Author William Neale interview & give-away

I'm very pleased to have William Neale onmy blog today. I met William at GayRomLit and he instantly made me feel at easewith his soft, calm voice and warm, sparkling eyes. William had a holidaystory, "Christmasing With You," released at MLR Press on November 20 and it's astory you have to read with a box of tissues nearby.
Welcome, William. I have to tell you thatmeeting and speaking with you was a definite high point for me in New Orleans.Thank you for making me feel so included. J
1.     Howdid you get started writing m/m romance? Did you always want to be a writer?
First, thank you for having me here today. It's an honor. And meetingyou and that beautiful smile of yours at GayRomLit was an equal pleasure.
To your question, I've been a writer pretty much all my life—just notas a romance author. I spent almost thirty years in corporate life as amarketing and communications executive and always had the dream of one day findingtime to write the stories that kept knocking on the door of my imagination.Finally, I reached a point in my career that allowed me to pursue some dreams,writing being at the top of the list.
2.     Whatwere your early influences either in this genre or any other?
Depends on what you call early. I had a library cardbefore I entered elementary school and growing up, always loved stories withstrong plots and characters who weren't afraid to express emotion. When Idecided to try my hand at writing romance, I first did quite a bit of research.Before I wrote a single word, I probably read over one hundred m/m romance booksby many of the top authors in the genre. I made notes along the way about theelements that made each strong, so I guess you could say that I had manyinfluences. I even made correlations between the best stories and theirpublishers and found a lot of consistency: only a handful of publishers wereputting out what I considered the strongest books. That's why I eventually sentmy first novel to MLR Press and—thank them and the literary gods—they acceptedit.
3.     Whatis the hardest part about writing for you?
Finding time. I still have a day job as aconsultant/advisor in the marketing field. Then there's my partner who likes tosee me occasionally. And two dogs who consider me Mr. Mom. And a big oldhistoric house that always needs something fixed. So I'm usually found at mywriting desk very early in the mornings and late at night. Sleep? It'sover-rated.

4.     Doesany one of your books hold a special place in your heart more so than theothers?

I think you and other authors might agree that yourfirst published book is pretty much akin to your first love. My first, a bookcalled "HOME," will always be my favorite. And even though I now wince at someof its first-time-author flaws, it still continues to sell very well.
5.     Tellus a little about your Christmas book. It's a very emotional story; did yousniffle a little when you wrote it?
I had more than a few sniffles. First, a littlebackground. Back in the 1970's The Carpenters came out with a song called"Merry Christmas, Darling." It is now a holiday standard. But from the get-go itbrought tears to my eyes. I never knew the real story behind this song so Iused it as inspiration to make up my own. Briefly, it's about a man who losthis long-time partner to a brutal crime and is now facing his first Christmasalone. Don't worry – you'll be smiling (and maybe crying) for him by thestory's end. I think I enjoyed writing this more than anything else I'vepublished, tissues notwithstanding. It just appeals to that sappy sentimentalside of me that finds no shame in crying and smiling at the same time.
6.     Doyou have any writing quirks? (ie computer has to be facing a certain way, cupof coffee on the left, certain music playing, etc)
Well, I prefer writing when my dogs are not howling andmy partner is not shouting from one floor below, "Hon, can you come here for aminute?" But beyond that I am pretty flexible and easy-going. (Don't ask aboutmy many other flaws!) I even do some of my best writing on airplanes duringbusiness travel and have had more than a few amused moments when I realize theperson sitting next to me is reading every word I write.
7.     Doyou have any writing or reading squicks? Things you don't like to read andcan't see yourself ever writing?
I like to think I'm a pretty non-judgmental andopen-minded guy but I tend to stay away from reading or writing stuff Iwouldn't do or fantasize about in my personal life.  Or, that which pushes legal boundaries or extremesocial taboos. That's not to say that I'll never write—for example—a storyinvolving leather, whips, and chains. But I'd probably first need to visit thelocal leather bars to interview some of the patrons.  (Purely for research purposes, of course.) Butboy, that would require some major "splaining" to my partner.
8.     Beingone of only a handful of men in a sea of female m/m writers, do you think yourthoughts and experiences make your books more realistic to the genre or isfiction just fiction? Also, do you put a lot of yourself into your books?
I occasionally receive e-mails from gay men readers whotell me they want and appreciate a male perspective. But I honestly thinkthat's pretty much a hunk of baloney. Give me two good m/m books written by onemale and one female and I'll likely not be able to tell you which one waswritten by the woman. Occasionally, I'll come across a sex scene where it'sclear the writer has never had that particular experience. But, I've seen thatin books authored by either gender. I'll conclude with just saying that most ofmy favorite m/m romance books were written by women.And do I put a lot of myself in my books? Of course.But as I have patiently tried to make my friends understand, none of mycharacters are me. They simply reflect the places, people, and experiences I'veknown over the course of a lifetime. It's cliché to say "write what you know,"but as most writers will agree, it's nonetheless true.
9.     What'snext on your plate? What are you working on?
MLR Press will release my next book, "Always Faithful,"later this month.  While it's a sequel to"A New Normal," the story stands alone without need to read the first book.(But there's no penalty for buying both!) Here's a brief blurb:
When Cade and Marksaid their vows it was for always and forever. But that was before Mark enteredthe Marine Corps and before Cade enrolled in college. Four years later, withMark's impending discharge and Cade's graduation, they're seemingly ready tofinally have a long-awaited life together. Their hot and passionate attractionto each other remains as strong as ever. But their long separation has changedboth men. And even the strongest of marriages can be threatened by temptation,suspicion, and broken promises. Can their love survive? Or, will they discoverthat "always" does not always mean faithful?
One of my other big projects is serving as one of theorganizers of the GayRomLit Retreat. It's the only major event planned entirely for bringing together authorsand readers of m/m romance fiction.  Weare working hard on the program and agenda for next year's Retreat inAlbuquerque at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, October 18-21. Registrationopens in either late January or early February at GayRomLit.com. But, you canget a sneak peak by visiting the site now. We're expecting around 300-400authors and readers this year so I'd suggest registering early to make sureyou'll get in before registration is closed.
10. Finally –a few quick choices:
a.     Coffeeor tea - Coffeeb.     Dogor cat - Dogc.      Beachor mountains - Beachd.     Pecsor abs - Pecse.     Smileor eyes - Eyesf.      Cowboysor rockstars - Cowboysg.     Whowould win in a fight – vampires or werewolves? And why. – Both. Since vampires tend to beloners or couples and werewolves tend to be pack animals, usually a singlevampire will lose to the wolves. But if Vlad calls up some blood-sucking friends,then it'll be an epic battle probably won by the immortals.  My favorite vampires and shapeshifters,however, are lovers, not fighters.

William has generously offered up a copy of his holidaystory, "Christmasing With You," to one lucky commenter. BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT. J
If you don't win,you can pick it up at MLR Press Christmasing with you
Be sure to check out William's website for information onhow to buy his other books, too. William Neale