An Interview with Derek Adams

Please join me in welcoming Derek Adams as he shares with us a little bit about his writing, what type of animal he’d like to be, and where he’ll be visiting soon.

Be sure to check out the excerpt for Safe Harbor after the interview!

1. Links:

Website

Available at Extasy Books:

Jake Westerby: Deep Undercover

The Wedding Thief

Clean Living

And to all a Good Night

Love Everlasting

A Weekend in the Country

The Adventures of Miles Diamond: Parts 1-5

Available at MLR Books:

A Second Chance

Heart’s Desire

The Surveillance Detail

The Love of my Life

Rich and Famous

An Early Snow

On the Midway

Garcia and Me

Available at Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure:

Safe Harbor

Between Hell and El Paso

2. How long have you been writing? What got you started?

My first short story was published October, 1987, which is – what? – twenty-five years ago. Yikes! It was called ‘An Accident of Love’ and was published in ‘Mandate’ magazine, a now defunct men’s magazine that published nude male photos and short fiction. A number of these mags thrived in the 1980’s, before the proliferation of still photos and dvd clips on the internet.

I was inspired to write when I bought one of these magazines and read a story. “I can do better than that,” I told myself, and so I set out to prove that I was right.

3. What was your first published book: Is there anything you’d change about it?

My first attempt was titled ‘Fantasy Man’ which I sent to Jerry Douglas at ‘FirstHand’ magazine. He sent it back to me with a very kind letter to the effect that I had written a very good sex scene. What it needed was a story to go with it. I took this to heart and had another go at it. The second time the story was accepted and I was hooked.

If I could have another shot at it, I’m sure there are many things I’d change. I’m an obsessive editor of my own work and can always find something that needs to be changed.

4. What or who has influenced your writing?

I think my writing has been influenced by all the hundreds – thousands? – of books I’ve read. I don’t set out to emulate any one author, but I do try to learn from any source available.

5. Where do you get your ideas?

I’ve always had an active imagination and writing has given me the opportunity to put it to a profitable – well, slightly profitable – use. Ideas come to me every day in every way imaginable. I’ll see people on the street interacting in interesting ways and that gives me an idea. Or, I’ll be reading the newspaper or a magazine and an event or locale might get me started. Nobody is immune to my prying, naughty mind.

6. What hinders your writing?

I enjoy peace and quiet for the actual process of putting words on paper. Nothing, however, stops my mind from churning out new scenarios for novels and short stories. Ideally I would be able to devote more time to my writing, but I have to keep the cash flowing over and beyond my royalties, so…

7. What genre are you most comfortable with?

I’m most comfortable with M/M erotic contemporary romance, but I have tried a bit of everything. I’m also quite a history buff so I have set a number of my stories in other eras. I have a few ideas floating around that incorporate science fiction themes. Horror scenarios – especially werewolves – are especially interesting to me. I love the idea of men turning into beasts – sexy beasts, of course!

8.  Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer, or do you have to use an outline?

I guess I’m a bit of both. I almost always have a germ of an idea when I begin to write, but when the creative juices begin to flow, the characters have a tendency to take off and go their own way. Even when I’m writing a tale to go with a particular illustration – which I often did for the editors of ‘Advocate Men’ when they were seeking a tale to go with artwork they had purchased on spec – the characters frequently just get up and take off with the story in ways I hadn’t anticipated. They occasionally take the story over a cliff or up against a stone wall, but I’m usually able to reverse course and have another go at it. Those, of course, are the times I drag out an outline and do my best to enforce some discipline. Even with the outline, my characters often tend to push me around. Entire characters and plot threads sometimes just appear on the scene, demanding to be noticed. Just the other night, while I was writing a scene set at a political fundraiser, Veronica grabbed me, almost literally by the arm, did a star turn for about a page and a half, then meandered off the stage. I hadn’t even considered her presence until she was there. She let me get an important plot point into the mix in a much more natural way than a paragraph of mere description. Maybe she’ll be back, maybe she won’t. Is this normal – or do I need some serious help?

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

My favorite book has to be The Adventures of Miles Diamond: The Case of the Missing Twin. My good buddy Miles is befuddled and generally behind the eight ball, but he is devilishly handsome, a true sexual athlete and he has oodles of the hottest sex imaginable with gorgeous guys in dozens of exotic settings. Miles may not always get the point, but he inevitably gets the guys. He also has a fairly hilarious relationship with Rudy Vale and Jackson, his often unwilling cohorts in detection. I must admit that I have been almost everywhere Miles has been in his world travels, including that hash farm in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. That, however, is Miles’ tale to tell in The Case of The Missing Twin, available at Extasy Books. (Is that a plug? Is that appropriate? Do I have any shame? Guess not.) Miles has a couple more adventures in the works, so keep yourself posted on his raunchy progress.

10. Do you incorporate some of yourself into your characters?

I am present in one way or another in most of my characters. I have a very active fantasy life and, of course, I am in some way involved in all those fantasies. I think most authors invest something of their real or imagined selves in their work. Otherwise, there would be no authenticity in the writing. I’m no murderer in real life, but I can easily imagine the rage that might drive someone to the act, then scheme and lie to avoid punishment. I may not like all my characters, but they are all a part – large or small – of my own mind and imagination.

11. What do you think is the perfect hero? Why?

To me, there is no perfect hero, because there are no perfect humans. To be interesting, a hero needs flaws. Unless the hero is a knight in shining armor, he is bound to be imperfect. These flaws lead to growth and an increasing awareness of their situation and surroundings. Faults also lead to empathy and understanding of the faults of others. Perfection, much like virginity, is a negative virtue at best.

12. What is your latest release? 

Thanks for the chance to promo a new work. Safe Harbor was released by Amber Quill Press on December 11^th, 2011. It is the erotically charged, highly romantic story of a young love sidelined by harsh realities and then dashed by a shocking act of betrayal on the part of one of the protagonists. When the men meet again a decade later they immediately realize that their mutual attraction is undiminished. However, their priorities have changed over the years and it is unclear whether they can rekindle their love, or whether it is fated to be merely a memory of happiness lost.

An excerpt is listed below. 

JUST FOR FUN:

1. What’s the sexiest or most erotic thing anyone has ever said to you?

The sexiest thing anyone has said to me lately was last summer. I was walking home from work when a much younger guy passed me on the street, locked eyes with me and growled: “Oh, Daddy.” In the gay world, this is high inter-generational praise indeed!

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

A bird. Soaring above the world – what an amazing viewpoint!

3. What kind of superpowers would you like to have?

It would be interesting to read people’s minds. Or maybe it wouldn’t?

4. Is there anywhere you’d like to visit?

We’re off to Portugal in April. I’m really looking forward to it.

Author: Derek Adams

Title: Safe Harbor

Genre: M/M romance contemporary

Publisher: Amber Quill Press - Amber Allure

Purchase

Format: E-book

Blurb:
For straight jock Mike Vickers, a chance meeting on the beach with a young man name Eric opened up a new world of possibilities. Until then, Mikes entire existence revolved around girls, football and the chance of winning an athletic scholarship, but his growing friendship with Eric, and his unexpected sexual attraction to the man, awakened his true nature and ushered in a summer of forbidden passion. But just when Mike began to embrace his newfound happiness, disaster struck, dashing all of his plans for the future and tearing the men apart. Now, a decade later, the men reconnect. Although the circumstances have changed their feelings for one another remain as strong as ever. Will they be able to keep their love alive in the present, or is it fated to be only a memory of happiness lost?

Excerpt: Rated R

“I’m Mike.”

“Eric. Pleased to meet you.” He stuck out his hand. I shook it. His grip was firm, but his hand was as soft as a girl’s. It was pretty clear he hadn’t been putting in a lot of hours doing manual labor to help his family out financially.

“Okay, Eric. Let’s have a look.” He patted the smooth stone next to where he was sitting.

I scooted over.

He held the sketch pad between us. Our bare shoulders touched. His skin was warm...

“Hey, man, that’s me.”

It was a drawing of me, standing with the water at my back. The detail was pretty amazing, almost like a photograph. It sure as hell looked like the face and body I saw when I looked in the mirror on my bedroom door every morning. He had even included the long scar on my right shoulder, souvenir of a set-to with a grappling hook last year at the marina. The hairs on my chest were there, in detail, and the fine line of fuzz that trickled down my belly.

“Do I really look that mean?”

“That’s not supposed to be a mean look. That’s a pissed-off look.” He chuckled softly. “You were pretty pissed when you first saw me here the other day.”

“Okay, okay. I admit it. Guilty as charged.” I looked over at him and grinned. “Do I still look pissed?”

He stared at me intently for a moment. “Nope. Goofy, maybe, but not pissed.”

“Goofy?” I reached over and grabbed him in a mock headlock. “You’re gonna have to take that back, Eric.”

“Never!” He laughed as he struggled in my grasp. I pulled him closer. His face pressed against my chest. He slipped his left arm around my waist and splayed his right hand against my belly.

“I am not goofy!”

“You are, too!” His breath ruffled the hairs on my chest, tickling me. “Okay.

Okay. I give up,” he gasped after several moments had passed. I let him go, but he didn’t jump away. Instead he put his hands on my shoulders, his face only inches from mine. He was flushed and he had a loopy grin on his face.

“Glad you finally saw it my way.” I was intensely aware of the pressure of his hands.

“You may not be goofy, Mike, but you sure are se…uh, crazy.” Eric’s face got even redder.

I stood, then turned my back on him abruptly. I’d sprung a rod for some reason. I tugged at the crotch of my pants, but it didn’t help much. I grabbed my T-shirt and held it in front of me. “I gotta be getting back. If I don’t show up to work I’ll catch holy hell from Mr. Peterson.”

I loped across the sand. I turned around once and saw that Eric was still looking at me. He raised his hand and waved. I waved back and kept on going. When I reached down a couple of minutes later to scratch my balls, I realized that my cock was still hard.

***

Thanks, Shannon, for the opportunity to appear on your blog. I really appreciate it.

All the best,

Derek Adams