Originally appeared online at Raine Delight's blog
- Tell us about your latest book and what you think readers will get out of it.
- My latest book is Conflict of Interest, released in e-book format by Torquere Press on April 26th (and in print format through Lulu Press in May). When Alex Hitchner signs up to volunteer at a local youth shelter, he is not prepared to be introduced to Jamie Owens, an 18 year old boy with a bad attitude. Just two years younger than Alex, Jamie is nervy, precocious, and damn sexy, to boot.
- But Alex sees himself as a mentor to Jamie, someone to look up to, someone to prove to the kid that being a gay man does not mean casual sex in crowded clubs. He tries to keep his distance, both physically and emotionally, but Jamie becomes a part of his life in a way Alex doesn’t expect. Alex must choose between giving into his desires or leaving the program -- and Jamie -- behind.
- I hope that readers will enjoy the characters’ relationship as it blossoms into romance, despite Alex’s best efforts to keep Jamie at bay. I think that there is a level of budding eroticism throughout the story, a newfound excitement in falling in love for the first time, that readers will enjoy.
- Can you describe your characters to us? Do you pattern them after anyone you know or is it pure imagination?
- My characters are an amalgam of people I’ve met or have known throughout my life as well as my own traits and characteristics. There isn’t any one person who has inspired a particular character; rather, they are a combination of so many different aspects that they become their own unique people. I think that using people you know as a building block to start creating a character helps make that character “real,” but there comes a point when the character takes on a life of his own and becomes his own entity.
- What genre have you not done but want to in the future?
- Well, all my books revolve around gay characters. I wouldn’t necessarily call them romance or erotica (particularly my longer stories), but homosexuality is present in every story I write. My favorite genres are contemporary and futuristic, but I would love to write more epic fantasy (with magic and knights and kings) or outer space sci-fi (with aliens and spaceships). I’ve done some but nothing really involved. I would also like to write more historical stories, particularly those set during wars (the American Revolution or Civil War, World Wars I & II, etc). Those are the kinds of stories I’d like to read, so I want to try my hand at them some day.
- Tell us about your most erotic romantic fantasy. If you could have a 24-hour romantic fling with anyone you wanted, anywhere you wanted, where would you go, what would you do and with whom would you do it?
- I would really prefer to skip this question, as my erotic fantasies all involve gay men and not myself. Even in my daydreams, I play the role of author. My fantasies are written out in my books; I spend a lot of time playing out my stories in my mind, which is just one of the ways I write. By the time I’m ready to put pen to paper, the gist of the tale is already in place and I just have to write down what I see on the screen in my mind’s eye.
- If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
- I would like to have telekinesis (the ability to move objects with my mind). That would allow me to write while I mentally clean the house, or better yet, I could be asleep and mentally typing on the computer, working on my next story, at the same time. Actually if I could do that, I’d invest in an old-fashioned typewriter, so I’d be able to listen to the keys clack clack clack continually as I went about my other daily chores.
- If you could visit any time and place, where and when would it be and why?
- I’m a huge history buff, and would love to be able to visit Colonial America. Either during the Revolutionary War or the Civil War -- those had to be exciting times in which to live, times of tumultuous change, when a person had to take a stand and fight for their beliefs.
- Who’s more fun to write about, bad boys or perfect gentlemen and why?
- Bad boys, definitely. Even my “perfect gentlemen” have hidden secrets and flaws. That’s what makes a character memorable, what allows readers to connect with them: their imperfections, their insecurities, their human nature. I think perfect characters are boring.
- Do you watch reality TV? If so, what is one of your guilty pleasures? If not, then what do you prefer to watch?
- I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I love American Idol. Sometimes I will also watch America’s Next Top Model, but that’s the extent of my reality TV fix. Otherwise I watch the History Channel.
- VIN Diesel or Gerard Butler?
- They’re both attractive in different ways, but neither really my speed. I’m more of a River Phoenix type, I think. Not so much action hero as tortured artist.
- Where can readers reach you?
- Blog, website, MySpace, LiveJournal, Yahoo! Group, and e-mail.
- Where are you published?
- Aspen Mountain Press, Amber Quill Press, Torquere Press, Lulu Press, Fictionwise, Ruthie’s Club, and Amazon.