Monday, June 22, 2009

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are you working on now?

I am working on Ticket to Ride. The story premise is that just as a has-been rock star is looking to make his come back his boyfriend announces he is leaving him. Then the boyfriend ends up being murdered. I have no idea of the length. It’s supposed to be finished by September.

2) Anything else?

I’m also working on Pieces. It’s a story of depression and moving on from grief and finding or re-finding new love. One hero’s boyfriend killed himself and he’s having trouble moving on from that and it’s going to take him falling in love all over again with his first love to get his happily-ever-after.

3) Sorcerer’s Lover 2 just released, do you have any more sequels in the works?

Sorcerer’s Lover will definitely have a third installment. In the third one, the war between Benedict’s brothers, James and Henry, will heat up and at least one of them will look to using Warin’s powers to become king. I am anticipating late 2009 or early 2010 for that one.

I am also intending to conclude Nick and Ray’s story from The Other Side 2 as well as get out Ray’s brother, Devon’s story at some point. Those are the only sequels planned at present.

4) You seem to write pretty fast. How do you do it?

I don’t know, really. It’s something I’ve always been able to do when forced but lately I have been slowing down a bit. Which is why I have only got Until the End of Time to release at the end of July for Amber Quill and Beyond the Norm to release in September for Dreamspinner Press. Nothing else is completed but as mentioned I am working on it.

5) Do you read reviews of your work?

Sometimes. I am learning the painful lesson some people just won’t like your work. I’ve gotten great reviews and bad reviews, but honestly I don’t see either kind affecting the sales for my books much. I know for myself, as a consumer, I don’t really pay attention to reviews on review sites when choosing books for myself.

I pay more attention to reader reaction than review sites and for the most part I have gotten very positive reader reaction to the majority of my stories. It’s always lovely getting an email from a reader or a comment on the blog from someone who loved my story. That always makes me very happy.

Any person who puts out their work whether it is writing or acting or painting is going to be subject to criticism. There are millions of people in the world and we don’t all like the same things.

6) Do you have a writing routine?

No. I don’t write for so many hours or force myself to work on any given day. I try to write every day but it just doesn’t work for me. I usually write at the day job at lunch during the work week. Sometimes at night when I come home and I am vegging in front of the television I can get a little more done. And on the weekends I might get 500 words done for the entire time. But if I am determined to write and finish something I will work a lot more and a lot faster. When I decided to do Until the End of Time I got 2,000 or more words done on that per day.

7) Do you plot or just write as it comes to you?

Well, every story is different. Right now as I am working on Ticket to Ride I am just writing it. Don’t know who the killer is or why or anything. I know the killer is not Chad or the cop-love interest, Jack. But for Beyond the Norm I pretty much knew where I wanted to go with that story when I started. Same with Trust. Those were both plotted in my head before I wrote them. I rarely ever sit down and write down a plot even when I do have the plot in mind. I store them in my brain.

8) When are you going to write the Regency lord and butler story?

I have visions of myself starting that in late summer or early fall. But it’s also entirely possible it will have to be pushed to early 2010.

9) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers of the m/m genre?

First, please read and enjoy the genre you are writing. Don’t just start writing it because you hear it is the hot thing. If you don’t enjoy the genre readers will know. I was reading m/m well before I ever penned the first one (Another Chance). The other thing is join writing groups, on line chapters are good if you can’t find a local one, RWA now has a Rainbow chapter, find a critique partner you mesh with, and finish the story. Endless re-writes of your beginning chapter will get you no where. In order to get published you have to submit. If you can’t find a critique partner, enter a few contests that will take the genre and get some feedback that way. Also, research publishers who publish what you write. Read their stories and get a feel for what they like.

10) Since your first published erotic romance, The Squire, came out a year ago is there anything you’ve done to promote your books that you think has worked?

Actually, I joined a reader’s site called, Goodreads. I was talked into it, really, by Ava March, but I am glad I did. I have been able to talk about different books we’ve all read or wanted to read in the genre and gotten some great recommendations I might never have known about without them. I’ve also met some really wonderful readers that I have become good friends with, Shellie for instance, and my favorite person in the universe, Shayne. I’m extremely grateful for their kindness and friendship. And I know both have convinced other readers to try my books and I can’t thank them enough for their support.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great Q&A Shawn! Always a treat to see a new post from you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Stacey. I'm basically boring so I can only make myself sound sort of interesting! LOL. That's why I create characters who are much more fun to read about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. FABULOUS topic, sweetie.

    It's easy to persuade people to read your books, gorgeous because they are that good!
    Those who do not like your books, they are obviously suffering from some kind of brain defect or something.

    You are my favorite person, too.

    Muah! Love you.

    ReplyDelete