Character Chat with Chuck Merit from the Chicagoland Vampire Series

Please join me in welcoming a special guest to Caught in a FAB Romance:  Merit's grandfather and Chicago Ombudsman, Chuck Merit!!!

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Patti: Hi Mr. Merit; thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions. Can you tell us a little bit about Merit as a child? Was she always this headstrong and passionate about solving problems? 

Chuck: Thank you for having me. And please, call me Chuck. *Laughing* As for Merit, I think you've hit the nail on a the head. My granddaughter has always known who she was--even if her father didn't exactly approve. I think that's why her change to vampire was so hard at first.

Patti: I know her relationship with her father is strained, at best. Do you see any hope for a reconciliation there?

Chuck: They are so much alike, Joshua and Merit. Headstrong. Stubborn. Independent and incredibly self-reliant. But I think that stands between them, as they are both convinced they're right. I would love to see reconciliation and understanding between them, but only time will tell.

Patti: It’s obvious that Merit loves you very much. Did she spend a lot of time with you as a child? How were you able to hide the existence of supes from her? 

Chuck: My wife and I saw Merit more than anyone else, I suppose. She spent summers with us, and afternoons after school. I was still on duty in those days, of course, so she spent more time with my wife than me, but yes, she was a constant fixture in our house. She loved cheese sandwiches; I remember that well. Always wanted a cheese sandwich as a snack.

Patti: You’ve got your finger on the pulse of the supernatural community. Is there anything that ever surprises you? 

Chuck: *Belly laughing* My dear, rarely a day goes by when something doesn't surprise me. That's the nature of the supernatural, I think.

Patti: I love when we read about the river nymphs and their reaction to quiet, sort of nerdy Jeff. What’s going on there?

Chuck: *Chuckling* It's fascinating, isn't it? The skill he has with those girls. I've never asked him outright, but I assume the magnetism is some kind of magical attraction. Not that the boy doesn't have fine qualities of his own.

Patti: How did you end up with Catcher and Jeff as employees? Was there some sort of job announcement? A supernatural interview process?

Chuck: Now, I can't exactly give away confidential information. Let's say I knew exactly what I was looking for, and when Catcher and Jeff were brought to my attention by certain interested parties, I knew how good they'd be and snatched them up at the first opportunity.

Patti: What are your hopes for Merit’s future?

Chuck: I wish her love. Happiness. A family of her own so that she can know she's loved and truly feel it. 

Patti: Thank you again for answering my questions! Best of luck to you and the guys!

Chuck: Thank you, doll. I appreciate having the chance to chat with you.

(Patti:  *blushes* He called me doll!!!!!)

Drink Deep
~Chloe Neill

Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: New American Library 
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451234863 
ISBN-13: 978-0451234865 
ASIN: B0052RERL4 

From the author's website:
Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city iself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

About the author: 
Chloe Neill was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest–just close enough to Cadogan House and St. Sophia’s to keep an eye on things. When not transcribing Merit’s and Lily’s adventures, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys–her favorite landscape photographer/husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout. (Both she and the photographer understand the dogs are in charge.) Chloe is represented by Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency. Chloe is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Interview with Kristine Grayson, author of Utterly Charming

Please join me in welcoming author Kristine Grayson to Caught in a FAB Romance! Ms. Grayson's latest release, Utterly Charming, is out now.  (More info after the interview)

First the obvious question: Where did you get the idea to take a traditional fairy tale and “change it up” to modern times?
I never quite know where the ideas come from. One of my favorite editors asked me to write a short story about Battle Wizards—fights and magic—and somehow I came up with a story called “The Strangeness Of The Day.” I wrote it under my real name, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and the story won all kinds of awards, including a really prestigious French Fantasy award. (You can find it in my collection of award-winning stories, Recovering Apollo 8 or as a stand-alone e-book.) That story featured the opening of Utterly Charming—the fight with Blackstone and Ealhswith, all from Nora’s point of view. When I finished, I felt really uncomfortable. What about poor Emma? And then my husband (and first reader) said, “This is a novel, you know.” So I wrote it, and it came out as romance, which made me happy, because I love the genre.

If you would, please tell us a little bit about Utterly Charming.
I always tell people the high concept: Prince Charming falls in love with Sleep Beauty’s lawyer. In some ways, though, it’s about falling in love as an adult versus as a kid. Blackstone—my Prince Charming—fell for Emma—Sleeping Beauty—as a boy. He falls for Nora as a grown man, and isn’t sure what to do, because he’s been protecting Emma for all of these years.

I love that Sleeping Beauty was ticked off when she woke up. Do you plot out the stories ahead of time or wait and see where the writing takes you?
I let my stories take me where they want to go. I kept thinking that if I had missed 1,000 years of life, I’d be really mad. So Emma woke up mad, and stayed that way. After all, all the burdens fall on her—a new world, new language, new life, plus her guy is 1,000 years older than she is. Not romantic at all, in my opinion.

If they turned Utterly Charming into a movie, who do you imagine would play your characters? 
I have trouble envisioning this with modern actors. I suppose George Clooney would have to play Blackstone and Danny DeVito (or the guy who just won the Emmy for Game of Thrones) would be Sancho. But Emma? There aren’t a lot of black-haired beauties in Hollywood, so she’d probably have to be an unknown. And Nora? That’s the real tough one, because she’s short and perky and not traditionally beautiful. I actually prefer thinking of the casting this way: Rosaline Russell as Nora (I know, she wasn’t short, but a real Tough Gal) and Cary Grant as Blackstone, with Audrey Hepburn as Emma. That’s the perfect casting for me.

What kinds of books do you like to read when you’re not writing? What are some of your favorites?
I read in all genres, which explains why I write in all genres under different names. Long-time favorites—books I reread every year—are The Great Gatsby and Rebecca. But I pretty much read everything. I do a recommended reading list every month on my blog, www.kriswrites.com, and discuss books from nonfiction to Regency to hardboiled noir to science fiction.

What made you pick romance as your genre to write?
It picked me.

Do you have any input in your covers? They’re gorgeous – I fell in love with the cover of Wickedly Charming the first time I saw it, and Utterly Charming and Thoroughly Kissed are also stunning!
Sourcebooks asks me for scenes and cover recommendations, but other than that, I don’t have a lot of say. I’m happy with that because I’m not a visual person. I love what they’re doing with the covers. Wait until you see the cover for Emma’s story, Thoroughly Kissed, coming in June. (It’s on my website, www.kristinegrayson.com) It’s spectacular.

I see that you also write under Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Kristine Dexter. How does that work, keeping the pseudonyms separate? Does it help with keeping the series separate?
I also write as Kris DeLake (upcoming) and Kris Nelscott (mystery), and a bunch of names I can’t tell you for contractual reasons. On my original work, I use the pen names to help my readers. Kristine Grayson books are light and fun; Kris Nelscott books are so dark that I’m pretty sure my hero (Smokey Dalton) has never ever cracked a joke. As a reader, I like to know what I’m getting. I want to pick up a book and know that no one will die or no blood will be shed. I have nightmares, so my bedtime reading is always romance. It used to be romance and YA, but then YA got really dark, and you couldn’t tell by the cover. I read a great YA book with a really graphic rape scene right in the middle and got upset. If I had read that over lunch it wouldn’t have bothered me, but I read it in bed. I was up for another three hours. I don’t want to do that to my readers.

Do you have anything new in the works or is there something else you’d like to spotlight while you’ve got the floor, so to speak ;)
I’m doing a bunch of side stories about characters in the Kristine Grayson universe. If you liked Wickedly Charming (from last May), you might want to look up Standing Up For Grace, which follows two side characters in an adventure I couldn’t put in the book. Right now, the book is e-only, but it’ll be in trade paper soon. And there will be more, including some light mysteries set in the same world. Those will come out of a new company, WMG Publishing, who also do my short fiction.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and congratulations on the release of Utterly Charming!
Thanks for asking me! It’s been fun.

Utterly Charming 
~Kristine Grayson 

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402248512 
ISBN-13: 978-1402248511 
ASIN: B005EU50K6 

From Goodreads:
Bestselling author Kristine Grayson's fairy tale romances bring the classic stories into the present day, where fairy tale characters must grapple with the complexities of modern life as well as their own destinies.

This time when Sleeping Beauty wakes up, she wants nothing to do with the man who kissed her. Consoling Alex Blackstone, the rejected suitor who is a brilliant magician but inept when it comes to women, falls to modern career woman and lawyer, Nora Barr. Nora now has to deal with Beauty's evil stepmother, and the discovery that Alex just might be her own personal Prince Charming...

About Kristine Grayson: 
Kristine Grayson always wanted to be a romance writer when she grew up. She became one in the late 1990s with the publication of her first romance novel, Utterly Charming. Since then, she has published five more novels. Her next, Wickedly Charming, will appear from Sourcebooks in May. 
Her work has won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and she has been nominated for several other awards. Publishers Weekly has called her work "a delight," and Best Reviews labeled her "the reigning queen of paranormal romance."

Interview and Giveaway with Lauren Dane

Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors to Caught in a FAB Romance! Ms. Dane has written multiple series; her most recent release is Never Enough, Book 4 in the Brown Family series.

First of all, I loved Never Enough! One theme that runs through Never Enough, and all your books, really, is family, whether it be the family you’re born with or one you make; do you think this is one of the reasons readers love your books?

Thank you! I love to write about family and I’m always so thrilled my readers seem to love it too – LOL, one of those win/win things.

I think belonging is an important human craving. It’s one nearly all of us feels at one time or another, yearns for at one time or another. How those who love you feel about you, see you and perceive you is always a good way to show the reader integral things about any character. I can write a scene between my hero and his brother or best friend and show a far more detailed character insight than I could if I simply said, “Adrian was loved and trusted by his family.”

If you would, tell us a little about Adrian and Gillian: 

Adrian comes off as laid back, but he’s driven by his love of music. Driven to make it and to work to be successful at it. He’s also constantly under examination and the pressure of it, the way he’s so sure about the things he loves most but off balance in other areas has driven him to a place in his life where he took some time to step back and find his love of music again without all the stuff that comes with celebrity. But at the same time, he’s built a little bubble of reality for himself where he can be safe and trust everyone inside that. 

But he yearns for more. He wants a family like his brother and sister have. So when Gillian comes to him and tells him he has a son, the two parts of his world collide and he’s totally sent reeling. He’s a handsome, successful, charming and charismatic person and while he’s worked his butt off for the career success he has, he’s not very familiar with having to struggle with other things like being a father and falling in love with Gillian. He has to work for her in a way he hasn’t ever before.

Gillian is protective of her family. Sees family as integral to her life as Adrian does. She’s raw and honest but buttoned up and reserved. Creative, as he is. Artistic. I wanted her to understand music the way Adrian does. Creation is as important to her life as it is to Adrian’s. But I gave her some different twists in the road where she made other choices. Choices she made and does not regret. She’s got a sense of her path and is there fully and happily.

She’s a mother. A fierce, no nonsense mother and the scenes I began to understand her the most at first, were those with Miles. And I think for Adrian the same is true.

She does not love or trust easily, but once she does, she does deeply and forever. Like Adrian, she has a close circle. While not her biological family, they are the family she’s made with her friends. Miles comes from a large, close group just as Adrian does. Gillian has made this for their son and it’s something I felt quite strongly would be a necessity for a man like Adrian.

Was it hard to write two very closed-in characters falling in love? Is that why Adrian’s story was last – he needed extra help from his family, so we needed to know them already? 

It’s always tough, to me anyway, to fully convey the inner life of a very closed up character. But the challenge is a worthy one – both to me as a writer to expand my skills and to me as a writer to give readers that sense of who the character is with different sorts of scenes. To reveal their inner life as the characters themselves also confront that.

For Gillian and Adrian both, this was a big deal. They both have a close-knit group of friends and family and it’s often through them that we see the most honest glimpses of these two. But because of how this series was already constructed, it was a far more natural process to write that way than it might have been with a different group of characters.

Originally I’d planned to make Adrian’s the third book, but as I began to sketch it out, I realized he wasn’t ready but Cope was. Cope was open to love in a way Adrian just hadn’t achieved yet. He needed some more time to see what it was to be in love and in a working relationship. And also to begin to yearn for that.

So yes, in a sense I think he wasn’t ready until now to really get how important it would be to put his own needs and reactions under a microscope to really examine what he needed and also to be in a place where he could understand what other people needed.

You write very smart, strong female characters; which I love. Based on your blog and twitter posts, you appear to be a smart, strong woman yourself. Do you write yourself into your characters? 

Thank you! That’s a really wonderful compliment (two actually!) I think there’s a bit of myself in all my characters, LOL. But I don’t write them as me. I’m far more flawed and way less interesting than my characters are. But writing strong women is important to me. Because I grew up around strong women. Strong women are among my greatest heroes in life so it’s only natural, I think, to put them on a page because I admire them so much.

Music is a constant presence in Never Enough, more so than the other books in the series. How much of that was research vs. your personal taste? Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing Never Enough?

I love music. It’s as much a part of my work process as my desktop is, as my keyboard and character notes. Music sets my mood, helps me follow the flavor of a story arc. I have a tracklist for all my books (Berkley has put them in my Heat books, which is a fun thing and you’ll find the one for Never Enough at the end of the book).

Gillian and Adrian are musicians. To me, it’s such a big part of who they are that I can’t imagine having written a book where it’s not an important theme in the story. So in the scene, the first time in Gillian’s bedroom I was listening to my music on shuffle and those are the songs that came up as I wrote. In many key scenes across the series there have been songs or bands that I’ve felt have encapsulated those moments well. Kings of Leon for instance turns up in both Adrian scenes and Brody scenes. PJ Harvey for Erin and for Gillian. With Gillian, piano music was important and I found a lot of wonderful pieces I’d never paid much attention to before.

Music says a lot about a character. At least it does to me as I read and also as I write. So when these two would talk music, it was incredibly intimate. I loved that.

It’s the last book in the Brown family series…how does it feel to end a series as opposed to finishing a single book? 

Finishing a series is bittersweet. First I always want to look back and feel like I’ve ended the series on a high note, not “she really should have ended this series three books ago.” So when I sent in the final to my editor I felt like I’d given good closure to these people.

The story doesn’t end after the last page is turned. I know these characters will continue to live on, to have happy lives and so that helps. But I will miss them! It’s hard to say goodbye to characters who feel so very real to me. But I don’t want to carry stuff on after it’s time to say goodbye.

We’ll see glimpses of many of these characters in the next few books in my new contemporary series with Heat. Which is why there’s no epilogue at the end of Never Enough the way there is with the first three books. Gillian and Adrian’s wedding will be part of a storyline in Sway, the first book in the series (in Cherished duology with Maya Banks) and into Tart, the first single title in the series out next fall. Gillian’s friends are those heroines for that series, so there’ll be a connection. Not so much newcomers won’t get the story, but enough that those who do love the Browns can get a little glimpse.

You write so many different series in several genres – Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi: Where do you get your inspiration and how do you keep them separate while you’re writing? I imagine volumes of binders full of notes specific to each series…

I used to do 3x5 cards. But by the third Federation book I had over 200 of them and it was unmanageable. So then I discovered Scrivener via the most fabulous Larissa Ione and it’s been a lifesaver for keeping all that encyclopedia stuff in order. I can keep character notes, pictures, connections to other worlds, etc all in one place and it’s way easier than going through the cards.

I love writing across genres and heat levels. It’s like a cleanse of my brain palate to go from something like Captivated, which is a super erotic, ménage futuristic to Once and Again, which is a slower paced, sweeter small town romance. Keeps me on my toes. Helps me think about pacing and how a story unpacks. I think the challenge keeps me from being bored and also teaches me new things all the time.

As for inspiration – generally for me it comes from everywhere – music, movies, things I see when I’m out and about, etc. But my stories are often seeds of characters and how they relate to each other – which is not so much genre specific. That can be created around the characters and so it goes hand in hand in a sense. 

What’s coming next for you? Anything you’d like to spotlight?

In November I’ve got the first in a new PNR series with Berkley Sensation – Heart of Darkness (and my very first mass market paperback). This tells the story of a darker Seattle and insular world of clan witches, who are a lot like giant corporations. Meriel, the heroine and essentially magickal royalty meets Dominic, the hero, who is a bit of an outlaw and is stealing from them. Sparks fly. They both learn a lot about the other’s world and then of course, there’s a big bad threat to not only them personally, but their entire world.

Now for the giveaway:  

Ms. Dane has generously offered a signed galley of Never Enough to one lucky winner!!  To enter, leave a comment or question about the book or interview and a way to contact you.

Ends September 20; open to international entries.

Never Enough
 ~Lauren Dane


Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publish Date: September 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0425243001
ISBN-13: 978-0425243008
ASIN: B0052RHF68

From the author's website: Gillian Forrester spent most of her life running from who and what she came from. Until Miles came along. From the moment she held the tiny newborn her older sister didn’t want, Gillian stopped running and began to build a life for herself and her adopted son. Now, thirteen years later, as Gillian’s sister lay dying, she reveals the father’s identity and makes Gillian promise to find him.
Adrian Brown is the epitome of the successful rock star. He’s seen and done it all, with few regrets. It takes a lot to shock him—but the bombshell that he has a thirteen-year-old son rocks his world. And Adrian is even more surprised when the buttoned-up, elegant woman who’s raising Miles snags his erotic and romantic attention.
The last thing Gillian expected was to find herself getting hot and heavy with a person like Adrian. But as much as she wants to open up and give herself fully to this amazing man, she’s afraid the secrets of her past and Adrian’s problems with trusting people may keep them apart for good. If love isn’t enough can they find the trust they need?

 About Lauren Dane:


The story goes like this: A few years ago, Lauren Dane decided to quit her job and stay home with her brand new second child. As a result, she had lots of conversations in a sing-song voice but no real outlet for adult thoughts and words. While on bed-rest with her pregnancy with the tiny monster, Lauren had plenty of down time so her husband brought home a second hand laptop and she decided to give that writing thing a serious go.”


Lauren had no idea how fabulously wonderful it would feel to actually make a go of her writing and she's thankful every day people actually want to read what she writes! She's well aware of her good fortune and loves every moment of it, even when she has to edit and put Barbie's dresses back on over and over again. She still hasn't managed to figure out how to shut out the sound of the Backyardigans so she can write a love scene, though.

Interview and Giveaway: Chloe Neill - Hard Bitten Blog Tour

Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors: Chloe Neill, author of the fabulous vampire series, The Chicagoland Vampires (my review of Hard Bitten is here), and also a YA series, The Dark Elite. Ms.Neill was kind enough to answer a few questions and offer a cool giveaway!

Book Addict: I know that you have a day job. Do your co-workers know you’re a published author?

Chloe Neill: There are a number of folks in my office, but many of them do, yes. They've been very supportive of my writing! I think it has improved my writing at work, as well, so that helps.

Book Addict: You have seven books under contract in the series - do you have a specific end to the series planned or will you try to continue to write the Chicagoland Vampires for as long as the ideas keep coming?

Chloe Neill: Definitely the latter. There are things I want to accomplish in the series, but I also really enjoy writing about Merit so I don't currently have an end date in mind.

Book Addict: Your characters are a joy to read. When I’m reading I feel like I know them :) Do you have a favorite character?

Chloe Neill: Thank you! I like all the characters for different reasons. I relate to Merit, and I respect Mallory's focus. Ethan tries (and often fails) to do the right thing by his vampires, and Jeff is such a good, cheerful soul. Mayor Tate is pretty intriguing, I think. We meet more of him in both HARD BITTEN and DRINK DEEP.

Book Addict: Can you tell us something silly that we don’t know about Merit?
Chloe Neill: She has a collection of the OLIVIA children's books that she absolutely adores. They're with her at Cadogan House (although she wouldn't admit that to many people.)

Book Addict: I love that Merit loves food – are you a foodie?

Chloe Neill: Definitely, although a different type of foodie than Merit. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat the same kinds of things that she does. But I share her love of chocolate and fine baked goods. :)

Book Addict: There were some big plot twists in Hard Bitten but the ending left me hopeful for Merit’s future. Is it as hard for you to write emotionally intense scenes as it is for us to read them?

Chloe Neill: There are scenes in all the books that make me laugh out loud and, on occasion, cry. The intense scenes are actually a bit easier to write because the emotion tends to push the momentum along, but they definitely move me, as well.

Book Addict: Do you read other books in the vampire genre or do you try to stay away from that?

Chloe Neill: I used to read LOTS, but writing has kind of ruined me for reading fiction, unfortunately. But I still keep up with JR Ward's BDB series, of course! :)

Book Addict: Thank you again for answering my questions! Congratulations on the release of Hard Bitten. I really enjoyed Hard Bitten and am looking forward to Drink Deep. Go Merit!!!

Chloe Neill: Thanks for having me!

____________________

Ms. Neill has graciously offered a Cadogan House prize pack to one lucky commenter! Leave a comment with your e-mail address to be entered.
Ends Friday, May 6.

Hard Bitten
~Chloe Neill

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Publish Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451233328
ISBN-13: 978-0451233325
ASIN: B004IYIU1U

From the author's website:
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem to ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

You can read the first chapter here!

M/M Guest Post: ALPHA Reader interviews Jay Bell, author of Something Like Summer

The lovely blogger, Danielle - ALPHA Reader, recently read the novel 'Something Like Summer', and she liked it so much that she decided to contact the author and ask some questions, then generously offered to showcase her interview here at Book Addict as part of M/M Romance Month!!!

Danielle, the floor is yours:

________________

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Something Like Summer’ – from idea to finished manuscript?

Six to eight months seems to be my average to reach a completed first draft, but I believe SLS went a bit quicker since I was even more enthusiastic about the project than usual.

Q: So, ‘Something Like Summer’ is a very frank account of what it is to be a gay teenager. Everything from secret sleepover business to feelings of isolation is covered with honesty and tenderness. How much of the story is fiction and how much is autobiography that reflects your own life growing up as a gay teenager?

This is a very tricky question because SLS has so many yarns of truths tangled up in knots of fiction. A good example is when Ben’s poem is published in the school newspaper, but altered without his permission by the journalism teacher. This really did happen to me, except it wasn’t my super sexy boyfriend that trashed the darkroom with me but my best friend. The circumstances around me being caught were different too, and I took the blame out of fierce loyalty to our friendship and not because of love. This is the sort of twisted truth that frequently fills both the teen and adult portions of the story.

To complicate matters further, there are many truths in the book from other people’s lives. Ben and Tim weren’t the only ones to be caught having sex by the police, and I’m not talking about certain celebrity either. In this respect, Something Like Summer has its roots in truth but isn’t at all autobiographical. When I look at Ben’s life, I recognize the same feelings I had, but not the same events. Ben’s teen years are relatively calm compared to what I went through. Take the amount of trouble he gets into and multiply it by ten, and we wouldn’t even be halfway there.

Q: Gay fiction, particularly gay teen fiction, is notoriously hard to publish through conglomerate publishers. Is that why you decided to self-publish ‘Something Like Summer’ with CreateSpace?

My first novel, The Cat in the Cradle, was published through a small press and I found the experience extremely frustrating. I’m a control freak when it comes to my books. I want to chose how the type is laid out, the spacing of the margins, what the cover looks like, where and with whom the book is distributed… everything! The publisher was as accommodating as could reasonably be expected, but I still wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to see if I could do just as good or better on my own and I’m very proud of the end result.

I also realized that I didn’t feel like doing most of the work and sharing half the profits. Authors write the story, obviously, but these days are also expected to handle the majority of their book promotion. Since anyone can hire a cover artist and editor, this doesn’t leave much for the publishers to actually do. I can understand that learning typography or the ins and outs of publishing aren’t everyone’s forte, but if one is willing to put in the work, then there are many benefits to cutting out the middle man.

Q: Now, this must be asked (if only to keep hope alive!) – is Tim based on anyone from your life?

I try not to ever base characters on real people. I enjoy exploring my character’s faults, and few people are grateful for being publically exposed like that. So is there a Tim in my life? Not as such, but there might be a Jace.

Q: ‘Something Like Summer’ looks at the many aspects of being young and homosexual – Ben is ‘out’ and proud, but still struggling with loneliness and bullying. Tim, meanwhile, is in denial and firmly closeted. What do you hope your readers take away from both Tim and Ben’s approaches to their sexuality?

So many stories put readers in the driver’s seat of a closeted character, reminding them of the fear and anxiety that accompanies that state. Instead of doing this, I hoped that closeted readers would enjoy being Ben for a while, to experience being free of that burden while also seeing themselves from the outside. I wanted them to become frustrated with Tim, to realize how good his life could be if he would just take that leap of faith. At the same time, I wanted to ensure them that being closeted doesn’t make you a bad person, even if it might drive you make bad decisions. Even after all he puts Ben through, Tim is still worth loving. I think we can forgive him of his short comings because all of us, gay or straight, understand what it’s like to be scared.

Q: The novel begins in 1996, and it’s a very different world with regards to open homosexuality and acceptance. Do you think there’s a big difference between being a gay teenager in the 90’s and now? Would ‘Something Like Summer’ have been different if it started with Ben being a high school student in 2011?

I get a lot of letters from young gay people and the experiences sound very much the same. The biggest difference today is how high profile issues like gay marriage are, and how gay people and couples are being represented more and more in the media. The importance of this can’t be underestimated. I still remember the first time I ever saw a gay porn magazine, and being amazed that the guys inside weren’t leather daddies or drag queens. I honestly didn’t know that gay people could look just like anyone else. Thanks to the caricatures portrayed in films like Police Academy, my views were seriously skewed. I think that sort of naïveté isn’t as common today. Kids are growing up seeing a variety of gay characters on TV, and hopefully recognizing that their options are unlimited.

Q: I love the cover art of ‘Something Like Summer’! Did you do the artwork yourself?

No, the cover art is done by a ridiculously talented and handsome artist. His name escapes me at the moment, because I can’t stop thinking about how boyishly sweet his eyes are when he smiles, the way he moves his lips when he writes a letter, or the way he sings falsetto gibberish while taking a shower.

All right, all right, the artist’s name is Andreas and he’s my husband. Andreas has his own creative career, so being able to come together for book covers or the interior illustrations of The Cat in the Cradle has been very fulfilling for us both. Not as good as sex, mind you, but still pretty nice.

Q: Just from browsing your website and reading your blog, it sounds like you’re living a pretty romantic love story yourself. You moved to Germany to be with your husband (without knowing the language or anything?!)! Do you have any plans to turn your real-life romance into a novel?

Luckily, our relationship would be much too boring to make a good story. Conflict is what drives every plot forward and Andreas and I have had surprisingly little in our time together. However, I imagine that as time goes by, some aspects of our relationship will sneak their way into my stories, if they haven’t already.

Q: Do you read a lot of gay fiction? Who are some of your favourite LGBT authors and what are some of your favourite books?

I read a fair mix of gay and straight fiction. As for LGBT authors, I read all the usual suspects, but there are some names that don’t get mentioned enough. Chris Corkum’s “XOXO Hayden” really blew me away. The concept of a normal kid’s life becoming intertwined with that of a pop star sounds unrealistic, but he managed to make it completely believable and moving. I think this novel will be a hit if it ever comes out as a reasonably priced eBook.

I was late in discovering R.W. Day’s “A Strong and Sudden Thaw” but highly respect the novel’s class, heart, and especially the character voices. I was turning the pages of that one so fast that the book nearly caught fire.

Rick R. Reed hardly needs any introduction, but I think his novel “Orientation” deserves more love. The book's concept is original and the execution thrilling. I suspect it will one day be considered a classic and a must-read for the gay genre.

Q: What novels/short stories are you working on at the moment?

I have an upcoming short story called “Language Lessons” about an arrogant brat that thinks he’s too good for love. I expect it to be out in the spring if my dreadfully (ok, wonderfully) honest test readers stop giving me such a hard time about it. Later this year should see the release of my third full length novel, currently with the working title of “Purgatory,” which takes place entirely in the afterlife realms of different world religions. Here’s the blurb:

John Grey is dead… and that’s just the beginning of his problems.

Purgatory should have been a safe haven for souls that belong neither in Heaven nor Hell, but instead John finds himself in a corrupt prison, one bereft of freedom or pleasure. Along with his decedent friend Dante, John makes a brave escape from Purgatory only to fall straight down to Hell and into the arms of Rimmon, a handsome incubus. After succumbing to Rimmon’s charms, John is soon playing ambassador to Hell, visiting the afterlife realms of other cultures to recruit an army strong enough to stand against Heaven. As interesting as his new job is, John's mind keeps returning to Purgatory and the souls still trapped there. Somehow John must stop a war he doesn’t believe in and pull off the largest prison break in history, all while desperately trying to attract the attention of an incubus whose heart belongs to another.

Q: What advice do you have for any budding novelists?

Never give up. Do everything in your power to get your stories out there. If you can’t find an interested publisher or agent, I promise you that you’ll still find interested readers, and their opinion is the only one that matters.

________________

Many thanks to Danielle and Mr. Bell for a fabulous interview!!!

Jay Bell can be found here:
Blog: http://www.jaybellbooks.com/
Twitter: @JayBellBooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaybellbooks

Interview with Deirdre Martin, author of Icebreaker

Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors - Deirdre Martin! I love her NY Blades hockey series and her latest book in the series, Icebreaker, is out this month:



Before I get started, I have to fangirl gush for a moment: Your books have turned me into a lover of all things hockey, although I’ve never seen a game (in real life or TV). I’ve added “seeing a live hockey game” to my Bucket List! (Hopefully hubs is reading this, lol)

Book Addict: First, the obvious question: Are you a fan of hockey? If so, do you have a favorite team?

Deirdre Martin: Oh yeah, I’m a hockey fan!I wasn’t a fan of any kind of sport (unless you count tangling with others at a Used Book Sale) until 1993 or so, which is when Mark Messier came in as Captain of the New York Rangers. My husband was so riveted (He’d been a Mess fan for a long time) I started to watch hockey with him, and I was soon hooked. And continue to be. My favorite team is still the Rangers.

Book Addict: Do you base any of your characters on real players? Do you have a favorite character in this series?

Deirdre Martin: Ty Gallagher, the hero of BODY CHECK, is an amalgam of Messier and the former Captain of the New Jersey Devils, Scott Stevens. If you stretched it a bit, you could probably say Quinn O’Brien in WITH A TWIST is based on a real beat reporter for a tabloid in New York.

As for my favorite character in the series, I’d have to say it’s Michael Dante from FAIR PLAY. He’s emotional, he’s determined, he’s romantic..and he’s also quite funny. I love writing scenes between him and his brother, Anthony (who’s the hero of JUST A TASTE). They both have quick tempers that flare up when they’re together, but you’re never in doubt that the love is there between them.

Book Addict: I love picking up one of your new books and revisiting with familiar favorites as well as meeting new characters. After 10 books, how do you keep all your characters straight?

Deirdre Martin: I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that! I often don’t keep them straight. I should probably make a big family type tree and pin it to the wall by my desk, but somehow I just haven’t gotten around to it. As a result, I do wind up spending time going through the books, often to double check the dates on things. I once had MONICA from POWER PLAY with the wrong Mitchell brother throughout the second half of the book. Thank God I caught it before I handed the manuscript in! I also have to go back a lot to double check what positions I have various heroes’ playing on the ice, what years the Blades won the Cup and what years they didn’t, and the names and ages of Michael and TY’s kids, which obviously progresses as the books go on. Again, a chart would be handy, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

Book Addict: I really enjoyed Icebreaker. Sinead and Adam are both private people and watching them open up and get closer to each other was engaging. As their relationship progresses, they struggle with real life issues regarding male and female stereotypes. Did you draw from personal experiences while writing Icebreaker?

Deirdre Martin: I did. I put a lot of myself in Sinead: the workaholism, the migraines..when my younger sister had her first child, I didn’t handle it very well. I was envious, and a wreck whenever I babysat my niece. I was convinced I would do something wrong: overfeed her, underfeed her, drop her on her head, you name it. Thankfully no harm came to her while in my care!

A long time ago I was a copywriter in an office that was predominantly male, and always felt I had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. Obviously it didn’t work: the day one of the head honchos said, “Can you go get me some coffee, hon?” was the day I was outta there.

Book Addict: Is it difficult coming up with new stories and keeping the series fresh? What do you do for inspiration?

Deirdre Martin: I do have a hard time coming up with new stories. I’m always envious of writers who say they have tons of ideas in their head, and they can’t write their books fast enough to keep up with them.

For inspiration, I try to keep it close to home and see what happens. For example: the inspiration for Gemma from TOTAL RUSH sprang from the fact I was learning to read tarot cards. Monica in POWER PLAY was inspired by the lack of respect for romance writers in the world of fiction. We’re often called hacks, as are soap actors. Quinn emerged as the hero for WITH A TWIST because there’s a beat reporter at the Daily News in New York who I think is amazing, and I thought it might be interesting to build a world set in the newspaper office of a tabloid at a time when newspapers are disappearing.

Book Addict: I like the Irish storyline that weaves through your books – have you been to Ireland?

Deirdre Martin: I’ve been there, and I love it. If someone offered me a job in Dublin, I’d be on a plane within an hour. I hate to stereotype, but I’ve never encountered any rudeness in Ireland, either in Dublin or in the country. Unless you count sheep; they’re very rude, spilling onto the country roads and making you wait for them to clear.

Book Addict: Do you see a definite end to the NY Blades series or will you keep writing as long as you have stories to tell? (Please say you’ll keep writing, lol)

Deirdre Martin: I don’t see an end to the Blades series at all! As long as I have stories to tell that will keep readers interested, I’ll keep writing them.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions and congratulations on Icebreaker’s release!

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0425239799
ISBN-13: 978-0425239797

Good thing high-powered attorney Sinead O'Brien has a rule about never dating clients. Because Adam Perry, the newest star of the New York Blades—and her newest client—has her headed for the penalty box. If only she could prove he's just another jock...

Adam's been charged with assault after a borderline hit on another star player, but off the ice he's a private, no-nonsense guy who knows the Blades are his last shot at Stanley Cup glory. Assembling her case, Sinead tries not to get distracted by Adam's dazzling good looks or strong work ethic, but she quickly discovers that there's a wounded man under that jersey, and she's starting to fall for him—hard.

Now Adam's having trouble focusing on the goal with Sinead in his sights. And Sinead is tempted to break her "no dating clients" rule. Can they play on their new found feelings without penalties?

Interview and Giveaway with Robin Kaye

I recently read Yours for the Taking by Robin Kaye, the fourth book in her Domestic Gods series. (My review here) This is a series I really enjoy and I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to interview her:

Book Addict: I love the “marriage of convenience” storyline but usually I see it in a historical novel. Was it difficult to work that into a contemporary setting?

Robin Kaye: The “marriage of convenience" storyline happened by accident. I was writing Too Hot to Handle and my heroine, Annabelle had just broken up with Mike, the hero. She was in her office, talking to her best friend/boss, Ben, still holding a tissue box and wiping her tears when Ben surprised the hell out of me and proposed to her. I was shocked. I had no idea that he needed to get married in with a year. It worked really well with the plot of Too Hot to Handle and when something unexpected like this happens I’ve learned to just go with it. I think my subconscious works a few books ahead and doesn’t bother cluttering my conscious mind with unnecessary information. I wrote Breakfast in Bed next, and when my editor called and asked for Ben’s book, the “marriage of convenience” storyline was a given. Since the reason for it had already been set up in Too Hot to Handle, I found it pretty easy to put a modern twist on it. Ben needed to marry to keep his grandfather from selling the ranch where Ben had lived with his parents before their death. When Ben proposed the idea of a marriage as a business deal to Gina, she had her own reasons for accepting it. It would give her some much-needed cash to right a wrong she’d felt guilty about for most of her life.

Book Addict: After reading the last book in the series, Breakfast in Bed, I didn’t think I was going to like Gina, but once I started reading I was really rooting for her happiness. Do you know your character’s stories before you’ve written their book?

Robin Kaye: Yes, I do, but that doesn’t mean the reader does. When I “met” Gina in Romeo, Romeo, I knew she had one hell of a backstory. She fascinated me and it wasn’t long before I learned her life story. Still, she was a secondary character, so as a writer, I struggled to keep Gina and the rest of the secondary characters in their place until they earned their own books. Both Gina and Ben tried repeatedly to take over the books they were in. I was thrilled to finally write theirs.

Book Addict: Yours for The Taking is set in the city and the country. Have you lived in both places? Which do you prefer?

Robin Kaye: Yes, I was born in Brooklyn and lived in and around New York for years. When I was about 7 years old, my dad bought a farm with his two best friends in Nampa, Idaho (right outside of Boise). We’d visit my dad’s friends and ski in Boise. A year or so later, they bought a condo in Sun Valley. I grew up visiting Idaho and when I was about 8, I remember sitting on a chairlift with my dad on Bogus Basin (the ski mountain right outside of Boise) and telling him that when I grew up, I was going to live in Boise. He said “What the heck are you going to do in Boise, you’re from Brooklyn?” When my husband and I married, we honeymooned in Sun Valley. As we drove back to Boise to fly home, I said “Let’s move to Boise.” He liked the idea, we moved eight months later and lived in Boise for ten years. I can’t wait to go back. As for which I prefer, I guess I’d have to say Boise. I love the weather, the mountains, and the fact that there’s so much to do there. My family and I adored living in Boise. Still, if I could afford to, I’d live between Brooklyn and Boise.

Book Addict: I’ve heard some authors talk about their characters controlling the storyline. When writing, do you control your characters or do they tell you what they want to do?

Robin Kaye: I like to think I control the characters. I tell myself that my subconscious works a few books ahead and when it seems as if the characters do something I’m not expecting, I chalk it up to my subconscious mind just not clueing my conscious mind in on the details. It’s taken me a while to formulate my “excuse” but it works for me. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Book Addict: I see on your author profile you’re from Brooklyn, and your books contain a lot of “Italian family”-type settings. Do you draw on your own experiences to use in your books?

Robin Kaye: I’m from a very Italian family so I guess I do. Though, to be truthful, my family is way over-the-top—if I used them in my books, no one would believe it. I’ve taken what I know of my family and friends and toned them down to come up with more believable characters. I’ve always been a people watcher and I think that helps as a writer. It’s easy for me to come up with fictional characters. They come alive in my imagination with their quirks and their own voices. That’s what makes writing so fun. For me it’s like making new imaginary friends.

Book Addict: How many books are you planning for the series? Do you have any new projects coming up?

Robin Kaye: Yours for the Taking is the last book in the Domestic Gods series, but I’m writing a connected series called Domestic Gods Gone Wild. This series features Ben’s cousins who all make an appearance in Yours for the Taking. The first book On the Wild Side is Hunter Kincaid’s book and is currently in revisions. I have two more under contract—Trapper and Fisher’s books. There’s a possibility of a fourth, we’ll see if people want to read Karma Kincaid’s story. I know I want to write it!

Book Addict: I read your “Top 10 Reasons Why Women Love Domestic Gods” (here) and cheered for each one. Is your husband the model for this list? :-)

Robin Kaye: My husband is a Domestic God but he’s not the world’s most romantic man. In my Top Ten List, I’ve added a few romantic details my DH has a habit of leaving out. But then I do write fiction.

Book Addict: Robin, thank you so much for stopping by and congratulations on the release of Yours for the Taking!


The Giveaway: Thanks to Sourcebooks, I have two (2) copies of Yours for the Taking to give away! (US and Canada addresses only please) To enter, leave a comment below; giveaway ends Friday, February 4.

YOURS FOR THE TAKING BY ROBIN KAYE
– IN STORES JANUARY 2011

He might be too good to be true…
Ben Walsh shouldn’t be single. Handsome and wealthy, Ben is equally at home in Idaho where he grew up and in Manhattan where he’s now an art dealer. Suave and successful with impeccable taste, he normally has women beating down his door. But the one woman he wants can’t be convinced that he’s for real…

She isn’t sure if she has time for fairy tales…
Gina Reyez has fought for every bit of her success, and it’s about time for things to start going her way. So when Ben makes a proposal that will allow her to take care of her family the way she wants to, she agrees. Besides, a guy this perfect would never be interested in her...right? By the time Gina figures out that she’s read Ben all wrong, the arrangements are made, the papers are signed…but what exactly are they getting themselves into?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Kaye is a professional writer and winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award for her first novel, Romeo, Romeo. Her romantic comedies feature sexy, nurturing heroes and feisty, independent heroines. She lives with her husband and three children in Mt. Airy, Maryland, where she is working on a brand new series for release 2011 and 2012. For more information, please visit www.robinkayewrites.com/.

Blogiversary Day 2: Interview and Giveaway with Gini Koch!

(Cover art copyright Daniel Dos Santos)

So, I recently read and LOVED Gini Koch's Touched by an Alien (my review here). I liked it so much I decided I had to give away a copy for my 1 year blogiversary celebration. When I asked Gini for some of her "free stuff" to give away, she also kindly agreed to do an interview!

Book Addict: Where did you get the idea for a race of super-hot guys? (And I love that the women are not impressed!) Anyone in particular you used for “inspiration”?

Gini: This book was very organic for me -- it felt like it wrote itself. Therefore, I wrote down what the characters told me. And, really, it’s my world, my rules. Why NOT have them be super-gorgeous to Earthlings? I’d rather spend time with a whole lot of gorgeous than not and figure most readers are going to agree.

Also, remember that, to the female A-Cs, the men just look ordinary. The A-C women are brains, not looks, focused, and they’re all gorgeous, men and women alike, so it’s not any big thing to them. Which is, you know, lucky for Earth folk everywhere.

In a lot of cases I do use good looking actors as models, but not for this book. Kitty looks like Kitty, Jeff looks like Jeff, Christopher like Christopher, etc., in my mind. They don’t look like anyone else out there. While there are people who could play them in a movie or on TV, it would still be an impersonation, not “them”.

Book Addict: I also love that the hero, Jeff Martini, is a super nice guy right from the beginning and not some jerk who treats Kitty badly and has to be redeemed. Speaking of Jeff (rowr!), did you chose his name for the irony or did it just sound good at the time? If you don’t want to give anything away, just check Y or N:

_____Y _______N

(just like in grade school, right?)

Gini: ROFL. His name is Jeff Martini because that’s what he told me his name was. I’m not kidding, the characters are in full control. I’m merely reporting. ;-D (I didn’t know his middle name until Terry, channeling through Kitty, said it, either. Welcome to the party that is my mind!) So, no irony consciously intended.

I’m really glad that there’s so much love for Martini. Because I fully expected to get a lot of complaints that Kitty didn’t end up with Christopher. But Martini’s the right guy for her, and I’m glad that came through and the readers seem to have embraced it.

And, I’m not a fan of the idea that the guy who treats you like dirt is, somehow, the right guy for you and that you should, therefore, kick the nice guy to the curb for the awful crime of treating you well and caring about you. There’s brooding and then there’s being a dick. I can take some brooding, but really, the dicks don’t get my chicks, at least not permanently.

Book Addict: Which leads us to Christopher – will we get to see a romantic storyline for him? All in all I did like him (and if Kitty’s mom likes him he must be an okay guy, right?)

Gini: Yes, but not immediately. I’m not going to say when, where, or how, but Christopher will score some action.

I like Christopher, too. He’s a great guy, a hero, just not the right guy for Kitty, in part because of how he acts when he realizes he likes her. In this world, there are three “right guys” for her, essentially, but Christopher isn’t one of them.

Book Addict: Is this a tease? 3 guys that are right for her? Have we met them yet? You’re killing me!

Gini: LOL, yes, it IS a teaser. All will be revealed (well, at least somewhat) in “Alien Tango”. And, technically, you have all the clues for who these three are in “Touched by an Alien”… *evil snicker*

And, yes, Angela does like Christopher very much. And she was pushing Kitty towards him, but more so that Kitty might possibly become aware that Christopher was interested in more than exchanging insults. Angela has a lot of experience with Kitty’s density, and Christopher is indeed more of what Kitty’s physical ‘type’ used to be.

Book Addict: With that in mind, will we see some side romance for the other characters? I like Reader and Gower, and a lot of romance readers enjoy a bit of m/m with their romance – will we see more of their relationship?

Gini: In terms of seeing more of Reader and Gower in the books, absolutely, and you’ll see more of them, and since they are a couple, you’ll see their interactions as Kitty sees them. But while I adore Reader and Gower, they’re an established couple, and this series is in first person POV, so you’re not going to see them in any intimate way.

I’m willing to do what I call a one-off, something that’s not “part” of the official series (like Janet Evanovich’s “between the numbers” books) but the series has to become very big before things like that are allowed.

But, you never know. If there’s enough interest from fans, I might do something special for fans only. We’ll just have to see. (Yes, I *am* being vague. It’s part of my mysterious charm. ;-D)

Book Addict: This is your first book – how did you score Daniel Dos Santos to do the cover? Do you have an amazing agent or did you just get lucky?

Gini: DAW likes me, they really, really like me! That’s the reason -- my editor rocks, and so forth. My agent IS amazing, but she didn’t affect the cover, that was my editor who is, admittedly, totally awesome.

Book Addict: I see you've been contracted for 4 books - will that be it? Do you have a set point to end the series or are you just going to run with it until you run out of ideas? Which leads to: are you a pantster or plotter?

Gini: No, 4 isn’t it, and I don’t have a set ending point. I can, and hope to, write these characters’ stories for a long time to come. I look at it this way -- I’m not the same person I was at 20 (and thank God, really), but I’m still interesting, and still have interesting things happening to me. I resent the idea that someone would think I’d always keep Kitty 27. She’s going to age and grow, just like everyone else, and just like everyone else in the series. And I think what you do when you’re 27 and single versus 30 and married with children is different, but still interesting. Plus, I’ll put a mini-van up against a sports car in terms of weapons toting and ramming effectiveness any day.

I don’t really run out of ideas. I don’t have writer’s block. I have the opposite -- more ideas than I may get to in my lifetime (and my family lives a long time). But, once I begin the writing process, I’m very much a linear writer (or pantster) -- I start with the title, then the first line, then write until the end. And I know when it’s the end. It makes it hard on my agent, because I literally need to finish a book before I can tell her what’s going to happen and how it’s going to end. But hey, it’s working for me.

You know, it dawned on me while writing this that I can’t stand the terms “plotter” and “pantster -- because the insinuation I take away from those is that a linear writer doesn’t plot and an outline writer never goes off course, and I know both of those to be false. (This qualifies as a deep insight out of me right now, btw, so take it for whatever that’s worth.)

Book Addict: What did you do to pay the bills before becoming an author? Or are you still working a day job and writing in your off time?

Gini: I worked in Corporate America in marketing. And, like many others, as of last year, I don’t work in Corporate America any more. It worked out -- writing’s been my real life for a long time now, and promotion’s a full time job once your book comes out. Plus, there are those other books to get finished. Oh, and the bills get paid by the hubs who is still one with Corporate America. No, I’m nowhere close to being able to live off my writing income. (Um, there IS income with this, right? Just checking…)

Book Addict: One of the recurring themes in this book is tolerance, and you address it without being “preachy”. Did you intend to include that theme as you were writing or did it just happen that way?

Gini: I’m glad it doesn’t come across as preachy, because I don’t want it to be. But intolerance, prejudice and bigotry exist in the world, and a whole lot of evil is done because of them. So they make for interesting themes to me, because they’re always going to be relatable in some way.

I was raised as a Quaker (Ben Franklin/Quaker Oats, not the Puritans) and found out as an adult that I’m actually Jewish. Quakers believe in tolerance and acceptance for all people and anti-Semitism’s been around for thousands of years. Both sides are an integral part of me as a person, so they’re an integral part of me as an author, too. It wasn’t a conscious thing, it’s just a part of the overall story the characters told me.

Book Addict: You’ve got a lot of great music interspersed throughout the book – just out of curiosity, how many Aerosmith concerts have you been to? (Or concerts in general, if you’d prefer)

Gini: Hmmm…well, not as many as I’d like. LOL. I think I’ve only seen Aerosmith 5 times live (and, yeah, I consider 5 times to be “only”…I could see Aerosmith every week and not feel like I’d had enough). I’ve been to a lot of concerts…at least 100 in the last 10 years. I love going to concerts and I have the same wide musical tastes as Kitty does, meaning I’ll go to almost anything. In one year I went to Steely Dan and Iron Maiden, and hit everything in between, too. That was a GREAT year, concerts-wise. As I think of it, that was also the year I sold “Touched by an Alien” and “Alien Tango”. Hmmm…I need to hit more concerts this year…

Book Addict: Any bits of yourself written into the book? Do you have any strange writing habits?

Gini: LOL. I love this question -- someone has asked me that at least once a year ever since I started writing -- and every other day since “Touched by an Alien” came out. I honestly don’t know how any author could answer any other way than, “Yes, of course I’m in the book.” The stories come from my head, I’m the god, I’m in there. I’m in Kitty, yes. But I’m also in Mephistopheles and all the other villains. And every other character and thing in the book.

All your experiences, thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc., join together to help you create. Some authors bleed ink, some, like me, love the process, but all of us put all of ourselves into what we write. The trick is doing it in a way that still leaves you, the author, separate from your creation. Otherwise, you’re writing an autobiography.

I don’t think any of my writing habits are strange, though the hubs did, until he discovered that for any habit I have there are at least a third of the writing population doing the same thing. I’m lucky, I can and do write in chaos. I need music more than anything else, though pictures of “the hunk du jour” always help, too. (Oh, and my current Hunk du Jour is Nathan Fillion, but he’s certainly not alone…my Hunks List is a very, very long list.) But music is the most important.

Otherwise, I don’t think I do anything massively out of the ordinary. I find silence very hard to work in, and I’m not one of those “lock myself away in a cabin with nothing but me and the laptop” kind of writers. You lock me up in some cabin with no distractions, no music, no nothing but “the work and the silence” and I won’t come out with a book -- I’ll come out with a straightjacket.

Book Addict: You mention in the book Jeff and Christopher “swap” personalities – will this be important in later books?

Gini: To clarify, you’re talking about how the mutual trauma they went through as young boys caused them to flip personalities, in that sense. It’s important more in that it helps you see how each of them reacted to it because it helped shape the characters into who they are today.

Honestly, if Christopher’s personality was what it had been as a boy, he’d indeed have landed Kitty. But, such is not the way of the world, and he’s been how he “is” for 20 years versus 10, so it’s pretty set in stone. However, will there be flashes of the “old” Christopher and Jeff? Sure, but at this time they’re not huge plot points, more like character moments.

Book Addict: Any chance TBAA will be made into a movie?

Gini: Always a chance, girlfriend. I got immediate Hollywood interest when we sold “Touched by an Alien” and “Alien Tango” two years ago, but they wanted male-driven, not female-driven. (Yeah, I know, apparently every successful female-driven movie is an anomaly to those who run Hollywood. But I digress…) At this time, there’s none that I know of, but you never can tell what’s right around the corner.


Book Addict: Kirk or Picard?
Gini: Oh, this is a trick question…because there is Old Kirk (William Shatner) and New Kirk (Chris Pine).

Between Old Kirk and Picard, I take Picard. Between Old Kirk, Picard, and New Kirk, I take New Kirk. (But my grandmother would have taken William Shatner in a New York Minute. Shatner was to her as Ben Affleck and Chris Evans are to me -- total hotness.)

Book Addict: Movie Adaptions of Comics – yea or nay?
Gini: For the most part yea. They don’t all work, but when they do, they’re awesome. And I think I like more of the ones that supposedly didn’t work than most, too. (Gives the LOVE to “Daredevil” and “Fantastic Four”…Affleck was DA BOMB in “Daredevil” and Chris Evans IS Johnny Storm! And, now, apparently, also Captain America. Which, yes, of COURSE I’m going to see. Yes, yes, you rightly sense a trend. They aren’t the only two Hollywood hotties I love, but they’re in my top 10.)

Book Addict: Edward or Jacob? (sorry, had to squeeze that one in there, LOL!)
Gini: Jacob. Give me the hottie fur boy over the fanged brooder any time.

AND, yesterday the official cover was revealed for the next book - Alien Tango (release date Dec 7!)! Isn't it gorgeous? I cannot wait to read this book!

(Cover art copyright Daniel Dos Santos)

Thanks so much Gini for being my first interview - it was a lot of fun!!!

If you'd like to learn more about Gini or her books, check out her website here!

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Giveaway:

I have one copy of Touched by an Alien, along with a signed bookplate, signed cover flat, and Alien collective magnets to give away!

Here's the deets:

Open to all but you MUST follow this blog. Because Touched by an Alien has such a rockin' soundtrack - leave a comment and tell me your favorite band or a concert you've been to! Or, if you have a question for Gini, ask away!

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Ends June 29 at midnight central time.