An Interview with L.M. Brown

Please join me in welcoming author LM Brown as she shares with us a little about her writing, why she'd like to have a twin, and where she'd like to visit.

Be sure to check out the excerpt for her new book, Between Heaven and Hell, after the interview.

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

Website
Blog

Books in order of publication:

Touch of a Ghost (ebook and audio)

Driving Me Crazy (ebook)

Gift of Love (ebook anthology with Lydia Nyx and Shawn Bailey)

Between Heaven & Hell (ebook)

Silver Shorts (ebooks – free reads)

All available from Silver Publishing

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

I have been writing since I was a teenager. I used to love getting the homework assignments for English that let me give my imagination the freedom to run riot.  Although it was nerve-wracking when one of my stories was read out in class for the other students to hear, it was also a defining moment for me when, after the lesson was over, one of the class members, who was not a particularly close friend of mine, came up to ask to borrow my book to read what happened next, since time had run out and the teacher had had to cut short her reading.  That was the day I realised I wanted to be a writer.

During my later teens and early twenties, other stuff got in the way of my writing, but I rediscovered it via fanfiction and eventually found my way back to writing original stories just a few years ago when readers of my fanfics kept asking why I didn’t write for publication.  I realised I had no answer for that other than procrastination and decided to give it a try. 

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

My first published book was Touch of a Ghost, a novella which was published the Halloween before last.  At this point I don’t think I would change anything about the story, though my opinion may change in years to come when I have more experience with writing in general.

4) What or Who has influenced your writing?

I don’t think I can say that anyone in particular has influenced my writing, apart from my awesome editors, of course, who are so patient with me and I am forever in their debt.

I am an avid reader and always have been.  Chances are many of my favourite authors have influenced me in some way, and there are certainly a lot of them I admire out there, but I don’t try to copy their styles or emulate them. 

5) Where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from all over the place. Mostly they just pop into my head, usually at a very inconvenient time, when I have no pen and paper handy and no time to write. 

The idea behind Driving Me Crazy, for example, came from a radio station call in where listeners had to guess the most embarrassing reason for failing a driving test.  Although I missed the end of the show (thanks to the evil day job) and never found out the actual answer to the question, the idea of someone failing their driving test because of crushing on their instructor had taken up residence in my head and that was it.

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

My biggest distraction these days is probably a toss up between the internet and my kittens.  The former is very distracting since it is so easy to lose track of time whilst surfing the ‘Net.  The latter resent anything on my knee that isn’t them and have a tendency to sprawl all over my laptop, my arms and my chest, making writing pretty much impossible.  But I adore them so they get away with it most of the time. 

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

I am pretty much only in one genre at the moment, that being gay romances.  I have written (but not published) het romances as well, and may well try to get one or more of those published in the future.  At the moment I am happy with writing about my boys though.  I tend to stick to contemporary and paranormal for the most part.

I would like to explore some of the other sub-genres, such as fantasy, futuristic/sci-fi in the future and have some stories in the works that are inching into those realms.  I just need to get more comfortable with world building before I let them loose on the general public.

Another genre I would love to write is historical romance, but that is a long way away, mainly because of the amount of research I would have to do before venturing in that direction. 

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?

I probably work with a bit of both.  I start of with a general idea and write by-the-seat-of-my-pants to begin with, but as the story progresses and starts to come together I start outlining things that are going to happen. 

It is very rare I outline things right from the start, as the stories tend to drift off in other directions as I write them down.  My m/m/m story Between Heaven & Hell is a prime example of that, since it started out as a m/m story with no hint of a three-some in sight.  What began as a short story about an angel and a demon fighting over the same mortal, ended up as a ménage novel (with two sequels planned) when the sexual tension between the two immortals got way out of hand. 

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

My favourite book, at least at the moment, is probably Between Heaven & Hell.  It is a “first” for me in several ways and will probably remain my favourite for some time to come.  It is my first novel, as opposed to short story/novella, my first ménage, and my first book to have unique cover art all of its own. 

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

I think there is probably a little of me in some of my characters, though probably not much since I am one of the many straight females out there who writes stories about gay men.

Occasionally you might hear a character sounding a little snarky, and chances are that is my personality bleeding through. There is probably quite a bit of me in Mel, the best friend of Nick from Hey, Baby, my contribution to the Gift of Love anthology.

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

I think the most perfect heroes/heroines, are those that are quite clearly not perfect.  Perfect is quite boring and the more perfect a character is, the more he/she will grate on my nerves.  I’m certainly not perfect and I like characters I can relate to.  I like flawed characters who make mistakes and learn from them, who grow as characters as we follow them on their journey. 

A perfect hero/heroine, for me, is one that is anything but.

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

My latest release is my first novel, Between Heaven and Hell, which is the first book in my Heavenly Sins series.  It is a male/male/male ménage story and is available now from Silver Publishing.

Blurb

Angel Machidiel (Mac) and demon Alastor have been denying the attraction they feel for each other for centuries because relationships between angels and demons are forbidden.

Things change forever when they both fall for the same mortal man and begin a relationship with him. Together with Tristan, the menage they form is filled with jealousy and insecurities, passion and love. Only time will tell if the relationship they have forged together is made in Heaven or Hell.

Purchase

13) What do you have in the works?

I always have a lot of stories “in the works” so to speak, though at the top of my list of those I am working on is the first sequel to Between Heaven & Hell, which is tentatively titled Between Good & Evil.  This picks up where Between Heaven & Hell finishes and continues the story of Tristan, Machidiel and Alastor. 

I also have a couple of short stories in the works that I am hoping to get accepted for a couple of open calls as well as my previously rejected story, The Heart of Eden, which is currently undergoing revisions.

I am also regularly participating in the Silver Shorts Free Reads and Wednesday Briefs, which are prompt based stories and free to read on my blog on Wednesdays during the weeks I participate.

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

I think the only advice I can offer, being very new at this and still finding my feet, is not to give up and to go for it.  I spent a lot of time procrastinating before submitting my first story to a publisher and a lot of it was down to nerves. The thing to remember is if you don’t try you’ll never know if you would have got that all important contract.  But if you don’t even try, then you’ll never make it.

JUST FOR FUN:

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

I think if I were an animal it would be one that can explore where I, as a human being cannot.  Normally I’d say any type of bird and see the world from the skies, but an underwater creature is also appealing, especially if it is one that can explore the depths of the ocean. 

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

The ability to split myself into two would be awesome. One me could go do the evil day job while the other does the writing job.  Though I know which one I would want to “be” if that was the case.  I find there are never enough hours in the day and this would certainly solve the problem.

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

I’d end war, poverty and prejudice if I had a choice.  I think the reasons why are pretty obvious, the world would be a better place.  J

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

I would love to visit Egypt, but I am a bit fearful I would end up passing out because of the heat.  I am in England and we aren’t used to the scorching hot weather over here.  I would love to see the Pyramids, since I love history and ancient history in particular.

Between Heaven and Hell

Heavenly Sins Book 1

Genre: Male/Male/Male Paranormal

Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Purchase

Format: ebook

Excerpt – PG15

Tristan moved the computer mouse over the play button and clicked it. The video stream began with an out-of-focus shot of what appeared like the carpet in the study. Then the image panned out and he saw the face on the screen. It was the face that looked back at him from the mirror, yet he had no recollection of making this recording. Of course, that had been the whole point, hadn't it?

"Er, hi," the man on the screen said awkwardly. "I'm Tristan Garrett and in a matter of hours I'm going to lose my memory. But I guess you already know that.

"Your parents and the rest of your relatives should believe you're dead by now, so don't go looking them up or anything like that. Your parents were…"

Tristan watched himself falter on the screen.

"Damn, this is pointless," the recorded Tristan said. "I can't tell you all about your life in just a few hours. There'd be stuff missing and it'd be like a half-written story with gaps and plot holes. So here's the important stuff. The stuff you really need to know. It all started on Halloween night the year before last…

* * * *

Tristan Garrett could feel the man's eyes on him as he moved away from the bar. Like many of the men in The Inferno, the stranger had gone all out for Halloween and was the very image of a sexy, badass devil. He wore a pair of fake red horns atop his head; they poked out from his shoulder-length, ebony hair and the lights of the club caught them each time he turned to survey the crowded room.

Even from a distance, he looked amazing. Tristan admired the way his tight leather trousers hugged his shapely arse, and his hands itched to trace the washboard abs that were only partially covered by the black vest.

Tristan wasn't the only man in the club following the devil's movements. Several had approached him only to be turned away after only a moment. The direct approach didn't seem to be working for this guy.

"He's out of your league," teased Lawrence, Tristan's best friend and former lover, when he caught Tristan checking out the devil for the third time in under ten minutes.

"No such thing," Tristan replied lightly. "You're the one who taught me to go after what I want and not let anyone tell me I'm not good enough for them." 

Lawrence took a swig from his pint of beer before he answered. "Fifty quid says you can't pull him."

Tristan watched as the devil rebuffed the latest man to approach him. The devil smiled in his direction and even though he hadn't said a word, Tristan sensed he might have a chance if he were to try his luck.

"I'll take that bet," Tristan replied quietly. Maintaining eye contact with the devil, he slowly finished his beer and put his glass down on a nearby table. Turning back to Lawrence, he nodded towards the dance floor. They had played this game countless times, and it almost always worked. Lawrence led the way and Tristan followed. Moulding their bodies together, Tristan's back to Lawrence's front, they began to slowly move in time to the pulsing beat of the music.

Tristan closed his eyes and rested his head back on Lawrence's shoulder, letting the taller man set the pace. He knew his fair-skinned looks and spiky strawberry blond hair were complemented by the contrast as he nestled against Lawrence's dark hair and bulkier frame. He was a fit and healthy twenty-seven year old man, and while he wasn't the best built guy in town, he knew how to draw attention to himself when he wanted to. Right now he wanted the attention of the devil focused on him. He wasn't going to chase the other man to win the bet; the devil would come to him. He was absolutely sure of it.

Lawrence whispered the devil's movements in his ear. "He's watching us. We're turning him on. He's watching me grinding my cock into your arse and wishing it was his."

Tristan moved back against Lawrence as the other man's fingers slowly rubbed their way closer to his groin. He guessed that within five minutes the devil would be approaching him, just as they had planned. The devil wouldn't care he was with another man right now; he'd step in and claim what he wanted, no matter who stood in his way. "Soon," he whispered, as the slow beat of the music changed to a faster, insistent pace.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, a hand on his chest caused him to open his eyes. "May I cut in?" the man in front of him asked politely.

Tristan blinked in surprise. It wasn't the devil who stood before him. Instead, a blond Adonis was asking him to dance. Piercing blue eyes pinned him to the spot and he nodded mutely. The man pulled him into his arms so they were dancing face to face, and close enough for their erections to touch through the material of their jeans.

Lawrence looked slightly unsure as he stepped away. Tristan shrugged and smiled. "Guess I owe you," he said. The dark-haired devil had left his spot near the bar and disappeared into the crowd. Tristan realised he must have misjudged his potential conquest. He should have kept eye contact with him.

Still, the evening wasn't a complete loss, not if he ended up going home with the man who was holding him close right now. The devil was forgotten as Tristan gave himself up to the music and the man who held him in his arms.