Guest interview -- Rick R. Reed

Midnight Seductions Guest Interview:

Rick R. Reed

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself…

Well, I always dreamed of being a ballet dancer. Those dreams were shattered when one morning, over breakfast, Mom dropped a six-pack on my instep. But seriously, I have always wanted to write and have been doing so from about the age of six. Personal details: I live in Seattle with my partner of eight years; he works in the fashion industry as a national buyer for a major upscale retailer. We have a dog, a Boston Terrier named Lily, who is spoiled rotten but completely deservedly so. I also have an adult son, Nicholas, who lives way too far away in Montreal, Quebec with his husband (they were married in August of 2009…imagine that, legally and everything!). When I’m not writing, I’m reading, cooking, or watching movies. I also love the outdoors and Seattle is simply one of the best cities around for that.

2. …and about your most recent release.

That’s kind of personal, isn’t it. Oh! You mean book release. Actually this summer I have had the pleasure of seeing two of my books come out. The first is A Demon Inside, published by MLR Press. This one continues my effort into trying to make a successful hybrid of horror and romance. The blurb for the story is:

Hunter Beaumont doesn't understand his grandmother's deathbed wish: "Destroy Beaumont House." He'd never even heard of the place. But after his grandmother passes and his first love betrays him, the family house in the Wisconsin woods looks like a tempting refuge. Going against his grandmother's wishes, Hunter flees to Beaumont House.

But will the house be the sanctuary he had hoped for? Soon after moving in, Hunter realizes he may not be alone. And with whom--or what--he shares the house may plunge him into a nightmare from which he may never escape. Sparks fly when he meets his handsome neighbor, a caretaker for the estate next door, but is the man his man salvation...or is he the source of Hunter's terror?

The second release I’ve had this summer is a collection of gay erotic short stories from Amber Allure (the GLBT imprint of Amber Quill Press). All of the stories contained in the collection have previously only appeared in e-book edition; this collects them into one trade paperback for the “real” book readers out there. The book contains the following stories: Superstar, Through the Closet Door, Riding the El at Midnight, Fugue, Incubus, MAN-amorphosis,

No Place Like Home, and Pottery Peter. It’s a nice blend horror, romance, humor, and pathos.

3. You’ve been known as a horror writer for years. What made you decide to write romance?

I don’t know that I decided anything. Characters came to call, demanding that I tell their stories. That’s the way it usually works, at least for me. Maybe it’s just the softer side of me coming out as I get older, but I’m fascinated by what draws two people together, what keeps them apart, and what ignites passion. Increasingly, even when I’m telling a horror story, romance has been demanding a larger share of the limelight. A Demon Inside and The Blue Moon Café both are horror novels with strong romantic subplots. This fall will see the release of my first full-length romance novel, Tricks, from MLR Press.

4. What genre do you prefer to write? Is there a genre you’d like to write in that you haven’t tried yet?

As I said above, my writing is more inspired by my characters and the stories they need me to tell. Obsession, fear, and passion really motivate me and my characters, so horror and romance are natural fits. I also have a fascination with true crime and some of my work lovingly explores topics like murder and abduction. So you could also say I dabble in mystery and suspense. Or thrillers. I leave the labeling of my stuff to bookstores, publishers, and readers. I just try to tell stories I myself would like to read. As far as your second question, I don’t really have an answer. As of this very moment, no, but one never knows what in what direction the muse will pull. I can say that I don’t think I’d ever write fantasy or hard science fiction, as those genres hold little interest for me.

5. What do you like to read?

I am always reading (and have since I was little) and my tastes are fairly eclectic. I suppose what I find myself reading most are horror and thrillers. I just read a wonderful vampire novel by Louise Marley called Mozart’s Blood, which was just an amazing take on the mythos. Right now, I’m reading a futuristic YA novel called The Hunger Games, which is truly gripping and has one of the best female protagonists I’ve seen in a long time. It’s gripping.

6. What do you feel is your strength as an author? For instance: characterization, dialogue, etc.

To get into the minds of my characters and deeply explore their motivations. I think that’s why reviewers have often mentioned how even the worst of my villains border on sympathetic characters because of the way I paint them and how I get inside their heads.

7. Where do you see your writing career taking you? Goals for two, four, six
years.

I have no idea.

8. Do you ever use people you know as characters in your book, or composites?

I think all of my writing reflects myself or people I know, but I don’t use actual people in my fiction, although I will occasionally throw in the name of a friend or relative as a minor character or even have real people in my life make cameos. Read Orientation or Tricks (when it comes out) and you’ll find cameos by Lily, my Boston Terrier.

9. Do you find that your creativity is more active mornings, afternoon, or
evenings?

I am totally a morning person. Up at 5 usually and my day just winds down from there. I am at my most creative and energetic in the mornings, though, definitely.

10. What do you do to get yourself in the writing frame of mind? Do you do something different depending on whether you’re writing a suspenseful scene or a romantic scene?

I believe that, for me, writing is a kind of self hypnosis. I really feel like I “go under” and the stories, characters, dialogue come to me in a slightly altered state. I am grateful for this state and couldn’t identify from where it comes. But beyond that, I don’t have any special rituals or anything like that.

11. What’s your favorite leisure activity? Why?

I know most people probably want (or expect) me to say sex, but the boring truth is: reading. If a book is really good, I can get completely lost in it and no other medium or art form can quite do that for me the way a good book can. A little further down the list would be cooking (I love feeding the people I love! I even make my dog’s food) and travel…love experiencing new places, sights, and cultures.

12. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?

I have a long list. But if I had to choose one place for a plane to whisk me off to tomorrow it would be the tiny village my mom’s ancestors came from in Sicily. It’s a big component of my bucket list to one day visit that town.

Find out more about Rick at his website: http://www.rickrreed.com/

Guest blogger -- Eve Langlais

Please welcome guest blogger Eve Langlais!

How will the world end?

Will it be an asteroid slamming into earth? A nuclear World War III that wipes out all the major cities? Or a pandemic which will find our doctors helpless as conventional drugs fail? The end of the world features in many stories and films and is a morbid topic which for some reason fascinates. I think all of us at one time or another has wondered what we would do to survive. I know my husband and I, on more than one occasion, discussed it. I focussed on the stocking up on supplies aspect, musing I’d scrounge for all the canned goods, clothing, blankets and medical supplies I could find. My husband’s alpha tendencies showed in our talk when he spoke of getting weapons to defend us and making our home into a fortress. He’s more of a Mad Maxx thinker while I’m more of a survivor and rebuild Deep Impact one.

Which reminds me—seeds! No world rebuilding is complete without them and at least one fat medical text book to diagnose and heal ourselves in a world without doctors. One thing for sure, I’d sure feel sorry for the all the women who’d have to go through childbirth without drugs. Ouch!

A disturbing element common in most end of the world scenarios, is how violent society turns. Mad Maxx, Waterworld and other films are chock full of violence and fighting for survival not against the elements and starvation, but against each other. Maybe I have a bit of a Polyanna view, but I’d like to think the majority of us who survived a widespread calamity would pull together to form a helping hand society, one not ruled by violent bullies. But I have to wonder, would we follow a true leader who has the skills to motivate people to survive and rebuild a better world or would we descend into chaos because it’s easier? My husband scoffs that with my naïve attitude, I wouldn’t survive long without him. Funny thing though, if it came down to protecting home and hearth, I’d do what I have to because family is everything, I just wouldn’t enjoy it or want to live a life where I needed to defend myself and those I love every day.

Which group would you fall in? And which is more realistic given humanity’s propensity for violence and caring? Have you ever given it any thought? What’s your ultimate plan of survival? Do you stay where you are or move to the boonies where you have a better chance of living off the land? I wonder if you took away all of civilizations trappings if our instinct for survival would resurface?

In my newest story, Apocalypse Cowboy, I explore the world annihilation scenario . In my fabrication, a flu-like virus runs rampant killing off almost the entire world’s population leaving behind only handfuls of survivors. While violence plays a part in this tale, it’s mostly a story about betrayal and trust. Here, I’ll let you peek at the blurb for this story.

What to do when the man who betrayed her happens to be the last man on earth?

Brody never forgot his first love, the one his pride made him lose. When the world dies almost overnight, he find himself drawn back to his hometown and the love he left behind.

Hannah never thought the expression, ‘Not if you were the last man on earth’ would ever come back to haunt her, but when the world’s population is decimated by a deadly virus, she regrets her words, especially when Brody comes riding back into her life.

Against all odds they survived the plague, but will the mistakes of the past continue to tear them apart?

Now available from Cobblestone Press, I invite you to see my site for an excerpt and more info.

Big thanks to Cassandra Gold for this opportunity to guest blog and to everyone who came out for a peek.

:) Eve Langlais

Website: http://www.EveLanglais.com

Taking Notes and Posting Apologies

(Qwillia slinks into the room and takes a seat in the back before realizing everyone is staring at her-**sigh** Might as well get it over with)

Yup, that's me. Taking Notes and Posting Apologies.

Apology comes first--I'm sorry I missed everyone on the 25th. To say it was a day from hell would have been too nice. Leaving out dayjob dramas, I missed my self imposed deadline for edits AND the blog I was supposed to post here.
All's good, I hope I'm forgiven.

Now, onto the Taking Notes part.
Pen is poised over my paper--can't get away from that, I like scribbling things down on paper it's faster and easier than waiting for the computer to warm up and me to remember which password I used last. Anyway, I just read Beth's post. Man, I wish I could go to DC with her, but not going to happen. Back injury has me limited on the amount of time I can drive and I have the dayjob.

I wish I'd read her post last night. I would have had better answers for my friend Elijana Kindel when we were discussing a marketing plan. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I need to keep my name out there, keep the books flowing, keep the posts going to the yahoo groups. It gets especially difficult when I run into the brick wall of writing. Not that that happens often, but there are some stories that simply drain you of all energies and just getting up in the morning is a feat worth celebrating.

Out of the list of things Beth gave I have to say autographings and live chats are my favorite. I don't usually like being the center of attention of a crowd or even mingling with strangers, but readers aren't strangers. Not to me. They don't have to have read my books, they just have to have enjoyed reading a book recently. Books and reading and characters are a language I'm comfortable with. It's what I know best and have the most confidence in discussing with a complete stranger. Maybe because for two years it was part of my job to introduce readers to new authors when I worked for a large bookstore chain (it would become Border's within two years of my leaving).

Introducing my characters to readers is fun, because these are people that have lived with me in my head for weeks or months, maybe years, or in the case of Mattie and Bryce--decades. I know their quirks and foibles, and what makes them endearing or a pain in the butt. The fun part of the introductions is where--live chat or reading or autographing, it's all good for me.

Do you like all the freebie bookmarks and such that introduce you to someone new to read? Do you prefer to actually meet them face to face? Maybe in a chat room is where you like to be introduced? All are great places to run into the book that gets you thinking....

Well, I've babbled enough. Time to return to those edits, that are now officially a day late, ughhh.

Have a great day all. Please, let me know where you like to hear from authors or even how!

Promotional Prep

There are a lot of options open to authors now a days when it comes to promotion. The problem is picking what works best. Depending on what you write, and what your comfort level is, will determine how you run the promotional side of things.
Personally I love getting out and meeting new people and trying new things. I love the research that goes into the stories that push the boundaries of what I'm comfortable with. I'm not easily embarassed and I'm kinda loud and playful and hugs from new friends kick ass, so I enjoy going to cons and signings and readings, etc... For people that are shy theses types of promotional gigs are a bit scary and way too intimidating, especially for newcomers. That's okay. there are plenty of other ways to ease yourself out of that shy shell online before you venture out in person.

Free goodies are great but can get really expensive. Vistaprint is a wonderful place to get stuff at a discount or sometimes even free. If you aren't comfortable peddling your cards at local bookstores then look for the review places that are always in need of goodies for their goodie bags. It's a great way to get your name out there.
I know some people aren't fond of yahoo groups but I don't know what I would do without mine. I actually have several. My personal yahoo group, my lesbian writer's group and a critique group.
Host chats, run contests, get in on promotional groups. Just remember, if you aren't willing to tell people about your stories then who will?
Beth

Come see me on September 11 in DC at The Crucible from 11am-6pm as part of the fetish flea where I'll be hosting a vendor's table with DL King and Jhada Addams. I'll have free goodie bags, my big goodie box and autographed books with all sorts of yummy, sexy goodness in them. For more info:
b.wylde@yahoo.com

Guest blogger -- Angela White

Please welcome guest blogger Angela White, who's here to discuss self publishing.


Self publishing your novel

It sounds easy. Open a notebook, write, sell it. Any one can do it. That's true but not just anyone can do it well. It takes talent, something self published authors are often accused of not having. I can't tell you how many reviewers refused my work just because it was a pod,(print on demand) published story. Because I was smart enough to use a top service, I got a great deal that included being listed on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. Without that, I wouldn't be where I am now. If you plan to self publish or just want real information on how it works, this is the blog post for you.

Self Publishing: The good, the bad, & the ugly

The Good.

Unless you're writing hate mail to the President, there are no edits, cuts, or anything else that aren't approved by you. It comes out the way you sent it in unless you pay for the professional editing, which I personally did not use due to the high price. However, it is a valuable tool and wold have save me time and therefore money in the long run.

It is usually a very fast process. You can have a book in hand within just a couple weeks of paying.

It is set up to be worked on in stages that are very simple to understand. If you can paste and save and click upload, you can self publish.

Name brand companies provide a real time online tracking service that will tell you how many copies have sold.

The Bad

You may not get to ever talk to a real person, except by email. It's not very warm and inviting.

The prices are high and they will try to sell you as much as they can in your package it's hard to choose but the standard seems to be you need a book in hardcover print to get recognized. This will cost you around $1500.00. Many places offer payment plans but again, the prices are steep.

If there are little sales, the pod,(print on demand) publisher can release you from the contract and then your book is no longer available and will remain so until it is picked up by another publisher or printing house.

The Ugly

All a print on demand publisher does is print and ship. Here is a list of things they will NOT do without additional money:

Give advise. Period. Of any kind.
Edit
Consult by phone
Promote your book
Review your book or send it out to reviewers
Send out press releases
Refund money for low sales and contract termination.
Back you up in legal matters
Arrange book signings or tours
Provide a webpage for your book

The list goes on and on. Once they ship your complimentary copies to you, they are done and it is now up to you to make you story known in an ocean of titles that come out each year. Be sure. It is incredibly hard to get an agent or traditional ‘house’ to pick up a self published work and there's only so much you can do alone.

Many people self publish hoping someone important will read it, recognize their talent, and come calling. The problem with that theory is that those important people will never find your book. Imagine a man dipping his cup into the ocean. Each drop of water is a new book that comes out. What are the odds on your drop being in that single cup?

Guest interview -- DC Juris

Today we're featuring an interview with author DC Juris!

Midnight Seductions Guest Interview

1. Tell us about your most recent release. I have two recent releases - "Dream Come True" with Breathless Press is about Tristan, who meets the man of his dreams in the flesh, and "Family Matters" with Torquere Press is another story featuring my transgender character, Derek.

2. What genre do you prefer to write? Is there a genre you’d like to write in that you haven’t tried yet? I specifically write contemporary, fantasy, or sci fi m/m. There isn't anything else I like to write - mysteries and historical stories tend to bog me down.

3. What do you like to read? Anything and everything m/m. Even though I don't really care for certain genres, I'll read them. I think it's important to read works that don't necessarily appeal to you, just to keep your mind open.

4. What do you feel is your strength as an author? For instance: characterization, dialogue,
   sexual tension, sex scenes???? I think I'm pretty good at dialogue and sex scenes, although you'd have to ask my readers, really. I tend to underrate my talents, or so I've been told.

5. How did you choose your pen name? Does it hold some significance special to
   you? My pen name is related to the first transgender person I ever met. He was the first person to show me that I could be me; that I didn't have to exist inside a box and be miserable. DC is a variation of his first and middle names, and Juris comes from the fact that he had a Juris Doctorate, of which he was incredibly proud. After he passed away, it just seemed right that I use the name.

6. Where do you see your writing career taking you? Goals for two, four, six
   years. My only goal was to get published, and I've done that. For me, publication isn't about fame and fortune, but simply about the completion of a story. A story isn't complete until it's published.

7. Do you ever use people you know as characters in your book, or composites? All of my characters have a little flavor of someone I know in them.

8. Do you find that your creativity is more active mornings, afternoon, or
   evenings? I have a pretty hectic schedule, so I have to take the opportunities I can get. My life has always been that way, so I've evolved to write on the fly - anywhere and everywhere, any time of the day.

9. What well-known author would you compare your work to or hope that you've achieved the same level of excitement? I don't think my work comes close to any well-known authors. Again, for me, it's not about fame or fortune or awards, so I'm really not focused on being as good as or as sought-after as anyone else.

10. What’s your favorite leisure activity? Why? Writing. Seriously, it's the one thing I can always do. Partly because I simply enjoy it, and partly because it's all mine. Beyond that, photography - I love being able to freeze moments in time forever.

Learn more about DC at: http://dcjuris.com/default.aspx