Tag: interview roulette

Interview Roulette: Angel Martinez

Today Angel Martinez takes her chances at the wheel.

 

  1. Make up a new word you really wish would catch on. What is it and what does it mean?

Snorgle (v.) – to half choke upon, half snort a laugh during those occasions where a person is unable to prevent the laugh but also feels some shame regarding the laughter escaping or feels it comes at a supremely inappropriate moment. (He snorgled at the viewing when he realized he was wearing the same suit as the deceased.)

  1. What did you have for lunch yesterday?

I actually had a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. Yes, I’m eight years old and yes, sometimes I fall hard off the healthier eating wagon. Though peanut butter is a protein and with bread it’s a complete protein, so not entirely bad? Until you factor in that the bread is the white, gluey stuff, and there are other substances involved like chocolate spreads or marshmallow fluff… yeah, can’t claim the nutritional high ground there.

  1. One of your books is being made into a movie. Who would you cast for the major roles?

I’m not an author who likes to pick out actors or models for my characters. Having a living person as the face of the character messes what’s in my head for that character and I’d prefer readers be able to build their own visuals of them. That said, acting is often more about ability to play the role than appearance.

We’ll take Books, Bulls and Bacchanals from the Brandywine Investigations series. (With a bit of time traveling for the casting.) I’d want a young Gary Oldman to play Dionysus. He’s the right size and has an uncanny transformative ability to play literally anyone. Police commissioner, Dracula, yep, he’s got it. For the minotaur, Leander, I’d like a young Ron Perlman. Actually, he could still play the part since there would be heavy makeup involved. Again, he’s sized correctly and is more than capable of playing the shy minotaur librarian convincingly.

  1. You are permitted to place ONE ITEM in a time capsule chest to be buried and unearthed 100 years from now. What would it be, and why?

It would have to be a fidget spinner. Without context, sociologists of the time would be left to wonder, what is this for? There’s nothing more fun than confounding socio/anthropologists. Of course, I’m assuming some sort of catastrophic data loss in the next hundred years or they could just look it up. Cheaters.

  1. If you had a time machine, where/when would you go and why?

I’d go to Renaissance Italy. Leonardo, I have so many questions. Always dangerous, of course. I could let information slip that he shouldn’t have and change everything forever. Come to think of it, I wonder if someone from the future did visit Leonardo. That would explain so much.

  1. One of your characters is running for political office. Who is it and what’s the office?

So many of my characters are non-humans living in human controlled spaces – elected office isn’t really an option for them. I mean Hades would probably be an excellent, if not terribly politic, mayor of Wilmington, but it would be far too much visibility for him. Vikash Soren, one of the police officers in Offbeat Crimes, would do well in city planning, though. He has the scope of vision, the curiosity, and the natural diplomacy necessary for the position. It’s not elected, but it’s a vital appointment in a city that’s constantly struggling to renew.

  1. One of your characters has an allergy that’s proved problematic. Tell us about it.

Oh, this is actually a thing! Kyle Monroe, police officer assigned to Philadelphia’s paranormal precinct and one of the main characters in the first two Offbeat Crimes books, has a meat allergy. It’s an allergy one of my friends suffers from and I wanted to give homage to some of that frustration – people don’t take it seriously, don’t understand that preparation and cross-contamination matter, and so on. Especially problematic in restaurants where the same oil or same surface or same utensils is used to cook both meat and vegetables. The problematic proteins remain even if the meat itself has been removed.

 

Book blurb:

‘Old actors never die’ shouldn’t be literally true.

Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly’s paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone’s targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can’t be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington’s determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all.

As a rare books librarian, Erasmus Graham thought he understood some of the stranger things in life. Sharing a life with Carrington has shown him he didn’t know the half of it. They’ve survived attack books and deadly dust bunnies together and got through mostly unscathed. Now his world and his vampire’s appear ready to collide again. Books are missing from the Rare Book collection—old tomes of magic containing dangerous summonings and necromancy. He’s certain whoever has been stalking the Seventy-Seventh is composing their end game. It’s going to take a consolidated effort from paranormal police, librarians and some not-quite-authorized civilians to head off the impending catastrophe.

 

Book buy links:

Ebook:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0783PL72N

https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/all-the-worlds-an-undead-stage

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-worlds-an-undead-stage-angel-martinez/1127528065?ean=9781786516602

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/all-the-world-s-an-undead-stage

 

Paperback:

https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/all-the-worlds-an-undead-stage-print

Author bio:

The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, (same husband for almost twenty-four years) gave birth to one amazing son, (now in college) and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.

Published since 2006, Angel’s cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. You’ll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and don’t expect sad endings. Life is sad enough.

She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes.

Author contacts:

 

Interview Roulette: Keelan Ellis

Keelan Ellis spins the wheel today!

 

  1. If you were on a cruise ship for a week, what would you spend your time doing?

I have been on a cruise for a week, and most of my time was spent trying to find a moment to myself. If I could manage it, I would spend most of my days in a shady spot on the deck, writing my next book. Also, stuffing my face and drinking too much, because let’s face it—that’s what cruises are for, right?

2. Which Disney character most closely resembles you?

Maybe Sleeping Beauty? I really enjoy a long nap.

3. What is your favorite appliance?

These days, my slow cooker. I resisted for many years, but once I started using it, I fell in love.

4. One of your characters had—much to everyone’s shock—suddenly become leader of a small country. What are that character’s first actions?

What a terrifying thought! If Terry Blackwood, lead singer of the Vulgar Details, had to run a country, the first thing he’d do is set aside plenty of land for national parks, because he’s a low key NP nerd. After that, he’d appoint Henry to make all the decisions for him.

5. If you could communicate perfectly with one species of animal, what would it be?

Birds. They get to see things from such a different perspective than earthbound creatures and I think it would be interesting. Also, they’d make great spies.

6. If you could build any kind of structure to live in, what would you choose and why?

A treehouse. I’ve always wanted a huge, totally tricked out treehouse.

7. What invention would you love to see created in order to make your life easier?

Fantasy invention? I want something to dictate the dialogue I write in my head when I’m in the car or the shower. I can never get it just right when I try to write it down later. Either that or a robot servant who is programmed to be a master chef.

8. In your opinion, what should be the Seven Deadly Sins?

  1. Hacky stand up comedy
  2. Inconsiderate driving
  3. MAGA hats
  4. Wine mom memes
  5. Playing games on your phone in a waiting room with the sound on
  6. Humblebragging
  7. Unsolicited dick pics

9. What is the most obnoxious thing you have ever done to try to impress someone you really liked?

Once, back in the 90s, I pretended to love ska.

10. Who would win in a fight – A monkey with a jet pack or a dog with Hitler’s brain?

Hitler lost even in a human body and an entire army, so clearly I have to go with the monkey.

 

Book blurb:

Talented studio musician, Henry Cole, is offered the dream job of touring with popular rock band, the Vulgar Details. Things aren’t all rosy, though, as he is hired to replace Dell Miller, creative force behind the band, who recently flamed-out in a car accident.

Henry is all too aware that he’s no replacement for someone like Dell. He’s not the only one who feels that way, either. Terry Blackwood, band front man, has been giving him a hard time even before the tour start. He seems to resent Henry’s presence beyond all reason. What Henry doesn’t know is that Terry and Dell’s relationship was both intensely close and fraught with conflict.

Terry’s grief over Dell’s death is overwhelming and threatens to destroy not only the band but his life. It doesn’t help that the new member of the band makes him feel things he doesn’t want to. Worse, when he sings, Henry sounds just like the man Terry cared so deeply for.

With so much at stake, everything could come crashing down around them and mean the end for the Vulgar Details. Or, just maybe, Henry and Terry will find the one thing they need most.

 

Book buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/One-Thing-I-Know-ebook/dp/B0747Z79FG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-one-thing-i-know/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/738383

 

Author bio:

Keelan Ellis is an author of romance and detective fiction, who is always seeking to expand her literary horizons. She is a lover of music and food, and has an intense love/hate relationship with politics. Her stories reflect her passions.

Author contacts:

Interview Roulette: David C Dawson

David C Dawson spins the wheel today.

 

  1. Say you met your all-time favorite celebrity, would you play it cool? Or would you utterly humiliate yourself?
    I’m totally star struck! I’ve never been able to play it cool. Last year, I sang with the London Gay Men’s Chorus at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. The place was packed with gorgeous celebrities. As usual, I was late getting on stage, and ran down the hallway. I crashed straight into Chris Pine, the gorgeous new James T Kirk. I simply burbled. So embarrassing.
  2. Describe your dream house.
    I’m so lucky; I’m living in it. It’s an old Victorian house on the outskirts of Oxford in the UK. It’s compact but just right. A garden that gets the sun all day, and it’s within walking distance of open countryside on one side, and shops, cinema and theatre on the other.
  3. If one of your characters were to practice a random act of kindness, what would it be?
    Dominic is a lawyer, and he regularly provides free legal advice for those who can’t pay. He also gives free legal counseling at the nearby Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
  4. You have just been crowned leader of a small island nation. What’s your first official act?
    Declare every Friday an Abba day – a day off!
  5. Let’s face it—there’s someplace you’ve been to and absolutely hated. Where was it and why was it so awful?
    The dentist! My dentist is actually a lovely person called Clare, and she has a gorgeous hygienist called Nikolaos. Despite that, I’m quaking when I sit in the chair.
  6. If you could communicate perfectly with one species of animal, what would it be?
    A cat of course! I have two: Fidget the boy cat and his sister Fluffy. Fidget is extremely lovable but very stupid. Fluffy can be cuddly, but is usually a bitch! I’d love to know what they’re thinking.
  7. If you were forced at gunpoint to sing Karaoke, what song would you choose?
    Put Down That Weapon by Midnight Oil!
  8. What did one of your characters last order from Amazon?
    Oh Dominic’s husband Jonathan will have ordered a beautiful Art Deco cocktail shaker, from an online antiques place I know of in west London. He’ll have bought it to add to Dominic’s collection.
  9. Make up a new word you really wish would catch on. What is it and what does it mean?
    Golisch. It’s not actually new. When my sister was very young, it was the word she used for English trifle. It’s very descriptive, because trifle is so delicious!
  10. You have just won a lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat. Your response?

I’d bin it and make my own from fresh ingredients. No processed food for me!

 

Book blurb:

Dominic and Jonathan are on their romantic Spanish honeymoon, and things are perfect… except Dominic has kept a secret from his husband. He’s failed to tell Jonathan that he plans to meet his former lover, Bernhardt, who is speeding on his way from Germany to present Dominic with a mysterious gift.

But Bernhardt is killed in a suspicious car accident. Shortly before he dies, he sends Dominic a bizarre text message that will take the newlyweds on a hair-raising adventure.

Lies upon lies plunge Dominic and Jonathan into an internet crime that could destroy the lives of millions of people. What is the mysterious Charter Ninety-Nine group? And will their planned internet assault force Dominic to choose between the fate of the world and the life of his lover?

 

Book buy links:

DSP https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-deadly-lies-by-david-c-dawson-429-b
Amazon Kindle UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Lies-Delingpole-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B0753JPVPY/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Amazon Kindle US https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Lies-Delingpole-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B0753JPVPY/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-deadly-lies/id1275146510?mt=11
Amazon paperback UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Lies-Delingpole-Mysteries/dp/1635338913/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Amazon paperback US https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Lies-Delingpole-Mysteries/dp/1635338913/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1510056469&sr=8-8
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-deadly-lies-david-c-dawson/1127032394?ean=9781635338928
Kobo Books https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-deadly-lies

 

Author bio:

David C. Dawson is an award-winning author, journalist and documentary maker. His debut novel, The Necessary Deaths, won an FAPA award in the best suspense/thriller category.

The sequel to The Necessary Deaths is published in December 2017. David is working on a romantic suspense novel for publication in 2018, and a one-off drama for British TV.

He’s travelled extensively, and filmed in nearly every continent of the world. He’s lived in London, Geneva and San Francisco, but now prefers the tranquillity of the Oxfordshire countryside in England.

In his spare time, David tours Europe on his ageing Triumph motorbike, and sings with the London Gay Men’s Chorus.

Author contacts:

 

Interview Roulette: Aidee Ladnier

 

Aidee Ladnier spins the wheel today!

  1. One of your characters has a guilty favorite TV show. Tell us about it.
    One of the villains in a story I collaborated on, LAWRENCE FRIGHTENGALE CHECKS IN, used to watch an old 1960’s sitcom called The Family Carr. In it a Hollywood couple made their home in the backseat of a gigantic Oldsmobile along with the husband’s grandfather who lived in the trunk.
  2. Describe a traumatic weather-related experience you’ve had. If you’ve never had any, make one up.
    When I was a pre-teen I lived through Hurricane Eloise. I remember my parents worrying that the trailer we lived in wouldn’t be sturdy enough to withstand the storm and so we drove to my grandmother’s house. The sky darkened over the day until it was almost like nighttime. And by then the rain had started. Hard rain. Rain that slammed against the windows and you could feel the vibration of it if you put your hand to the glass. The thunder was right over our heads. Booming so deep it sank into your bones and shook the ground under your feet. Right outside the back door of my grandmother’s house, was a huge pecan tree that my late grandfather had planted the day my mother was born. The trunk was so large that two full grown men would have had to stretch their arms to encircle it. The wind shook that tree and we could hear branches snapping off the top and thudding around it. One of my grandmother’s friends was with us and had his car parked under that tree. She urged him to move it so the falling branches wouldn’t damage it. He dashed into the storm to park it under the shed instead. We watched from the kitchen door as he started his car, the tree swaying above him. The car slid in the mud of the drive but the wheels finally caught just as a tremendous crack rent the air. The entire tree began to fall as if in slow motion toward his car. We could hear the roar as her friend floored the accelerator and the car scooted backwards just as the tree’s roots broke and it bounced onto its side. The car hood got scraped by branches but her friend survived. He drove it under the shed while we waited out the rest of the storm. The pecan tree had been uprooted by the water and the wind. On its side, it stretched the length of the house.
  3. Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever written?
    In a room full of simulated vaginas. Okay, to understand that statement, you have to realize where I work. My non-profit developed simulators to help train reproductive endocrinologists on how to successfully transfer in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos into women who want to have babies. And the simulators only need the parts that represent female reproductive organs. So it’s a room full of fake women from stomach to mid thigh. And their legs are spread. But it’s quiet and nobody else goes there at lunchtime, so it’s the perfect place to write.
  4. Describe one of your characters’ deepest regrets.
    In my story, THE MOONLIGHT MARKET, the protagonist Cory Long wishes that he’d gone with his parents to celebrate his mother’s promotion at work. He had a date and remained on campus to hang with his friends. He regrets not talking his dad out of driving. Or thinks that maybe he would have seen the drunk driver swerving into their lane and alerted his dad. Or gotten his sister Poe out of the car before the fire burned her.
  5. What is your most dreaded household chore? Your favorite?
    Ugh, dishes. I love to cook but unfortunately, I’m a follower of mise en place. So I fill up lots of bowls with ingredients and then cook once everything is ready. It makes a lot of dirty dishes. Lots of dirty dishes. Like a dishwasher full of dishes every time I make dinner.
    But I like doing laundry. There’s something wonderful about pulling clean clothes from the dryer all warm and squashy and sweet smelling. I don’t even mind putting them away.
  6. One of your characters writes a poem to his beloved.
    Of course, I had to choose Jimenez to write a poem to his tentacled lover Teo:

Small words
Unrhymed

Half-formed thoughts

Unable to describe
How the heat of your arms enfolds me

Soothes me

Seeps in
Lulling me
Until all words fail
Safe, comforted and entwined with you

 

  1. What is the oddest thing on your music playlist?
    I’ve got fairly eclectic tastes, so I have lots of odd things on my playlists. One of my favorites is by Penn Masala. It’s an a capella song that combines the Hindi song “Jashn-e-Bahara” from Jodhaa Akbar with “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. Another favorite is the English version of “Vater Unser” by the German group E Nomine. That is seriously the scariest most danceable version of a prayer I have ever heard in my life, complete with tolling bells and wolf howls. I love it. And one last one I’ll list, “Matador” by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. I double-dog-dare you to crank it up on a long stretch of highway with the windows down. Excellent car music.
  2. Which Disney character most closely resembles you?
    Unfortunately, I think I’m Marie, one of the kittens from the Aristocats. Because I desperately want to be a lady but end up just being bossy instead. However, Marie had one kick-ass quote that I love: “Ladies do not start fights but they can finish them.”
  3. What’s your writing style—slow and steady or full speed ahead?
    Spurts and fits. I like to have a finished linear story but I do not write that way. I often write my favorite scenes first and then when I have to write my unfavorite scenes, I spend some time making those into favorite scenes so that they have something in them that resonates, intrigues me, or makes me laugh. I want all the my scenes in my books to be my favorite scenes.
  4. You’re walking down the street when a spaceship lands in front of you and a half dozen aliens pile out. What do you do?

Is it little green men aliens or Earth Girls Are Easy aliens? If it’s Earth Girls Are Easy aliens, definitely take them to the hairdresser to get the extra fur clipped off and then home with me. Funny, charming aliens are my favorite kind.

 

Book blurb:

Tom Davidson ran away from family obligations to be a Broadway star. If he could make it there, he could make it anywhere…but he didn’t. Trudging back home to Waycroft Falls, he finds his sister Annie and her hometown bookstore in danger of folding. Her solution, open the upstairs of the historic building as a performance venue. Putting on a play should be a piece of cake for her famous New York actor brother.

Frank Braden lost the genetic lottery and got the family werewolf curse. Kicked out of his home for the triple threat of being gay, a werewolf, and a drain on his widowed father’s new family, he settled in Waycroft Falls to make as inconspicuous a life as possible working in Annie’s bookstore. Until her gorgeous younger brother comes to town and literally needs a beast for his play.

Tom breaks out the charm to convince Frank he’s key to the success of the bookshop’s theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast. Frank loves the bookstore, is hotter than sin, and has the perfect solution to Tom’s stage makeup conundrum. Who better to play the Beast than a guy who can turn into one?

 

Book buy links:

Loose Id – http://www.loose-id.com/wolf-around-the-corner.html
Amazon – http://amzn.to/2zEdHy5
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-around-the-corner
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wolf-around-the-corner/id1313328918?mt=11
Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-around-the-corner-aidee-ladnier/1127471582?ean=9781682524374
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Aidee_Ladnier_Wolf_Around_the_Corner?id=a44-DwAAQBAJ

 

Author bio:

Aidee Ladnier, an award-winning author of speculative fiction, began writing at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician’s assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, fold origami, and send ping pong balls into space. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee’s to write both romance and erotica with a little science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.

Author contacts:

Interview Roulette: T.J. Nichols

 

It’s T.J. Nichols’s turn at the wheel!

  1. Write a story—no more than 100 words–based on this prompt: When the levee failed….

When the levee failed there was nothing to stop the red diablo from invading. As the sea rushed through the gap it brought them in on a tide of angers. The diablo had plucked the levee apart over the centuries. Rock by rock eager for revenge, hungry for flesh. Now they rushed along the flooded streets and took up residence in the houses, reaching up and snatching people, who were waiting for rescue, with long tentacles. There would be no rescue. This wasn’t the only town stained red. The island kingdom would fall into the sea. Lost to history.

 

Erm that got dark quickly…

 

  1. When it comes to travel, do you prefer to plan everything or play it by ear?

Plan where I’m going to be, but have a short list of things to see and do. So a little bit of both.

  1. Describe a traumatic weather-related experience you’ve had. If you’ve never had any, make one up.

I’ve had two. Though given the recent weather events they are pretty mild. I don’t remember which happened first. When I was a young teen someone set fire to the hills and a bushfire came within meters of destroying the house I was growing up in. It was a pretty major fire and for weeks afterward we’d wait for nightfall then have to go out with buckets of water to put of spot fires (often just embers) before they could flare up.

The second was a storm, same house, that was so bad my siblings and I have to sleep in the hallway in case all the windows blew in (the hallway was the only part of the house that would protect us from flying glass). Glass actually bows and creaks quite a lot. None of the windows did give in, but the house was struck with lightning.

  1. Someone is writing your biography. What’s the title? And who plays you in the movie?

Too busy to die. I have a never ending to do list and I’m one of those people who struggles to say no so I end up doing a whole lot of extra tasks for other people because they know that if they give to me it will get done. The whole film will be a battle about getting a monstrous list under control while at the same time still trying to enjoying life…maybe the ending is surrendering the list to the wind and shouting no.

I have no idea who plays me, I never cast characters either.

  1. Let’s face it—there’s someplace you’ve been to and absolutely hated. Where was it and why was it so awful?

I hated Dubai (unpopular opinion because I have friends who love it, but there you go). There are a few reasons (and things that happened), but it boils down to not feeling safe.

  1. Describe a really bad decision you once made.

Giving up writing and art while working full time. I wished I’d kept at it over those years instead of trying to be sensible and grown up.

  1. You can eat only one ice cream flavor for the rest of your life. Which is it?

Is that really a question? Chocolate is the only answer. It’s the only flavor I eat now.

 

Book blurb:

Inline image 2Kill his lover or disobey his king and instigate civil war?

As the feared court poison master, Nikko is sworn to do as his king bids. As the lover of the king’s nephew, Lord Rodas, Nikko must hide his affection or risk being labeled a traitor and punished. A former thief who clawed his way into the palace from the filthy streets, Nikko longs to be deserving of Rodas’s love.

A respected war hero, Rodas is in a delicate political situation. He is not the kingdom’s natural heir, though many support his claim over the wastrel, Prince Fortin. The last thing Rodas wants is war. His highest ambition is for Nikko to openly wear the jewels he’s bestowed on him as a public declaration of their love.

Neither man is prepared for the king to order Nikko to poison Rodas during the solstice feast or for the deadly intrigue they’re plunged into, which exposes their affair and rocks the foundations of the kingdom.

 

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2017 Advent Calendar “Stocking Stuffers.”

 

Book buy links:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/poison-marked-by-tj-nichols-9084-b

https://tjnichols-author.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/cover-reveal-poison-marked.html

Author bio:

TJ Nichols is an avid runner and martial arts enthusiast who first started writing as child. Many years later while working as a civil designer, TJ decided to pick up a pen and start writing again. Having grown up reading thrillers and fantasy novels, it’s no surprise that mixing danger and magic comes so easily, writing urban fantasy allows TJ to bring magic to the every day. TJ enjoys writing novellas and novels and has a series, Studies in Demonology, coming out with DSP Publications.

With two cats acting as supervisors, TJ has gone from designing roads to building worlds and wouldn’t have it any other way. After traveling all over the world and Australia, TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

Inline image 1

 

Author contacts:

  • Website tjnichols-author.blogspot.com
  • Newsletter Newsletter: eepurl.com/cO-YRz
  • Facebook facebook.com/TJNichols.author
  • Twitter @TobyJNichols

Interview Roulette: Rebecca Buchanan

It’s Rebecca Buchanan’s turn today!

  1. If you could be any other living person for a single day, who would you be?

Ooohhhh. That’s a toss up between Cleopatra VII and Hypatia of Alexandria. If I could be Cleopatra, I would make sure that Egypt did not fall to Rome. If I could be Hypatia, I would pack up the entire Library and ship it off someplace safe — before it was lost to history.

  1. Shopping—love it or leave it?

If it’s books, love it. Everything else, leave it. I even hate grocery shopping. I put off shopping for clothing and shoes until it is absolutely necessary.

  1. What were your favorite childhood books?

Too many to name! But just a few: “Augustus Caesar’s World” by Genevieve Foster; “Cinderella”  by John Fowles and Sheilah Beckett; “The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm”; “d’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths” by the d’Aulaires; the “Encyclopedia Brown” books by Donald Sobol; “The Epic of Alexandra” by Dorothy Dayton; “His Majesty, Queen Hatshepsut” by Dorothy Carter; “The Peacock King and Other Stories” by Madame Marie d’Aulnoy; “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster; “Pickle Chiffon Pie” by Jolly Roger Bradfield; “The Prince of the Dolomites” by Tomie de Paola; “Proud Knight, Fair Lady” by Naomi Lewis; “Witch Poems” by Jane Yolen and Daisy Wallace. The various fairy tales put out by Mercer Mayer and Marianna Mayer. Oh, and any Uncle Scrooge comic by Don Rosa.

  1. If you could be granted instant virtuosity on a musical instrument you don’t now play, which one would it be, and why?

The lyre. Many of the ancient Greek poems which we now (silently) read in books were once recited aloud and accompanied by a lyre. I would love to know what they originally sounded like, and be able to recreate that myself.

  1. One of your characters writes a poem to his beloved.

Commander Rhen Genesius to Madlen Abarron: I don’t write poetry, so, after we close these inter-dimensional portals and kill off the last of the monsters, how about we go back to my place, have lots of wild sex, and then eat ice cream in bed. Sound good? Good. Let’s go.

 

Book blurb:

Myths, moons, and mayhem make the perfect threesome—and so do the men in this paranormal gay ménage and erotic romance anthology.

Enjoy nine erotic stories of paranormal ménages a trois fueled by lust and magic, where mystical forces collide with the everyday world and even monsters have their own demons to conquer.

A werewolf gets a lust-fueled lesson on fitting in with the pack, a professor unlocks ancient secrets and two men’s hearts, and a pair of supernaturals find themselves at the erotic mercy of a remarkable human. Ghosts, fairies, aliens, and mere mortals test the boundaries of their desires, creating magic of their own.

Penned by favorite authors such as Rob Rosen and Clare London, as well as by newcomers to the genre, Myths, Moons, and Mayhem is an eclectic mix of paranormal lust and polymythic beings that will spark your fantasies and fuel your bonfires.

 

Book buy links: https://www.books2read.com/mmm

Author bio: Rebecca Buchanan is the editor of the Pagan literary ezine, Eternal Haunted Summer. She blogs semi-regularly at BookMusings. She has been previously published, or has work forthcoming, in Abyss & Apex, Enchanted Conversation, Faerie Magazine, The Future Fire, Gingerbread House, Luna Station Quarterly, Mirror Dance, T. Gene Davis’ Speculative Fiction Blog, and other venues. She has released two short story collections through Asphodel Press: “A Witch Among Wolves, and Other Pagan Tales”; and, “The Serpent in the Throat, and Other Pagan Tales.”

 

Author contacts:

  • Website: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com
  • Blog: http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/bookmusings.html
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.buchanan.908
  • Email: lyradora@yahoo.com

Interview Roulette: Morgan Elektra

Today Morgan Elektra takes a spin!

 

  1. If you could choose anyone on the planet to narrate an audio version of your latest book, who would it be?

 

ME: James Marsters. Aside from the fact that I loved him as Spike in Buffy, but his reading of the Harry Dresden books is amazing. Plus, his voice is so sexy!

 

  1. What’s the longest road trip you’ve been on?

 

ME: Once, I flew out to Colorado to drive back home to New York with a friend who didn’t want to make the trip alone. There is a lot of beautiful, empty country out there. Driving through it is great for percolating ideas.

 

  1. One of the characters in your latest book buys a birthday present for another. What is it?

ME: Andras (from my novella A Kiss of Brimstone) would get Ben some sort of blade. A knife forged by angels, perhaps. Something special that would help keep him safe. If we’re talking about Beau, Jackson, and Rafe from The Endless Knot–I can see Beau getting his paramours small, meaningful gifts that they wouldn’t think to get for themselves.

  1. Which house did the sorting hat put you in?

ME: Slytherin for life.

  1. One of your characters has an allergy that’s proved problematic. Tell us about it.

ME: I write a lot of vampires and the idea of one being allergic to a particular blood type is interesting to me. Would transfusion reactions like fever or dizziness be less significant or more deadly? How would they know who was safe to feed on? I think I would write different blood types perhaps having different tastes. Then they could give a first, testing bite to see if the donor is a match. It could serve dual purpose. An initial bite to verify blood type and introduce something aphrodisiac/anesthetic into the bloodstream.

  1. One of your characters has a guilty favorite TV show. Tell us about it.

ME: Jared Atherton (a proper and reserved Alpha in my WIP Protecting His Pack) loves reality TV. Competition shows like Master Chef and Project Runway. He watches them on his laptop when he’s alone. Very few people are aware of this predilection.

  1. Who are your favorite visual artists and why?

ME: There’s an artist named Lina Iris Viktor ( http://www.linaviktor.com/about/) whose work I absolutely adore. I read an article about female artists of color from last year that she was mentioned in and her painting stunned me. She manages to convey so much with color and shape. I could stare at one of her paintings for hours.

I’m also a long-time fan of Basil Gogos, who just recently passed away. As a horror fan I grew up with his work on magazine covers and thoroughly enjoy the depth he gives his portraits, especially.

And I feel like I’d be a little remiss here if I didn’t mention Bob Ross. I spent hours as a kid watching his show, listening to his soothing voice, and trying to emulate him. (Badly, I might add.) I don’t know if any of his paintings will ever hang in the Louvre, but any time I see one there is such a sense of peace about it for me.

 

Book blurb:

Myths, moons, and mayhem make the perfect threesome—and so do the men in this anthology.

Enjoy nine erotic stories of paranormal ménages a trois fueled by lust and magic, where mystical forces collide with the everyday world and even monsters have their own demons to conquer.

A werewolf gets a lust-fueled lesson on fitting in with the pack, a professor unlocks ancient secrets and two men’s hearts, and a pair of supernaturals find themselves at the erotic mercy of a remarkable human. Ghosts, fairies, aliens, and mere mortals test the boundaries of their desires, creating magic of their own.

Penned by favorite authors such as Rob Rosen and Clare London, as well as by newcomers to the genre, Myths, Moons, and Mayhem is an eclectic mix of paranormal lust and polymythic beings that will spark your fantasies and fuel your bonfires.

Book buy links:   https://books2read.com/mythsmoons

Author bio:

Born in the artists’ community of Woodstock, NY, Morgan Elektra discovered her passion for writing at a young age, penning stories of witches, vampires, and monsters at the dining room table. After years working day jobs and moonlighting as a reviewer for popular horror website Dread Central, Morgan left the comfort of an office to follow her dreams of writing fiction. She spent the early twenty-teens as a freelance ghostwriter of erotica, but has now put aside the masks to write under her own name.

She currently lives near Savannah, GA with her husband, their cat Harlequin, and—if the rumours are to be believed (and she sincerely hopes they are)—an awful lot of ghosts.

Author contacts:

  • Website: https://bymorganelektra.wordpress.com/
  • Blog: https://bymorganelektra.wordpress.com/blog/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByMorganElektra/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorganElektra
  • Email: morganelektra@gmail.com

Interview Roulette: Ava Haydn

 

It’s Ava Haydn’s turn today!

  1. One of your characters has an allergy that’s proved problematic. Tell us about it.

In “The Timpanist and the Stagehand,” Christoph, an American now playing in the Oilton Philharmonic Orchestra up north in Alberta, Canada, has had a lifelong allergy to Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. (No, not explicitly stated in the book, but I wrote it, so I know.) Imagine how shocked he is to find that his new love, Ren, is a Girl Guide Chocolatey Mint Cookie fanatic, to the extent that he buys lots of boxes and stores the extras in his freezer to hide them from his nieces and nephews. (That part is in the book.) Amazingly, Christoph has no allergy symptoms at all to Chocolately Mint Cookies, which leads to a relationship crisis when Ren discovers that entire boxes have disappeared from his freezer.  The guys hash out their differences, have hot make-up sex, and learn that getting chocolate out of light-coloured sheets is a bitch. Ren doubles his Chocolatey Mint Cookie order the following year and buys another freezer to hold their backstock.  That way he’ll be sure to have plenty to offer to angsty teens who regularly show up at his house. (The preceding events all happen after “The End,” for those of you who read the book and are now wondering ‘what the hey?’)

And I have to add…. As a dual American-Canadian citizen and former Girl Scout who sold and consumed lots of Thin Mint Cookies in the States and who now buys Girl Guide Chocolately Mint Cookies—American folks, I’m sorry, but Chocolately Mint are better. Just sayin’…  Check out a pic on my Pinterest (that luscious white minty layer is even better frozen–seriously): https://www.pinterest.ca/avahaydenab/the-timpanist-and-the-stagehand/

 

  1. Which of your characters would send you screaming out into a blizzard before a week was up?

Ronan’s lynx self from “Daniel’s Lynx” might send me screaming if he kept gifting bits and pieces of squirrels, rabbits, and mice the way he does with Daniel. (Prrrprrrprrrprrr)

 

  1. Cats or dogs? Discuss.

In “Daniel’s Lynx,” Ronan asks, “Why do cats do anything?” Exactly. Dogs, well, if cats are inner-directed, dogs are the ultimate outer-directed creatures, except that the values and standards they are guided by are yours, not society’s. In that, cats and dogs are actually the same—neither gives a good goddamn if you’re a murderer or an embezzler. As long as you show up with food and head scratches, cats and dogs think you’re just grand.

Favorite cat in literature:  Jeoffry in “For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry” (Excerpt, “Jubilate Agno”), the poem by Christopher Smart.

Favorite dog in literature: Rowsby Woof in “Watership Down.” Did Richard Adams nail it or what? Doggiest dog ever.

  1. You can eat only one ice cream flavor for the rest of your life. Which is it?

Butter Brickle. But if I could only eat one ice cream flavo(u)r for the rest of my life, I would lose the will to live and fade away, so it would be a moot question.

 

  1. What did you have for lunch yesterday?

Slices of homemade bread with 1) avocado and mayo and 2) hummus. Also a banana.

 

  1. Which of your characters should run for US President?

I think Christoph in “The Timpanist and the Stagehand” is the only one eligible. All the others were born in Canada.

 

Blurb: Highballer (published October 25, 2017)

What happens when the man is as tempting as the money?

Remy Delacour’s family doesn’t believe in mainstream medicine, and when Remy’s boyfriend reveals that Remy is majoring in nursing, they cut him off. He has to find money to finish his education—fast. And he is so done with boyfriends.

Levi Aronson met the guy of his dreams and followed him to Australia. He knew the chances for a lasting romance were slim—and boy, was he right. Now he’s back in Canada, a year behind in his university program, and short of funds. He needs money, not another man.

Tree planting is a way to make a lot of money fast, but it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world. When Levi, an experienced planter, sees pretty, sloe-eyed Remy, Levi is certain he’ll never last.

They’ll have to pry Remy’s shovel from his cold, stiff fingers, because he won’t quit—or let anything take his eyes off the prize. When a storm brings Remy and Levi together, each finds the other a distraction from the big goal. But can anything develop between two men who have sworn off relationships?

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

 

Author Bio

Ava Hayden lives and writes in Canada but grew up in the southern United States.

When not writing, she loves reading yaoi manga and LGBTQ+ romance, taking afternoon tea, baking, seeing plays, hearing live music, and hiking (even though she once came face-to-face with two grizzlies on a trail). Most of the time her life isn’t that exciting (and doesn’t require her to carry bear spray), and she’s okay with that.

More about Ava

Ava Hayden Writes: https://avahayden.com/

Ava Hayden on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avahayden.ab/

Ava Hayden on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/avahaydenab/

Ava Hayden on Facebook: fb.me/avahayden.ab

Ava Hayden on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/avahayden

Ava Hayden on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Ava_Hayden

Ava Hayden at Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/authors/ava-hayden-812

Interview Roulette: Meghan Maslow

It’s Meghan Maslow’s turn at the wheel!

  1. What are you wearing right now?

At the moment, I’m freezing my butt off! So, I’m in a pair of jeans, a sweater, a jacket, and a big fuzzy pair of slippers. All I need is a scarf and mittens and I’m ready for winter. I really wanted to be able to say, “obviously a smoking jacket.” Nope. Think more along the lines of Randy in A Christmas Story.

2. If you could be granted instant virtuosity on a musical instrument you don’t now play, which one would it be, and why?

Since I can barely even carry a tune, this question reads like “what paranormal creature would you choose to be?” Complete fantasy. But if my Fairy Godmusician made me choose, I’d pick standing bass or possibly cello. I like the lower ranges and standing bass is just so badass. When someone rocks out on the standing bass, I could just watch/listen for hours.

3. Which of your characters would send you screaming out into a blizzard before a week was up?

Haha! Great question. And easy to answer. Auric Starfig, Twig’s father in my latest release, By Fairy Means or Foul. He’s the ultimate bureaucrat. Since I live in the greater DC Metro region I meet A LOT of his type. Ugh. I would definitely run out into a blizzard if he kept quoting regulations while simultaneously bragging about his sexual prowess the way he does to Twig.

4. Which would be your preferred vacation choice: a luxury hotel, an apartment in a historic building, or a tent?

At this moment, all sound amazing! It would depend on the location. I was fortunate enough to camp on Ngorongoro Crater many years ago (it’s not allowed anymore) and it was an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. My family did a lot of camping when I was growing up, but my kids are less than enthused. #epicparentfail

I also enjoy a lovely bed and breakfast, and to a lesser degree a luxury hotel. Pretty much anything with vacation attached to it gets a thumbs up.

5. What were your favorite childhood books?

I’ve always been a reader. Early books were anything Dr. Seuss, Esther Averill’s The Fire Cat, Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, and Gertrude Chandler Warner’s Boxcar Children Mysteries. As I got a little older I added Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, all Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books, and James Howe’s Bunnicula to that list.

6. What is the most obnoxious thing you have ever done to try to impress someone you really liked?

Can you say, “drunk dial?” I only ever did it once and I learned a valuable lesson. It doesn’t work. Enough said.

7. One of your characters comes to you for advice. Who is it, what does he ask, and what do you tell him?

I’m pretty sure it would be Bill, the Red Fury Demon. The poor guy has terrible taste in partners. It might be something about his black soul that just draws the worst sort. But Bill needs some serious love advice. I’d tell him to try dating someone. . . not evil. Or at least less evil. Baby steps.

 

Book blurb:

The last thing half-dragon, half-fairy private investigator Twig Starfig wants to do is retrieve a stolen enchanted horn from a treacherous fae, but there’s no denying the dazzlingly gorgeous unicorn who asks Twig to do just that. Literally, no denying, because compelling the reluctant detective is all part of a unicorn’s seductive magic.

To add to his woes, Twig is saddled with the unicorn’s cheeky indentured servant, Quinn Broomsparkle. Dragons are supposed to want to eat humans, but Twig’s half-dragon side only wants to gobble up Quinn in a more . . . personal way. Making matters worse, it’s obvious the smokin’ hot but untrustworthy sidekick is hiding something. Something big. And not what’s in his trousers. In the PI business, that means trouble with a capital Q.

Throw in gads of zombies, a creepy ghost pirate ship, a malfunctioning magic carpet, and Twig’s overbearing fairy father’s demands to live up to the illustrious Starfig name. Naturally, an old but abiding enemy chooses this time to resurface, too. Those inconveniences Twig can handle. The realization he’s falling for a human who isn’t free to return his affections and whose life may hang on the success of his latest case?

Not so much.

 

Book buy links:   

Will you please mention that the audiobook is now out too and that the narrator is Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux?

https://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Means-Foul-Starfig-Investigations-ebook/dp/B074M4WNTV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509388399&sr=8-1&keywords=by+fairy+means+or+foul

Audiobook, narrated by Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/By-Fairy-Means-or-Foul-Audiobook/B076C18RTT/

Author bio:

Her initials say it all. . .

Meghan Maslow is truly a rare breed. No, not a unicorn (although that would be sooo cool). She’s a. . . gasp!. . . extroverted writer. It may seem counterintuitive that as someone who is energized by people, she spends most of her time alone. Yet, that’s the case. And she doesn’t mind.

Mostly.

If she gets writers block or starts to go a little stir crazy, she heads to a coffee shop, a restaurant, a friend’s place—anywhere to fill up her need for human contact. It also helps that she spends a lot of time with the voices in her head. Some of them are really quite opinionated.

She loves writing gay romance because she’s a sap for a happy ending, and she believes everyone—regardless of orientation—should be able to find books that have them.

She believes life is for living, kindness is contagious, and a good book makes the world a better place. She loves travel, reading, world music, Moscow Mules, awkward dancing, dreadlocks, her family, and um. . . writing.

Author contacts:

Interview Roulette: Dale Cameron Lowry

 

It’s Dale Cameron Lowry’s turn at the wheel today.

  1. What is your superpower? Your Kryptonite?

My superpower is being able to take any song and make it bawdy. My kryptonite is an interruption in my sleep schedule—that and colds. Both trigger migraines, so they’re almost literally kryptonite.

2. A tourist lands in your town. What should he or she see or do?

Oh gosh, I am the worst at this. In the summer, I’d probably suggest a farmers’ market. We claim to have the largest farmers’ market in the United States, held every Saturday morning around the state capitol, and it gets bigger each year. At this point, I tell guests if they want to go and actually be able to buy food, we need to get there before 8 a.m. or after 12 noon. Otherwise, it’s like trying to move through a DC Metro station at rush hour.

We also have lots of smaller farmers’ markets where the food is just as good and the crowds are not as crazy, so if your main goal is getting yummy produce or baked goods, go to one of those.

The Capitol building itself is pretty cool, but ever since 2011 it’s been tied in with a lot of negative emotional-political baggage, so I’m not as keen on visiting it as I used to be.

My in-laws always like to visit the student union, which has famous chairs.

Architecture buffs will want to visit anything designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in driving distance. Two popular sites are the First Unitarian Society meetinghouse and Taliesin.

But if it’s up to me, I’ll skip all that and take people birding or on a visit to Olbrich Botanical Gardens, where I used to be a volunteer pruner, or the International Crane Foundation headquarters (which isn’t in town, but is the only place in the world where you can see every living species of crane). If it’s summer, wrap it up with a visit to Michael’s Frozen Custard.

3. Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever written?

I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever written on the toilet. … Probably. But I’m more likely to write while I’m in the shower. You know, be washing my hair, have an aha! moment, and have to turn off the water momentarily so I can make a note of whatever brilliant phrasing or plot contrivance just popped into my head.

I’ve also written in the car, while driving, by dictating into a handheld tape recorder. But that was when I was younger (obviously, if I was using a tape recorder) and had to drive a lot.

Talking about weird places to write reminds me of weird places to read. When the final Harry Potter book came out, I used to see this guy on the bike path holding the book with two hands and reading it with both eyes, all the while pedaling at 15 to 20 miles per hour. I really wanted to scream “Dumbledore dies!” at him, but I was worried about endangering everyone on the path even more than the present situation entailed.

4. Make up a new word you really wish would catch on. What is it and what does it mean?

When we were teenagers, I remember looking over my sister’s shoulder while she was writing in her notebook: “Am I clogged?”

I wondered what this new piece of slang meant. The only thing I could come up with was “drunk,” even though she obviously wasn’t.

She thought that was hilarious. “No, I was trying to figure out if the pen was clogged.” But ever since then, we have used the word “clogged” as a synonym for “drunk” or “loopy.”

We would feel totally cool if that caught on.

5. Pick a politician and give him or her one piece of really good advice.

Close your Twitter account.

 

Book blurb:

Myths, moons, and mayhem make the perfect threesome—and so do the men in this anthology.

Enjoy nine erotic stories of paranormal ménages a trois fueled by lust and magic, where mystical forces collide with the everyday world and even monsters have their own demons to conquer.

A werewolf gets a lust-fueled lesson on fitting in with the pack, a professor unlocks ancient secrets and two men’s hearts, and a pair of supernaturals find themselves at the erotic mercy of a remarkable human. Ghosts, fairies, aliens, and mere mortals test the boundaries of their desires, creating magic of their own.

Editor Dale Cameron Lowry brings you tales by favorite authors such as Rob Rosen and Clare London, as well as by newcomers to the genre. The paranormal lust and polymythic beings of Myths, Moons & Mayhem will spark your fantasies and fuel your bonfires.

 

Book buy links:

Author bio:

Dale Cameron Lowry’s number one goal in life is getting the cat to stop eating dish towels; number two is to write things that bring people joy. Dale is the author of Falling Hard: Stories of Men in Love and a contributor to more than a dozen anthologies.

Author contacts: