Saturday, May 23, 2015
Now blogging at AJTruman.com
Thank you for visiting my blog! I'm sorry we're having a missed connection. I've moved over to AJTruman.com. Head on over for my newest posts and book updates!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
National M/M Month - Interview with Barbara Elsborg
Barbara Elsborg lives in West Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide. After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop. She writes in a variety of genres including MM, MMF and MM – contemporary, paranormal and sci fi romances. Her books feature quirky characters, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write.
More about Barbara can be found on her website/blog – www.barbaraelsborg.com
1. Do you always include a HEA and is that type of ending important to you?
Yes, all my stories are HEA. I think they have to be in a romance. I don’t want to be cheated out of that when I read a romance and I wouldn’t do that in my stories. Life isn’t happy for a lot of people and reading about worlds where everything turns out all right is comforting. Doesn’t matter that it’s not realistic, it lets people dream that life can work out for them. I try not to leave readers needing to know what happens next but when they ask for follow up books, I hope that’s only because they’ve fallen in love with the characters.
2. Will you write follow ups to your books?
Likely not. I feel once I’ve reached the end of the story and left my guys happy, the only story I could write after would be if I broke them up again only to bring them back together. I don’t want to do that. It’s different if you’re writing a series with say – the guys as detectives together – because their next case will drive the story. But my stories are about the development of a relationship and once I’ve made them a pair, I want them to find their own way. BUT after my next MM called ‘Falling’ , I’ve written another called ‘Breaking’ that does follow up on one of the characters from ‘Falling’ and gives him his own story. I intend to write a third following up on a character from ‘Breaking’ – but haven’t started that yet. The idea is percolating though!
3. So what’s your next book out?
Not sure when but it’s ‘Falling’ and with Samhain. Here’s a rough blurb:
Harper has disaster written all over him.
He’s aware the dark-haired young man beside him in the supermarket is checking him out, but his heart beats too rapidly for him to even meet the guy’s gaze. For the past decade, every decision has been made for him. He’s shut down emotions so deeply within, he’s beyond numb. While he may no longer be behind bars, it doesn’t feel like it and he fears he’ll never stop falling.
Malachi has trouble written all over him.
His escape from a long term relationship with a controlling and powerful man leaves him unemployed and struggling. He’s forced to live with his sister and her husband who thinks he’s a waste of oxygen. The only bright spot in Malachi’s day is the tall guy in the long gray coat he sees in the supermarket. Except the man’s unblinking concentration on shower gel is a touch alarming, and Malachi slips away before he falls from lust into hopeless infatuation with yet another man who obviously has issues. They have a chance to catch each other and stand strong against the outside world, but the price might be the cost of any future for them.
4. What do you feel is your strength as an author?
Zappy dialogue combined with strong characterization. I love writing dialogue more than anything else. I hope I create memorable characters. My weakness – though you didn’t ask – is in scene setting. Not ever happy doing that.
Bloodline
My first but not my last paranormal MM – about a faerie and a vampire – plus I threw in a talking horse and a zombie among other things.
Blurb
No one can tattoo better than Inigo, a two hundred year old vampire, who works on human and supernatural skins. But he’s never tattooed a faerie and when a bunch of them insist he comes with them to tattoo one of their kind, saying no proves not to be an option. His skin is Oberon, the faerie king, and Inigo fears this will be the last tattoo he’ll ever do.
The moment the faerie Micah lands in the faerie king’s bed chamber, he knows the guy is trouble. But if he’s to save his sister and his family, let alone the job he’s paid to do, he has to stay in Faerieland and endure Oberon’s sadism. When he’s thrown into a starving vampire’s cell, covered in blood, he fears this day will be his last. But Inigo finds Micah's blood too delicious to give it up by killing him.
Pretty soon, he's feeling that way about Micah himself.
More about Barbara can be found on her website/blog – www.barbaraelsborg.com
1. Do you always include a HEA and is that type of ending important to you?
Yes, all my stories are HEA. I think they have to be in a romance. I don’t want to be cheated out of that when I read a romance and I wouldn’t do that in my stories. Life isn’t happy for a lot of people and reading about worlds where everything turns out all right is comforting. Doesn’t matter that it’s not realistic, it lets people dream that life can work out for them. I try not to leave readers needing to know what happens next but when they ask for follow up books, I hope that’s only because they’ve fallen in love with the characters.
2. Will you write follow ups to your books?
Likely not. I feel once I’ve reached the end of the story and left my guys happy, the only story I could write after would be if I broke them up again only to bring them back together. I don’t want to do that. It’s different if you’re writing a series with say – the guys as detectives together – because their next case will drive the story. But my stories are about the development of a relationship and once I’ve made them a pair, I want them to find their own way. BUT after my next MM called ‘Falling’ , I’ve written another called ‘Breaking’ that does follow up on one of the characters from ‘Falling’ and gives him his own story. I intend to write a third following up on a character from ‘Breaking’ – but haven’t started that yet. The idea is percolating though!
3. So what’s your next book out?
Not sure when but it’s ‘Falling’ and with Samhain. Here’s a rough blurb:
Harper has disaster written all over him.
He’s aware the dark-haired young man beside him in the supermarket is checking him out, but his heart beats too rapidly for him to even meet the guy’s gaze. For the past decade, every decision has been made for him. He’s shut down emotions so deeply within, he’s beyond numb. While he may no longer be behind bars, it doesn’t feel like it and he fears he’ll never stop falling.
Malachi has trouble written all over him.
His escape from a long term relationship with a controlling and powerful man leaves him unemployed and struggling. He’s forced to live with his sister and her husband who thinks he’s a waste of oxygen. The only bright spot in Malachi’s day is the tall guy in the long gray coat he sees in the supermarket. Except the man’s unblinking concentration on shower gel is a touch alarming, and Malachi slips away before he falls from lust into hopeless infatuation with yet another man who obviously has issues. They have a chance to catch each other and stand strong against the outside world, but the price might be the cost of any future for them.
4. What do you feel is your strength as an author?
Zappy dialogue combined with strong characterization. I love writing dialogue more than anything else. I hope I create memorable characters. My weakness – though you didn’t ask – is in scene setting. Not ever happy doing that.
Bloodline
My first but not my last paranormal MM – about a faerie and a vampire – plus I threw in a talking horse and a zombie among other things.
Blurb
No one can tattoo better than Inigo, a two hundred year old vampire, who works on human and supernatural skins. But he’s never tattooed a faerie and when a bunch of them insist he comes with them to tattoo one of their kind, saying no proves not to be an option. His skin is Oberon, the faerie king, and Inigo fears this will be the last tattoo he’ll ever do.
The moment the faerie Micah lands in the faerie king’s bed chamber, he knows the guy is trouble. But if he’s to save his sister and his family, let alone the job he’s paid to do, he has to stay in Faerieland and endure Oberon’s sadism. When he’s thrown into a starving vampire’s cell, covered in blood, he fears this day will be his last. But Inigo finds Micah's blood too delicious to give it up by killing him.
Pretty soon, he's feeling that way about Micah himself.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Thoughts on Publishing My First Book
OUT IN THE OPEN is officially available for purchase. But before I continue pimping my book, I want to tell a quick story about how I got here.
 |
| First, let me pimp my sexy cover quickly. Okay, good. I won't pimp again until the very end. |
Last June, I couldn't breathe.
I'd been reading about self-publishing for years. It was getting bigger and better and more writers were finding success. I got more and more interested...but I never took the plunge. I would read JA Konrath and Hugh Howey and Susan Kaye Quinn and Lindsay Buroker's blogs and get inspired. I can do this.
But I did nothing.
This went on for years. Read about indie pubbing --> Get inspired --> Do nothing --> Rinse and Repeat
Maybe my mind had reached a tipping point, I don't know. But I was reading about indie pubbing last June, as I usually did on slow work days, and I kept telling myself I should do this. I should take the plunge, take a chance. And then I went out for my lunch break. As I was walking around, my heart began racing. It thumped in my ears and drowned out the traffic. My vision began to go white, like the sun was too bright. I bent over and gulped for air. I couldn't tell if I was going to throw up or pass out. What was happening? Was I having a panic attack?
I realized that I couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer. I couldn't keep saying I was going to do something. I had to freaking do it. I had all this interest and excitement over indie pubbing. I had to get it out of me.
And so right then and there, hunched over in downtown Chicago taking calming breaths, I made a promise to myself. By my next birthday, I would publish a book. That was 16 months away -- a realistic timeline to write and research and give this book the launch it deserved. I returned to work with a spring in my step. I had a plan.
And now here I am. Putting out my first book. Indie pubbing has been such an exciting and fun and busy and, most of all, EMPOWERING experience. All of my expectations have been surpassed. I have loved connecting with the M/M romance community. You guys are so enthusiastic, and you know your way around a hot gif!
I still can't believe I accomplished this. I made a promise to myself, and I kept it. That rarely happens with me. If you are thinking of publishing a book, do it. The time is now. You will not be disappointed. There's only upside.
OUT IN THE OPEN is about coming out of your shell and discovering your true self. I never realized how much it mirrored my own indie publishing experience. I hope you all have your own Can't-Breathe-in-June/Secret-Sex-in-the-Library moments. The time is now.
Thank you for reading and supporting me on this journey.
Sincerely,
A.J.
p.s. Oh yeah, here's some info about my book - OUT IN THE OPEN
Libraries are meant for studying – not sex
College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.
He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.
Libraries are meant for studying – not sex
College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.
He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.
You can purchase OUT IN THE OPEN at these fine retailers:
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Author Interview with Zoe Perdita
Today, I have Zoe Perdita on the blog talking about some of her favorite things. (Cue The Sound of Music...) Zoe Perdita writes shifter romances with an action/adventure twist. Her books are crawling with assassins, crime bosses and all manner of sexy bad boys. Her new book Omega in the Shadows (Lost Wolves Book One) is out now.
What’s your favorite movie?
I feel like I should say something deep and meaningful, like The Fountain. That is a wonderful film, and I love it, but it’s not my favorite. In reality, it’s a tie between Hot Fuzz and The Princess Bride. They are both funny, endlessly quotable and have big hearts. And can you say bromance? Hell yeah! Also, I guess Buttercup and Wesley have a thing for each other too.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Currently, Free! Eternal Summer! Because, uh, swimming and Nagisa (how adorbs is he? Really!). I love anime and watch way too much of it. Short list (besides Free!): Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, FLCL, Natsume Yuujinchou, Gravitation and Attack on Titan. All coming of age stories, in their own way. Non-anime wise, I’d say Reign. It has a great cast and really strong storylines. Oh, and it doesn’t suffer from characters making dumb decisions because tension. Also, Catherine is amazing. She’s so much fun to watch.
What’s your favorite book?
This is a tough one. I love so many, but the top spot goes to the one I’ve read the most: The Secret Country Trilogy by Pamela Dean. These have been my favorite three books for years and years. I never get enough of them. Really. The books are fantasy YA about a group of kids that get stuck in their own story and have to deal with the consequences of that story going just as they planned (which isn’t always a good thing). The characters are believable and wonderful. It has my biggest fiction crush – Fence the wizard (complete with a bad haircut). Love!
Who’s your favorite character out of your own books?
This answer would change with every new book, I’m sure. At the moment, it’s Simeon Kane from Omega in the Light (Lost Wolves Book Two). He was so different from anyone else I’d ever written that I sort of fell in love. Yeah, he’s kinda crazy (and a little bit scary), but he’s also funny and sad and sees the world in a unique way. He’s hyper aware of everyone else, but has no idea what he’s feeling. Oh, and he has a very good sense of humor that isn’t all snark. How many mildly suicidal assassin wolf shifters do you know? Not many, I’d wager.
What’s your favorite movie?
I feel like I should say something deep and meaningful, like The Fountain. That is a wonderful film, and I love it, but it’s not my favorite. In reality, it’s a tie between Hot Fuzz and The Princess Bride. They are both funny, endlessly quotable and have big hearts. And can you say bromance? Hell yeah! Also, I guess Buttercup and Wesley have a thing for each other too.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Currently, Free! Eternal Summer! Because, uh, swimming and Nagisa (how adorbs is he? Really!). I love anime and watch way too much of it. Short list (besides Free!): Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, FLCL, Natsume Yuujinchou, Gravitation and Attack on Titan. All coming of age stories, in their own way. Non-anime wise, I’d say Reign. It has a great cast and really strong storylines. Oh, and it doesn’t suffer from characters making dumb decisions because tension. Also, Catherine is amazing. She’s so much fun to watch.
What’s your favorite book?
This is a tough one. I love so many, but the top spot goes to the one I’ve read the most: The Secret Country Trilogy by Pamela Dean. These have been my favorite three books for years and years. I never get enough of them. Really. The books are fantasy YA about a group of kids that get stuck in their own story and have to deal with the consequences of that story going just as they planned (which isn’t always a good thing). The characters are believable and wonderful. It has my biggest fiction crush – Fence the wizard (complete with a bad haircut). Love!
Who’s your favorite character out of your own books?
This answer would change with every new book, I’m sure. At the moment, it’s Simeon Kane from Omega in the Light (Lost Wolves Book Two). He was so different from anyone else I’d ever written that I sort of fell in love. Yeah, he’s kinda crazy (and a little bit scary), but he’s also funny and sad and sees the world in a unique way. He’s hyper aware of everyone else, but has no idea what he’s feeling. Oh, and he has a very good sense of humor that isn’t all snark. How many mildly suicidal assassin wolf shifters do you know? Not many, I’d wager.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Interview with Piper Kay
Today on the blog, I’d like to introduce best-selling author, Piper Kay. Piper is from Houston, Texas and the author of The Passion Series, Eight Second Cowboy, Twisted Cherry and both sets of The Naughty Box 1 and 2. Piper writes in the m/m genres of romance, erotica romance, LGBT drama and even a western mm. Welcome to the blog. So tell us:
How many books are in the Invicta Series? If everything goes okay, I plan on four or five at least. There are so many characters yelling in my head about having their own story, so I’ll have to see who screams the loudest.
What would you like your readers to get out of your novels? That love is love, period. It doesn't matter your age, gender, race, etc. it’s something you work for. Never give up what you believe in.
Is the book mostly fantasy or do you think these situations could actually happen? It’s completely
fictional, but these situations could definitely happen. Probably have to someone.
Tell us about the book cover of Invicta Salvation. (Image, photographer, designer) For the Invicta Series, all of the covers are being done by an awesome and talented friend named Karrie Jax. The image used for the cover of Invicta Salvation belongs to Jake Jaxson, the CEO of cockyboys with RJ Sebastian as the photographer. The actual image is model/actor Jake Bass, also of cockyboys.
What did you learn from writing your book? That when you try to fight something, your heart and head better be in synch. Your head will send you off in one direction, but your heart always pulls you back and makes you fight for it. Anything is achievable.
You can find Invicta Salvation here: http://smarturl.it/InvictaSalvations http://amazon.com/author/piperkay
How many books are in the Invicta Series? If everything goes okay, I plan on four or five at least. There are so many characters yelling in my head about having their own story, so I’ll have to see who screams the loudest.
What would you like your readers to get out of your novels? That love is love, period. It doesn't matter your age, gender, race, etc. it’s something you work for. Never give up what you believe in.
Is the book mostly fantasy or do you think these situations could actually happen? It’s completely
fictional, but these situations could definitely happen. Probably have to someone.
Tell us about the book cover of Invicta Salvation. (Image, photographer, designer) For the Invicta Series, all of the covers are being done by an awesome and talented friend named Karrie Jax. The image used for the cover of Invicta Salvation belongs to Jake Jaxson, the CEO of cockyboys with RJ Sebastian as the photographer. The actual image is model/actor Jake Bass, also of cockyboys.
What did you learn from writing your book? That when you try to fight something, your heart and head better be in synch. Your head will send you off in one direction, but your heart always pulls you back and makes you fight for it. Anything is achievable.
You can find Invicta Salvation here: http://smarturl.it/InvictaSalvations http://amazon.com/author/piperkay
Monday, September 8, 2014
OUT IN THE OPEN now on Goodreads
I can't believe OUT IN THE OPEN comes out in 3 weeks! I've been working on this book for so long, and I am so excited to share it with everyone. I've always been interested in writing a book set at college. I really came into my own during college, and it's 4 years I will never forget.
Around the time when the new adult sub-genre was popping up in M/F romance, I kept waiting for gay new adult to become a thing. I mean, how many gay people came out of the closet during college? I did, and I wasn't the only one. For many people, it's your first time on your own, finding your way, breaking free from the shackles of high school. I like exploring people running from their past because I feel like we're all doing that in some way. Including Ethan and Greg, the main characters in OITO. They're doing their fair share of running...among other activities :)
 |
| How can you say no to this guy? Seriously? |
Here is the official description:
Libraries are meant for studying – not for having mindblowing sex
College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.
He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.
OUT IN THE OPEN is a M/M new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. The book is intended for audiences 18+ as it contains explicit sex and language. It’s perfect for fans of Alexa Land’s First and Forever series and Sara Alva’s SOCIAL SKILLS.
College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.
He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.
OUT IN THE OPEN is a M/M new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. The book is intended for audiences 18+ as it contains explicit sex and language. It’s perfect for fans of Alexa Land’s First and Forever series and Sara Alva’s SOCIAL SKILLS.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Interview with author Cameron D. James
I'm excited that my first blog post gets to be an interview with a wickedly talented fellow M/M author as part of National M/M Month. Cameron D. James is a writer of both M/M erotic romance and M/M erotica. After getting started with M/M erotic romance novels, with both Autumn Fire and Silent Hearts released through Champagne Books, he branched into self-publishing M/M erotica short stories, with his free debut short story, Go Deep, downloaded over 9,000 times. Cameron loves to write about hot sex, but is naturally drawn to the deeper emotion of love, so even his erotica short stories tend to have a romance element to them. You can find out more about Cameron and his book by visiting his website at www.camerondjames.com.
 |
| via Amazon.com |
What was it like to have your first book, Autumn Fire, released?
That was... odd. A lot of people knew I was writing in the M/M genre, so when the official release date rolled around and my ebook was up for sale, there was a sense of joy and accomplishment. A few days after release, though, I was at a writing convention and was booked to do a live reading – this is where the dread set in. I soon learned that at this convention, I became known as the smut writer. (There were other erotica / erotic romance writers there, but I think because I had a sexy postcard floating around on the swag tables, my name began to precede me.) When the reading came around, I was in a small hotel room with two other authors who were reading, and about twenty women and men, crammed together, hanging on our every word.
Autumn Fire opens with an anonymous bathroom blowjob. It was... awkward... reading that scene aloud for the first time ever. I got over it pretty quick when attendees came up to me afterward with positive feedback, and a couple people asked me to sign the smutty postcards.
Which of your works was the most fun to write?
Gaymer – definitely Gaymer. I was attending a local comic con and wrote a short story in honor of all the gay nerds out there. It was my first time writing through first person and I just went with it and had a blast writing the whole thing. The story centers around two college twinks playing some retro video games (specifically Super Mario Brothers 3 on the original Nintendo, but I was careful to avoid naming it) and the dirty things they get up to.
Perhaps because it focuses on a simple but fun game, the story line is fairly simple but fun. From what I’ve heard, readers have loved this one, especially with the twist at the end, but the downloads of this one lag quite a bit... perhaps because the cover model is fully clothed... I might need to find a naked gaymer for an updated cover. :)
Which was the most difficult to write?
I just released Going All The Way, the third volume in the Men In The Hot Room short story series, about the lust between an older yoga teacher and twink yoga student. I’ve found each of these stories (Go Deep, Go Deeper, and now Going All The Way) progressively harder to write. I think it’s because I’ve centered it around hot yoga... so I need to always get some yoga in there, some way or another, without it feeling forced. The first several drafts of Going All The Way didn’t even have yoga, rather just some discussion about yoga, but my editor helped me figure out how to put some yoga in there in a way that is both natural and oh-so-sexy. Once I got that in there, the process got a little bit easier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)