Renae Kaye's Blog, page 10

Renae interviews Renae on Safe in His Arms

Name of book:  Safe in His Arms
Date Published:  28th November 2014
Available in:  ebook / print / audio
Other forms coming:  Italian and Korean in 2016
 
When did you start writing this book?  November 2013

What gave you the inspiration for the story?  I set out to write a series of short stories.  I was unsure how people would receive my books (and my humour) and thought that maybe I should “tone it down a bit.” (Remember this was before Loving Jay released). I thought a series of single chapter erotic stories would get my name seen.

So I wrote the first chapter of Safe in His Arms.  The idea behind the series of short stories was sexual encounters between strangers, but with a little bit of caring and consideration behind the encounter.  No HEA.  Just brief encounters.

However, I wrote the first chapter and then became curious.  Why was Casey in the shower room at that time of night?  What was wrong? He was staring in the mirror intently, so something was up.  What was Casey’s story?

I told myself that I would write one more chapter and explore the story from Casey’s POV, just to find out about him.
Some 70,000 later I realised I had a novel instead of a short story.

What was the working title?  Encounters.  Yep.  It was supposed to be a brief encounter.

Where did the title of the book come from?  I couldn’t think of a title.  I must’ve thought of and discarded about 50 titles before this stuck.

What challenges did you face with writing this?  You may notice that this is the first story I wrote in 3rd person, and the first story that has both POVs.  I wasn’t comfortable in writing it this way and editing was a nightmare.  I quickly went back to 1st person after this.

I also faced the challenge of Casey’s background.  I wanted to make a broken character that was fighting to make it in life.  So many of us suffer from depression or bad experiences.  So many of us think we need to hide it and bottle it up.  I wanted a character that had been broken and was attempting to put his life back together, but I didn’t want a fairytale where a psychologist would pat him on the head and say, “All fixed now.”
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It doesn’t work like that in real life.  In real life you have set backs and it will always affect you to some degree.
I had to do a lot of research into sexual trauma and counselling to write this book.  Please don’t judge me on my web browsing history that month.  I’m surprised I didn’t get a visit from some special task force the amount of times I had to google things like “rape.” Tell us about MC1 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Oh, Lon.  **heart skips a beat**  One of the things I’m passionate about is creating characters who are realistic and to portray the large spectrum of men who are gay.  Not all men are into waxing and shaving, and not all men are attracted to hairless people.  Body hair can be a huge turn on.

I wanted my man to be the image of dangerous.  Someone with a gruff exterior.  Someone who was putting up a front to keep people away.

Tell us about MC2 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Casey is the juxtaposition to Lon.  I love contrasts.  I love opposites attract.  He’s the type of guy that you think is brainless, weak and needy – and yet you’d be wrong.

Casey’s past came as a surprise to me.  I like my characters to be real, but I stopped and nearly scrubbed the WIP several times because I thought, “I can’t write about this!”  But he kept pushing me.  Casey’s my hero.  He had something terrible happen to him, but he keeps facing the next day, and the next.  He doesn’t try to pretend everything is normal.  I just want to hug him and tell him I’m sorry, but that he’s someone I look up to.

Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?  I think it’s interesting that adoption once again crept into my storyline.  Patrick from The Blinding Light was adopted, and in this story Lon is.  Perhaps it’s because my family blends the adopted in with the step-siblings, the half-siblings and everything else along the way.  I have a brother and sister who were adopted 10 years before I was born.  I’ve grown up with the knowledge they are adopted, but it’s not a big deal.

What is the best thing that has happened about this story, post-publication?  There were a lot of comments about this story.  Some people called for trigger warnings on the book.  Some people slammed me for writing about a character who was sexually abused as a teen.  I have no regrets about writing Casey.  We shouldn’t have to only write about perfect characters.  Characters with a past are equally important.  And for those who think to avoid the story because it contains references that may set them off, perhaps a rethink.  Casey’s past is in the past.  Be joyed about the steps he’s making to reclaim his life from the darkness.  He’s coping and living.  He doesn’t dwell on the past.

For every email and message I received from someone upset that I wrote about the subject, I received two emails or messages from people thanking me for it.  People who had been through it.  People who were learning to cope with their new life.  People who could relate.  Thank you for reading, guys.
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Do you plan a follow up story?  Why, yes.  Thank you for asking this question, Renae.  My first new novel out in 2016 will be a spin-off of this story.  In Safe in His Arms Lon has a friend who is a seeing a married man.  People asked me about Paul and Andrew’s story – so I wrote it.  I plan a third story in the series too, the story of Devon and Ash.

Renae interviews Renae on The Shearing Gun

The next instalment of my interviews of myself is on my book, The Shearing Gun.

Name of book:  The Shearing Gun
Date Published:  19th September 2014
Available in: ebook / print / audio
Other forms coming:  Italian in 2016

When did you start writing this book?  September 2013

What gave you the inspiration for the story?  I conceived the idea for The Shearing Gun about two weeks after I received a contract for Loving Jay.  I was SO excited.  One of the things I love about reading is being taken to foreign countries.  It’s rather like a holiday.  I wanted to introduce readers to my country.  I think I’d just finished reading a cowboy book, and I thought of doing a story set in the Outback, revolving around cattle mustering Aussie style.  But I didn’t have the knowledge.  I grew up around sheep.

Then I thought, “Why not sheep?  Imagine what a gay shearer would be like?”  And the idea was born.  I enjoyed the thought of being unique and original – and being the only author to write about shearers.

(I’m not – but I thought it at the time).

What was the working title?  This one was ALWAYS titled The Shearing Gun.  It just fitted.

Where did the title of the book come from?  **sigh**  It comes from a very personal, very challenging story of mine.  My nephew, Henry, was killed in a farm accident when he was 16 months old.  His father and mother are both shearers, and his two older brothers are too.

When Henry was about 11 months old, his brother posted a photo on Facebook of Henry being a cheeky monkey.  He titled the photo, “He’s going to be a shearing gun like his dad and brothers.”

I often look back on that photo and think about the could-have-beens.   Would he have been a shearing gun if his life hadn’t been cut short?  I named my main character “Hank” after my nephew, and imagine a wonderful, fulfilling, happy and successful life for my nephew if the world had just been a little different that day.

What challenges did you face with writing this?  Making sheep romantic, but realistic.  LOL.

Farming is tough.  It’s hard, dirty, heart-aching, bone-breaking, tedious physical work.  I wanted to portray the land and Hank’s life as realistic, but at the same time, I had to explain the land in a way the unfamiliar reader would understand. Tell us about MC1 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Hank’s shearing/farming side is a mixture of my father, my brother, and a healthy dose of imagination.  His voice and accent is so clear in my head because he talks with the rhythms of my childhood memories.  The larrikin, clown part is just Aussie.  We never take anything seriously.

Hank has dreams, but they’re not the intellectual dreams that someone like Elliot has.  Hank’s got his feet firmly on the ground, and his hands buried in the dirt.  The fact that he’s good-looking (and a little bit up himself about this) just came from the first scene.  What else could be more fun than a hunky country boy?

Tell us about MC2 – where did the inspiration come for him?  I liked the idea of a new guy in town who was completely out of his depths with the farming stuff.  But he needed to be strong on his own.  I needed him to have a reason to come to town and be willing to uproot himself.  I liked the idea of a doctor.  Someone valuable to the community, with specialist skills of his own, but nothing to do with farming or shearing.

I don’t think I modelled Elliot on anyone I know.  He just grew as the story demanded.

Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?  Lilly the sheep was real. 

She’s a sheep that we used to have when I was a teen.  A lovely animal with a wonderful fleece, and she threw twins every year.  For the first 2 days after her twins were born, she wouldn’t have milk for them.  It happens in humans, and obviously in animals too.  We observed her twins not being able to feed that first year she lambed, so we (my mother, sister and me) captured the three of them, penned them in the hay shed, and bottle fed the lambs until we could see that her milk had come in.  (Those twins I named Stew and Casserole.  They were boys.  It was their destiny.)

The following year she again birthed twins (Flora and Fauna I called them) and we saw once again she didn’t have milk.  The lambs would attempt to feed, but nothing was coming, so we brought her in, locked her in the hay shed, and bottle fed until we saw she had milk.

The third year she had twins (Romeo and Juliet), we awoke in the morning to find she’d lambed overnight, and she was standing outside the hay shed with them, waiting for us to come.  A sheep doesn’t like being away from the flock (as it is too dangerous with predators), so for her to separate herself and the twins was amazing.  I’ve always imagined her waiting and thinking, “Come on.  My babies are hungry.  Hurry up and feed them for me.”

The Melanian sheep in the story were also true.  My mother has an obsession with coloured wool, so Dad bred her a small flock of sheep for hand spinning.  Each sheep was named and their blood line kept.  We would marvel at the patterns on them.  We had one called Batman, because he had a band of brown across his eyes like a mask.  One we called Stripey because she had stripes like a tiger.  We tried to name them using themes from their names.  One line of sheep were all named after comic strip characters, another line all had names of black singers.

What is the best thing that has happened about this story, post-publication?  I know people have been a little apprehensive about picking up this story.  (A story about SHEEP?)  But I can’t believe how people have embraced the book with joy and gusto.  The fact that my readers adore this book is just magic to me.
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Do you plan a follow up story?  Yes.  People asked me about a story for Mickey Ryan (the shearing gun who shook Hank’s hand for a little too long at the pub…) so my 2016 push is to write his story.

Renae interviews Renae on Bear Chasing

Okay, I'm a bad, bad author.  I did something that is not allowed in the authoring world.  I took a week off.

**record scratch**

​I did what?  Yeah - me.  I took a holiday with my family and spent a week near the beach.  And subsequently forgot to post this last week.  So we are now a week behind.  I'm sorry.

​But here is the third and next instalment in the interviews I've done of interviewing myself.  Chronologically, the next release I had after The Blinding Light​ was a little short story in an anthology called ​A Taste of Honey. Name of book:  Bear Chasing
Date Published:  18th August 2014
Available in: ebook / print as a part of the A Taste of Honey anthology.
Other forms coming:  Will probably rerelease as a standalone when rights have expired.
 
When did you start writing this book?  April 2014

What gave you the inspiration for the story?  I saw Dreamspinner put a call out for short stories to go into an anthology about bears (the gay bear type, not the furry, four-footed ones!)  I loved the idea and made a mental note to buy the book once it was released.  Some months later, I saw BG Thomas put out another plea for good, romantic stories.

At that stage I didn’t know BG – and of course he didn’t know me.  Loving Jay hadn’t been published yet.  No one knew my name.  But there was something pulling me toward this anthology.  So I set myself a challenge to write a bear story in under 12,000 words – for BG.  I know that sounds silly, but I wrote this story for BG.

And my favourite pairing?  Oh, yeah.  The big bear and the skinny little bear chaser…

What was the working title?  I originally called it “Bear Love,” but then changed it to Bear Chasing when I finished.

Where did the title of the book come from?  I didn’t know much about gay bears before starting this story, so I began to research it.  Information sites, dating sites, gay blogs – they are great sources of information.  And the first thing that popped out at me was the term “bear chaser.”  I realised that’s what I wanted my story to be about – the fact that people prefer bears over others.  Some guys like bears.  Some guys like being bears.

It was a natural progression to call it Bear Chasing.

What challenges did you face with writing this?  Research, research, research.  Always!

Then there was the fact that I’d never attempted a short story before.  That was a challenge to wrap up the story in a HEA (or at least HFN) in less than 12,000 words.

Tell us about MC1 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Okay.  I confess.  Gavin, Frank and Brett were based loosely around my neighbours.  There is a bunch of guys who live together in the house across the road from me.  I assume they’re straight.  I pretend otherwise. 

Tell us about MC2 – where did the inspiration come for him?  There is a guy I went to school with – Ashley.  He was into computers and computer games before it was cool to be, was skinny and socially awkward, and he loved his sister to bits.  I haven’t seen Ashley since we were 12, but Neil is what I assume Ashley turned out to be.

Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?  I fell in love with writing bears.

What is the best thing that has happened about this story, post-publication?  My friendship with BG Thomas has blossomed.  One day, I will give him a hug in real life.  One day.
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Do you plan a follow up story?  I love this story.  But it’s not on my priority list.  One day I will write the next chapter in their story.  I really, really want to.

Renae interviews Renae on The Blinding Light

Number two of my interviews.  I will be interviewing... well, myself!  This is the second of my publications and so I'm asking myself a few more questions about ​The Blinding Light.

Name of book:  The Blinding Light
Date Published:  14th July 2014
Available in: ebook / print / audio
Other forms coming:  Italian and French
When did you start writing this book?  July 2013.

What gave you the inspiration for the story?  Inspiration was from three areas for this book.  First, I read NR Walker’s Blind Faith series and fell in love with her characters.  I was thinking (ie daydreaming) about blind people and the things they needed to help them in their life.  My neighbour was having a bad patch after an organ transplant and she had daily help coming over – nursing staff, family, people to do her gardens.  And the need for a housekeeper began to play on me.

Second, I wondered what a blind person’s house would look like – and envisioned it stripped of colour.  I wondered what a housekeeper would need to do to make sure they didn’t move the furniture.  And then I wondered what a rich, blind man would think if his housekeeper’s scent drove him wild – a housekeeper he never saw.


Then third, Jake’s shitty family life appeared to me and is loosely based around someone I know.

 Suddenly I had a guy who was doing the best he could to get by, and a blind man in need of a housekeeper…

What was the working title?  Very originally, my working title for this book was simply “Jake.” 

Where did the title of the book come from?  On the second last chapter, as Jake and Patrick are leaving the hospital, there is a scene about “the blind leading the blinded.”  It was a blinding light moment for Jake, and suddenly I realised it was the perfect title.

What challenges did you face with writing this?  I’m not blind, nor do I know anyone who is blind, so there was research to be done about how to live with a blind person. 

At the time of writing this story, I had no idea of publishing it.  I had sent Loving Jay to the publisher, but hadn’t heard back from them.  The story of adoption was naturally woven into the plot as I have a brother and sister who are adopted, so it’s something that is familiar to me.  However, I had to do a lot of research about adoptions these days.

Tell us about MC1 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Jake is a lot like me.  And also a lot like I want to be.  I’m someone who keeps fighting, not matter what shit is thrown at them, or at least finds the bright side of a shitty situation (after I rage a bit).  I’m also someone who doesn’t take crap from people.  Although I wish I could say it out loud.  Jake has more balls than me.

Jake’s family is based loosely on a family I know.  The struggles of a single mum, the bad luck, the spiral into alcoholism.  I hope for a good future for the real Jake and his sisters, but who knows?

Tell us about MC2 – where did the inspiration come for him?  There were certain aspects of life that Patrick needed to fit the story – blind, no family, rich.  I threw in good-looking as a source of irony – the best looking guy Jake had ever seen, and the guy didn’t even know it.  Being a grumpy-arse was just my comedic flair.  I love grumpy-arses who are handed their attitude straight back.

Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?  I like to write happy stories, but I never like to sprinkle roses and stars everywhere and make the story too easy.  We all have decisions in life we have to make, and we can’t know how it will turn out.  Do you say yes to that date with a stranger you just met?  Is he the love of your life?  How will you know?  Life never turns out how we want.  People die, people cheat, people lie.  These things happen.

Likewise l want to challenge my characters.  Many readers of the story have complained about how Jake was forced into a situation by his mother.  My answer, “Tough shit, Sherlock.”  Sometimes we have to make hard decisions.  Sometimes we do things we’re not sure of.  Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to.

The point of the scene was to put a character in a position where he could possibly break.  Jake did what Jake always does – makes the best of a bad situation.

What is the best thing that has happened about this story, post-publication?  Once again, I’m going to have to list two things, because I can’t choose one over the other.

First, this story went to #1 in its categories on Amazon and stayed there for a week.  It was amazing, and I never expect to replicate that sort of success again.  Thank you to everyone who contributed to this!

The second thing is one particular email that I was sent by a reader.  They confessed their reluctance to read the story because they were the carer of a blind person, and were afraid I’d get it all so wrong, but went on to compliment me, not only on the story, but the blind aspects of it too.
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Do you plan a follow up story?  You Are the Reason was published in August 2015, so I guess that answers that question. **grin**

Reblog: Renae's plans for 2016

For those who may've missed it, I'm reblogging what was posted on Cafe Risque on the 2nd of January.
What’s new from Renae in 2016?

Happy New Year!

We’re at the start of the New Year with dreams, hopes and wishes all fresh!

So what can we expect from Renae in 2016?

Ooh – lots.  For a start, we still haven’t released the audio of You Are the Reason.  That will be coming in this year.  It’s late, I know, but sometimes you need to wait for the good narrators.

I also have a number of translations that I understand are to be released this year.  The Blinding Light will hopefully make it into French and Italian, and Safe in His Arms into Italian and Korean.  And I wonder what the Italians will make of The Shearing Gun?

Last year I released a short story that I want to expand and rerelease.  I have it slated to work on in February 2016 – so I’ll see how I go with that.

​As for new work?  I’m hoping to have three stories out this year – that’s three full length novels.  Dreamspinner have accepted my first, and I expect it to be out some time in May 2016.  I have another two that I’m finishing up this month and hope that Dreamspinner like as well.

So let’s talk about them.

​Story #1 – a spin-off from Safe in His Arms

You guys asked for it, so I wrote it.  I didn’t mean to.  When I wrote Safe in His Arms the minute Ash and Devon appeared on the page, I knew they had a story to tell.  They exploded in my head during the “beach scene” I wrote, and I knew exactly what had happened between them, and what Devon needed to do.

But the readers told me they wanted Paul and Andrew’s story too.  I was unsure.  Paul was a bit of a lark… and Andrew?  How could Andrew live with himself?  He was married!

I didn’t want to write the story, but it challenged me.  What was the deal with Andrew?

It took me ages too.  Almost a whole year of picking it up and then casting it aside again.  But I persevered, and Dreamspinner said they wanted to publish it.  Eeek.
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So Paul and Andrew’s story will be coming in 2016, and I hope to get Devon and Ash’s story finished in 2016 too. Story #2 AND #3 – spin-offs from Loving Jay

I really need to find a series title for this one, because I’m hoping that by the end of January, this series has three books in it.  #2 is finished.  #3 nearly.

My January job is to finish them and get them off to the publisher.

In #2 we’re introduced to Jay’s friend, Kee.  He’s a little bruised from a relationship, so took a break from the scene.  Now he’s back.  He’s planning on finding himself a big bear to go home with.  Instead, he ends up with Tate.  Not quite the man he expected.

Our friends from Loving Jay are all there too – Liam and Jay, John and Jackie, and Aaron.
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And #3?  Oh, I’m going to be a mean author.  I’m just going to say that you need to read #2 first… **wink** How about, what am I writing?

Actually, I sat down yesterday and looked at what I had.  There are a couple of stories I want to finish that are not like the normal Renae Kaye novels.  Neither of them are set in present day.  One is in the future, and one is a new world.  I’d like to finish them off.

Then I’m going to concentrate on Ash & Devon’s story or perhaps Mickey Ryan’s story (from The Shearing Gun).   I have the next two books for The Tav mapped out in my head, a brand new series of 4 (or 5) novellas set in a small town in WA, maybe a co-written book, and the first chapter of a book featuring a “bad-boy” that just won’t leave my mind. 
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So strap yourselves in for a ride in 2016.  I can’t wait.

Renae interviews Renae on Loving Jay

Last year I interviewed a bunch of really great authors.  I loved it.  But, I thought maybe I need to interview me a little bit more about my stories.  What would I ask me if I was an author promoing a book?  So over the next nine weeks, I thought I would answer some questions about my stories.  And of course, starting with our favourite: ​Loving Jay. Name of book:  Loving Jay
Date Published:  18th April 2014
Available in: ebook / print / audio / Italian translation
Other forms coming:  None scheduled at the moment
 
When did you start writing this book?  April 2013.

What gave you the inspiration for the story?  I have a friend who is very flamboyant, just like Jay is.  He works in retail and everyone loves him for his bubbly, friendly personality.  He also wears makeup, dances ballet in the aisle, walks with a swish and is obviously, definitely gay.  I was thinking (ie daydreaming) one day, and I thought to myself, “I wonder what macho men think of him?  I wonder what their reaction is?” and that morphed into, “What if there was a straight guy who didn’t know he was gay until he met someone like that?”

And so the inspiration for Loving Jay was born.  I set up a scenario where a straight guy (Liam) is constantly put in contact with the flamboyant femme (Jay), then I added attraction.  Voila!  Over the course of the story we find out that this isn’t Liam’s first gay attraction, but that is how the story started.

What was the working title?  I always had it as Loving Jay.  I had planned to change it at the end of the story when I got more of a feel for the story, but I ended up working the title into the final paragraph, so I left it.

Where did the title of the book come from?  Okay, I’m going to admit it.  I had read Loving Hector by John Inman just before I started writing my book.  If that’s what it took to love Hector, I wanted to know what it took to love Jay.

What challenges did you face with writing this?  I guess the biggest challenge I faced was that this was the second story I had attempted to write in my life.  It was never written for publication – just for me to enjoy.  Getting the guts to send it to a publisher, and going through the editing process was HARD!

Tell us about MC1 – where did the inspiration come for him?  Despite the book being from Liam’s POV, I’ve always considered Jay my #1 MC.  As mentioned previously, the inspiration for him came from my friend who is similar.  But in April 2013 when I started writing this book, I really felt a lack of representation of the femme guys in M/M.  I wanted someone who was the stereotypical hysterical drama-queen.

Tell us about MC2 – where did the inspiration come for him? Liam was pieced together to suit the theme of the story.  Why didn’t he realise he was gay?  Why was he hiding it?  What was he afraid of?  Why did he approach and react to Jay the way he did?  I made him average, because he kinda cruises through life.  I gave him a traumatic event during the period where most boys were discovering their sexuality to confuse him.  I gave him a family to love that he was influenced by.  I gave him a best friend for support.  Then I set him loose on the page…

Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?  I love Liam’s family.  One thing that bugs me about some stories is the lack of history or other people in the lives of the MCs.  Everyone has a mother.  She influences the MC – whether it be that she died, she abandoned him, that the relationship is strained, or whatever.  Our history influences who we are.

Liam is the fourth of five boys.  (I adore that line, and always hear Elizabeth Bennet saying, “I’m the second of five girls, ma’am.”)  The large family is normal to me.  I’m the youngest of nine children.  The family dynamics are fascinating, so I enjoyed writing his large family.

What is the best thing that has happened about this story, post-publication?  Oh, man.  You want me to pick one?  I have to pick two – sorry. 

First that it was voted Best Debut Story of 2014 by the members of the Goodreads M/M Romance group.  This was such a wonderful thing.  Really.  It was.

Second is that people are still recommending it to their friends.  I wrote this story as a pick-me-up for me, and I love that people feel the sparkly rainbows and fluffy clouds by reading it.

Do you plan a follow up story?  Yes.  Definitely.  I have another two stories written that follow Liam and Jay.  We saw a lot of Liam in the first story, so this time I found Jay’s friends.  They have their own stories to tell.  I hope for publication of these stories in 2016.

2015 - My Year in Review

Goodbye 2015

I sit at my desk writing this blog with only a couple of hours to go on 2015. 

To be honest, I’m glad.

There’s something about “wiping the slate clean” and starting again fresh for a new year.  Okay, most of our resolutions probably don’t last a month, but it’s wonderful to put the past behind you and say that you’re never going back there.

That being said, 2015 was a wonderful year for my writing and for me learning. 

I had two new novels released – Shawn’s Law and You Are the Reason.  They are very, very different books, and I’m proud of them in two very different ways.
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Shawn’s Law was for me.  You often see a writer say that, and I can tell why.  This book was just the inside of me all bubbling to the surface.  I’m the Crazy that you get when you read this book.  Some people really connected with my Crazy.  Others weren’t sure.  I know my editor wasn’t sure about it either.  But I wanted Shawn’s Law and I hold it close to me.

​On the other hand, You Are the Reason is for my readers.  Yes.  This one is for them.  I had no intention of writing Davo’s story.  Nope.  Jake and Patrick were it.  You would have to leave the rest of their story to your imagination.  But the readers of The Blinding Light weren’t satisfied.  They hounded me until I broke and gave into their demands for a story about Davo.
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I’m not sure if they got what they wanted.  When you write a story, you need to take the good with the bad.  Davo’s character had some bad spots to it.  He needed something very pure to make it to a good place.  Lee was perfect for him, but this is no white-washed story.  There were some tough yards that one had to go through to get there.  However I’m a so glad the way the story turned out.  Didn’t you love it? 2015 also saw me release two short stories – Hard Feelings in the Queermance Anthology and Out of the Rain as my first self-published story.  Both of them taught me very valuable lessons.  I adore the story in Hard Feelings and I have begun to expand the love affair between Moe and Sam to make the story more in depth, so if you can wait a little longer, I will put this out as a standalone.

Out of the Rain was a little project I worked on to dip my toe into the self-publishing pool.  I’m not quite sure if it was successful.  I will need to be more courageous and self-publish more books.  Although the pet peeve from reviewers about this story seemed to be that it was too short.  Hmm.
​
On the writing side of things I’ve added a lot of words to a lot of stories during 2015.  Now the push will be to get these stories out to the public (the ones that are finished) and finish off those that aren’t. I’ve been nominated for a swag of categories in the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s Member’s Choice awards which has me BURSTING my buttons with pride.  I’m becoming more comfortable with telling people “I’m an author” which was really hard in the beginning, and I’m getting more comfortable with bragging about my work.  So I’m going to put these pictures right here.
​ I’m very satisfied with how 2015 went professionally.  It was the other parts of my life that tumbled out of my control.  My husband has continued to have health problems, and now my son has a mystery illness and symptoms that the doctors can’t nail down.  We did the hard yards with one teacher this year, and I’m hoping for a much better teacher next year.  And my baby-girl finished Pre-Primary with only one anxiety phase in the whole year.  Yay her!

So, do I have New Year’s Resolutions?  Not really.  There are things I want to do better this year, and I write them down here to remind myself if I get stuck:

1.  A more organised approach to my profession.  This will mean less fum-bumming around on social media when I should be working, more working when the kids are at school, and making my family appreciate this is my work and they have to respect the boundaries.

2.  A more balanced home-work life. Ugh!  This one will be hard.  But I need to spend less time in front of the computer, and more time attending to my hobbies and my garden.  So I’m going to try for a more structured routine so that my writing time is more productive, so I have more time for other things.  I’m going to make time for other things.

3.  Try out a new form of social media.  There, I said it.  I need to do more on the promo front.  I need to expand my horizons, hopefully find some new readers, and keep at it.

4.  Write more and write better.  Okay, this one’s a little silly.  But I’m currently going through first edits of a new story, and during first edits I always think I’m the crappiest author to walk the earth.  I can’t construct a sentence, my editor has told me so many aspects of the story don’t work (okay – she doesn’t, but it seems like it), we argue over word usage and Australian-vs-American terms.  So I’m feeling like I need to take ten courses in creative writing before I attempt another story.  But it is also true, I need to work on my craft and improve.

There you have it.

Now, for my 2016 plans, you will have to wait another two days and read it on my Café Risque blog.
​
Happy New Year!  Thank you for all your support, and here’s to a great 2016!

Guest interview with Nic Starr

Renae:  Okay, I admit that I’ve been a bad girl and I’ve abandoned the world of guest interviews.  No decent reason.  Just lack of energy.

Until a dear friend says to me, “I have a new book out that I need to promo.”

Then I put aside my own work and grab a pencil and paper.  “Right.  Tell me about it.”

So today I’ve dusted off the interview chair **achoo**, washed the mouldy coffee mugs in anticipation, and laid out the welcome mat.  And for my favourite interviewee – Ms Nic Starr!

**pause for applause**

Nic:  **Listens to the crickets chirping** Thanks so much for having me, Renae, and for going to the effort of dusting off the interview chair. I’m sure the last think you need as we approach the holiday season is to do more cleaning!

Renae:  Hi, Nic.  Don't mention Christmas to me okay?  We're doing your book which is about... oh, Christmas.  **embarrassed blush**

Would you like a drink?  What are we doing this time of year?  Caffeine hit because we need it to keep up with the rush?  Or something festive to celebrate the season?  Or something cool because it’s summer in Australia and damn hot?

Nic:  How about we share a bottle of bubbles? That way we can celebrate the end of a big year and toast to a fabulous 2016 just around the corner.

Renae:  Bubbles?  Oh, you mean champagne, not bubble bath.  Sorry, mummy-mode needs to be turned off.  Champers.  Right-o.  Give me a sec.  Don’t peek at the questions in my folder.  **dashes off**

Nic:  **peeks at questions**

Renae:  Back!  **hands Nic her drink and places the bottle in the tupperware bowl of ice**  Sorry, it was all I could find. Okay.  Let’s get started.  You didn’t peek did you?

Nic:  **cough** Of course not! **takes a big sip of champagne**

Renae:  I guess the proof of whether you peeked will be in the pudding?  **preens at her own wit**

The Proof is in the Pudding
Released 4th December 2015
Blurb
​
Steve never expected making a Christmas pudding would bring him the man of his dreams.

Steve Hayes is away with a group of friends who are spending the Christmas break together. He's determined to put his two-timing ex-boyfriend in the past, and enjoy his week away. Steve is happily surprised to find that Corey Oh, the guy he's been admiring from afar, has been invited along too. But Steve knows there's no way someone as wonderful as Corey, who could have any man he wanted, would be interested in him.

However, thanks to a misadventure with a Christmas pudding, Steve will find that dreams can come true .
​ Renae:  Oooh, a Christmas story.  Since it’s being released now, I’m assuming you wrote this story in the middle of the year, and not at Christmas time.  How hard was that to do?

Nic:  Writing a Christmas story in the middle of the year wasn’t hard at all. As with all my stories, I get lost in the characters and the plot, so I could be anywhere at any time of year. This story is also based on my own misadventure when making a pudding, so perhaps that aided the process.

Renae:  Just for all of us to celebrate Christmas.  Thank you!  I’m a little wary of the line “thanks to a misadventure with a Christmas pudding.”  I’m getting all American Pie thoughts, and then the proof would be in the pudding.  It’s not that type of story is it?

Nic:  LOL. No, this is definitely not that type of food porn.

Renae:  Oh  **reassured**  Right.  Moving on.  **consults list of questions**  You’re Australian (yay!) but you write stories based in both America and Australia.  What about this one?  Is it a snowy Christmas book?  Or a get-in-the-pool-it’s-too-hot Christmas book?

Nic:  This story is set in Australia so there’s not a snowflake in sight. The setting is a house in the country, surrounded by Aussie bush. Think mountains, tall trees, warm weather. There isn’t a pool but there is a hot tub, and it gets some use **wink**

Renae:  So do you get to put in some Aussie Christmas themes?  Shrimp on the barbie?

Nic:  **tamps down desire to curse at Renae for bring up the dreaded ‘shrimp’**

​I have to admit to the barbecue, but no prawns . The Proof is in the Pudding is about a small group of guys who rent a holiday house for a week over Christmas. Like good Aussie boys, most meals are cooked on the barbie. They aren’t overly Christmassy, apart from all chipping in to make Christmas lunch, which is where the pudding comes in. Steve has offered to make the pudding using his mum’s recipe from the Australian Woman’s Weekly (that interestingly enough has been a monthly magazine for years – I guess Australian Woman’s Monthly doesn’t have the best ring to it!) Anyway, there are a few carols, and Christmas tree made from a bare branch from a gum tree.

Renae:  From reading your other books, cooking and baking is often mentioned.  Your characters seem to enjoy the pastime which leads me to believe their author does too.  Would this be accurate?
​
Nic:  My characters are usually ordinary guys who do ordinary things. They’re not involved in car chases, or blowing things up. They have jobs, they watch and play sport, they have hobbies, they cook meals, they like to go out to the movies, and restaurants, and have parties. So yes, food does feature a lot. And food definitely plays a big role in my life. I love to plan and cook special meals. I’m also lucky enough to dine out – a lot. There’s so much cooking and eating in my life, I’m thinking of starting Food Porn Friday on my blog – recipes and drool-worthy pics. What do you think of that idea?​ Renae:  I think I can see my diet going out the window! *wink**  And the characters in this story – are they cooks?  Chefs?  Masterchef wannabes?

Nic: Did you peak at my manuscript? **grin**  Actually, there aren’t any chefs in the story, not professional ones anyway. However, Corey’s parents own a suburban Korean restaurant, and it’s thanks to them that Corey has great kitchen skills. Steve is known to let the odd curse word fly, so much so, his friends think he’d give Gordon Ramsey a run for his money.

Renae:  So what about your family?  What Christmas traditions do you do?  Foods?  Gifts?  Anything special?

Nic:  We always get together as an extended family on Christmas Day – grandparents, kids (I’m in that group), and grandkids. Plus we usually have a few extras from the wider family, or some people without family who join us. The day is about giving presents, contacting the family members who can’t be with us, laughing in the kitchen as we prepare too much food, eating too much food and then relaxing. We are quite informal. No one dresses up, in fact the kids spend most of the day in their cossies (err, swimming costumes). We drink, eat, nap, swim, read, eat, drink, and keep repeating until we’re so tired and full, we collapse into bed. We then get up on Boxing Day to do more of the same but instead of exchanging presents, the highlight of the day is watching the Boxing Day test match (cricket).

Renae:  The saying “the proof is in the pudding” actually came from saying, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”  And that just brings some really vivid imagery… No! It’s not this type of interview.  Where was I?  Ah, yes.  So does the full saying change what the title is referring to in the story?

Nic:  This story is about Steve learning to trust again, or at least not closing his heart off to the possibility of love because he’s been hurt in the past. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” means you can’t really judge the quality of something until you’ve tried it. The accident with the pudding brings Steve and Corey together, providing an opportunity for Steve to experience Corey’s caring nature and see the type of man he is. Without the time spent together making the pudding, or the time spent with Corey taking care of Steve, Steve might have missed seeing that Corey was nothing like the people who’d not treated him well.

Renae:  I adore Corey’s surname—Corey Oh—it brings some delicious jokes to mind.  Please tell me Steve cracks at least one of those jokes?

Nic:  The story has a few jokes but unfortunately none about Corey’s name. Damn, and it’s too late for me to change that now! **makes note to use Renae as a story consultant in future**

Renae:   Oh.  Um.  Awkward.  Moving along **consults questions** Here’s one.  Is Christmas your favourite holiday season?  Why, or why not?

Nic:  I love Christmas. It’s definitely my favourite. There are two main reasons. Firstly, it’s the longest holiday period in Australia. My kids get nearly eight weeks off school, from the beginning of December all the way through to February. Plus it’s summer. So the Christmas holiday season is about going away on holidays, the beach, swimming, lots of entertaining, and of course, the big day itself. Secondly, it’s the season of giving. My teenage daughters and I love to plan the perfect gift for everyone we love. We also look to see what charities we can help. This year it’s Twenty10, an organisation in New South Wales, that provides support to LGBTIQ youth. Here’s the link if anyone is interested in helping out.   www.twenty10.org.au

Renae:  When coming up with a story, where do you find most of your inspiration comes from?

Nic:  I get inspiration from all over the place. I’ve been inspired by a photo, or a song. I’ve seen YouTube clips that have resulted in me noting down a story idea. I once got inspiration from seeing two guys in their hi-vis gear, buying their lunch at the supermarket. I even snuck a photo of the two of them but don’t tell anyone as it makes me sound like a stalker! My inspiration for The Proof is in the Pudding came from my own experience making a pudding, but was triggered by a submission call from a publisher. In my case, I was injured while making a pudding and my hubby (then boyfriend) spent all of Christmas night trying to distract me from my pain. He didn’t use the same techniques Corey used with Steve in Pudding, but my imagination provided the rest **wink**

Renae:  Do you prefer prompts to start a story, or do you like to wait for inspiration to hit on its own?

Nic:  I prefer my own inspiration because it’s so much easier to write if you really feel a story and have a passion for it. I look at my list of ideas and see which one calls to me.

Renae:  Just checking – HEA?

Nic:  Is that a serious question? **grin** Although, more accurately it’s probably HFN as Steve and Corey have just got together and are in the early stages of their relationship.
​
Renae:  What are you working on now?

Nic:  I’m so glad you asked! I’m super excited about my new series – Rustic – set in country Australia. I’m currently juggling editing and writing. The first book is Rustic Melody and it will be released in January and I’m writing the third book now.  Rustic Melody tells the story of Adam, a man from Sydney, who’s taken a year off to sort out what he wants to do with this life. He works for his father but doesn’t agree with his dad’s business practices so needs to make some big decisions. He’s escaped the corporate life and his been travelling, picking up work as a waiter and busking. He ends up in Tamworth at the Country Music Festival, where he meets Joey. Joey comes from Armidale, a large country town, where he and his mum run a struggling country pub. Joey helps Adam realise what he really wants out of life, and Adam provides the support Joey needs and deserves.​ Renae:  Wow.  So does that mean there is lots more Nic Starr coming in 2016?

Nic:  I certainly hope so! **crossed fingers, toes, and everything else that’s crossable** Rustic Melody comes out in January, followed by Rustic Memory in February, and then Rustic Moment in March. I’m also writing the 3rd story in my Heroes series, Patrick’s Savior, and the 3rd book in my More Than series, More Than Money, which is Jamie’s story. There are a couple of standalone novels in the works, and also a paranormal trilogy. So a busy year ahead!

Renae:  Where can people contact you?

Nic:  I’ve on most social media, although I have to admit I haven’t really figured out Tumblr **grin**
Website & Blog: http://www.nicstarr.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nic-Starr/e/B00...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicki.nicstar
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NicStarrAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicstar000
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nicstar000/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8139967.Nic_Starr
Email: nicstar000@gmail.com

Renae:  Yay.  Great.  Thank you for being such a great interviewee.  Good luck with the release.

Nic:  Thank you for being a wonderful hostess. **hiccup** Is there any more of that champagne before I go? **runs off with the bottle**

Renae:  Hang on, what’s this last question on my list?  I can’t remember this one.  **reads question**  “Nic’s stories are the best ever and she deserves a million dollars, so I promise to help her achieve this.”  I didn’t write this.  Hey.  Who wrote that one?  Nic?  Nic?  Where did she go?
​
**looks around**

I guess the proof is in the pudding. 

I feel sorry for Laura Harner

Tonight I’m feeling sorry for a woman.  She’s a woman who is on the other side of the world from me and is probably just getting out of bed.  She’s a little older than me, going by her pictures, but she has a nice smile and looks so friendly.
​
We have things in common – me and her.  448 mutual friends (and falling) Facebook tells me.  We also like our MM books and we are both authors.

We are different, however, because I have never, ever entertained the thought of taking someone else’s published work written three years ago, changing the names, chucking in a couple of “his”s instead of “her”s to change the book from MF to MM, and then pretending that it’s my work.

Laura Harner did this and I feel very, very sorry for her.

I’m feeling sorry for her because, somewhere, on the other side of the world, there is a woman who is having to explain to her husband and children what she did.  She is having to sit there and try to explain why there will be lawyers knocking on her door and phoning her and why she will need money for her own attorney.

I feel sorry for her, because she wrecked an entire career.  She was a successful author.  She is no longer.  She can no longer show her face or her name that she has built for the past five-plus years at any author conference, author signings, or anything where readers may be present.

I feel sorry for her, because people will be asking her, “Aren’t you an author?” and “Didn’t you used to be an author?” and she will have to explain to them why she no longer writes.  She will have to tell her parents and her siblings that she steals other people’s work.  She will have to tell her friends that she committed a criminal act to profit from it.

I feel sorry for her, because I imagine her grandchild coming across one of her books in a dusty old box one day and asking, “Grandma?  What’s this?”  She will have to explain that she used to write books, but not any more.  If the grandchild is curious, they will probably Google her and we all know that this stuff never goes away.  There will be a history for her grandchildren to see that she is a criminal forever more.

I feel sorry for her, because friends she once had will be turning their back on her.  And those who are not will be asking her the hard questions, “Why did you do this Laura?”  And she can have no excuse that is meaningful. Because there can be no excuses.

I feel sorry for her, because I’m assuming she still has bills (and lawyer’s fees) to pay, so she needs an income.  She will rock up to a job interview and the man behind the desk will ask her what job has she held for the past five years.  She will then have to explain to him—her potential employer—that she used to be an author, but now she needs a job because she committed a crime.  Do you think the man will give her a job after that?

I feel sorry for her, because she’s probably in tears right now.  She’s probably wondering why the world is against her.  Because she has no clue about the real world, morals and what people think.  Obviously in her mind it is okay to do this sort of thing.  And I feel sorry for her that she is twisted in a way that makes her feel like this.

I feel sorry for her, because they may come and take her house (those pesky lawyer’s fees).  And people will ask questions and she will have to explain.  The successful career, the plagiarism, the fall.

I feel sorry for her, because I know one day she’ll walk down the street and someone will say to her, “Hey, aren’t you that author that plagiarised all those books?”

I feel sorry for her, because she threw away career and brand name of “Laura Harner” and it can never be retrieved.

I feel sorry for her, but perhaps she will get everything she deserves.

There are choices you make in life.  Some are easy, some are hard. 

I made the choice never to become a bank robber, because (a) it’s dangerous, (b) that’s someone else’s money and doesn’t belong to me, and (c) I can never breathe in those balaclavas. 

I made the choice to attempt to build a career from writing, and knew that it was never a sure thing.  Every piece of writing I put out could be a fail.  Every piece of writing I put is not guaranteed to pay my electricity bill.  But every piece of writing I put out is mine.

I made the choice not to use Find-and-Replace on someone else’s story and call it my own work.

Somewhere on the other side of the world there is a woman I am sorry for.  She is waking up and wondering what her life could’ve been like if she hadn’t made the decision to be morally and criminally corrupt.  She’s thinking about the what-could’ve-beens and the I-should’ve-dones.

And I feel sorry for her as I shake my head in disbelief and anger.  

Guest Interview with Joe Cosentino

Renae:  Today on my blog we welcome a new author for me, and so a new author for my blog.  Please give a hearty and warm welcome to Mr Joe Cosentino.
**applause**

Joe:  Hi, Renae. I’m so excited to be a virgin author on your blog! Well, you know what I mean.

Renae:  **chokes**  Yeah, moving right along. **wink**  Now, Joe.  What can I offer you to drink?  Coffee?  Tea?  Water?  Juice?  Wine?  I don’t usually have wine in the house, but since this is my blog, I can magically produce anything you ask for.

Joe:  When visiting California and Hawaii (I live in New York), I became hooked on smoothies. So I’d like a carrot, beet, kale, Greek yogurt smoothie, please. Thanks!

Renae: Great.  Two secs.  I’ll be back…  **magic happens**

Joe:  I forgot the cinnamon. No bother. I have some right here.

Renae:  Excellent.  You're in charge of the cinnamon.  Here you go.  **hands over glass**  I made myself coffee since I don’t function well without the coffee.  I actually think it’s more psychological than physical, but I need to drink the stuff.

Joe:  I never acquired a taste for coffee. Herbal tea is my passion. People thought I was insane when I visited the UK. They do love their black tea. They also read my books, so more power to them. I’m not sure what the favourite drink is in Australia. Hopefully something to help your leaders catch up and pass same sex civil marriage equality soon! But back to my books.

Renae:  Good call.  If I start in on Australian politicians we’ll be here all night.  So let’s definitely discuss better topics – like you!  **wink**  Now, when we discussed which book you would like to promote on the blog, you hit me with an avalanche of releases and release dates.  I was astonished and instantly jealous.  So let me get this straight:  you’ve just released A Shooting Star in September, but you also have A Home for the Holidays in December and The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland in February.  PLUS you have another SIX set for release next year?  Is that right?

Joe:  Don’t be jealous. Be happy that, unlike me, you have slept over the last year. AN INFATUATION (In My Heart 1) was released by Dreamspinner Press in February. Whiskey Creek Press released PAPER DOLL the first Jana Lane mystery in March. DRAMA QUEEN the first Nicky and Noah mystery was released by Lethe Press in June. And A SHOOTING STAR (In My Heart 2) was released by Dreamspinner Press in September. My upcoming release this year is A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS from Dreamspinner Press in November/December. My 2016 upcoming releases (written and contracted) are THE NAKED PRINCE AND OTHER TALES FROM FAIRYLAND (Dreamspinner Press), PORCELAIN DOLL the second Jana Lane mystery, SATIN Doll the third Jana Lane mystery, CHINA DOLL the fourth Jana Lane mystery (all from The Wild Rose Press), DRAMA MUSCLE the second Nicky and Noah mystery, and DRAMA CRUISE the third Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press). I am currently writing COZZI COVE: BOUNCING BACK and COZZI COVE: MOVING FORWARD. I know! A reader wrote to me that I write books faster than she can read them!

Renae:  And – just checking – you’re just one person?

Joe:  Well, I’m a Gemini, so there may be two of me. But they both reside inside my head. I’ve always had lots of voices in my head. As a kid I played make believe constantly. “Let’s put on a show!” was my motto with full scale musicals in the garage starring my sister and me. Thankfully my parents and teachers indulged me (rather than committed me-hah).

Renae:  Right.  **not sure she believes Joe is one person**  Let’s have a look at the blurb for A Shooting Star and we’ll go from there.
​
On the eve of the best night of his life, winning an Academy Award, Jonathan Bello thinks back to his one great love, David Star. Flipping back the pages of time, Jonathan recalls his handsome, muscular, and charismatic college roommate. Since Jonathan was a freshman and David a senior in the Theatre Department, David took Jonathan under his wing and molded him, not only as an actor but as a lover. With every wonderful new adventure, David left his joyful mark on anyone with whom they came in contact, but Jonathan soon uncovered David’s dark past, leading to a shocking event. Undaunted, Jonathan celebrates the captivating man who will always hold a special place in his heart.
​
A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.  Renae:  I understand that you’re a college professor?  In what field?

Joe:  After reading the A SHOOTING STAR blurb and the DRAMA QUEEN blurb, you probably figured out that I teach Theatre. Actually, I used many experiences from my time as an undergraduate in the Theatre Department for A SHOOTING STAR. Like most college theatre departments, mine was full of comedy, romance, mystery, and of course drama. The flames of love were kindled and hearts were broken while we put up play after play for delighted audiences who never knew the personal secrets behind the stage curtains. There was the star student who got the leading role in every show. Everyone, male and female, was in love with him, and he was in love with himself. David Star is that student.

The Nicky and Noah mystery series takes place at Treemeadow College, a fictitious white stone Edwardian New England college. Though the novel is a farcical, gay, who-dun-it, I again was able to think back to my college days and incorporate some of the people and happenings from days gone by. I was also able to use some scenarios, though grossly exaggerated, from my current stint as a college theatre professor/department head. As they say, “You just can’t make some of this stuff up.” My students say the funniest things.

Renae:  And in your spare time you write gay romance, murder mysteries and humour?  Makes sense to me.  Who wouldn’t understand it?

Joe:  This sounds unbelievable tomy writer friends, but working all day at my college and writing at night when I am tired helps unblock my creativity. I don’t censor myself in any way. The stories flow out of me. I have a beautiful home cherry wood study with a fireplace, desk, bookcase, and window seat looking out at the woods. My mother asked me, “Don’t you have anything better to do than write at night?” I wonder if Shakespeare’s mother asked him that?

Renae:  Ha!  I’m sure she did.  Mothers don’t seem to change that much.  The two titles you have with Dreamspinner (An Infatuation and A Shooting Star) are both in the Bittersweet line which do not have a traditional happy ending.  Do you have something against happy endings? Huh? Huh?  **gives Joe a mock glare**

Joe:  Since coming from a funny Italian-American family, I knew humour would play a role in my novels—and it does! My Bittersweet Dreams novellas are not typical. They are full of humour, romance, and quite theatrical. While there is a tragic event in each, the leading character does have a HEA ending. After my Bittersweet Dreams novella, AN INFATUATION, was released by Dreamspinner Press, I received numerous messages from readers telling me how much that novella changed their lives, and they begged for a second novella in the In My Heart series. Since AN INFATUATION was loosely based on my high school days through adulthood, I thought back to my days as a theatre major in college and A SHOOTING STAR was born. Like Harold in AN INFATUATION, Jonathan in A SHOOTING STAR is loosely based on me, though I haven’t won an Academy Award—yet. He is ingenuous, funny, warm, gullible, and has an open heart. As is the case with Stuart in AN INFATAUTION, Barry, Jonathan’s loyal scene partner in A SHOOTING STAR, is loosely based on my spouse. Similar to Mario in AN INFATUATION, David in SHOOTING STAR is a combination of a number of young men I met as a theatre major in college and as a young actor. Each was handsome, muscular, charismatic, sensuous, and almost other-worldly like Greek gods. Though they appeared to hold the world in the palm of their strong hands, they each had a secret weakness. The acting professor, the hysterically hypochondriac Professor Katzer, is a lampooned version of an acting professor I had in college who has since passed away. I want to play him in the movie version (and Principal Ringwood in AN INFATUATION)!

Renae:  Okay, I admit that I like my HEAs, but I do realise that it doesn’t always happen like that in real life.  But sometimes it does.  Do you have some HEAs lined up?

Joe:  All of my other releases end in HEA. A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a sweet romance short story for the holidays about an American law student who goes to gorgeous Capri, Italy (as I did) for the winter holiday and falls in love with his incredibly handsome, muscular, and sensuous Italian third cousin. THE NAKED PRINCE AND OTHER TALES FROM FAIRYLAND are four captivating gay fairy tales—spins on Cinderella, Goldie Locks and Three Bears, Pinocchio, and The Snow Queen—each with a HEA.

Each book in my Nicky and Noah mystery series has a funny and very sweet happy ending. In DRAMA QUEEN theatre college professors are dropping like stage curtains. With the inept local detective more interested in getting into Nicky’s pants than solving the murders, it is up to well-endowed Directing professor, Nicky Abbondanza to use his theatre skills (including playing other people) to solve the case, while he directs a murder mystery onstage. Complicating matters is Nicky’s intense crush on Assistant Professor of Acting, gorgeous Noah Oliver, the prime suspect in the murder (whose tenure application was not supported by the first victim). In DRAMA MUSCLE (not released yet) Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In DRAMA CRUISE (not released yet), Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship. As the series progressing, Nicky and Noah fall deeper in love (and the readers have been falling in love with them).
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I also have a mystery series, the Jana Lane mysteries, with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters. Again each book ends with a touching HEA. As a child I loved child stars like Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, and Patty Duke, seeing their movies over and over. So I created a heroine who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In PAPER DOLL, Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. She also embarks on a romance with the devilishly handsome son of her old producer, Rocco Cavoto. In PORCELAIN DOLL (not yet released), Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. Her heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous co-star, Jason Apollo. In SATIN DOLL (not yet released), Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the ruggedly handsome detective. In CHINA DOLL (not yet released), Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. Through the course of the books, Jana not only solves the mysteries, but also reclaims the courage and fortitude she had as a child. As one reviewer wrote, she starts out as a wounded bird, and ends as tiger. Since the novels take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels. Renae:  A Shooting Star is based around the theatre – what experience do you have in that field?

Joe:  After majoring in theatre in college, I became an actor in film, television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce Willis (A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM on stage), Nathan Lane (THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT on stage), Rosie O’Donnell (AT&T Industrials), Holland Taylor (MY MOTHER WAS NEVER A KID ABC-TV movie), Charles Keating (ANOTHER WORLD NBC-TV), and Jason Robards (Commercial Credit Computer commercial). Morphing into writing plays and now novels seem like the perfect progression. I write very much like I act. I think about the characters, their emotions, their backgrounds, what they want, who they love, what they fear, etc. and they come alive for me. I also love giving back to my students as a theatre college professor. It has brought everything full circle.

Renae: I’ve noticed a trend in the red carpet set lately, where admitting you are somewhere on the queer spectrum seems to be the latest way to generate hype.  Of course it’s wonderful for teens and those questioning, to have a role model who’s in the public eye, but how do you feel about it?  Is “gay” the latest buzz word in Hollywood? 

Joe:  When I was a kid, gay people were completely invisible in movies and on television. It was terrifying and depressing. It’s terrific that nowadays gay kids have books (unless their library bans them) and television shows featuring people like them. We still have a long way to go with film. Indie films include gay characters, but many people don’t live near an art house and don’t get to see those films. I often think about what it does to gay teens to go to the mall with their friends and see poster after poster of big studio films without any gay characters in them. So as not to simply complain, I am offering a solution to the big Hollywood studios. Everyone tells me my books should be made into films. Here’s your chance Hollywood. Since you like series, I’ll play Simon Huckby (Jana’s agent) in the Jana Lane series, and Martin Anderson (the department head) in the Nicky and Noah series!

Renae:  So obviously “professoring” is your main job – is the writing a hobby?  How do you classify it?  How do you see your future of writing?

Joe:  I certainly make more money as a college professor than as a writer, but I don’t classify one over the other. I love doing both of them, and I hope I can continue for some time.

Renae:  And you also have other books out that are not in the gay romance genre?  Paper Doll you classify as a M/F romance & mystery while Drama Queen you classify as a comedy/mystery/romance.  Is there a particular stream you are more attracted to writing about?  A stream you wish to concentrate on more?

Joe:  I think a good book will attract readers, regardless of the genre or anticipated audience. Thankfully I’ve received generally good reviews for my books from people of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations. (I don’t read the few bad reviews. I mean really, don’t you have something better to do with your time than read and write about a book you didn’t like.) One reviewer wrote that DRAMA QUEEN was like a funny gay Hardy Boys, Murder She Wrote, or Hart to Hart. I love that! Life is funny. Murders, clues, suspects, suspense, plot twists and turns, and a shocking ending make us feel warm and cozy. Since I was a kid I’ve read cozy mystery novels, and I always felt calm, relaxed, and fulfilled afterward. The novels gave me a good brain-teaser, sharpened my puzzle skills, and tickled me inside. You don’t see many cozy gay mysteries out there. I always wondered why. What could be better than a whodunit set in a cozy location, where the reader plays armchair detective along with the novel’s amateur detective, and where many of the characters are gay? So I created the Nicky and Noah mysteries. Both gay and straight people have embraced it, and the novel hit #18 in its category on Amazon Kindle’s bestseller list. It’s available as an ebook, paperback, and audiobook performed by the very talented Michael Gilboe. As for the Jana Lane mystery series, what could be better than a good mystery with lots of suspects and a shocking ending that revolves around moviemaking?
 
Renae:  I keep thinking about A Shooting Star.  First love, first serious relationship, etc.  I think back on to the first serious crush I had.  I think I place a lot unnecessary ideals and emphasis on this relationship because we never had the chance to explore it to its fullest (long story, but let’s just say parental influence kept it from being anything more).  I get the feeling that this is what A Shooting Star is like.  The fond memories.  The rose-coloured glasses.  The bittersweetness about never being able to complete the journey of the relationship?

Joe:  Yes! I hope you read it, Renae. Jonathan is a freshman who is new to the college and the theatre department. David is a senior and the star of the college play productions. When David takes an interest in Jonathan, it’s not surprising that Jonathan falls in love with him. What readers and reviewers also seem to love about the novella is how Jonathan and David leave their Colorado college community members in an exalted state. They really care about other people, and use the theatre to change lives for the better on stage and off.

Renae:  How do you think these early relationships we have in our lives shape us? 

Joe:  I believe we are the result of everything we have experienced. As you noted, first love can be volatile and deceiving, but it touches the heart like none other.

Renae:  A college freshman?  Do you think that anyone is ready for the HEA at this age?

Joe:  I envy people who find their soulmates early in life. I found mine at twenty-one. But for most people it simply isn’t the case, especially at eighteen. Readers have told me A SHOOTING STAR rings true for them. I think that’s because the story comes from the heart.

Renae:  What are you working on now?

Joe:  A new series about a gay New Jersey beach resort I call COZZI COVE. I am starting the second novel.
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Renae:  Where can people contact you?

Joe:  I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoa...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino
Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino
 
Renae:  Thank you for joining me today.  I’ve actually had a lot of fun exploring this subject.  Congratulations on your release and I hope it continues to do well.
 
Joe:  Thank you so much. Renae. Until next time, happy reading and writing!