An interview with RJ Scott

Let's give a warm welcome to M/M author RJ Scott...

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) Links to website and list of books with purchase links:

WEBSITE

Silver Publishing 

2) How long have you been writing? What got you in to writing?

I have been writing since I was five! I haven’t stopped since. Fan fiction got me into publishing my writing.

3) What was your first published book? Looking back, is there anything you’d change about it?

Oracle was my first published Novel, with Silver. A paranormal with Greek myths entwined into it.

4) What or Who has influenced your writing?

My dad has a lot of influence on my writing. He was the one who introduced me to books like Narnia and LoTR and took me on our weekly library trips. He also encouraged my story writing, as does my mum now.

5) Where do you get your ideas?

Songs, news items, pictures of half naked men…

6) What hinders your writing? (distractions? noise?)

Interruptions when I am in the flow are the worst. I can handle most everything else with the judicious use of headphones.

7) What genre are you most comfortable with? What would you like to explore?

Romance is my absolute GoTo… I would like to explore more romance, and I have so many stories in my head I don't think I need to move outside the romance zone for a while.

8) Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer, or do you have to use an outline to put your collective thoughts into some semblance of common sense?

Definitely by the seat of my pant. Outlines make me lazy as it is almost like I have finished in my head before I have even started.

9) Which of your books is your favorite? Why?

Oracle. My first book and the one closest to my heart.

10) Do you incorporate some of yourself into your characters? Personality traits? Likes? Dislikes?

Probably unconsciously. I am not sure you can write anything without putting in some of your own personality. I love happy endings in RL so I guess that is how I write them in my books.

11) What do you think is the perfect hero/heroine? Why?

Strength of personality and inner resolve. All my characters have flaws and it isn’t the reversal of those flaws but understanding how they can be accepted.

12) What is your latest release? Please share the blurb and purchase info with us.

*One Night* and *The Soldiers Tale* are my latest releases. Both are available in all sorts of formats, including Kindle, from Silver Publishing.

One Night

Liam Wade is facing the biggest change in his life since marrying his best friend, Janelle, and adopting her daughter. Janelle has long since passed on, losing the battle to live a few days after her daughter is born, leaving Liam a father, in need of finding a mother for his daughter Emma. He's rich, successful, and Leigh is the perfect, approved, wife for him. Before he settles down to give his daughter the best family he can, he wants one week away to think. Just to make sure that he can leave half of himself hidden and marry without love, because Liam has one big problem in all of this -- he's gay.

Micah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY, and has yet to find the partner he knows is out there for him. He believes in love and wants forever, and one day he knows he will find his 'forever' man. He attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach.

Liam is looking for a last fling with 'no holds barred' easy sex, booking into a random hotel well away from his overbearing family. Micah wants to show Liam affection and understanding and make him see that that love between two men can be forever.

One night and everything can change, for both of them.

The Soldier's Tale

Corporal Daniel Francis has returned to his childhood home in England to heal; the only one of his unit that survived a roadside bomb. His reasons for skipping medication are based on a stubborn refusal to become an addict, and he is overwhelmed with survivor's guilt.

Doctor Sean Lester has joined his father's surgery and when he is held at knife point by a patient high on drugs it is Daniel that leaps to his rescue-much to his horror.

When Sean nearly runs Daniel down in the dark he finds a man who needs help, and resolves to be the person to show Daniel that it is possible to live through guilt and find happiness.

Set against the backdrop of the Fitzwarren family curse, The Soldiers Tale is a story of one man's fight to find his place in a new world outside of the Army.

Books in this series...

Book 1- The Psychic's Tale by Chris Quinton

Book 2- The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott

Book 3- The Lord's Tale by Sue Brown

13) What do you have in the works?

I just received art for the next book which is written with the awesome Diane Adams. It is called *Shattered Secrets* and is book 1 in the trilogy *In The Shadow Of The Wolf*.

Jamie is human, and he's also a wolf. Detective Rob Tarrant leads a task force specializing in wolf/human cases. When a case involving the kidnapping of young werewolves lands on Rob's desk, the ugly specter of the werewolf sex trade is brought front and center. With Jamie seemingly at the heart of it all, can Rob keep his young lover alive?

14) Do you have any suggestions/comments for prospective authors?

Never stop writing!!! You may want to stop… don't! If you have submitted to a publisher don't then stop writing for eight weeks – work on that next story…

JUST FOR FUN:

1) What is the sexiest or most erotic thing someone has said to you?

*Look at me when…* (I am so not finishing that sentence)

2) If you could be an animal, what would it be? Why?

A bird of some sort. Maybe an eagle so I could fly.

3) If you had super powers, what would they be? Why?

Reading minds. Think of the fun you could have with that!

4) If you could change three things in the world, what would they be? Why?

The way people are prejudiced against what they don't understand. Race, gender, orientation, disability… I hate the prejudice and I see it so often with my autistic son.

5) What would be a perfect date for you?

Cinema, good food (not from the cinema!), wine.

6) Is there anywhere you’d like to visit? Why?

Canada. Most of America. Just to broaden my horizons.

7) Do you have any obsessions? What are they?

ROFL… Supernatural. Naked men… the usual…

8) Do you have a crush on any actor/actress? Who?

OMG Yes… Jared Padalecki and second Jensen Ackles – both leads in Supernatural…

***
Be sure to check out RJ Scott's excerpt from The Soldier's Tale.

The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott

AUTHOR: RJ Scott

TITLE: The Soldier's Tale

GENRE: M/M

PUBLISHER: Silver Publishing

PURCHASE: Here 

BLURB: 

Corporal Daniel Francis has returned to his childhood home in England to heal; the only one of his unit that survived a roadside bomb. His reasons for skipping medication are based on a stubborn refusal to become an addict, and he is overwhelmed with survivor's guilt.

Doctor Sean Lester has joined his father's surgery and when he is held at knife point by a patient high on drugs it is Daniel that leaps to his rescue-much to his horror.

When Sean nearly runs Daniel down in the dark he finds a man who needs help, and resolves to be the person to show Daniel that it is possible to live through guilt and find happiness.

Set against the backdrop of the Fitzwarren family curse, The Soldiers Tale is a story of one man's fight to find his place in a new world outside of the Army.

Books in this series...

Book 1- The Psychic's Tale by Chris Quinton

Book 2- The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott

Book 3- The Lord's Tale by Sue Brown

EXCERPT: PG

"Uhnnnn, damn it, sod it, bloody hell--ghuuu." Daniel Francis couldn't keep the grunts of pain and expletives from spilling out of his mouth. Letting loose the torrent of noise was the only thing that grounded him. He had only meant to rest for a few minutes, but, God, how much worse could this pain get? He was trapped now, sitting in the dark, surrounded by the scent of pine toilet cleaner, like some kind of bloody cripple. Scared. Stupid. A waste of space.

What had happened to the man he'd once been? Why the hell was he stuck in the men's toilet at his local surgery, literally scared to death to walk out into the waiting room? He had been doing so well today pushing the pain away. He had taken the pain meds like he was supposed to. They took the edge off the throbbing long enough to fake how well he was doing, and he had yet again survived his monthly visit to see a doctor. In this case, it was the second time since coming home that he had seen Lester, Sr. The doctor had been his usual efficient self, dismissing Daniel with a cursory glance at his records on the screen in front of him.

"Here are the scripts for your pain meds and muscle relaxants. I've lowered the level of Sertraline although I'm not comfortable with your request to do so. Keep to the prescription, use the ice packs. Come back and see me in three weeks so we can re-evaluate, and I can re-issue your medication."

The doctor had continued with the usual inane questions that experts always threw at him, and Daniel made a show of listening while he focused in on grey hair, bushy eyebrows, and pale grey eyes. He was half listening, already deciding he'd had enough of the blurred edge to his world on these damn tablets. He would fill the prescription, but that didn't mean he had to take the capsules. The doctor certainly didn't need to know. Daniel was his own man, and he could make his own decisions. He wasn't a kid who had to do what he was told all the bloody time. Hell, he'd had enough of that in the Army.

As a non-commissioned officer in the Royal Engineers, Corporal Daniel Francis was an explosive ordinance disposal expert--part of a small unit of highly-trained specialists. Men and women who provided munitions neutralization and disposal for both military operations and training exercises around the world, he was trained, experienced, good at his job.

Daniel missed his friends and his fellow soldiers, and he felt the familiar twinge of loneliness that always came with the memories of the soldiers he had commanded. They had been a tight team of six men and one woman, their work enabling the Army to handle battlefield conditions with fewer distractions. They were experts in their field, providing mine clearances and defusing roadside bombs in war zones, and they had been employed in post-conflict situations as well. Daniel's expertise, and that of his team, provided the skills needed to sweep fields and roads and to clear homes and other buildings in towns, making what remained of any civilian population safe.

Corporal Francis had become the go-to man, the person the recruits turned to when they were unsure, the one whom the rest of the unit relied on as a sounding board as they puzzled out difficult situations. He was capable of focusing completely on the mine or bomb or incendiary in front of him, using his skills as the key to surviving a disarmament. He kept the balance between absolute certainty in both his skills and those of his unit and knowing precisely when the time had come to pull back and relieve the horrendous pressure on his men. Daniel had been able to call on his ability to sink into utter stillness at any given time.

Corporal Francis was decorated with awards and citations, resulting from situations that he and his team had survived. Others who praised and paid and wrote articles in newspapers back home called it incredible bravery. He and his team, however, simply called it a job.

That was then, but he had to live in the now.

Daniel Francis, invalided from service, no longer a corporal by name or possessing the ability to be a corporal by physical action, sat cowering in a sodding bathroom unable to even attempt a short walk home. He was damaged goods. Twisted and scarred and unable to even bloody breathe properly at this moment.

"How are you feeling today?" the doctor had asked with a raised eyebrow. Daniel had hesitated before answering. Post traumatic stress disorder was probably not something Dr Lester had much experience in, and the questions he asked were from some kind of script clearly approved by some specialist somewhere.

And Christ, that had been a leading question. The headache that had been nagging at Daniel all day went full blown and intense as he'd tried to formulate a suitable answer.

"I'm good," he'd finally said, as firmly as he could. There was no way he was giving the doc any openings for further questions.

"Your knee--"

"Is fine. Improving every day."

He'd lied. He'd said those five words as convincingly as a pro. Which he was. Daniel had managed to convince the much savvier medics at the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital in Birmingham. The medics and shrinks there had been more difficult to convince: they were far too familiar with PTSD, not to mention severe injuries. However, Daniel had stuck to his claims, and though still reluctant, both his body and brain docs had discharged him back to his family home in Wiltshire to "heal."

The goddamned fucking lies were acid inside him. He had seen friends crippled or ripped from him by fire and metal, faces gone or reflecting the terror that had occurred with their deaths. His head was as screwed as it could be and still leave a chance for him to pass as something like normal.

As for his knee? What if he told the doc the truth? That oftentimes the pain was so personal, so intense, that he couldn't breathe or stop the tears from scorching his skin as they marked runnels of disappointment down his face. What if he had to admit his failure to deal with physical discomfort when Tommy Llewellyn had lost both legs? What the hell good would that do? He was alive, alive when so many of his unit had not survived, alive enough to walk and to feel the pain when they could no longer do either. He'd be goddamned if he was going to travel the rest of his days on earth in a drugged up anti-pain stupor.

Daniel could have become addicted to the Sertraline and pain pills, unable to go an hour without them, much less a day. He didn't need the softened edges that made his memories blur. He demanded for himself the ice-cold, cut-glass edges of memory. He wanted to remember. For the Ones under his command who never made it home.

He forced himself to walk naturally from the doc's office, refusing to show that his knee was close to giving out, the metal pins holding the bones together as rough as barbed wire grating under his skin.

"Three weeks," the doc had reminded him as he left, and he had managed to respond to the affirmative even as he realised he needed to sit before his knee gave way. He judged the distance to the door in the convoluted nest of corridors and cubicles that constituted the surgery. The toilet was nearer. In any event, Daniel wasn't ready to face the receptionist with her beady eyes and her concern over how he was feeling.

He locked the door behind him, shoved the toilet lid down and slumped until he sat on it. A small part of his mind registered the fact that he'd sat. He pressed blindly with both thumbs into the knot of incredible pain in his knee joint. The blast that had ripped through his team had inflicted contusion, blunt force trauma, burns, and penetrating wounds on those who had survived.

Daniel had been fortunate: many of his injuries had been superficial, except those to his face and knee. Triage had sent him behind the lines to a field hospital, where he'd been threatened with an amputation above the knee. Infection had hit the bone. Even if they were able to cure the infection, there was no guarantee that the knee would be anything close to normal, but it didn't matter. What the surgeon said didn't matter a damn. Nothing would have made Daniel sign that form. He might die? Then he'd die. But he'd do it with two legs. Thank fuck he'd been lucky enough to prove the doctors wrong.

Daniel's face healed. He'd been given as much plastic surgery as was possible, but some scars remained, curling and twisting under his hairline and down his neck. He was a disgusting thing to look out now, damaged, past his sell-by date.

***
To find out more about RJ Scott's writing, please visit:
BLOG

***Be sure to check out RJ Scott's author interview***

Visions by Anna James

*Be sure to comment. One lucky person will win a PDF copy of Visions! Contest runs for 1 week*

AUTHOR:  Anna James

TITLE: Visions

GENRE: Contemporary Romance “R” heat rating

PUBLISHER: Sugar and Spice Press

PURCHASE: Here

FORMAT: ebook  - pdf

BLURB:

Prudence Bailey has just learned that Laura Bailey, the woman she has always believed to be her mother, is in fact a distant cousin. Laura adopted Prudence when she was four years old after her father, Joshua Adams, brutally murdered her mother, Jane, then killed himself.

She has no memory of the past and, after Laura’s death, decides to return home to Salem Massachusetts to learn more. Twenty years have now passed since the murder/suicide took place.

Almost immediately she meets Detective Matt Cavanaugh, her neighbor. Matt is gorgeous and sexy and Pru is instantly attracted to him. Matt is also linked to her past. His father, now a retired police officer, was first on the scene the night of her parents’ deaths.

From the moment she returns, Pru experiences visions that lead her to believe that the circumstances surrounding her parents’ deaths are not as they seem. The facts don’t add up. And when a recent murder that Matt is investigating is linked to the past, they discover that Pru is right and the killer is still on the loose.

Will they discover the killer’s identity in time or will history repeat itself?

EXCERPT: G-Rated

Sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Her eyes were huge with fear and tremors racked her body. “No! Please don’t.” Prudence Bailey could hear the terror in the woman’s voice as she begged for her life. Someone came toward the woman; he was holding a knife. Or was it a she? Pru couldn’t tell from this angle. She saw the woman’s arms shoot up to try and ward off her attacker. It was a futile attempt. He overpowered her easily. Then it happened. The knife plunged deep into her chest. The screams were terrifying. She saw the woman crumple but it wasn’t over. The knife plunged into the woman again and again. Finally, the screaming stopped.

Pru shot straight up in bed. She too was drenched with sweat and her body shook with fear. This was the third night this week that she’d had the nightmare. It was the same each time. She pulled the blankets aside and got out of bed. Why is this happening to me? she wondered as she went down the stairs to double check that the windows and doors were locked. She didn’t know but she was sure as hell going to find out.

***
Be sure to check out more of Anna James writing at:
Blog
Facebook

An interview with Chris Quinton

Please join me in welcoming Chris Quinton...

Gay Fiction Across Genres

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) Links to website and list of books with purchase links.

WEBSITE 

The Psychic's Tale - Part 1of the Fitzwarren Inheritance

Starfall

Fool's Errand - Part 1 ofthe Fool's Odyssey Trilogy

Fool's Oath - Part 2 of theFool's Odyssey Trilogy

Sea Change

Aloes

Dark Waters

Breaking Point

Clue Game - sequel toBreaking Point

2) How long have you been writing? What got you in to writing?

I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember, sometimes in my head, usually scribbled in school notebooks, foolscap-sized no-longer-used ledgers Dad used to bring home. But the thing that really got me kickstarted was the ex-office typewriter Dad bought for me when I was about ten. Once I'd picked up enough speed with the three/four-finger technique [which I still use today *g*] I never looked back.

3) What was your first published book? Looking back, is there anything you’d change about it?

My first solo book was Dark Waters [Ellora's Cave], and the only thing I'd change would be the cover. Before that I'd co-written several books - all mainstream - with Terri Beckett, under the name of Chris Power.

4) What or Who has influenced your writing?

The What is difficult. Apart from my curiosity, imagination and the universal springboard of "What if...." there isn't really any one thing.

The Who is easy. C.J. Cherryh. I wish I had one tenth of her creativity, her world and character building abilities.

5) Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere. It could be an overheard random phrase, a photo, a dream, a voice in my head, a place I visit, something in the news, a question I'm asked or overheard - literally anything, anywhere.

6) What hinders your writing? (distractions? noise?)

Household chores I know I have to do. The TV/radio. Music - but non-vocal is okay. Oddly enough I can usually write on journeys; crowded coaches or trains don't bother me, unless I have someone beside me trying to read what I'm writing. Deadlines!!

7) What genre are you most comfortable with? What would you like to explore?

Gay fiction, in contemporary, SF or fantasy settings, maybe with a twist of paranormal. I'd like to explore certain historical settings one day.

8) Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer, or do you have to use an outline to put your collective thoughts into some semblance of common sense?

A bit of both. Sometimes a scene will just leap out at me, and once I've written it, I have to fill in all the missing stuff *g*. Usually I have a loose premise to work within, with important scenes mapped out in rough notes. Other than that, it's seat-of-my-pants.

9) Which of your books is your favorite? Why?

Damn, that's like asking a mother which is her favorite child... Someone asked me that a while ago, and I said Starfall - but I'm pretty sure that was because I'd not long finished it. Looking back with distance between us, I'd have to say I don't have a top favorite. Each story has things in it I'm pleased with and proud of.

10) Do you incorporate some of yourself into your characters? Personality traits? Likes? Dislikes?

Not personality *g*. I try to make each character an individual in his or her own right. But I do sometimes give them one or two of my likes/dislikes.

11) What do you think is the perfect hero/heroine? Why?

Oh, strewth - um - no one individual comes to mind. If you mean what do I think makes a perfect hero/heroine, I'd say [in no particular order] he/she has to have resilience, courage, a sense of humour, inner strength, compassion, the ability to make mistakes and pick up the pieces. A handsome/lovely face and body aren't really necessary, but I have yet to write an ugly charmer *g*. Maybe it's time I did. It'd be interesting to see if a publisher would accept a story with a plain as a pikestaff hero.

12) What is your latest release? Please share the blurb and purchase info with us.

The Psychic's Tale - Part 1of the Fitzwarren Inheritance

RJ Scott has written Part Two - The Soldier's Tale

Sue Brown has written the conclusion - The Lord's Tale

13) What do you have in the works?

Game On, Game Over, a contemporary romance in two halves, set in Tajikistan and then in the UK's Avebury. It's currently awaiting a publisher's yea or nay.

Home and Heart, a Christmas themed story - sort of - about three-quarters finished.

And more Works in Progress than I know what to do with.

14) Do you have any suggestions/comments for prospective authors?

Never stop writing. It's a constant learning curve. Don't take constructive criticism as a personal attack - it comes from people who care enough about your writing to want to help you improve it. And when you're accepted by a publisher, trust your editors. But above all - Never Stop Writing.

JUST FOR FUN:

1) What is the sexiest or most erotic thing someone has said to you?

Can't remember - how sad is that?

2) If you could be an animal, what would it be? Why?

A cat. They are beautiful, independent, loving, and have their own brand of loyalty.

3) If you had super powers, what would they be? Why?

Hmm... Nothing very daring, I'm afraid - either flight or to breathe under water as well as on land.

4) If you could be an immortal, what would you want to be? Why?

I wouldn't want it. Not unless all my loved ones and friends were immortal as well. Then we would have all of time and space to explore *g*.

5) If you could change three things in the world, what would they be? Why?

 Repair the damage humankind has done to this planet, which would hopefully bring down global warming.

Close the obscene gap between rich and poor in too many countries.

Stop people hating and killing other people just because they're different, be it religious, tribal, ethnic or sexual differences.

6) What would be a perfect date for you?

It would be a toss-up between visiting a castle or mansion with lots of history and beautiful gardens, or walking through woodland with streams, pools and white-water rivers as well as many varieties of trees and bushes.

7) Is there anywhere you’d like to visit? Why?

The list is far to long! How about everywhere? *g* Scotland, Ireland, Wales - every county in the UK, Greece, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, all 50 US states and so on.

8) Do you have any obsessions? What are they?

I have to have a notebook and pen with me when I go out, or else I get twitchy. I might not use it, but it *has* to be there. Just in case.

9) Do you have a crush on any actor/actress? Who?

No crushes *g*.

***

Be sure to check out Ms. Quinton's excerpt from The Psychic's Tale

The Psychic's Tale by Chris Quinton

AUTHOR: Chris Quinton

TITLE: The Psychic's Tale, Part 1 of The Fitzwarren Inheritance Trilogy

GENRE: Gay contemporary paranormal romance

PUBLISHER: Silver Publishing

PURCHASE: Here

FORMAT: Multi

BLURB:

“I curse you and your children’s children, that you shall all live out your allotted years, and that those years shall be filled with grief and loss and betrayal, even as you have betrayed and bereaved me.”

Four hundred years ago in rural England, a mob burned two men to death, but not before one of the victims, Jonathan Curtess, hurled a dreadful curse at the mob’s leader, Sir Belvedere Fitzwarren. The curse has followed the family through the centuries, bringing grief and loss to each generation.

Mark Renfrew is a closeted psychic and openly gay. When his grandmother discovers a family link to a 17th century feud and a still-potent curse, she insists he investigates and do his best to end it. He travels to the village of Steeple Westford, and meets and falls for Jack Faulkner, an archaeologist. He also meets the Fitzwarrens, who are facing yet another tragedy.

Then Mark learns that the man who cursed them had twisted the knife by leaving three cryptic conditions that would lift the curse, and he knows he has to try to break the curse his ancestor had set.

EXCERPT: PG

Mark chose to try for lunch at the Red Lion, it being the oldest by several centuries, and more likely to have ghostly happenings that might be useful fodder for Waldron’s TV show. The structure was from the fifteenth century, while the other had a Georgian facade. Inside, the main saloon lived up to its promise of age. Black timbers stretched across the ceilings, patterned the pale yellow walls and framed the crooked windows. The only level line in the place was formed by the bar itself, a Victorian affair in rich mahogany. Even the massive stone mantel over the huge hearth had a slight angle. Though still summer-warm outside, a faint smell of wood smoke drifted over the scents of beer and furniture polish, and he could easily imagine logs burning in the wide grate during autumn and winter.

Mark leaned on the bar and inspected the menu, finally opting for chicken and chips, then retreated with his beer to a table by the window. At the next table along sat a man of about his own age, poring over large photographs spread across his table. His long black hair hung forward, partially screening his profile, and he hummed quietly to himself as he scribbled in a dog-eared shorthand notebook. Incurably curious, Mark craned his neck to see what the photos were, but could make nothing of them. They looked like something downloaded from Google Earth.

Then the man glanced around, and Mark found himself caught by silver eyes with a dark ring around the edge of their irises, eyes that crinkled at the corners and were set in a lean, deeply tanned face with a mischievous smile. That smile and the light in the man’s gaze sank deep into Mark’s consciousness and resonated through his blood. That the stranger had wide shoulders and powerful arms, both displayed well by his blue tee-shirt, was an added bonus. Not even the white logo Archaeologists do it in trenches dampened Mark’s interest. If they were in the bar of the Chartreuse Room, one of the gathering places for gays in Bristol, he would have done his damnedest to connect with him.

***

To find out more about Chris Quinton's writing:

WEBSITE
MANIFOLD PRESS
CHRIS POWER WEBSITE

Be sure to check out Ms. Quinton's author interview.

An Interview with Sue Brown

Please join me in welcoming Sue Brown...

About Ms. Brown:

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found at university listening to lecturers discuss long-dead theologians. In her head, however, she’s plotting how to get her cowboys into bed together; she just hopes the lecturer doesn’t ask her any questions. Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) Links to website and list of books with purchase links.

BLOG

2) How long have you been writing? What got you in to writing?

I’ve been writing for four and half years. I got into fanfic when I woke up to see the two Captain Jack Harknesses kissing on Torchwood (the BBCtv Dr Who spin-off). It was like a light bulb switched on in my head and suddenly I knew I wanted to be writing M/M romance.

3) What was your first published book? Looking back, is there anything you’d change about it?

My first published story was Sacrifice in the Making Contact anthology published by Dreamspinner. It is rare that I write a fully formed story but this was one of them. I wrote it for the anthology and it was my first submission. 

4) What or Who has influenced your writing?

I’ve had many influences, from the amazing authors on Livejournal to the people who’ve edited my work – my bastard betas. No, I love them all. Also I’m always getting influences from the people around me.

5) Where do you get your ideas?

Sometimes from prompts, for instance Mr. Plum was written because I picked the colour plum from Torquere. Sometimes from something as simple as a picture in an Italian restaurant. There is quite often a religious element running through my stories. I’m a theology student – it always creeps in. Also, I like cowboys – blame Chris Owen’s Bareback.

6) What hinders your writing?

Me, staring at the housework I haven’t done. I work much better in Starbucks with people all around me.

7) What genre are you most comfortable with? What would you like to explore?

I write M/M contemporary. I dabbled once in Fantasy and would love to take it further.

8) Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer, or do you have to use an outline to put your collective thoughts into some semblance of common sense?

Definitely by-the-seat-of-your-pants. The one time I needed to really have things organized – for The Lord’s Tale – it drove me mad to have to keep checking everything.

9) Which of your books is your favorite? Why?

Oh heck. Okay, The Night Porter because it’s not what you expect from a romance yet it’s a very intense relationship with a fairly shocking ending – no death though, just in case you’re worried.

10) Do you incorporate some of yourself into your characters? Personality traits? Likes? Dislikes?

My characters always have coffee addictions *g*. I suppose the closest to me is the very flawed Nathan in Nothing Ever Happens. Let’s just say his headspace was very close to mine at the time of writing.

11) What do you think is the perfect hero/heroine? Why?

Do they have to be perfect? I really prefer anti-heroes. I love that edge of wickedness.

12) What is your latest release? Please share the blurb and purchase info with us.

My last release was with Silver. I was lucky enough to write The Lord’s Tale, the last part of the Fitzwarren Inheritance, written with Chris Quinton and RJ Scott.

Surrounded by the tragedy of his family's history, the last thing Phil expects is to be picked up by a gorgeous guy twenty feet up a climbing wall. What scares him even more is the way Lee fits into his life, the final piece to break the Fitzwarren curse.

13) What do you have in the works?

I have a story coming out in Chasing the Dream, an anthology with the very talented Ga Hauser, Patricia Logan, Lisa Worrall and SammyJo Hunt. Also three novels, Final Admission, Stolen Dreams and Complete Faith – the follow up to Morning Report.

14) Do you have any suggestions/comments for prospective authors?

Press send. You’ll never know unless you try.

JUST FOR FUN:

1) What would be a perfect date for you?

Chocolate, red wine and Jensen Ackles… What? I’m a woman of simple tastes.

***

Be sure to check out her excerpt for The Lord's Tale.

The Lord's Tale by Sue Brown

AUTHOR: Sue Brown

TITLE: The Lord’s Tale

GENRE: M/M contemporary

PUBLISHER: Silver

PURCHASE: Here

FORMAT: e-book


BLURB:
Surrounded by the tragedy of his family's history, the last thing Phil expects is to be picked up by a gorgeous guy twenty feet up a climbing wall. What scares him even more is the way Lee fits into his life, the final piece to break the Fitzwarren curse.

EXCERPT:

From a book written in 1899

--The History of Steeple Westford by the Rev. Horace Simpkins--

So in the autumn of the year 1644, Jonathan Curtess cursed Belvedere Fitzwarren, saying, "I curse you and your children's children, that you shall all live out your allotted years, and that those years shall be filled with grief and loss and betrayal, even as you have betrayed and bereaved me."

***

Phil held two pints up high as he negotiated the crowd in the bar of the Red Lion. He handed one over to his brother, Charlie, who took the full glass gratefully.

"God, I'm glad that's over," Charlie said, wiping his top lip.

"Hell yes," Phil agreed, loosening his tie. "Do you think we can get out of this get-up now?" He waved vaguely at their suits.

"Probably not," Charlie told him. "Is Di out of her meringue yet?"

Phil peered around the bar to where the bride and groom were sitting, Di's feet in Will's lap. "Not yet, but her shoes are off. Isn't that enough?"

Charlie just gave him a look, and Phil sighed. There wasn't a hope in hell Diana would agree to them losing the monkey suits. The couple hadn't had enough money for a formal "do", but she was going to make the men suffer as long as she could. He smiled as he thought of his tomboy sister, dressed like a lady for the whole day.

"Anyway, I promised Carol I'd come in the suit," Charlie said, pulling a face. "She wanted to feel part of the proceedings even if she couldn't be here."

 

"You'd better stop knocking that back then," Phil said, indicating the pint of beer that Charlie was already half-way through.

Charlie held up his glass, regarding the dark amber liquid mournfully. "Doesn't seem right somehow. I can't remember the last time I stayed sober at a wedding." He paused for a minute. "I can't remember the last time I went to a wedding."

"Yours probably. Just be thankful you don't have to make a speech, big brother." Phil grinned at the shudder that ran though his painfully shy older brother at the thought of trying to speak in public, even in front of friends and family. There really wasn't anyone here that he didn't know. Di, like her brothers, tended to socialise in the village.

"I told Di that if she wanted speeches she could make you do it. She said if there was anything to say, she could say it herself."

Phil laughed, the laughter tailing off as he caught sight of Daniel and Sean vanishing into the snug with that psychic and his boyfriend. There was something going on there. Those four were getting very cosy all of a sudden. Charlie followed his gaze.

"I wonder what that's all about," his brother mused.

"I have no idea. Don't you think since Mark came on the scene our little curse has got a lot more crowded?" Phil asked, aware he sounded waspish.

Waving at the barman for another round, Charlie looked at him. "Another?" At Phil's nod, he held up two fingers and then said, "What do you mean?"

Phil waited until they both had drinks before he carried on. "Well, one minute it's just the Fitzwarrens' curse, and the three of us knowing everything is going to go tits up, and the next some stranger waltzes in claiming to be a psychic and a descendent of Curtesses, saying he's broken the first part of the curse. Then Psycho gets pally with Sean, and the next thing we know another bit of the story is slotting into place."

There was such a long pause before Charlie answered that Phil looked up. "What bothers you most? Mark's revelations or Sean and Daniel hooking up?"

"You think I'm jealous?" Phil asked incredulously.

"You're not? Just a little? Sean has been your best friend for years, and now that he's hooked up with Daniel, he hasn't been around as much."

Damn, his brother was too shrewd.

***
To find out more about Sue Brown and her writing, visit her BLOG.

Also, be sure to check out her author interview.