Pride Publishing talks to the authors featured in the Aim High anthology, exploring the stories of men who work in the Air Forces.
The Blood & Thorn Ranch universe is populated by all kinds of creatures. At the top of the society are the vampires and once they came out of the shadows, they took over.
What can we expect from Bulls and Blood?
You can expect cowboys and vampires. Also some shifters and demons. There’s a little bit of every paranormal creature you can think of mixed in. It’s about having to decide if breaking the rules is worth the trouble.
Pride Publishing talks to the authors featured in the Gay Rom Lit anthology this year, Unconventional in San Diego.
Did a lot of research go into writing about the FBI, serial killers etc?
Yes, I did research both of those. It wasn’t the happiest research I’ve ever done, but there is a lot of information out there about serial killers. I was able to figure out what my killer would do and how he found his prey. The different procedures in profiling a killer were interesting as well.
Three books on my keeper shelves:
The Blue Sword by
Most people would think that one set of the characters were poor, and while they might not have the same amount of money in the bank as my millionaire characters, what they have is so much more important.
They’re happy in their lives and for the most part, they aren’t envious of what others have. These men surround themselves with friends and family, content with their world. Though each of them would not say no to falling in love with a man that will support him in every way.
Barefoot Dancing is set in New York. Is setting important to you when writing a book?
If I’m writing a contemporary, yes. Setting helps you decide the kind of attitude your characters might have and what kind of jobs. In many cities and states, people develop traits that are found only in those places.
What do you love about writing about powerful men?
T.A.: What I love most about writing about powerful men is making them vulnerable. Each one of them ends up having a weakness — the man he falls in love with.
Before we go in depth on Burning Up the Ice, what was the inspiration behind the International Men of Sports series?
T.A.: We were sitting around our hotel room in Albuquerque for GRL (the GayRomLit retreat) and got talking about different countries and the sports that are considered national sports for them. We came up with six to start with, and during the almost two years since, we’ve chosen many more.
Devon: Both of us love sports in general, and writing athletic guys is a lot of fun. They tend to have characteristics that really lend themselves towards being ‘heroes’—dedication, focus, drive…and of course, pretty prime bodies!
Where did the idea for the Rags to Riches series come from?
It started out as an anthology call featuring billionaires. The editor for that call didn’t pick the short story I sent her, but she did send it to my regular editor and suggest that it would make a good longer story. I agreed to add to it and so Remove the Empty Spaces was born.
I liked the idea of writing about rich men who meet men who weren’t as financially solid as they were. They meet these men and fall in love, discovering along the way that being rich isn’t always the most important thing in the world. Finding love with someone who is perfect for you can make any life better.
How does the dual author process work for you both?
T.A. — We each pick a character to write, then whoever gets an idea of how to start the story can begin it. As we go along, we take turns writing scenes in our character’s point of view. Of course, we each throw in twists or secondary characters that the other has to deal with…
Devon — Sorry about that! I’m probably guiltier than T.A. on that count, but then again, she’s thrown a few challenges out to me too! Seriously, though, we write in a shared online document, so we can each watch the other do real-time additions and changes, or come back online later and see what they’ve accomplished. My favourite part is when we write dialogue together. I’ll type my character’s line, and she’ll respond with her character. The conversation takes some really interesting turns that way, just like in real life!
Why is it important to live life to the fullest?
It’s so important to never turn your back on adventure and life because you never know when it might end. No one knows the exact date and time of our death. I don’t want to get there, look back on my life, and be saddened by all the things I could’ve done, but was too afraid to do…