
I'm so excited about the release on June 19th, but that means I have a lot of work to do. Gotta get review copies out. Hunt down blogs for guest posts and interviews. I can already tell you now that I'll be promoting with On Top Down Under Book Reviews and Greedy Bug Book Reviews. So much to do, and I'm still recovering from Clipped's release. Oh, well. Just have to keep on moving, and finish the book that I'm in the middle of...and Clipped's sequel.
My first book, Clipped, is an erotic adventure with wild, violent, raw sexual situations. Hideous has some sensuality and romance, but is far from erotic. Since I first signed the book, I've had some people ask me about making the transition from erotica to young adult novels. There seems to be this idea that I've had to censor myself to write YA, which isn't true. First off, I never censor a first draft. I write things as they come to me. I don't censor the magic voices that give me a story. I go with the inspiration and see where it takes me. Does this mean I don't censor at all? No.
With Clipped, there was actually a lot of censorship. I made substantial changes (at no one else's request). Some elements were just too disturbing for me to include, as I believed they would somehow make the world a worse place by existing. This wasn't the case with Hideous. Though pieces have changed since the initial drafts, I didn't remove my main characters potty mouth or sexual impulses to dumb it down for an audience. I personally don't think that a YA audience needs to be dumbed down to, and I was very fortunate to work with a publisher that felt the same. Also, the character whose head I was inside of during the writing of Hideous wasn't particularly foul and hyper-sexual like the characters in Clipped, so it was all very natural.
This is a pretty underwhelming discussion of the title of this post. I don't have a list about how to make the transition from erotica to YA. I don't have some deep, meaningful epiphany that I experienced. I just have what I think is a very natural transition that most writers experience: each story presents itself the way it needs to be told, and you just let that story unfold the way it wants to unfold.
So without further ado, I give you the synopsis for Hideous:
Eight years ago, Luke Retter witnessed the brutal murder of his mother and sister at the hands of his demon-possessed father. He survived but lost a hand and an eye. The demon also burned its emblem into his skin, marking him as a cursed. Those who bear this mark are at risk of becoming possessed themselves, so they are monitored and enslaved by the state-run UCIS. Working as a slave is hard, but Luke prefers it to the possibility of being controlled by a demon.
One night, Luke wakes to find his worst nightmare coming true. His father's demon has returned. In a panic, he runs to the only person who might be able to help: Zack, a cursed who ran away from the state and created an underground community to protect other fugitive curseds. Zack helps him suppress the demon. But the city's become a time bomb, and Luke's demon itches to escape.
With the UCIS closing in on Zack's underground operation and Luke's demon crafting its own, nefarious plot, Luke realizes that he must take a stand.
Right now, I'm holding a Goodreads Giveaway to win a paperback copy of the book. Click here to enter.
May 24, 2014
Erotica, Porn, and Literature
When discussing erotica, one of the big questions that always comes up is: is it literature or is it porn? I don't deny that porn lit exists, but I think it's hasty to brand anything classified as erotica as pornographic. For the sake of giving this discussion a foundation, I am going to say that "porn" is anything that is exclusively intended to be sexually arousing and serves no other purpose. That's a fairly good definition, and I think most people will agree with me when I suggest that there's little other value to a money shot on a guy's face in a Gaytube clip. Does this mean that any movie that features sexual acts is porn? No, no, no. Shortbus and The Idiots depict actual sex, but they are far from porn. They're art. And why is that? I would argue that it's because they aren't exclusively intended to arouse the audience (though a conservative mind might argue otherwise). I'm not suggesting that, at times, the scenes aren't intended to do that. However, they are clearly making larger commentary on sexuality than just that it's lovely and fun.
I brand my novel Clipped as erotica for the sake of giving it a category, but if you read the book, it won't take you long to realize that the prose isn't just designed to arouse the reader. It's designed to make the reader think about sexuality. What is an arousing act? What is a grotesque act? There are tons of sexual acts in the book--spanking, penetration, bjs, asphyxiation, etc. Some of these acts are eagerly welcomed by characters. Other times, they are forced on them.
I'm sure this bothers some readers, who would rather just get their money shot and move on to the next one. So why not just make the acts exclusively arousing? Because it's important to remember that sex, fun as it can be, has a dark and twisted side that we can never really ignore. We can try to, but it's always going to rear it's ugly head. It's beautiful, but dangerous. It's fun, but perverse. I wanted to write a book that showed both sides. In real life, sex is never all fun and games. It's "Did the condom break? Am I going to get HIV? Am I going to get pregnant? Is this herpes?" Anyone who would say something like, "Oh, well, I just have sex for fun and never am worried about it," is either a liar or wildly irresponsible.
This duality of trying to enjoy something that has such twisted dangers to it is something that I wanted to incorporate into Clipped, and it's largely one of the reasons that I don't think that it's going to appeal to everyone. I knew that when I wrote it, but I wouldn't change it to be more erotic because that would be a lie. I'm not just trying to satisfy the reader's desire for pleasure. I want the reader to think while they're reading the sex scenes. In some cases, I want them to be thinking, "This is arousing, but why? It really shouldn't be." Sometimes, I want them thinking, "This isn't arousing. Why would someone want that?"
Some people don't want to think about these things when they read erotica. They want their fantasy of a world where sex is harmless and care-free, and I understand that. But I don't see what's appealing about that lie. Half of what's arousing about sex is the fact that it is dangerous. Certainly, there is a place for porn, and people should enjoy it the way I enjoy jerking off to a mediocre looking actor in a DV porn. But, unfortunately, there are too many people out there who think in such black and white terms about literature and erotica. They think that the erotic has to be minimized in order to be literature. That's just sad, and it doesn't leave us room to explore some very complex questions about the nature of sexuality. And isn't that what literature is about? Getting people to ask questions? Getting them to think about things? And isn't sex something worth pondering?
I brand my novel Clipped as erotica for the sake of giving it a category, but if you read the book, it won't take you long to realize that the prose isn't just designed to arouse the reader. It's designed to make the reader think about sexuality. What is an arousing act? What is a grotesque act? There are tons of sexual acts in the book--spanking, penetration, bjs, asphyxiation, etc. Some of these acts are eagerly welcomed by characters. Other times, they are forced on them.
I'm sure this bothers some readers, who would rather just get their money shot and move on to the next one. So why not just make the acts exclusively arousing? Because it's important to remember that sex, fun as it can be, has a dark and twisted side that we can never really ignore. We can try to, but it's always going to rear it's ugly head. It's beautiful, but dangerous. It's fun, but perverse. I wanted to write a book that showed both sides. In real life, sex is never all fun and games. It's "Did the condom break? Am I going to get HIV? Am I going to get pregnant? Is this herpes?" Anyone who would say something like, "Oh, well, I just have sex for fun and never am worried about it," is either a liar or wildly irresponsible.
This duality of trying to enjoy something that has such twisted dangers to it is something that I wanted to incorporate into Clipped, and it's largely one of the reasons that I don't think that it's going to appeal to everyone. I knew that when I wrote it, but I wouldn't change it to be more erotic because that would be a lie. I'm not just trying to satisfy the reader's desire for pleasure. I want the reader to think while they're reading the sex scenes. In some cases, I want them to be thinking, "This is arousing, but why? It really shouldn't be." Sometimes, I want them thinking, "This isn't arousing. Why would someone want that?"
Some people don't want to think about these things when they read erotica. They want their fantasy of a world where sex is harmless and care-free, and I understand that. But I don't see what's appealing about that lie. Half of what's arousing about sex is the fact that it is dangerous. Certainly, there is a place for porn, and people should enjoy it the way I enjoy jerking off to a mediocre looking actor in a DV porn. But, unfortunately, there are too many people out there who think in such black and white terms about literature and erotica. They think that the erotic has to be minimized in order to be literature. That's just sad, and it doesn't leave us room to explore some very complex questions about the nature of sexuality. And isn't that what literature is about? Getting people to ask questions? Getting them to think about things? And isn't sex something worth pondering?
May 5, 2014
How the First Draft Feels
Writing...writing...writing...
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
Writing...writing...writing...
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
Check outline.
Rewrite outline.
Writing...writing...writing...
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
I hope you're enjoying the writing process as much as I am. :)
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
Writing...writing...writing...
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
Check outline.
Rewrite outline.
Writing...writing...writing...
Erasing...erasing...erasing...
I hope you're enjoying the writing process as much as I am. :)
May 2, 2014
Clipped Blog Tour
I've been moving right along with the Clipped blog tour, and thanks to Will Parkinson at Pride Promotions, I have quite a few stops:
For those of you who want to catch up with the tour, I've posted them on a pinterest board and you can click on the pics to see the interviews, reviews, and guest posts. Also, don't forget to sign up for the Rafflecopter giveaway to win a paperback copy of Clipped (ebook if it's an International winner).
I also want to take a moment to recognize some off-tour stops that you should check out:
Kazza K. at On Top Down Under Book Reviews reviews ClippedCindi at On Top Down Under Book Reviews reviews ClippedJacque at The Jeep Diva Reviews ClippedJay at Cocky Reviews reviews Clipped
Outside the tour, I've been busily working on my next project, and I just got through the second edits of my YA book with Harmony Ink Press. I also received the cover art for my YA book, which looks amazing. I'm excited about sharing that once HIP is good to go.
That's pretty much all I've got for now, but of course, I can't forget to keep shamelessly self promoting my book, so make sure to grab a copy:
For those of you who want to catch up with the tour, I've posted them on a pinterest board and you can click on the pics to see the interviews, reviews, and guest posts. Also, don't forget to sign up for the Rafflecopter giveaway to win a paperback copy of Clipped (ebook if it's an International winner).
I also want to take a moment to recognize some off-tour stops that you should check out:
Kazza K. at On Top Down Under Book Reviews reviews ClippedCindi at On Top Down Under Book Reviews reviews ClippedJacque at The Jeep Diva Reviews ClippedJay at Cocky Reviews reviews Clipped
Outside the tour, I've been busily working on my next project, and I just got through the second edits of my YA book with Harmony Ink Press. I also received the cover art for my YA book, which looks amazing. I'm excited about sharing that once HIP is good to go.
That's pretty much all I've got for now, but of course, I can't forget to keep shamelessly self promoting my book, so make sure to grab a copy:
April 8, 2014
The Release of Clipped is Upon Us...
Here it is. Just a very short time and Clipped will be available via Wilde City Press' website.
I'm nervous, scared, worried, panicked, terrified. I can't convey how afraid I am of the negative reviews that are surely just around the corner. Just a few days ago, I blocked my internet browsers from being able to pull up Goodreads. But Hell, I have a phone, so what does it matter? You know I'm gonna go running over to Goodreads to check reviews every few days. #thingsthatarentgoodforyou
My friend David has been incredibly helpful. It's his first read of the book, and he keeps sending me texts like, "If you don't answer the question this part just raised by the end of the book, I'm deducting a star from my review." David, when I get out to Los Angeles, I am going to kick your ass. ;) Mom's are always great, too: "You've already had terrible reviews. What's wrong with getting a few more?" Thanks, Mom. I'll remember this when there's a plug and a respirator. Although, side note: Mom asked me to help her with her kid's book FB page, and I almost forgot to log out before posting the link to my new book. Almost! Just almost. I'm sure all of her followers would have been thrilled to see my plug for a gay, erotic novel pop up on their screen. But she never has to know how close that was to happening.
Anyway, aside from fretting over pending reviews, I have several projects to keep me busy. I have two contracted books that have prep work to be completed, including a young adult novel with Harmony Ink Press and a vampire novel with Wilde City Press. I'm really excited about both of them, and I'll be posting more soon, but I'm also super-excited about my latest project, a ghost novel. I just completed it over a week ago. I still have some work to do with it, but I'm already prepping for my next book. My "prep work" is basically me sifting through Pinterest boys to see who my boyfriends for the next few weeks will be. And I totally found them:
And...
Yes. They're going to be my muses for my next project, which is a little more scifi than I usually go for, but we'll see how it goes. If anything, you'll never hear another word about it.
Anyway, wish me luck on Clipped's release. I'm going to pretend that I'm not releasing my baby to the world...or rapidly downward spiral into insanity. In other news, my blog tour starts on April 21st, so yay!
March 31, 2014
Release and Blog Tour for Clipped
Hey Y'all,
Just wanted to give you another update on Clipped.
First off, here is the new cover for Clipped (Thanks Adrian Nicholas at Wilde City Press):
The book will be released April 9th on Wilde City Press's website. I'm working with Will Parkinson's Pride Promotions to create a blog tour that is scheduled April 21st-May 21st. I'll post the schedule and details once we have all that put together. I'm also hosting a Goodreads giveaway for the book. I'd post the widget, but Blogger has a hard time converting it to Goodreads' RSS feed, so here's the link:
Goodreads Giveaway for Clipped
As for future projects, I have two titles contracted, another with Wilde City Press and yet another with Harmony Ink Press. I also just wrapped up my latest project and more details will be coming as I finish revisions for that.
Just wanted to give you another update on Clipped.
First off, here is the new cover for Clipped (Thanks Adrian Nicholas at Wilde City Press):
The book will be released April 9th on Wilde City Press's website. I'm working with Will Parkinson's Pride Promotions to create a blog tour that is scheduled April 21st-May 21st. I'll post the schedule and details once we have all that put together. I'm also hosting a Goodreads giveaway for the book. I'd post the widget, but Blogger has a hard time converting it to Goodreads' RSS feed, so here's the link:
Goodreads Giveaway for Clipped
As for future projects, I have two titles contracted, another with Wilde City Press and yet another with Harmony Ink Press. I also just wrapped up my latest project and more details will be coming as I finish revisions for that.
March 21, 2014
Angels and Butt Sex, Coming April 9th
After weeks of working with my editor at Wilde City Press, we finally have a complete, relatively clean document. It's amazing reflecting on the Clipped that I initially typed up a little more than a year ago. In the early days, I was operating under the simplistic cover that matched the state of the manuscript at the time:
As much as I wanted a more professional cover, I have to say that I get a little nostalgic when I see that. I changed it to this briefly:
This was just before I contracted with Wilde City Press to release the manuscript. At that point, I had a handful of positive reviews...and some wonderfully negative ones, too. Now, here I am, nearing my new release for Clipped, April 9th. Ah, so many questions. Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will I ever write again? We'll see. Regardless of what happens with the new book, I have nothing but good thoughts about the days of working on the early drafts of that manuscript.
The idea initially came to me while I was on the set of Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I was an extra, working for some spare cash. Since no one's blind enough to let me do porn, I have to find little things here and there. I'm one of the buzzed cut guys in the control room. That blurry guy that you can't really see? That one's me!
I'd borrowed (aka, stolen with little intention of ever returning. Sorry Ashley.) a copy of Mark Twain's Letter's From the Earth. I'd read it between takes. For those who are unfamiliar with the book, Twain flips the roles of God and Satan, depicting God as a jealous, psychotic megalomania and Satan as a fairly reasonably-minded fallen angel.
It was such a little thought at the time that it's hard to believe I ever did anything with it. I wondered, "What if God and Satan were ex-lovers? What if that's what all this was really about?" My imagination toyed around with the idea, crafting the whole situation, revising the apocalypse, before I developed the idea for what is now Clipped. The early drafts were more about gore and blood than sex. It was perverse--to a point where I was disturbed even while I was writing it. It wasn't until the second draft that Clipped found its way leaning more toward something erotic. And once I started down that path, after quite a few stop and go points during more arousing situations, I managed to create what is now the full-length manuscript.
Right now, I'm vigorously working on a variety of projects. Among them, Clipped's sequel, which takes place on Earth and in Hell. Can't wait to wrap it up and add it to the saga. In the meantime, I'm really excited about the upcoming release. I'm also looking forward to working with Wilde City Press on the release of my next paranormal novel, which I will just say is a vampire novel that I'm eager to share.
As much as I wanted a more professional cover, I have to say that I get a little nostalgic when I see that. I changed it to this briefly:
This was just before I contracted with Wilde City Press to release the manuscript. At that point, I had a handful of positive reviews...and some wonderfully negative ones, too. Now, here I am, nearing my new release for Clipped, April 9th. Ah, so many questions. Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will I ever write again? We'll see. Regardless of what happens with the new book, I have nothing but good thoughts about the days of working on the early drafts of that manuscript.
The idea initially came to me while I was on the set of Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I was an extra, working for some spare cash. Since no one's blind enough to let me do porn, I have to find little things here and there. I'm one of the buzzed cut guys in the control room. That blurry guy that you can't really see? That one's me!
I'd borrowed (aka, stolen with little intention of ever returning. Sorry Ashley.) a copy of Mark Twain's Letter's From the Earth. I'd read it between takes. For those who are unfamiliar with the book, Twain flips the roles of God and Satan, depicting God as a jealous, psychotic megalomania and Satan as a fairly reasonably-minded fallen angel.
It was such a little thought at the time that it's hard to believe I ever did anything with it. I wondered, "What if God and Satan were ex-lovers? What if that's what all this was really about?" My imagination toyed around with the idea, crafting the whole situation, revising the apocalypse, before I developed the idea for what is now Clipped. The early drafts were more about gore and blood than sex. It was perverse--to a point where I was disturbed even while I was writing it. It wasn't until the second draft that Clipped found its way leaning more toward something erotic. And once I started down that path, after quite a few stop and go points during more arousing situations, I managed to create what is now the full-length manuscript.
Right now, I'm vigorously working on a variety of projects. Among them, Clipped's sequel, which takes place on Earth and in Hell. Can't wait to wrap it up and add it to the saga. In the meantime, I'm really excited about the upcoming release. I'm also looking forward to working with Wilde City Press on the release of my next paranormal novel, which I will just say is a vampire novel that I'm eager to share.
