Posts Tagged ‘author guest post’

Title: “Apples and Regret and Wasted Time”
Author: Cornelia Grey
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Release Date: May 27th, 2011
 

Blurb: He lives in the shadows of the law. Now, wounded and stranded in the city after a job only he could do, he has no qualms about climbing through the window his old lover left open—or stealing his shampoo, at that. He has, however, not taken into account the possibility of being surprised in the shower.

Three years is a long time to go between visits, especially if you’ve left so much anger and hurt and desire unresolved. They try to negotiate a truce for one night—over Chinese takeaway leftovers and apples, and between the sheets.

 

 

Guest post by Cornelia Grey

Bittersweet endings: ‘it’s complicated’

Cornelia Grey

Bittersweet endings: love them or hate them, they never fail to stir up a reaction. As for me – both as a reader and as an author – if I had to Facebook my relationship with bittersweet endings, I’d pick ‘it’s complicated’.

I tell myself I don’t really like them, that what I want for the characters is a full-blown, shiny, unicorns-and-rainbows-dipped-in-glitter happy ending to put all happy endings to shame. They deserve it, after all: I’ve come to love the characters, I’ve followed them in their ups and downs and after all they’ve been through, they deserve peace and happiness. They do. And yet, as the ending approaches, I find myself eyeing them furtively as a little, guilty part of me considers that it would be… too easy. Now, when I’m a reader, all I can do is lay back, keep reading and be quiet. But when I’m the author… my characters better start worrying, ‘cause I see a bad moon a-rising in their near future.

The curious thing is that, as a reader, I usually don’t like unhappy endings. When you’re reading a story, sometimes you can tell when an unhappy ending is coming, right? All along there’s a heavy, nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach, and then you’re not disappointed, there it is, the unhappy ending, roundhouse kicking you in the guts. Maybe you hope there will be something after, that there will be some hope, some hint that things might change, that they’ll get better, that somehow it won’t be… definitive. When that doesn’t come, you’re left wallowing in a pool of powerlessness, heavy and numb. You can’t even bring yourself to imagine that things might change later, because there was no window left open for you to imagine your own developments.

My endings, although not happy, aren’t that sort of ending either. That’s mainly because they tend to be more of a ‘to be continued’, even if I might never actually get around to writing that continuation, than actual endings. They might not be happy, but they aren’t unhappy either. They are more of a… work-in-progress. Things may be uncertain right now. Things might even be flat-out crap…. For now. The situation is in transition, and whether it will turn out for better or worse, it all depends on what will happen next. On what choices the characters will make, what they’ll make of it. It’s never definitive.

To be honest, I don’t really believe in definitive endings, not even when they’re happy ones. After all, nothing short of the death of everyone involved can ever determine a definitive ending. So whatever situation my characters are left in, it’s not forever. It might be the last we hear of them, but we know that they will be carrying on with their life and that things are bound to change, because the situation is too unstable to last.

My stories tend to have two leading threads: an adventure, which is the main one, and then the romance. Often the stories end when the adventure ends, but the romance side of it, the characters’ relationship, is little more than just begun. A happy-for-now of sorts. What next? Will they stick together, or shake hands and go their separate ways? I never tell. Sometimes, I don’t even know.

Sometimes, I admit, I don’t even give them that much. The adventure takes precedence and the characters have to shove their relationship to the side. They have other priorities, so for the moment it’s the relationship that they have to put on hold. That’s life, after all: sometimes, you have to squash feelings down to take care of more practical matters. But even then, the characters are always left in transition. They may not be together at the moment, but I’m never saying that they won’t patch it up. They will be figuring out their own solutions, a way to pick up the pieces and move on and manage to glue themselves back together. They might be scarred or glued in different shapes, maybe missing some piece they didn’t manage to scoop up from the ground. Still, they will move on and build something.

There are some tropes of the romance genre which I’ll never be quite able to abide, I suspect. One of them is the centrality of the love story in the characters’ life. Of course, the love story is intense and heart-wrenching and all-consuming… but it might not necessarily be the main focus of the characters’ lives at the moment. I am a little bit of a conflict junkie, I’m afraid, so I always tend to put my characters in quite the pickles. Having to save whole chunks of populations from evil militiamen, for example, putting a stop to a war that threatens to crush half of a country, saving children from being sold by mercenaries… they tend to have serious crap going on. That’s the heart of the story. And they will end up tangled in a love story, that will never make their life easier and that will never be at the top of their priorities list.

Does that take something away from that particular relationship? I don’t think so. I think that a love story can clash with the surrounding world, can even be half-crushed by it. That doesn’t mean it’s too weak a love, it doesn’t mean it’s less important than a love story that instead manages to conquer everything. Sometimes, love stories don’t end as well as we would like to, leaving us with the nagging need to know what next?, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste in our mouths. This bitter edge – the pea under the pile of mattresses that keeps you on edge, keeps you awake and moving and alive –  is what makes romance all the more intriguing and appealing to my taste.

Buy Links (to this work and two other works):

About Cornelia Grey:

Cornelia Grey is a student halfway through her creative writing degree with a penchant for fine arts and the blues. Born and raised in the hills of Northern Italy, where she collected her share of poetry and narrative prizes, she is now based in London. Her days are full and hectic: she reads, goes to flea markets, galleries, and the theater, and of course spends most of her time writing. When she’s at home, she likes to curl up with a book and the classic cup of tea and leaves chestnuts in the garden for the squirrel that comes around from time to time.

Cornelia loves to hear from her readers and can be found at the following locations:

Blog: http://corneliagrey.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Cornelia-Grey/100001604880385
Twitter: http://twitter.com/corneliagrey

Between Sinners and Saints

by Marie Sexton

Publisher: Amber Allure
ISBN: 978-1-61124-121-1

Levi Binder is a Miami bartender who cares about only two things: sex and surfing. Ostracized by his Mormon family for his homosexuality, Levi is determined to live his life his own way, but everything changes when he meets massage therapist Jaime Marshall.

Jaime is used to being alone. Haunted by the horrors of his past, his only friend is his faithful dog, Dolly. He has no idea how to handle somebody as gorgeous and vibrant as Levi.

Complete opposites on the surface, Levi and Jaime both long for something they can only find together. Through love and the therapeutic power of touch, they’ll find a way to heal each other, and they’ll learn to live as sinners in a family of saints.

Buy “Between Sinners and Saints” by Marie Sexton: Amber Quill Press

Guest post from Marie:

I’ve been writing now for exactly two years. It’s a very short amount of time. I still feel like a novice in many way, but it’s long enough that I’ve begun to recognize the process I go through as my story goes from conceptualization to completion.

To date, I’ve published my Coda series, which includes three novels, two novellas, and a short story. I’ve also published a short story called One More Soldier, and my latest novel, Between Sinners and Saints. I have a fifth novel called Song of Oestend scheduled for release in August, and a novella about space pirates that is nearing completion. And through them all, I’ve generally followed this exact same pattern. I’m sure every writer has their own versions of these stages. I’d really love to hear how others differ. For myself, it goes something like this:

Stage 1: Conceptualization

The germination of the seed. The spark of life. Lights flickering in my brain. This stage is marked by me staring blindly into space for hours at a time. The TV, my husband, my child, the cat yowling at the door – nothing can break through my daze as I ponder characters and key moments in the story. I’ll go the grocery store and find myself standing in front of the shelves of ketchup, just swaying in the breeze. People look at me sideways and ask if I’m okay. (I’m not.)

This stage generally lasts anywhere from one to four weeks.

Stage 2: Taking the Plunge

This is the hardest stage for me, because it means COMMITMENT. In Stage 1, I can still allow myself to be distracted. I can pretend that maybe I won’t write this story at all. But once I sit down at the computer and start typing, everything changes. To date, I only have one book I’ve started but not finished, and I’m determined not to add to that number, and so I stall on actually starting for as long as I possibly can. Although this stage is huge hurdle for me, it’s short, and then it’s on to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Sex

Okay, it’s not really sex, but it is the FUN PART. If a book is like a baby (and in many ways, it is), then this stage is the lust-driven conception. Scenes come pouring out, frantic and sweaty and heart-poundingly exciting. They’re hot and fresh and sexy and just oozing with potential. They’re so great, I can’t wait to share them, and I find myself emailing bits and pieces to my long-suffering beta readers. This stage is like falling in love: the story is the last thing I think about when I go to sleep, and the first thing I think about the next morning. It’s perfect.

The duration of this stage varies. It generally lasts about as long as it takes me to write the first quarter of the story (however many words that may be).

Stage 4: The Grind

This is when reality sets in. This is when I start to realize how very much I still have to write. It’s also when I start to see the inconsistencies and the plot holes. This is the longest stage, but it’s not all bad. While many of the other stages are either very positive or very negative, this one is actually sort of a middle-ground. It involves more time staring into space. Frantic writing. Barely intelligible emails to writer friends. Many curses. But it’s good, because this is when I actually start to feel everything solidify. Characters start to be strong and true. Underlying themes and subplots begin to emerge and coalesce. I can practically feel the story taking form in my hands. This is the bulk of my novel-writing time, but eventually I emerge into…

Stage 5: OMG, I ROCK!!!

This is my second wind. It comes when the story is 90% complete. Everything’s in place. All that remains is some rounding of corners. Some smoothing of the rough edges. This is when the book is SO CLOSE to being complete I can hardly stand to sit still. It’s going to be great! I can’t wait to send it to my betas. I’m already imagining gushing emails from fans telling me that it’s my best story yet.

Unfortunately, this stage lasts a very short time before it devolves into…

Stage 6: The 3rd Trimester

I once wrote a blog post about the pure misery of this stage (you can read it here: http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-guest-blogger-marie-sexton.html). This is the point where I realize that the last 10% of the novel is probably going to kill me. It’s pure hell. I write and write and write, and yet I never get any closer to the end. Every morning when I get up, I say, “I’m going to finish this book today,” and every night when I go to bed, I say, “I’m never going to finish this mother f&*#ing book!” At this point, I’m ready to trash the entire thing. I hate the story. I hate the characters. I hate the entire world. I spend hours asking the universe why I EVER wanted to write a stupid book to begin with. I bitch and moan and gripe and complain, and my friends smile and nod and pat me on the head and push me onward until suddenly…

Stage 7: Ta-da!!!

Sound the trumpets! Break out the champagne! The first draft is complete! I send it off to my first round of beta readers with a mixed sense of pride and dread. And then, just like that, I’m on to…

Stage 8: EON (End of Novel)

EON is a term I stole from Heidi Cullinan, and it’s a really twitchy, neurotic time. First of all, I emerge from my writing cave to discover that my house has been visited by a hurricane in my absence. It’s a bit unnerving to realize the extent to which my writing has impacted my family. Dirty laundry is everywhere. Toys too. Every glass and coffee cup we own is dirty (but not pots, pans or plates, because I haven’t been cooking). My child has possibly not been bathed in a week and looks a bit like Newt when the Colonial Marines pulled her out of her rabbit-hole in Aliens. Unpaid bills are covering the countertop, and the only things left in the fridge are ketchup and styrofoam containers that hold leftovers I don’t remember bringing home.

But that’s not the worst part of EON. The worst part is the TWITCHES. Every few minutes I wander into my office. I sit down at my computer. I stare at it for a bit, waiting for something to happen. And I suddenly realize I have no idea what to do. The book is done. I have to wait for feedback before revising.

I check email. I check Twitter. I check Facebook. I check email again. I stare at the screen a bit more. I wonder what the hell is wrong with me. I check my email one last time, and then I force myself to get up and do SOMETHING. And yet, a few minutes later, I find myself again at my desk, staring blankly at my computer. Luckily, this stage usually lasts less than a week, and in that time, I do manage to get my house back under control.

Stage 9: Editing, Revising, Submitting

Exactly what it sounds like. I love this stage. It’s very low-key, and I find it strangely satisfying. I can revise forever. I do it while watching TV, or between loads of laundry. I often let it drag out longer than I should, simply because I don’t want the journey to be over. But eventually I decide it must be finished. I grind out a blurb and synopsis. I address an email to whichever publisher or editor I’m sending it to. I stall some more. I revise some more. Finally, I take a deep breath and hit “send”.

Stage 10: Reboot

Unlike a lot of other writers I know, I rarely (if ever) have another project lined up. I have to kick back and wait for one to come to me. This stage is a bit like EON, but without the mess. I’m sort of twitchy, but sort of glad to be able to relax to. I watch a lot of TV. I catch up with friends. I spend time with my husband. Then one day, some random thought will snag in my brain, refusing to be swept downstream – a picture or a sentence or an idea. For Between Sinners and Saints, it was getting a massage and wondering if guys ever popped wood on the massage table. For Promises, it was nothing more than an image of two guys together in a hallway. Whatever it is, it piques my imagination. A light bulb goes on…

And then I’m right back where I started.

Buy “Between Sinners and Saints” by Marie Sexton: Amber Quill Press

About Marie Sexton:

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular

young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and

enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying

what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

My website/blog: www.MarieSexton.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarieSexton.author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarieSexton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3292500.Marie_Sexton
And be sure to join me for Coffee and Porn in the Morning: http://cupoporn.wordpress.com

Alphabet Soup

by CB Conwy

Publisher:  Torquere Press (April 27, 2011)

ISBN:  9781610402101

Andy knows exactly what he needs: scenes hard enough to take him out of himself. Then he meets CK, and everything is turned upside down. CK is relaxed and gentle and nothing like what Andy’s looking for. Despite that, or maybe because of it, Andy’s still attracted to the stranger. CK is new to the city and the club, but definitely not to the scene. Andy’s ideas of BDSM are very different from CK’s, but there’s still something about the man that draws CK. Something fascinating and completely unpredictable. The results can be amazing scenes or complete disasters. Andy is difficult to get to know, and CK has to work hard to find the reason for Andy’s erratic behavior. CK is nothing if not stubborn, though. He’s very determined to help Andy, and Andy’s ready for it, but there’s so much Andy’s trying to forget. Like the conscientious Dom he is, CK guides Andy’s recovery, one scene at a time. Very much against his principles, CK finds himself falling in love with the man he’s trying to help. Now he has to fight not only Andy’s past, but his own conscience as well.

Buy “Alphabet Soup” by CB Conwy:  Amazon

Guest post from CB Conwy:

Keep it real

Believe it or not, this has been my motto for a while now. Probably to my readers’ surprise. Because this world of ours – Romanceland – peopled by thoughtful, interesting, hot men is anything but realistic. These guys don’t have bad hair days, they don’t fuck up at work, and they certainly don’t have to spend the evening cleaning their kitchen. In Romanceland, floors are magically swept and morning breath is as fragrant as… Sorry, I’m all out of metaphors. Insert something flowery here; the author part of my brain doesn’t work during allergy season.

Let me get this straight: There’s nothing wrong with Romanceland. When I read a romance novel, I don’t want realism; I want to be in a world where there’s a kindred spirit as well as a happy ending for all of us. Yeah, it’s escapism. So what? Real life can be a bitch; sometimes you just want to run as fast as you can.

But I want it to be a good escape. I want my characters to be real enough that I can imagine meeting them on the train (I often do exactly that when I’m commuting, as a matter of fact. For your information, I’m not a crazy lady talking to herself; I’m talking to my fictional friends, thank you very much).

This is why my characters in my latest book, Alphabet Soup, are less than perfect. CK is an amazing man, but he fucks up. Badly. So does Andy, the other main character. And that’s the way I want it. I might want to lose myself in beautiful, hot, romantic stories, but they have to be convincing – whether I read them or write them. The characters might be larger than life, but they have to be believable. They have to feel real.

And hey, I still hope to meet my own personal Mischa somewhere, sometime.

I love to hear what my readers think of Romanceland, reality, and my books, so don’t hesitate to contact me at cbconwy@yahoo.co.uk.

Buy “Alphabet Soup” by CB Conwy:  Amazon

The Tradesman’s Entrance

by Cameron Vale

Publisher: Vagabondage Press LLC
Release Date: 23rd May 2011

Buy “The Tradesman’s Entrance”: Vagabondage Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Virginal Stephen Patterson is suffering from writers block on his latest money-
spinning bodice-ripper, and his mood can only get worse when Dave the
plumber shows up two hours late, mocks him, and plunders his pantry.

But first impressions can be deceptive; Dave is a highly unusual tradesman
with an odd line in biscuit-based philosophy, an open-minded approach to
sex, and a cast-iron certificate in unblocking all sorts of pipes.

When Dave decides that it’s long past time for Stephen to unclog years of fear
and insecurity, Stephen may finally discover who he really is.

Buy “The Tradesman’s Entrance”: Vagabondage Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Guest Post from Cameron Vale:

The origin of The Tradesman’s Entrance was a gig in London that I attended with a dear friend back in 2009. The support act – whom I won’t name to protect the brave but misguided – was a very rum do indeed. We’re talking theatrical costume changes, bizarre stage props, and po-faced pomposity. Not very rock ‘n’ roll, although I feel bad about saying that because I genuinely salute anyone who has the guts to get up on a stage, having been in a band myself. I’m sure many others at the gig thought they were the business. All art is subjective, and it’s impossible to please everyone. It just wasn’t my cup of tea on that particular night, that’s all.

Quite early in the set, the lead singer opened an umbrella and held it over his head while staring down the audience in silence. I suppose he was making some point or other about the shit that regularly pours down on any human being walking the earth, but frankly, after a couple of drinks in a pleasingly warm, dry, indoor venue after a long day at work, I couldn’t be arsed to go along with his fantasy. Meanwhile, some random bloke tripped onstage carrying a chair, proceeded to sit on it, then pulled a newspaper out of his jacket pocket and pretended to read. The umbrella-festooned lead singer took this as his cue to march purposefully to the mic and announce in a portentous voice, “This next song is called Tradesman’s Entrance!”

It was one of those moments where the incongruous steps forward and smacks you on the head. My friend and I collapsed in fits of giggles. To us, the unwitting double-entendre had just pricked the band’s arthouse, serious bubble. When I recovered, I turned to my friend and said, “I’m going to write a story called Tradesman’s Entrance.”

I suppose some of the pretentiousness of the band that night went into the Stephen character. And some of my mirthful reaction went into the Dave character. Stephen came easiest in the sense of knowing his territory. I felt for his loneliness, his self-criticism, his crippling perfectionism, also his anxiety, lack of trust, and damage. He was, in short, a writer! In contrast, writing the Dave character felt like a free-form adventure and a ton of fun. He was the kind of character that starts writing himself once you’ve thought him up.

I always start with the dialogue in any story because I love the rhythm of it. To me, dialogue is music. It’s my way in, if you like. With Plumber Dave, I couldn’t shut him up in my head once he started his biscuit-based banter. It felt like taking dictation. That can be scary too sometimes when a darker character starts to write himself. I have experienced that. But in this particular story, Dave was a joy to run with. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body. Everyone should have a Dave for his (or her) first time!

Now that I have some distance on the story, I think what pleases me most is that it’s a tale that focuses on the humour and ridiculousness of sex as an antidote to anxiety. We live in an age that takes sex far too seriously and I think that leads to all sorts of fears and neuroses. Really, it’s supposed to be fun and no big deal, whatever your persuasion.

Biscuits, on the other hand, now there’s a really serious topic! But I’ll save that for some other time.

I must thank Fawn Neun at Vagabondage Press LLC for believing in this story enough to want to publish it, and her colleague N. Apythia Morges for being such a sympathetic and astute Editor.

Finally, thanks for the guest post NBITB. Much appreciated!

About Cameron Vale:

Cameron Vale is one of the pen names used by a London-based polymath and autodidact who has thoroughly researched all the best ways to fall asleep on a keyboard. Cameron would like it known that although she may well have some Stephen Patterson in her, she has never ripped a bodice in her life.

Buy “The Tradesman’s Entrance”: Vagabondage Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Keeping House

by Lee Brazil

Publisher: Breathless Press

ISBN 9781926930466

ASIN B004ZMVRYW

Mischa knew his brothers were up to something. He didn’t know it would lead him to Donovan Holloway and change his carefree lifestyle forever.

Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he’s worked for twenty years, grew up in a free love hippie commune, taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him. He’s worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he’s ever wanted was a normal family life–house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to–to care for, and to care for him.

Mischa Blake is the green eyed, liberally-pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife. Mischa has made a terrible mistake. In a fit of childish pique, he’s accepted a dare from his older brothers. The dare? Live on his own, supporting himself completely for a year without accessing his trust fund. No problem. Except Mischa has never worked a day in his life, hasn’t finished college, and has absolutely no skills that he can bring to the table.

So when he sees Donovan’s ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really…how hard can it be?

Buy “Keeping House” at Breathless Press , All Romance eBooks, and Amazon among other online retailers.

Guest Post from Lee:

Introducing: Keeping House~ A Story About Family, A Story About Love

Good morning Readers! After a glorious sunrise today, I’m sipping the coffee, and ready to talk about Keeping House. When I think back over writing this book, the scene I love most is when Mischa and his friends are unloading the U-Haul in front of Donovan’s house. Donovan, being the gentleman that he is, comes out to help them. Donovan can’t resist temptation, and kisses Mischa for the first time. First kisses are a magical thing in my book; I’ve always believed that kisses are more intimate a connection even than sex. After the kiss, Mischa thinks that Donovan was merely reacting to the display that his friends put on with their petting in the background. Ouch! That had to have hurt!

I’m from a large family, so I know exactly how the Blakes feel about their baby brother. Mine is over seas in the Navy right now, and I can tell you, there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t worry about him and what he’s doing over there. So, while I felt some degree of sympathy for Mischa and the plight he found himself in, I empathize most with Terry and Brandon Blake. Being an older sibling is almost as tough as being a parent. Terry and Brandon genuinely feel that they are doing their best to help Mischa, never realizing that their brother has dreams of his own that contradict their dreams for him. I know exactly how they felt, and that makes them less wicked manipulators and more men to be admired in my opinion.

I’m not sure where the inspiration for this story came from, except from the concept of family. As a family, my siblings and I often sit down to play a hand of cards or a game of some kind. Moments like that bind a family together. They are times for teasing, for sharing, for laughing and loving together. My fondest memories are of my Dad and Mom sitting down to play a rousing hand of cards with us. That’s where the poker game in the beginning came from. From there, it was natural to pair Mischa, a youth who didn’t really appreciate what a great family he had, with Donovan, a man who craved a family but didn’t really have a true concept of what family is.

BIO: I am a former English grammar and composition instructor who relocated from sunny Southern California to the countryside of Illinois a bit more than a year ago. I occupy my days here with gardening, reading and writing. Falling in love has been the biggest adventure of my life, and I hope to share that with readers through my writing.

Buy “Keeping House” at Breathless Press , All Romance eBooks, and Amazon among other online retailers.

In Dreams He Came

by Trina Lane

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

ISBN: 978-1-61581-883-9

With a very active imagination and passion for all things history, University of California senior and veteran on the swim team Gabriel Mason often finds himself traveling to distant lands and times. There’s always one constant in Gabe’s dreams: a nameless man whose love completes Gabe’s soul. Gabe is waiting for someone special in his “real” life as well, and his best friend Phil is determined to find Gabe his elusive knight in shining armor.

Nick Jackson, a university alum and Olympic swimming champion, immediately recognizes the quiet young man from the swim team and convinces Gabe to give them a chance at building something special. Considering the palpable attraction between them, Nick surprises himself by quickly agreeing to take their budding relationship slow. Unfortunately, real life is not a fantasy, and Nick’s demanding schedule as a professional athlete and Gabe’s obligations to the swim team and his degree make finding time to spend together difficult.

Have the two men found everlasting love, or will it all prove to be just another dream?

Buy “In Dreams He Came” by Trina Lane from Dreamspinner Press:  Ebook / Print

From Trina:

Hello Readers! I’m so excited to have to opportunity to have In Dreams He Came featured on Naughty in the Backseat. This book is special to me for several reasons, but a couple of them are that it takes place in Berkeley, CA only a stones throw away from one of my favorite cities San Francisco. I’ve visited northern California a couple times in my life and have wonderful memories and mementos. I wanted to write a book that took place there as a sort of tribute to my friends and family that call the California coast home.

The characters of In Dreams He Came are some of the most fun I’ve taken on. Gabe’s love of history is not simply his choice of academic study. It’s an elemental part of who he is as a man. But he also has a very romantic side to his nature. These two aspects combine and result in vivid dreams of castles and knights and finding his one true love. I loved writing Gabe and really getting to know the many layers that make up this unique young man. In a time where so many are concerned with the latest and greatest and driven towards instant satisfaction; Gabe is quite happy to watch the world go by drifting away in his daydreams, while still ducking his head down and focusing on his goals of being the best collegiate swimmer he can be and becoming a history professor so he can spread his love of the past to future generations.

I think my favorite part of the book is pretty much any time Phil, Gabe, and Nick are together. Phil’s personality is so much the antithesis of his best friend that the two of them together usually ended up being rather amusing. Some of the things that Phil said even surprised me as I was writing! Nick on the other hand is about as patient as one can find. He not only gives everything back to Phil, but is staunch in his protection of the man he loves. A man he calls “his sweet prince” Which is by no means a fluffy sentiment. To the couple, Nick’s term of endearment is very meaningful as it pays tribute to not only their love, but Gabe’s desire to find his one true knight in shining armor. Specifically the chapter in the book that makes me laugh each time I read is when the three of them are working out in Nick’s gym and when Gabe and Phil are in Nick’s apartment. The interaction between the three of them let’s you see them for the individuals they are, but still the closest of friends.

Thank you for the opportunity to talk you to you a little about the book and I hope the book takes you on your own magical journey. Who knows you may meet a knight of your own.

Buy “In Dreams He Came” by Trina Lane from Dreamspinner Press:  Ebook / Print