Jacob Flores's Casting Couch Interview

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I dread this question because I’m so boring! I’m always afraid that people will read my answer, yawn, and then stop reading. But since you asked so nicely, I’ll spill a little of my boring life here on the casting couch.

During the day, I work in Her Royal Majesty’s secret service. I’m sure you’ve heard of that sot 007, well, I’m so good they call me Google07. I don’t just have a license to kill; I’ve got a license to dismember. I just have to be careful who I share that with, so please keep it to yourself.

But other than my work across the pond, I have a wonderful husband, three children, and two dogs. We live in a conservative south Texas town of 60,000, but we all plan on leaving as soon as possible, especially if my arch-nemesis from my secret service job Mr. Big finds me!

Oh yeah, I also teach college English and have been doing so for 17 years, so when I’m not writing, teaching, or saving the day, I’m also working on finding a cure for the common cold.

How did you get started in writing? What made you decide to submit your first story and what was your experience with that? Who was the first person you told when you got your first contract? What was their reaction?

I’ve actually been writing since I was a child. I used to write my own comic books. Naturally, Wonder Woman took center stage in those stories. She was always kicking ass and taking names or rescuing Superman or Batman with her lasso and yanking them out of sticky situations. There was just something about tying a man up that appealed to me at a very young age. :)

I submitted my first novel many years ago and when I was rejected, I didn’t take it well. I was young and allowed the rather nicely worded letter to wound my ego, and I stopped pursuing writing because I figured I wasn’t any good at it. It turns out that I just wasn’t mature enough to handle the business yet.

A few years ago, the writing bug hit me again. Not that it ever left, mind you, but it hit me with such force that I had no choice but to stop what I was doing and start writing. Then, somewhere about the early part of 2012, I submitted my first attempt at gay romance 3 to Dreamspinner, and they accepted the manuscript. I was ecstatic! Naturally, the first person I told was my husband, and he was so happy for me and proud of me too. He knew how hard I worked to get published! 

Where does your inspiration come from for your books?

I don’t get inspiration from one source. Sometimes I hear a song that somehow resonates within me and a plot is born. Photos of really hot men do that to me too. Go figure! Also, dreams can be pretty influential. My newest release The Gifted One, which comes out in March/April of this year from Dreamspinner actually came from a nightmare I had, and I decided to turn a small scene from my dream into a paranormal romance.

Who knew a dream about a demonic clown baby could turn into a romance novel? But hey, weirder things have happened I suppose.

Sometimes, though, the stories come from real life experiences, and I draw upon what I know and give it a little twist.



How do you make the important choices when it comes to writing your stories? Point of View? Voice? Theme? Title?

Point of view is easy. I seem most comfortable in third person omniscient. I’m thinking of trying limited third person, and I’ve toyed with the idea of a first person novel. Those two are very difficult for me though. I prefer to tell stories from more than one perspective. It’s just a style that fits my personality. You see, I’m someone who likes to be in the know. I can’t stand it when others know something I don’t! :)

Titles tend to come from the themes, and the themes work themselves out when I’m planning. I don’t typically start with a particular theme in mind. I usually flesh out my main characters and then create believable situations between them that lead to love and conflict. The theme and title usually comes during my planning of the novel, when I know what I want to put my characters through and how they are going to deal with those conflicts.



Are your characters purely fictional, or do you sample from people you've met in real life? Which one of your characters is most like you? How so?

I think most authors sample characters from people we know. It helps make the character more realistic for the author, which in turns makes the character realistic for the reader. I know I like to mix personalities of my family, friends, and loved ones into one character. For example, Justin from 3 is a mixture of my husband and me.



What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a writer?

For me, it’s just being published. It has been a dream of mine since I was a child. I’ve wanted to hold in my hands a work I created and that someone else wanted to pay me to share with the world. Everything else is just gravy.



If you could co-author a book with any other writer, who would it be?

That’s easy—Stephen King. He was the first author I read that wasn’t a school assignment. After Pet Semetary, I was hooked. I’d love to tell a really scary story with King. That would be fricking awesome!



What is the one book that you think that very few people have read but everyone should read? What are you reading right now?

While The House on Mango Street doesn’t qualify as a book few people have read, I still think it’s one that more people should read. It is a fascinating novella written by Sandra Cisneros. Each vignette in the book tells the tale of a little girl growing up in the barrio and trying to find out who she is. I think it has a message for any reader regardless of gender or ethnicity.

Actually, at this moment, I’m reading papers turned in by my students. Between grading and my own writing projects, I haven’t had time to read a new novel in a few weeks. I really need to rectify that.



What do you find the most difficult part of the writing process?

The revising/editing process.

When I’m writing the novel, it always makes sense to me, but after my beta readers have a go at the first draft, I’m amazed when they point out plot holes or character inconsistencies. I always think with each new draft: this one has no holes or inconsistencies, and then BLAM! My beta readers find them. Naturally, I’m grateful for that, but it’s the part I find the most frustrating. But no matter how crazy it might make me, I love writing. There’s little else I’d rather be doing.



What is a typical working day like for you? Where do you write? Do you wait for inspiration? Do you set certain writing goals? Are there any specific tools you use to help you write?

Well, I teach in the morning, and I write in the afternoon and evening in my plush and comfy chair in the family room. I don’t tend to set goals for myself although I do like completing at least a chapter each day. When I start a project, I typically start by fleshing out my main characters, getting a good sense for who they are and what they look like. After that, I plot out their love affair and conflict, and then I set to task on the computer filling in the points from A to Z. How I get to Z typically changes from the start of the project to its conclusion. I just love it when the stories or the characters take on a life of their own and move in ways I’d never planned. That’s when I know I’m in my groove. When my muse takes over and I simply go along for the ride.



What is your greatest guilty pleasure (literary or otherwise)?

You mean besides sex? Well, there’s watching television after having sex, or going on vacation and having sex, there’s also eating ice cream while…well, you get the picture. :)



And…last but not least: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the coming year?

I actually just submitted a manuscript to Dreamspinner. It’s called When Love Takes Over, and it will be the first book of what I’m calling The Provincetown Series. The series will be individual stories with overlapping characters. Provincetown is a town that my husband and I enjoy and that we return to every year, and I wanted to capture the romantic potential that the town holds, but also the romantic conflict that can occur in a town where anything goes!

The excerpt below takes place shortly after Zach arrives in Provincetown and finds himself inside a leather store. This is when Zach and his love interest Van first meet.

Zach made his way around the tub of lube and stood studying the latex wrestling suits and leather aprons that covered the far wall. He could understand the fascination with the wrestling singlets. Muscled guys rolling around in skimpy gear turned him on too.

However, he had no clue whatsoever why anyone would purchase a leather apron.

It resembled something a sadistic butcher might wear in a horror movie.

As he pondered what the aprons were used for sexually, the door to the dressing room fell open, and Zach gasped.

The store employee struggled to help a rather obese man shove himself inside a full-body leather suit. Talcum powder spotted the interior of the room and the outside of the outfit. It had also gotten on their faces. There was so much powder everywhere that Zach figured this must be what a coke den looked like. At least one that had exploded in on itself.

He wanted to turn around, but the spectacle proved to be too much of a train wreck.

The large man, who resembled Jabba the Hut trying to squeeze inside a Hefty bag, cursed as he attempted to force every roll of fat inside. His constant struggle caused sweat to drench his body, turning the powder that caked his pregnant, hairy belly into paste.

The poor employee, who knelt before the sweating crotch from which hung a tiny Vienna sausage, attempted to hike the suit further up the man’s meaty thighs. When that failed, he stood and yanked with all his might as the rotund fellow lifted his left leg in a vain attempt at assistance. The slick material, made even slicker by the man’s perspiration caused the employee to lose his grip.

The material snapped back quite unexpectedly for the big guy who already teetered precariously on one bulky limb. Unbalanced, he toppled backward onto the dressing room floor causing the layer of powder to explode upward and resulting in a momentary white-out in the small room.

Before he could help himself, Zach broke out into laughter.

The customer didn’t appreciate Zach’s sense of humor and called him a fuckwad.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized as he backed up.

Zach knew he needed to get out of there before he embarrassed himself further, so he turned around and bolted forward, completely forgetting about the display behind him. He struck the lube bin, which began a rather horrifying chain of events.

The display fell over, causing bottles of lube to roll throughout the store, some of which he squashed open with his large, blundering feet. When Zach backed up in surprise, he collided with the wall, which contained the aprons and rubber wrestling suits. The force of the impact caused the top row of hanging garments to fall from their perch and rain upon his head.

“Need some help?”

Zach looked up from amongst the aprons and crushed bottles of lube to find Mr. Tanned Body standing before him with a humorous twinkle in his steely eyes.

The roiling passion within Zach reluctantly surged forward once again.

 

Jacob's novel 3 is available now http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3285&cPath=55_655
and look for The Gifted One coming in March/April through Dreamspinner Press

You can follow Jacob’s musings on his blog at http://jacobzflores.com or become a part of his social media network by visiting http://www.facebook.com/jacob.flores2 or http://twitter.com/#!/JacobZFlores.

 

L. J. LaBarthe Casting Couch Interview

L. J. La Barthe is a French-Australian, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she has gone on to dabble in many things! She wrote a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school year book, her university newspaper and in her early teens, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English with a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places and researching.
L. J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy and contemporary Australian stories, usually m/m romance and featuring m/m erotica.
L. J. lives in the city of Adelaide, and is owned by her cat.

How did you get started in writing? What made you decide to submit your first story and what was your experience with that? Who was the first person you told when you got your first contract? What was their reaction?

I first started writing as a kid, writing stories to go with my drawings. I wrote and drew a story about Australian Humpty Dumpty when I was six or so for a competition, and I won, which was pretty awesome. I kept writing, different things, all through my teen years and early twenties, then started writing stories with a friend of mine, which we wrote for ourselves. Some years ago, I saw a call for stories for an anthology daily dose that Dreamspinner Press was doing, with the theme of gay marriage. It was the "To Have and to Hold" set, so I submitted a story and it was accepted.

When I got that first acceptance, I think I had a small out of body experience of the OMGYAYZ variety, lol. I rang my mum and told her, and told my closest friends, and we all did a lot of OMGYAYZ. It was pretty awesome.



Where does your inspiration come from for your books?

Everywhere. Music. Other books. Films. TV. Documentaries. Travel. Dreams. History. When I have writer block, I go stand in the bathroom, aka, the Room of Wisdom. For some unknown reason, inspiration hits in the bathroom!



How do you make the important choices when it comes to writing your stories? Point of View? Voice? Theme? Title?

I don't really make a conscious choice. I just write the story how it wants to be told.



Are your characters purely fictional, or do you sample from people you’ve met in real life? Which one of your characters is most like you? How so?

Fictional, definitely. I don't think any of them are particularly similar to me, to be honest.



What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a writer?

Getting published, definitely. Getting great feedback.



If you could co-author a book with any other writer, who would it be?

Oh wow. LOL, I don't know!



What is the one book that you think that very few people have read but everyone should read? What are you reading right now?

There's a few. "The Danilov Quintet," although only the first three are out so far, by Jasper Kent. "The Prince and the Program" by Aldous Mercer. At the moment, I'm reading "Eternal Rider" by Larissa Ione, which is the first of a quartet about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.



What do you find the most difficult part of the writing process?

Titles. I have a really hard time thinking up good titles. Synopsis and summaries, I am really pants at those.



What is a typical working day like for you? Where do you write? Do you wait for inspiration? Do you set certain writing goals? Are there any specific tools you use to help you write?

I read through my facebook, twitter and various blogs, then sit down and do some writing. Break for meals, then watch some TV, then do a bit more writing, then go to bed and read. I try to write something every day, even if it's only 100 words. It's good to get into the habit of doing it every day, I think. I have my laptop table set up in my living room, so I'm in the room with the cooler and the cat.



What is your greatest guilty pleasure (literary or otherwise)?

Cooking shows. I love things like "Masterchef Australia," Luke Ngyuen's shows, Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver's shows as well.



And…last but not least: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the coming year?

Today (20 Feb), I recieved the contract for "City of Jade," which is a novel length sequel to the short story, "City of Gold." The novel is very, very dear to my heart. It's set in the early twelfth century and covers the journey along the Silk Road, from Constantinople to Hangzhou, the experiences that Gallienus and Misahuen have in their quest to find a new home where they won't be persecuted for their love. I am SO thrilled it's been contracted, and by Dreamspinner Press, and my release period for that is June/July, so keep your eyes peeled for it! In the interim, the short story that inspired it is available here.

I also hope to have started on book five of my Archangel series. I have a novella coming out that's part of an anthology I collated. The anthology is called "Under the Southern Cross" and is a collection of Australian m/m romance stories by Australian writers. The other authors involved in my project are Isabelle Rowan, Meredith Shayne, RJ Astruc and Robyn Walker. The anthology covers historical, contemporary and futuristic genres, and is set all over Australia and is out with Dreamspinner Press. I am endlessly grateful to Elizabeth who was really wonderful and excited about the project right from my initial pitch.

My story is called "The Body on the Beach." It's set in 1920, in the city of Adelaide, my hometown. It's a historical murder mystery. Researching it was a lot of fun, I learned a lot about Adelaide that I previously didn't know. A snippet is as follows:

    Billy's gaze slid to his lover; Tom was looking at the newspaper article once again, his brow furrowed in concentration.

    Billy turned back to the Detective. "What else occurred?"

    Smythe took a deep breath. "The man who was found by the jetty at Brighton Beach, lying in the shallows, is unknown to us. He has no identifying features and his fingerprints do not appear to be in the records, although the Fingerprint Department is still checking. The coroner is examining the body to determine cause of death, and the man's clothing is also being carefully examined. However, what is of immediate concern is the symbol that was carved into his chest.

    "I had it copied most meticulously to be sure that it was correct in every detail. I hope you can translate this for us, Mr. Liang." Smythe set down his teacup and dug into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper, which he handed over to Billy.

    Billy's eyebrows show up as he unfolded it. "This is Chinese," he said slowly, "and it is the character shī - 失- which means 'lose.'"

    "Lose?" Smythe looked puzzled. "In what context? I mean, what did he lose? What was lost? Where was it lost?"

    Billy spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "It would depend on the sentence in which it was used. As it is the single character on its own, it could, as you say, mean one of many things."

    The Detective shook his head. "I fear that isn't as helpful as I was hoping it would be."

    "Perhaps I can offer my services as liaison with my countrymen?" Billy offered. "Myself and my good friend Tom can speak with my people and perhaps aid your case. They will be more likely to speak to us than an officer of the law, I'm sad to say."

    "I was hoping you'd offer." Smythe smiled in relief. "You've been of such great assistance to us in the past, Mr. Liang. I didn't want to bother you, but . . . " he trailed off.

    "It is no bother." Billy smiled reassuringly. "Indeed, I am more curious than before. I dislike unsatisfied curiosity, so I am more than happy to assist your investigations."

    Smythe drained the contents of his teacup and stood up. "Thank you, Mr. Liang. Could I prevail upon you and Mr. Bradley to come to the station first thing in the morning?"

    "Of course, Detective." Billy rose and extended his hand. Smythe took it and shook it warmly, and Billy smiled. "We will see you first thing tomorrow."

    "Thank you. I'll see myself out." Smythe picked up his hat, nodded politely at Tom. "Good evening, gentlemen."

    Once he was gone, Billy turned to his companion. "I was growing accustomed to the quiet," he mused with a rueful grin.

You can find LJ's website here: http://www.ljlabarthe.com/ 

Visit the Dreamspinner Press website for all LJ's books: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_116

where you can buy her newest work, Body on the Beach, or as part of the anthology Under the Southern Cross

Grace R. Duncan's Casting Couch Interview

I'd like to welcome Grace. R. Duncan, author of Choices to my blog for my first casting couch interview. Grace grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age—many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children—both the human and furry kind. She also teaches information technology classes at a local college.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance, and other erotica, or even dabbling in art.

How did you get started in writing? What made you decide to submit your first story and what was your experience with that? Who was the first person you told when you got your first contract? What was their reaction?

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember.  Some of them were constructive, some… not so constructive that got me into trouble.  I managed to tame that a bit through school and got away from writing entirely until about ten years ago.  Then I started writing again, mostly for myself.  About five years ago, I started publishing fanfiction of the het variety and then about two years ago, I was convinced to try my hand at original fiction.  With the encouragement of another friend who was in love with one of my original characters in another story, I finally had the courage to think I could write believable characters and wrote Choices.

It took me a long time.  Choices was my 2011 NaNo novel.  It took me over seven months before I felt like it was ready for submission.  My beta and I went through it some six times before I was willing to let go of it. I know I was being crazy, but I couldn’t help it. I was so nervous.  Finally, I put it together and it took me another day before I managed to work up the nerve to hit the “send” button. I let out a little scream when I did.

I am quite sure that Dreamspinner is very, very busy with submissions, but I got my confirmation within hours and then the waiting game started.  I think that, right there, is the hardest part of the publication process — the waiting game.  Editing is hard, don’t get me wrong (no one wants to hear what’s wrong with their story), but the waiting is a nightmare.  I think I checked my email twice a minute for the first two weeks.  I tapered off to once every… two minutes for the next two.  It took me a solid four weeks before I got myself to the point of waiting for my phone to tell me I had email.  Somewhere along the line, I think I stopped running after every little ding, but I can’t guarantee that.

When I got the email that they were accepting Choices for publishing, I did scream that time.   Brought the entire house running (and that’s saying something, in my house).  Finally, I managed to spit out to my husband what had caused me to scream and I'm pretty sure he was as excited as I was.



Where does your inspiration come from for your books?

A million different places.  Songs, pictures, sometimes. A single line someone says.  Anywhere and everywhere.  I currently have notes for some 15 different books/stories I want to write. And most of them came from the simplest of suggestions, like Choices did.



How do you make the important choices when it comes to writing your stories? Point of View? Voice? Theme? Title?
I most often write in third person.  It's just most comfortable for me.  I do have a few minute stories here and there in first person, however the vast majority are in 3rd. As far as the type of third person, that varies depending on the story and how much each of the characters wants to be heard.

The theme, like the title, just comes out as I work.  Sometimes, it's obvious early on (the working title and the theme for my current WIP - Deception, I've known since before I even submitted Choices) and for other things, I will write the entire story and the theme smacks me in the head after the fact.  Most of the time, my titles are hard won because I am terrible at coming up with them.



Are your characters purely fictional, or do you sample from people you’ve met in real life? Which one of your characters is most like you? How so?

I would never presume to try to claim that all of my characters or their attributes are entirely original. I doubt any author could claim that.  The fact is we absorb details better than most sponges absorb water and I am quite sure that we incorporate bits of real people and characters we love from other stories into our own whether we intend to, or not. 

That said, I do, in fact, often start with someone I know or the basic appearance or personality of a character I like and let them grow into their own person in my head.  Choices began that way and Teman and Bathasar quickly became very much their own people before I even realized it. 

As for who is most like me, I would have to say Teman. I have always been something of a nomad, liking to find out what's around the corner or over the hill. I am also very service-oriented like he is with the ingrained want to please those around me, which I will get into more in a blog post later, but is not really something that belongs here.



What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a writer?

Actually hitting the submit button on my first book.  This sounds a little crazy, maybe, but it's the truth.  For all that I've written over the years, for all that I've laughed and cried with my characters and my readers have laughed and cried with my characters, my biggest accomplishment was actually getting the nerve together to submit. Not getting accepted - just putting it out there.  And I'm incredibly glad I did because the journey has been incredible, so far and it's only just beginning.



If you could co-author a book with any other writer, who would it be?

Oh my. There are so many possible answers to this. But my very favorite authors that I think of first are either dead or in a genre that I couldn't conceive of writing in (I say this now, but just watch... I'll pen something in horror just because the fates love to make me eat my words). 

However, after saying that, there are any number of wonderful Dreamspinner authors that I would love to collaborate with. Just a couple that come to mind would be Shira Anthony or H.B. Pattskyn.  Someday, I would like to try my hand at collaboration. I've written fanfiction with a few folks before, so I think original could be fun, challenging and a wonderful learning experience.



What is the one book that you think that very few people have read but everyone should read? What are you reading right now?

Hmm... I doubt I have any that I can think of that few people have read.  I will say that one book everyone should get through at least once is the Lord of the Rings.  There are so many wonderful things in that book that I just think everyone could take something away from it, but I am well aware that fantasy isn't everyone's forte.



What do you find the most difficult part of the writing process?

Editing. Not my editing, though that is tough enough. It's getting the manuscript back from the other editors. I am far from someone who considers their words "precious little darlings". I have sentences, lines and phrases that I really like, but I am well aware that many things can go.

However, that is not the same as having something you've poured so much of yourself into get sliced to shreds. Yes, I am well aware that many authors have fragile egos.  It's not that, so much. But I came away from my first line edits wondering what the hell I was doing trying to write. Sort of like... How in the world did I have the nerve to think I could be published? It took my content editor — a truly wonderful person with the patience of a saint — to talk me down and remind me that obviously Dreamspinner saw something in it because they accepted it and I was, in fact, in the editing process, which meant I belonged there.



What is a typical working day like for you? Where do you write? Do you wait for inspiration? Do you set certain writing goals? Are there any specific tools you use to help you write?
On one of the few days that I am able to devote to writing I find that I work best if I can organize myself, first and foremost.  I set aside specific time to write, set goals for each session and sometimes go so far as to write on my smaller netbook instead of my main desktop computer because it is limited and, hence, I cannot easily be distracted. It doesn't always work, but it works most of the time.

For writing, I have joined the Scrivener group.  I find I like having all of my research in the same place, I can even keep my music playlist there, pictures and art for the story... A lot of things. It's really grown on me and I find myself missing it when I don't have it available.



What is your greatest guilty pleasure (literary or otherwise)?

Well, actually, I don't like to think of things as guilty pleasures.  That makes it sound like we should apologize or be ashamed of the things that we like or are attracted to.  In our genre, we write about men who are attracted to men and most of us recognize that this isn't a choice that they make. It is simply who they are. Likewise, the things we enjoy, our likes and dislikes aren't something we just decide one day.  Do I like chocolate or not? Do I enjoy reading (and writing) about two men? Then I do.  No matter what it is, I shouldn't feel guilty about it because it shouldn't be something I ought be ashamed of. Mind you, that doesn't mean that there aren't tastes out there that people shouldn't pursue (like true pedophilia, for instance) but for the most part, no, I don't feel guilty about the things I enjoy.



And…last but not least: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the coming year?
As I mentioned earlier, I have a ridiculous number of stories planned, however, my current WIP is the sequel to Choices, called Deception with Cyrus and Nadir of Choices. I hope to work on a third book in the same world, featuring Darius and Salehi.  And I have a novella series that I hope Dreamspinner will want.



Excerpt from Deception (Warning, this excerpt may contain spoilers):

Behekam, Neyem - 1095 A.D.

Bathasar slid along the alley, shifting from shadow to shadow.  He could just barely make out the footsteps behind him and made sure he kept enough distance between him and them to stay out of the man’s knife range.  He had no wish to go back to the palace with a wound that his advisors would lecture him over.

He took a swift right turn and then a left, but the footsteps never faltered.  He frowned and melted further into the shadows, reminding himself to be lighter on his feet. As malik, he rarely worried about how softly he walked, except if he was trying to let his lover sleep when he couldn’t. He forced himself to think like a thief or assassin and worked to shift his weight.  Thieves didn’t stride like a malik did, they slipped or tiptoed. 

Another turn to the left, then another right and Bathasar found himself facing a solid wall.  He grumbled under his breath and frowned, trying to decide if he should attempt to scale it or turn around.  Before he could choose, however, the first knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the fence next to him.  He spun on his heel and cursed soundly as three more found their marks around his torso, an inch of their blades buried in wood.

“Four? Where on Earth did you hide four?”  Bathasar asked, amazement and amusement fighting for dominance in his tone.

“Where I hid them, which is the same place I hid this one,” Teman said, holding a fifth knife, aimed at Bathasar’s stomach, “Isn’t an issue.  What is, is that I could have heard you walking from a mile away.  If you insist on striding, you might as well paint a target on your back.”

Bathasar laughed.  “You sound so peevish, love.”

Teman rolled his eyes.  “That’s because the idea of my love’s life being taken tends to make me a bit peevish.”  He pulled the knife back, spun it and it disappeared into his pants.  Bathasar watched, eyebrows going up.

“Have I mentioned lately that I am very grateful that you’re on my side?” He asked, chuckling.  “And really, let them come. I do know how to use the sword I carry, you know.”

“The problem, my love, is that they won’t let you get close enough to use it.  You would already be dead were it not for the fortunate position I was in my first night in the Grand Hall.  They have deadly aim. They do not miss and were it not for the fact that you had one on your side, you would be dead.” Teman shook his head and crossed his arms as he peered up at Bathasar through the gloom of the alley.

Bathasar sighed. “You are right, of course.  I promise next time to work harder at walking lighter.  It is exceedingly difficult. I have spent my entire life being groomed for the throne. It’s not easy to undo nearly thirty years of training.”

“I know.  But your life may depend on it.  I can’t always be at your side.”  Teman frowned and took the single step closer to Bathasar as his lover wrapped arms around him.

“I intend to change that.  I have been thinking about it and I do not think there’s anything you shouldn’t be able to be present for.” 

“Really?” Teman asked, looking up.

Bathasar nodded. “Yes.  Besides, if you insist on acting as my bodyguard,” he said, sighing and Teman chuckled at the put-upon tone.  “Then we must establish that you will be with me at all times. If they think I can’t live without my pleasure slave then they won’t question it.”  He paused to run his thumb over the jeweled collar that Teman wore.  “And you will be able to protect me.”  He frowned again. “I don’t like the idea of you being the one to protect me.”

“It makes sense. I’m more than capable of it and you are the much more valuable out of the two of us, love.”  Teman reached up and pushed a few stray strands of black hair out of Bathasar’s face.

Bathasar rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, so you’ve told me.  Well, I have had enough of ‘training’ for one night.  There are much more pleasant things I can think of to do with you.”

“Mmmm, I can agree with that,” Teman murmured and tilted his lips up to be caught by Bathasar’s.  A full minute later, they pulled apart, both having trouble breathing.

“Come, let’s get back inside.  I want you,” Bathasar managed as he struggled for air.  Teman had been back at the palace for nearly a year since his initial release and self-discovery and even after all that time, Bathasar still had trouble gathering wits after kisses like that.

Teman stepped back and took Bathasar’s hand.  “Then let’s not wait any longer, my love.” Teman grinned and Bathasar laughed as they turned toward the palace entrance.

Choices is available from Dreamspinner Press on March 4th. You can pre-order a copy of Choices here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3611&cPath=55_777
and Grace can be found on her
Website: http://www.grace-duncan.com/
Blog: http://gracerduncan.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorgraceduncan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gracerduncan
E-mail: duncan.grace.r@gmail.com

It All Begins Tomorrow

This year has been the most exciting year of my life, and just when I think things can't get any better, they do. I got a bit of news a couple of days ago that I am not 100% sure I am allowed to share yet, and it's been killing me because I want to tell everyone. Getting away overnight to the Glen (a place my husband and I escape to every once in a while where there is no internet or cell phone service) helped with the temptation, but now that I'm home, I just wanna spill.
A few more days and I'm sure I will be able to share.

In the meantime, the casting couch interviews begin tomorrow (or in a few hours if you wait up until midnight), and I am so excited to be hosting so many amazing authors here.

Grace R. Duncan is up first, so stay tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

To celebrate, since Xto is away this week, I spent my day studying the heart for my electrocardiography class, and writing about two men falling in love.

Fitting, isn't it?

It was a really great day though despite being by myself for most of it. Dreamspinner was giving away free books all day, and I managed to score copies of Plan B by SJD Peterson, Reflections of Love Valentine's Anthology, When One Door Opens by JD Ruskin, and World on Fire by Hayley B. James.


I am so excited and can't wait to read them all. Things have been so busy lately though and I have been sick for over a week, so I am way behind on my reading. I started reading Andrew Q. Gordon's The Last Grand Master last night, but passed out before I could get very far, which was a shame because so far I really like it.

So besides having a really great Valentine's Day, the rest of the weekend is going to be pretty awesome too. I have a ton of new reading material, my cousin is coming to town tomorrow and I get to see him play hockey, then Saturday, Xto and I are doing something really romantic for our belated VDay... we're going to see the new Die Hard movie.

Ah, the sexy and exciting life of newlyweds.

Red Letter Day

Yesterday was a really amazing day. After incessant refreshing of the Dreamspinner Coming Soon page, my book finally showed up. There it was, right at the bottom of the page, the gorgeous cover Brooke and Paul did for me, and there was my name right next to it. And the icing on the cake is that it snuck on there just in time for people to take advantage of the Mardi Gras sale!

Here it is:
Ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3620
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3621


I wrote a book. I did. A real book. That is now for sale. I am no longer just a writer. I am an author. A real one.

I didn't know how happy seeing my book on the website would make me. I've been envisioning it for months and when it finally happened, I was home alone. I didn't have enough phones to call everyone I wanted to tell all at once.

So that was exciting news chunk number one. In fact, here is a section of a screenshot to commemorate the event.


Number two came at the same time in the form of my ad pack. I have been drooling all over my cover since I got the final draft, and now I have a whack of stuff to go with it. I am beyond happy. In fact, that banner you see at the top right there? That's one of the files. Awesome, is it not?

Number three came a few minutes later when I realized that the Dreamspinner website was not the only place where my book could be found. That's right. It's on Goodreads. Despite the nightmare that I had last night it was exciting to see (not a single person read my book, DSP cancelled my contract and banned me from submitting ever again, and somehow, even though no one had read the book, it had a rating of negative six on Goodreads... and I was a tango teacher on a cruise boat).
Seeing it on Goodreads made it seem more real, somehow. So that was number three. I also got to apply to link the author profile with my personal profile, so I am now officially an author on Goodreads.

The final bit of super awesome exciting news is that my unconscious prophecy has already been avoided. Someone ordered my book. Henrietta Clarke tweeted about it, and here it is so I can remember forever. SO EFFING EXCITING!

So that was my day, and it was one of the best days I've had in a long time.

Any ideas on how I should celebrate?

Baby, What's Your Number?

Just over a month left until my first book is on shelves all over the place. With so many exciting things going on in the next month, I wanted to take a step back and look at everything coming up. So let's see the numbers:


Three
The number of days until Keeping Sweets should (theoretically) show up on the Coming Soon page at Dreamspinner Press. I am embarrassingly excited about this. I've been periodically checking the page just in case they decided to put it up early. I won't tell you how long I've been doing that, because it would be far too humiliating.

Nine
The number of stops on my blog tour

I will be visiting:

Kim Fielding on March 12th
J.R. Loveless on March 14th
Charlie Cochet on March 16th
Chris T. Kat on March 18th
Andrew Q. Gordon on March 21st
Skylar M. Cates on March 23rd
Jana Denardo on March 26th
Anne Barwell on April 1st
and L.J. LaBarthe on April 3rd

I'm not completely sure on the topics for all of them yet (nothing like leaving things to the last minute), but there will be a couple of interviews, I'll be chatting about what went into writing Keeping Sweets, and there will be a giveaway!


Eleven
The number of days until the Casting Couch interviews start. I am really excited about this. Stay turned on February 19th for the first one.
If you'd like to read Evan and Bran's casting couch interview, click here for an excerpt from chapter two.

Nineteen
The number of authors participating in the Casting Couch interview. We have Grace R. Duncan, Jana Denardo, Jacob Flores, Talia Carmichael, Isabelle Rowan, Jamie Fessenden, Andrea Speed, Andrew Q. Gordon, Zahra Owens, Matthew Lang, Faolan Kurayami, Eden Winters, Anel Viz, Skylar M. Cates, L.J. LaBarthe, Charlie Cochet, Jessica Skye Davies, Anne Barwell, and Lex Chase.
They will be answering questions about their writing process, their favourite books and their guilty pleasures.

Thirty-One
The number of days until Keeping Sweets is released. I have been counting down the days for this since I received the email with my release date. It's been pretty much all I can talk about lately, much to the annoyance of those close to me. :D
Six months ago, I thought that it would take forever for March to arrive, but looking back it has gone so quickly that I really can't complain. It's been filled with a multitude of brand new experiences, and I am brimming full of new information. I have learned so much through this whole process and I can't wait to apply that knowledge and do it all over again!

Casting Couch Excerpt from Keeping Sweets

In just a few days, the casting couch interviews will start with nineteen different authors from Dreamspinner Press. In preparation for those interviews, I wanted to give you a taste of Keeping Sweets, in the form of Evan's casting couch interview with Bran and it gets a little steamy (no guarantees the author interviews will end up the same way).

Evan is from a little town called Fairfax. This is the first time he's been in a larger city and has been called in for an interview with Les, the owner of the company, and Bran, who stage name is Noah, the star. Evan has already undergone the initial interview, and this is the scene where he films his "casting couch" interview to go live on the website.

Keeping Sweets will be out March 11th from Dreamspinner Press.

“Here we go.” Les gave the signal and counted down to the camera rolling.

Bran looked directly into the camera and gave the half smile that was his trademark.

“So we’ve got a new boy here with us at Sonic. Why don’t you tell us your name?”

“Jackson.”

“How ya doin’, Jackson?” He kept his tone confident and lighthearted. Despite his reservations, he wanted Evan to feel as relaxed as possible.

Evan laughed a little. “I’m good, Noah, thanks.”

“So we’re here to learn a little bit about you, so let’s start with where you’re from.”

“I was born and raised in Idaho. Never actually been anywhere else.”

“Anywhere in particular you’d like to visit?”

“Well, I guess I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. You know, hang out at the beach all day and play in the waves? Sounds pretty good to me.”

“I’m sure everyone at home would like to see that. I know I would. How old are you?”

“Eighteen.” Evan licked his lips and smiled. He was a natural at this, even though he didn’t know it. He flirted easily with Bran, seemingly unaware he was even doing it.

“So are you in college?”

“Not yet. This was my last week of my senior year of high school, but I’m hoping to go to college in the fall.”

“What are you going to study?”

“Microbiology and ecology.”

“Wow. Smart and hot. You’re the whole package. Speaking of packages, we’re going to see yours in a few minutes. When’s the last time you jerked off?”

The tips of Evans ears turned a light pink. “About two days ago I think.”

“And do you masturbate a lot?”

“Not really sure what qualifies as a lot, but it varies. Sometimes a few times a week, sometimes four or five times a day.”

“Sounds pretty normal to me. Why don’t you tell us about your first sexual experience.”

Evan blushed deeply, scarlet staining his cheeks. “How about I let you know in a few minutes.”

Bran’s breath stalled in his chest. “Cut, Les. Now.” He turned to Evan. “You’re a virgin?”

“Uh, yeah. Is that a bad thing?”

Les chose that moment to insert his two cents. “Not at all, sugar, in fact, that is a very, very good thing. Our members are going to love you.”

Bran leaned in closer to Evan. “You sure you want to do this? I mean, you might be in a bit over your head with all this.”

Evan looked even more embarrassed but hardened his expression to one of neutrality. “I’ll be fine.”

Bran hoped Evan knew what he was doing, but he wasn’t the kid’s keeper. He was eighteen, old enough to make his own decisions.

“Alright, let’s keep going then.” Bran put his game face back on and smiled at Evan.

“So, Jackson, are you straight, gay, bi?”

“The jury’s still out on that one. My theory is gay, but I’ve never had a chance to test it out.”

“This should be interesting then.” Bran gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Why don’t we get a bit more relaxed; can you take your shirt off for me?”

“Sure.” Evan reached behind him and dragged his T-shirt up over his head once more. His stomach muscles tensed with the effort and Bran felt the effect the boy’s body had on him again. He felt himself harden inside his shorts. He hadn’t expected getting it up this afternoon. He hadn’t taken his little blue pill. This was all Evan. Bran was impatient to see all of him.

“Nice. You work out a lot?”

“Not really. Not at all. Good genes I guess.”

“Why don’t we see how good the rest of your genes are? Why don’t you take off your pants?”

Evan stood and undid his belt, then wiggled a little as his jeans pooled on the floor at his feet. He kicked them away and sat back on the couch. Instinctively, he reached for his rigid shaft and stroked slowly to bring it to full length.

Bran was having a hard time concentrating on the questions he was supposed to be asking. “Even nicer. You have quite the body. What are your stats?”

“Uhh, I’m about five seven and about 125 pounds. I’m pretty small.”

Bran gave an easy laugh. “You’re not small everywhere.”

Evan smiled and nodded. “Lucky with proportions. Dick looks bigger because I’m so small.”

“I dunno about that. Looks good to me. Should we see what you can do with it?”

Evan raised his eyebrows, which made him look tempting as sin. Bran absolutely wanted to attack him, show him how good it can be when two people want it, and Bran definitely wanted it.

Evan’s breathing was already becoming ragged as he dragged his fist up and down. Bran flushed with desire. He needed to remember the rules. He wouldn’t get attached. He would keep this compartmentalized.

Get yourself under control, Bran, he mentally castigated himself.

He pulled off his own T-shirt, trying to lower his temperature and get his body back under control. His cock was pressing insistently against his zipper, begging to come out. He was used to coming multiple times per day and he hadn’t gotten off at all today. It was borderline painful.

Evan had increased his speed, his breathing quickening along with the rhythm of his strokes. His eyes fell closed as his head bobbed back, mouth open slightly. He was far too tempting not to touch.

Bran reached over and ran his hand from Evan’s knee to hip, feeling the soft skin, the light dusting of pale hair, and the tensing of muscles beneath his palm. Watching Evan’s expression carefully for any signs of discomfort, he allowed himself to continue lightly trailing his fingertips farther north over his left nipple.

Evan let out a small moan of pleasure. So, he had sensitive nipples. Bran could work with that. He leaned over and placed his lips on the side of Evan’s neck. He sucked gently, eliciting more moans from Evan, who was now so far gone in his pleasure that all he could do was feel.

That was exactly what Bran wanted him to do. Feel good. He pressed gentle kisses down his neck and over his shoulder before dropping lower to lave and suckle at his nipple. Evan lost it then, increasing his pace and thrusting up into each counter movement of his hand.

The sound of Les’s voice shook them both from the erotic spell that enveloped them.

“Noah, pull Jackson into your lap. Touch him.”

Bran lifted his head and looked at Evan, raising his eyebrows in question. Evan’s pupils were blown and his gaze glassy with need, but he managed to give a slight nod. That was all the permission Bran needed.

He reached over, hooked Evan under the armpits, and pulled him into his lap. The few inches difference in height made for a perfect fit. Bran reached beside the couch for the bottle of lube they kept there. He poured a healthy amount into his palm and pulled Evan’s hand away to replace it with his own. Gripping tightly, he ran his fingers over Evan for the first time. Evan hissed and arched against him, bucking up into his hand.

“Oh my God, Noah. So good. So, so good,” he whimpered.

The friction of Evan’s ass against Bran’s raging erection was torturous. It felt good, but wasn’t enough to give him the relief he craved. He used his other hand to push Evan’s hips back down, holding him close against his body. He could feel the heat rising off the boy, driving his passion to a fever pitch.

He once again tried desperately to get his own body under control. This wasn’t about him. This was Evan’s first time, and he wanted to make it as good as possible. He leaned forward and brushed soft kisses against Evan’s temple.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, just relax and let me take care of you.”

Evan let his head fall back against Bran’s shoulder, surrendering his body to him to do with what he pleased. Bran wanted desperately to bury himself inside the younger man’s body.

He could feel Evan trembling with the need for release. He was close. Bran could feel it. He snaked his hand down and pressed his fingers firmly against the sensitive skin behind Evan’s balls. Evan cried out as he came. Thick ropes of come splashed over his stomach and coated his abs and Bran’s fingers.

Bran slowed his strokes to bring Evan down slowly. He laid kisses along his neck and shoulders as Evan relaxed back against him.

That was so hot Bran had almost come in his pants. He needed to get a grip before he lost it entirely. Maybe one too many years of denying any sort of connection with the guys he worked with had come back to bite him in the ass. He was going to have a hard time denying the attraction he felt for this one.

A Good Day

Today was a really excellent day for a lot of reasons.

First, I got to sleep in, because this was the first Saturday in a long time that I didn't have to work. Sad for my bank account, but happy for me. Also, Xto was home, so we were able to spend the day together.

Andrew Q. Gordon was doing a chat on the DSP facebook page this afternoon. I stopped in and chatted with everyone for a while. I really enjoy the author chats. It's a great place to get the inside scoop on the story and personal little tidbits about the author. Andrew hosted a giveaway, throwing everyone's names into a hat, and having his adorable little girl pick one... and she chose mine!

I am really looking forward to getting my copy of The Last Grand Master. It sounds really interesting, and I can't wait to read it. Plus, it's even more exciting because I actually won something. I think that is the first time I've ever won anything. Ever. Pretty exciting stuff.


After that, Xto and I went out for a walk. We just went down the road to the urban forest again where we usually walk, but today did three laps instead of the usual two. It was a beautiful day, but my hips were cursing him by the time we'd finished. I was one sore little girl.

Then we got home and I received an email from DSP saying that my bio was up on the website. I actually squealed... out loud. Loud enough that Xto came out of the kitchen where he was cooking me dinner (another plus for today) and asked me if everything was okay. I lifted my laptop up and proudly showed him what had me so excited.

I'm up there. I am officially (at least according to the internet) one of DSP's authors. I am over the moon happy. I immediately spammed everyone I knew with the link so they could share in my joy. Lex Chase, whose novella is coming out two days after my novel, checked the website, and lo and behold, there was her name too. We were both so excited, and she made me this to commemmorate the event.

Isn't it great?

So Many Projects...

Last night, my phone buzzed at 9:30. It was my boss letting me know he needed me to work this morning. I had planned to stay up studying/writing and had had a double cup of coffee at 6. I tried to go to bed at midnight. I really did, but my mind was racing and I couldn't seem to shut it down. I read J.P. Barnaby's Mastering the Ride (pretty good, by the way), but I still wasn't tired, so I spent the next three hours plotting out a new novel in my head.
The plan was to get home from work, write down what I had thought about and then set it to the side until I finished Ironhearted. It didn't work out so well. I can't seem to get it out of my head. Part of the problem might be that it's centered around dance, and now that I've started thinking about it again, it's hard to stop. Ten years ago, my entire life revolved around dancing. It was who I was, then life got busy and university happened and it fell to the side. I haven't been inside a studio in years, but I still dream about it. I miss it. And now the prospect of being able to recreate those feelings is making me itchy to write.
I don't want to abandon Trevor and Haydn though. Their story isn't even close to being finished and the other two couples are waiting for me to finish the third book before submitting. I have a lot of work to do and such a short time to finish it all. Now really isn't a great time for another project to creep in, but that is exactly what has happened.
And rather than tackling one or the other I am on here, rambling about it. Is there an award for worst use of time? I think I could be a contender.
I did manage to get a couple of the casting couch interviews set up to post though. They're going to be so good. I am so excited about having so many authors participating. It makes the weeks leading up to Keeping Sweets' release that much less painful now that I have something to look forward to for all those days. 

My New Home

Welcome to my brand new blog. There really was nothing wrong with the old one, except the TOS wouldn't let me post adult content, and we can't have that, can we?

With the casting couch interviews that are coming up next month, I wanted to make sure everyone was free to post as many sexy scenes as they wanted to.  In addition to that, Keeping Sweets is coming out in a mere 46 days (and yes, I am counting them down). Pretty quick I will be posting the excerpt from their own casting couch interview, and to be honest it gets a little steamy. Don't want anyone getting offended.


The second round of edits went back last night for Keeping Sweets. Let me just say, thank god for editors.  I've heard horror stories about other authors' experiences with editors. I was prepared to have my ego destroyed, but the editors I've had the privilege of working with at DSP have been amazing. They were encouraging and thorough. They found issues with my manuscript I missed in all those many readings I've done. They really have made my story so much better.

Everything is coming together and it's actually starting to feel real now. I realized today that in a few weeks, Keeping Sweets will be on the Dreamspinner Coming Soon page. It is almost a real book!

Et Voila, Keeping Sweets

It really has been a great week. First off, I have to mention that Paul sent over my finalized cover that Brooke designed. I am so in love with it. I had such high expectations from the Dreamspinner Art Department because they have turned out so many beautiful covers and I was not disappointed in the least.

Secondly, I now know my (scheduled) release date: March 11th! Two and a half weeks before my birthday, my first book is coming out. Pretty damn good birthday present, I think.

I received the first round of edits for Keeping Sweets, and looked through them all. My editors and I didn't seem to disagree on anything, which was really nice. I was a little apprehensive about the whole process. A part of me was worried that the person editing would try to change too much, or too many edits would shatter my fragile writer's ego. Instead, I was lucky enough to be paired with editors who seemed to understand what I was trying to achieve with my story, and an unforeseen perk of editing was getting to go back and visit with my boys. I'd forgotten how much I liked my characters and this was a nice little reminder.

---

It also helped to solidify my gut feeling that I was meant to be writing. The nagging self-doubts build up in my mind and I think back to the story, all I could remember were the little things I didn't like so much about the manuscript. I had myself convinced that I am a terrible writer and the only people that will buy my book will be family members who feel obligated because my name is on the cover. Reading through it made me remember all the things I loved about the book and it really is pretty good, if I do say so myself! Maybe other people will agree, and maybe they won't, but I really love doing what I do and that's really all that matters.

In any case, I managed to get the first round finished up and sent back last night. Everything is finally coming together. It's almost a real book!

An Exciting Start to 2013

We are only one week into the new year and life has already been interesting. Busy, but interesting.
In my personal life, I am finishing up the last part of my course, and so will have a limited online presence for the next couple of months. The course is fairly intense and as much as I would rather be writing, school has to come first.

For Keeping Sweets, I have received a comp for my cover and have been working with Paul Richmond and Brooke Albrecht towards my perfect cover. So far, things are looking good and I can't wait to see the final product! The manuscript has entered editing and I should have the first round of edits in the next few weeks. I know I still have a while to wait, but I keep checking my mail. I really am impatient.

In the meantime, I have been working on writing my dedication, which was more difficult than I thought it would be. There are several people in my life who have been my cheerleaders when it comes to writing and I'd love to mention them all, but I think I'm supposed to keep the dedication to less than twelve pages!

Also, fellow author Lex Chase and I will be doing reciprocal guest blog postings in the next few months (both out books come out around the same time). She will be taking part in my casting couch interview series (check back for updates) and will be interviewing me about Keeping Sweets and writing in general. The interview is tentatively scheduled be to posted April 13th. My very first interview as an author. I am so excited.

The Hope Cove series is going almost exactly as planned. Installment Brokenhearted and Wholehearted are both finished and Brokenhearted is in beta editing. I am currently about one fifth of the way through the third installment, Ironhearted. I've set a deadline for myself of the end of January for completion of the series, but it may be a little too ambitious with the overload of school work I have looming. I will do my best to finish on time, but sometimes, life gets in the way, and that's alright. Lots of time to write once I've finished all my final exams.

So that is the update of what is going on so far this year. 2012 was so amazing for me and 2013 is shaping up to be even better. A banner year, and the year before I turn 30. I think that's something to be pretty proud of