>Pinky Swear by Lynn Lorenz

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Pinky Swear

by Lynn Lorenz
Amber Allure
113 Pages
5+ KISSES
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Blurb:

Lane and Matt have been best friends since they were ten years old. They’ve been through everything together—childhood adventures in their New Orleans uptown neighborhood, Lane’s stuttering, Matt’s alcoholic father, high school angst, and “coming out” in college. All through the years, they’d shared secrets and, using the powerful pinky swear, vowed to keep every one of them. But neither Lane nor Matt ever told each other his biggest secret—that they were in love with each other.

For Lane, Matt was everything he wasn’t—gorgeous, sexy and outgoing. He had a different boyfriend every week, and Lane couldn’t get a date, let alone the man of his dreams. For Matt, he could never measure up to Lane, never be good enough for the man who set his heart on fire. Neither wanted to risk the deep friendship they shared to find out if the other felt more. Yet after one night of incredible drunken passion, Lane woke up to find Matt gone and a note saying he was sorry and not much more.

Four years later and half a country separated, one fateful storm, Hurricane Katrina, brings the old friends together again. But four years is a long time, and Lane’s grown up, matured, more sure of himself than ever. When Matt rushes home from the West Coast to find the friend he loved and fled, he discovers not just the man he left behind, but a man who knows what he wants—a best friend and a lover who won’t run, who’ll stay forever.

Now, it’s up to Matt to make the pinky swear…

Review:

Lane and Matt are ten year old boys, best friends growing up together in New Orleans. They share a fort together in Lane’s backyard, and often exchange secrets with one another. When Matt finds a human leg bone that had been washed up from a shallow grave in the cemetery, he brings it back to their fort. Lane “pinky swears” to his best friend that he will keep the bone a secret and never tell where it came from. When the family dog finds the bone a few days later in the fort and drags it into the yard, Lane’s parents are beside themselves. Lane demonstrates his integrity, though, and doesn’t tell on his friend. Instead he takes the blame…and the punishment.

A few years later Lane steps into the fort to find his best friend Matt with an adult magazine. He’s masturbating to photos of naked men. When Matt reveals to Lane that he thinks he’s gay, Lane again vows secrecy in the form of a pinky swear.

Lane has a secret of his own, though. He is deeply in love with Matt and always has been. But Matt is so much more attractive than Lane. He’s muscular and self-confident, and he’s everything that Lane would like to be himself. He cannot tell Matt his true feelings—not now or ever. He just could not bear to face rejection from the one he loves so intensely.

As the years pass, Lane and Matt remain close. Matt is thrown out of his home as a teenager when his drunken father discovers the boy’s sexual orientation. Before kicking him out, though, his father beats Matt nearly to a bloody pulp. Matt has nowhere to go, and Lane’s family takes him in. Lane’s parents become Matt’s guardians and are like Mom and Dad to him.

When the boys go away to college, it is together, and they share a dorm room. Lane is shy and reserved while Matt is outgoing. Lane continues to harbor his secret crush while Matt seems oblivious. Then one night everything changes when Matt finally kisses Lane for the first time. It appears to be the answer to Lane’s prayers, but when he wakes up the following morning he discovers that Matt is gone.

Pinky Swear is a novella which contains literally everything I love about m/m fiction. It is a beautifully written story which chronicles the lives of two soul mates. Matt and Lane are meant for each other, and it is obvious from the first paragraph of the book that what they share is remarkable. Instantly I fell in love with Lane, and my heart broke for him as he struggled with both his identity as well as his unrequited feelings toward his best friend. His sensitivity and vulnerability were palpable, and I wanted more than anything to reach into that novel and hug him. His self-effacing personality was so utterly genuine that it often moved me to tears.

The character Matt was equally as poignant. The abuse he endured at the hands of his homophobic father was heartbreaking, and yet he just seemed to exude strength and confidence. I loved the manner in which he was so fiercely protective of his smaller friend, ready to beat the brains out of anyone who may even try to hurt Lane. Ironically, it is Matt himself who hurts Lane most.

The first half of the book is written exclusively from Lane’s point of view, and I applaud the author for choosing to present the story in this way. It is perfect timing when we first see into the mind of Matt; all of the feelings and yearnings he’s had for Lane over the years are finally revealed.

The love scenes in the story are tender and gripping. This is not to say that they are not also intensely erotic. It does not have a cheap feel to it, though—not in any way pornographic. It is quite beautiful. Their love is beautiful, and thus also their lovemaking.

I couldn’t stop reading this story after picking up the book. I read it in one sitting. It is a fantastic, emotional read, and I couldn’t possibly recommend it any more than I do. Pinky Swear is a must read!

Review by Jeff

>Warriors at Heart by Lynn Lorenz

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Warriors at Heart
Lynn Lorenz
Loose Id
216 Pages
3 KISSES
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Blurb:
What do a 450-year-old vampire in search of redemption, a newly turned vampire determined to live her afterlife on her own terms, an avowed vampire slayer, and a kick-ass virgin in love have in common? And what does an enchanted, wise-cracking lizard have to do with it?

When two couples are caught in the middle of vampire politics and deadly affirmative action, anything can happen, but survival is what really matters. Swords swing, heads roll, and love…well, that’s another story.

Nic is a warrior sworn to kill vampires and Fiona is a kick-ass virgin. Together they form a partnership of necessity, but he wants it to evolve into more. Ivan is a 450-year-old vampire just looking for peace and quiet, and Annie is a newly converted vampire who’s pissed her plans for the rest of her life have been ruined. They’re the lone survivors of a hit gone bad.

These four must decide to band together and fight…or kill each other. They’re all warriors at heart, but can they be lovers instead of fighters?

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, D/s elements and themes, male/male sexual practices, strong violence.

Review:
Warriors at Heart is a tale of parallel love stories, one human and the other vampiric. Nicodemus and Fiona are human, and they are vampire assassins. They meet when Nic is sent on a mission to raid a vampire coven which is about to feast on a group of helpless virgins. Fiona, a skilled practitioner of martial arts, happens to be one of these victims, and when Nic arrives to break up the “frenzy” he discovers naked Fiona wielding a sword and whacking off the heads of several vampire assailants. It is, of course, love at first sight.

Ivan is a 450-year-old vampire. He is cantankerous and demanding, and he’s obsessed with his own power. When he first lays eyes on the newly-converted female vampire Annie, he is almost immediately swept off his feet. She’s feisty and resistant to authority, and to make matters worse, she’s a beautiful blonde.

Initially the two couples are at odds with one another, bitter enemies. Nic holds within his heart a deep prejudice and hatred towards vampires in general, being that his parents were victims of vampire conversion while Nic was still in his childhood. At the age of 18, he vows to avenge his parents’ fate, and he becomes a professional vampire slayer, working for the underground international organization called the Council of Twelve. His mission is to kill vampires, and he is specifically commissioned to seek out and destroy Ivan and his new bride Annie.

Fiona has a troubled past of her own. She was raised in an abusive environment where she saw her mother work as a prostitute out of their own home. Her step father was physically abusive to both her and her mother, and Fiona flees the home at the age of fifteen. She studies martial arts and vows to be the polar opposite of her mother. She is going to be strong and chaste, and no man is ever going to abuse her the way so many did her own mom.

Ivan is lonely and bitter. He’s lived for over four centuries in a state of damnation. He finds his life as a vampire utterly unfulfilling and meaningless. He’s jaded and hostile. When Annie comes into his life, though, it all begins to change. He falls deeply in love, and suddenly finds the will to go on.

Annie was converted against her will, and she is distraught over the loss of her dreams. She’d planned to go to medical school to become a doctor, and the thought of killing other human beings sickens her. Although by nature she possesses a lust for human blood, she abhors the thought of being a predator. She yearns for an escape, a way to satisfy her needs while continuing to honor the sanctity of human life. It is an awkward twist of irony that she ends up falling in love with a brutal sociopathic killer.

The relationships of both couples evolve over the course of the story, and ultimately their paths converge. The humans and vampires finally have to decide whether they will join forces with one another in order to accomplish a common goal. Will they be able to set aside their prejudices and hatred, or will they forever remain bitter enemies?

There were many elements of this story which I found to be very impressive. I especially appreciated the manner in which the female protagonists were portrayed. They were strong and independent characters which defied the stereotypical roles of most romantic female leads. The power shift within the story definitely leaned in the direction of the women, and I always enjoy that sort of dynamic where a cocky man falls for a confident woman.

Equally impressive is the manner in which the vulnerabilities of each of these four strong characters are exposed. They all have walls of resistance, and one-by-one these walls start to crumble. This added to the development of the characters and made them multi-dimensional.

I was quite pleased by the manner in which the character Ivan arced during the story. Initially I viewed him as evil and corrupt, and of course utterly selfish. I enjoyed seeing how his heart softened as he fell in love and found the will to go on. He certainly was not the only character to evolve, though. All three of the other central characters completed their own metamorphoses as well.

There were three issues which I had with the story, and I would be remiss if I did not point them out. I do not feel that any one of these criticisms in any way detract from the overall positive perception I have of the book.

Firstly, I take issue with the manner in which the gay characters in the story are portrayed. Although this was not a m/m fiction or gay romance, by any stretch of the imagination, it did contain two gay characters who were killed off early in the plot. It also presented a gay sex scene. The first of these characters was the vampire slave boy of Ivan, and his name was David. David was presented as a whiny, dependent, immature nymphomaniac. Not only was I disturbed by this sort of stereotype, but I also was at odds with the manner in which his submissive nature was presented. I’m uncomfortable with the notion that a submissive is a weak and pathetic person. Contrarily, I regard the role of sub as being one which requires tremendous internal strength and self-esteem.

The other gay character was a vampire named Draco. He is a supposed to be Dominant, yet he is presented as a flamboyantly flaming queen who has an addiction to pedophilia. In truth, this element of the story almost caused me to abandon the book altogether. I wish the author had simply left out the gay characters entirely. They add nothing at all to the story, and they left a really bad taste in my mouth.

The second issue I have with the story relates to the point of view in which it was written. Actually there were several, and they often were confusing. Multiple viewpoints were presented within several of the climactic scenes. I understood the intent of the author, wanting to portray the thoughts and feelings of each of the central characters while the action was happening, but I felt that the way in which the POV shifted so rapidly back and forth made it seem choppy. To be honest, it seemed to me that when the manuscript was originally written, it was done so haphazardly, without regard to point of view at all. It seems that then either the author or an editor went back through and attempted to dissect each scene and separate the points of view. If this indeed was the case, I understand the dilemma that the editor faced. It is nearly impossible to correct this sort of confusion without doing a complete re-write of the original material.

My final criticism relates to the cheesy humor which was employed. The character of Nic had a pet lizard named Cho who was able to communicate with him telepathically. They engaged in constant dialogue, and most of it was sarcastic banter. It reminded me of the relationship that Knightrider Michael Knight had with his car in the 1980’s television series. The rest of the story as well was laced with this sort of sardonic humor. It seemed more like sit-com dialogue, and it was not to my liking.

In truth, I think that if you are a big fan of the Vampire Slayer television series, this book would be a perfect read for you. It has the same exact sort of feel, and I could easily see the author as being a lead writer for such a screenplay.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I felt the writing itself was very strong. The author’s vocabulary is impressive, and her character development is outstanding. I admit that the book was a bit out of my comfort zone, and I would caution readers to take into account that my review is not without bias. I recommend the book to fans of the WB television channel and to readers who enjoy a lighter type of literature.

Review by Jeff

>Happy Memorial Day

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>Thank You for Your Service

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Gays in the Military

Serving In Silence

Last week the House of Representative of the United States voted to repeal the military ban on homosexuality which had been in place for twenty years. Thousands of dedicated, talented, and loyal members of our armed forces have been unfairly expelled from service under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Thousands more have suffered the injustice of being forced to live a lie in order to keep their jobs.

We salute these American heroes and want to thank them for their bravery, commitment and integrity. We also recognize those who have courageously defied the bigoted anti-gay policy by coming out of the closet and taking a stand for their convictions. These courageous acts are what have paved the way to the long-awaited repeal. And finally, we remember those who have given their lives in the service of our country.

Thank you for your service!

We have compiled a listing of books which we feel is befitting this tribute. Some of the books have already been featured previously in our reviews, but we trust you will understand why we’ve chosen to list them again.

God Bless

Michele & Jeff

Gays and the Military
Mark Wolinsky and Kenneth Sherrill, editors Princeton University Press
248 Pages
Buy Here

In April 1987 Joseph C. Steffan, one of the ten highest ranking midshipmen in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, and only six weeks from graduation, was denied his diploma and forced to resign his commission because he answered “Yes, sir” to the question, “I’d like your word, are you a homosexual?” Six years later his cause, and that of other gay men and lesbians seeking to serve their country by enlistment in the military, has become the subject of intense national controversy. This unusual and innovative work, based on the litigation strategy and court papers filed in the case of Joseph C. Steffan v. Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense, et al., brings the resources of clinical psychiatry, clinical and social psychology, cultural history and political science to bear upon the fundamental questions at issue: How is sexual orientation determined? How and why have socially prejudiced stereotypes about male and female homosexuals developed? Why have gays faced special obstacles in defending themselves against discrimination? How much political power do gays have?

Marc Wolinsky and Kenneth Sherrill argue that gays constitute a politically powerless class that has been unjustly deprived of its constitutional right to equal protection under the law. They have collected here the affidavits filed on behalf of Joseph Steffan in his suit against the United States government, together with the counter-arguments of the Department of Defense and the extraordinary opinion of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Whatever the outcome of the case, presently on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, this book will stand as a lasting and indispensable guide to the sources of sexual discrimination.

Ask and Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out
by Steve Estes
University of North Carolina Press
296 Pages
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“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was the directive of President Clinton’s 1993 military policy regarding gay and lesbian soldiers. This official silence continued a collective amnesia about the patriotic service and courageous sacrifices of homosexual troops. Ask and Tell recovers these lost voices, offering a rich chronicle of the history of gay and lesbian service in the U.S. military from World War II to the Iraq War.

Drawing on more than 50 interviews with gay and lesbian veterans, Steve Estes charts the evolution of policy toward homosexuals in the military over the past 65 years, uncovering the ways that silence about sexuality and military service has affected the identities of gay veterans. These veteran voices—harrowing, heroic, and on the record—reveal the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans, men and women who simply did their duty and served their country in the face of homophobia, prejudice, and enemy fire. Far from undermining national security, unit cohesion, or troop morale, Estes demonstrates, these veterans strengthened the U.S. military in times of war and peace. He also examines challenges to the ban on homosexual service, placing them in the context of the wider movement for gay rights and gay liberation. Ask and Tell is an important compilation of unheard voices, offering Americans a new understanding of the value of all the men and women who serve and protect them.

Here’s What We’ll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy
by Reichen Lehmkul
Da Capo Press
368 Pages
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Reichen Lehmkuhl is perhaps best known for the ambition, intelligence, and athleticism that won him the grand prize on CBS’s Amazing Race. Since winning the million-dollar prize, Lehmkuhl has gone on to find success acting in film and television. However, he played the biggest role of his life long before his professional acting debut, when he was forced to hide his sexuality to comply with the Air Force’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Here’s What We’ll Say tells the harrowing inside story of what happens when cadets who are committed to serving their nation’s military figure out that they are in fact gay. With no way out and no place to turn for protection, a new code of conduct emerged among gay and lesbian cadets that helped ensure their safety. Gathering secretly in various locations, cadets formed a hidden network. To guarantee the privacy of individuals in attendance, however, each meeting opened with, “Here’s what we’ll say…” — a pledge so sacred that the group had it inscribed on the inside of their class rings.

Code of Conduct
by Rich Merritt
Kensington
456 Pages
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“You’ve gotten away with it for so long, you think you’re immune to the danger…”

At thirty-three, Don Hawkins has spent the better part of his life, in every sense, as a U.S. Marine. Enlisting to escape an alcoholic father and stepmother, he became the unofficial leader of a group of gay servicemen and women, all compelled to guard their sexual identity as faithfully as they serve their country. But with newly inaugurated President Clinton’s promise to lift the ban on gays in the military, Don is optimistic that a brighter era is dawning–and not just politically.


Ten years now since his lover died in Beirut, Don is finally ready to love again, and falls headlong for Patrick, a handsome young helicopter pilot. As their relationship develops, Don lets his guard down–in potentially dangerous ways. Because forces are at work in the Naval Investigative Service, in Congress, and even in the bars and clubs that Don views as his turf, with a vicious agenda that will have unforeseen consequences…


Drawing on his own experiences as a Marine, Rich Merritt has crafted an extraordinary story of love, loss, duty, betrayal, and hope. Most of all, Code of Conduct is a deeply compelling exploration of the power of loyalty–to friends, lovers, country, and the unwavering dictates of our own hearts.

Sugar Baby Bridge
by Brett Edward Stout
Breur Media Corporation
362 Pages
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When what’s expected to be a one-night stand is followed by an offer to visit a lakeside cabin in Tahoe, Brad postpones his flight back home to Hawaii. After all, what’s waiting for him back there except the vague prospect of life after the Marine Corps? Besides, he is curious about Ron, the wealthy older man making the offer, who seems to be both intelligent and competent-but also dangerously reckless. And so it is that Brad finds himself mingling with the very, very elite while bit by bit discovering more of Ron’s unsettled past-and all the while pondering his own unsettled future.

An Officer and His Gentleman

by Ryan Field

Ravenous Romance

222 Pages

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Chance Martin, who dreams of becoming a chef on the Food Network, works at a grocery store for a quirky old man who gives him free room and board as long as he walks around naked when the store is closed. But Chance is only interested in cooking, until an attractive stranger walks into the market one morning. Brody Johnston, bad boy naval officer on extended leave from his post in Europe, can’t take his eyes off innocent Chance’s round buttocks and smooth legs, and is determined to get to know him better. So when the old man goes to bed, Chance sneaks out to meet Brody and discovers his talents in the bedroom rival his talents in the kitchen. Though they are complete opposites, Chance is ready to submit to all of Brody’s sexual kinks and desires, but it never occurs to him they might actually fall in love with each other. As Chance fights to live his dream as a chef, and Brody wrestles with the opportunities and limitations imposed by the military, will they be able to find happiness in each other’s arms?

Serving In Silence

by Margarethe Cammermeyer

Authorhouse Publishers

384 Pages

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In 1989, in a routine interview for top-secret security clearance – a requisite for admission to the Army War College – Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer was asked about her sexual orientation. After pausing for a moment to take a breath, she said, “I am a lesbian.” Thus began an ordeal that continues to this day. Intense media coverage of the former colonel’s dismissal from the U.S. Army has stirred debate all the way to the presidency. Her Bronze Star for duty in Vietnam, her being named Nurse of the Year by the Veterans Administration, and her role as Chief Nurse of the Washington State National Guard marked a long and distinguished military career. Her goal to become Chief Nurse of the entire National Guard was abruptly ended in 1992 by her discharge based on sexual orientation. With the same calm, assured articulation that won her one leadership position after another, Cammermeyer writes of her decision to challenge official policy on homosexuality and of her recent victory in Federal District Court. But this is not only a book about what she described in Time as “sticking around to get beaten up.” It is also about coming of age, being a mother, and finding one’s center; about “coming out,” the daily horrors of nursing in Vietnam, and a female soldier’s life.

The Lonely War

by Alan Chin

Zumaya Publications

328 Pages

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The key issue keeping the U.S. armed forces from going beyond Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to give gay servicemen equal rights is a blind fear of love relationships forming, not between enlisted soldiers but between officers and soldiers, which would undermine the chain of command. The Lonely War tackles this topic head on.

It tells the story of an enlisted sailor who falls in love with his executive officer. When the crew of the USS Pilgrim become POWs in Changi, a notoriously brutal prison camp, this sailor is elevated though hardship and love to discover his inner resources and extraordinary courage, allowing him to sacrifice himself to save the life of his beloved.

Like most war novels, The Lonely War envelops all that is unique to war, the horror of battle, overcoming fear, the cruelty of soldiers, the loyalty and camaraderie of men caught in a desperate situation. Yet, it stands alone in two important ways. First, it is a passionate story written about a tender love developing between an officer and an enlisted man, revealing a rare and dignified portrait of a couple struggling to satisfy desire within the confines of the military code of conduct. Even more importantly however, it describes the heart-wrenching measures of how much one man will sacrifice to save the life and reputation of the man he loves.

Major Conflict: One Gay Man’s Life in the Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell Military
by Jeffrey McGowan, Maj USA
Broadway Publishing
288 Pages
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A book that will move hearts and open minds, Jeffrey McGowan’s memoir is the first personal account of a gay man’s silent struggle in the don’t-ask-don’t-tell military, from a cadet who rose to the rank of major, left as a decorated Persian Gulf hero, and whose same-sex marriage was the first on the East Coast.

Love of country and personal love combine in this groundbreaking memoir of one gay man’s life in the military—and beyond. In Major Conflict, Queens-born Jeffrey McGowan tells how he enlisted in the army in the late 1980s and served with distinction for ten years. But McGowan had a secret: he was gay. In the don’t-ask-don’t-tell world of the Clinton-era army, being gay meant automatic expulsion. So, at the expense of his personal life and dignity, he hid his sexual identity and continued to serve the army well.

Major Conflict is a moving account of his years in the military, the homophobia he encountered there, and his life afterward. McGowan presents a vivid portrait of his experience as a soldier in the Persian Gulf, where he commanded U.S. troops in Operation Desert Storm, eventually rising to the rank of major. Ultimately, however, he realized that the army held no future for gay men—even closeted ones. Desiring more of a personal life and tired of hiding his true identity, McGowan resigned from the Army he loved in 1998. In February 2004, he married his partner of six years in New Paltz, New York, making front-page news in the New York Times.

Coming Out Under Fire
by Allan Berube
Free Press
384 Pages
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Allan Berube chronicles the story of the thousands of gay men and lesbian women who were among those proudly serving their country during the World War II years. Coming Out Under Fire is an invaluable contribution not only to gay history, but also to an aspect of our military history that is often ignored yet still affects thousands of GIs and veterans.

>Kimberly Gardner Interview

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Kimberly Gardner

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Kimberly.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

Thank you for having me on the blog. My background? Hmm, let’s see. Well, I have a bachelors in theatre arts from Arcadia University where I specialized in screen writing. Although I’ve written a few screenplays, my first love has always been fiction. Over the years I’ve written many different genres including literary fiction and straight romance. But not until I began writing gay romance, did I find my niche, the place where I could really grow and blossom as a writer. That was around 2006/2007.

What was your first book and how long did it take to get it published?

My first novel, that is the first one I seriously tried to get published, was Phoenix Rising. I worked on the manuscript for close to two years before ever submitting it. That story went through three very extensive revisions including a transition from a m/f/m menage story to an m/m romance. It was a learning book for me and I grew a lot as a writer during the process of completing it.

It was rejected by one publisher, or not really rejected. But the reviewing editor asked for some changes in the plot that I felt would have changed the heart of the story too much, so I said thanks but no thanks. After that, I submitted it to MLR Press where I had already had a novella accepted for publication. As you know, it found a home at MLR as did I. It’s a terrific publishing house and I couldn’t be happier.

When did you start writing M/M Romance? What about this genre interested you the most?

I had been writing romance since the late nineties with an eye toward publication. But not until 2006 when I read my first gay romance did I think about writing m/m.


I think what appealed to me, and still does, is the dynamic of two (or more) sexy men together. As a lifelong romance reader, I had become somewhat jaded with the plots and conventions of straight romance. Gay romance opened up an entirely new vista with so many fresh options. It was like a banquet and I was giddy with all the possibilities. As a writer, gay romance freed me from the restraints of heterosexual romance like the heroine has to be this or the hero can’t be that and they can’t have sex before a certain point in the relationship. All that went out the window when I started writing m/m. As I said, it was very freeing.

How many books have you written thus far?

I have published two novels so far and I’m nearly finished the first draft of my third with a fourth just ccontracted. I also have four novellas available as part of anthologies. Over the years, I’ve written countless stories and parts of stories that will probably never see the light of day. But they all live on in the memory of my computer. I never throw any story away because you just never know.

Do you write full time?

Not yet. I have a fulltime day job as a programmer analyst in the information technology industry. I plan to write fulltime when I retire, but that is still some years in the future.

Looking back was there something in particular that helped you to decide to become a writer? Did you choose it or did the profession choose you?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making up stories. Even as a very young child I had a very vivid imagination and a rich and full fantasy life. Some time around the seventh grade, I began writing the stories down and I would read them to my friends during lunch and recess. So writing, storytelling, has always been part of who I am.

On a typical writing day, how would you spend your time?

On a typical day my writing time is limited so I have to squeeze in words whenever and wherever I can. On days when I don’t have to go to the day job, I like to get up really early, make tea and sit by myself and write in the morning quiet. I write best, that is most easily, in the morning. I think it’s because my internal editor is a late sleeper. So I get my words in before she wakes up.

When it comes to plotting, do you write freely or plan everything in advance?

I am a total pantser. If I plot too carefully or too much my muse gets bored and goes off to find something more shiny to play with. It’s like I’ve already written the story in that I know what’s going to happen, so why bother?

What kind of research do you do before and during a new book?

I am a research junky, which is why I don’t write historicals. I can see myself getting sucked into the fascinating world of research and never getting the story written at all. So I stick to contemporary stories and I do research as I go along, as much or as little as needed. In the beginning I used to worry that I hadn’t done enough and that worry often delayed the start of the actual writing. But I’m getting better at knowing when I know enough to start the actual writing and when to put the brakes on the research.

How much of yourself and the people you know manifest into your characters? How do you approach development of your characters? Where do you draw the line?

I don’t consciously include people I know in my books, though I’m sure aspects of my friends and family appear often in my fiction. I write about things that interest me, and people interest me, so it’s inevitable that quite a bit of real life makes its way into what I write.

As for myself, all the characters come from me and as such have little pieces of me inside them. So there’s an awful lot of me on every page.

How long does it take for you to complete a book you would allow someone to read?

It varies, depending on the length and complexity of the story, how long I’ve had the idea in my head, whether the characters are completely new or ones I’ve worked with before. There is a whole host of variables. It took me two years and three revisions to finish Phoenix Rising which ended up around 82000 words. Last year, during Nanowrimo, I wrote a 36000 word novella in around six weeks. A little over a month ago, I wrote an 18000 word short story in eight days. So it’s hard to say.

Do you write straight through, or do you revise as you go along?

I do light revisions as I go. I also keepp a list of large edits and changes I need to make when I go back to do the bigger revision which comes after the first draft is done. I have found that the best way, the fastest way, for me is to just keep moving forward. For example, if I decide in chapter six that one of my heroes is a nurse rather than a computer programmer, I make a hnote and continue on with the story as if he’s always been a nurse. Then when I go back, I revise for that change. It keeps me moving forward and keeps my word count steadily increasing.

Writers often go on about writer’s block. Do you ever suffer from it, and what measures do you take to get past it?

I don’t believe in writer’s block, not for me anyway. I do have times when the well runs dry and needs to be refilled. When that happens I read.

When someone reads one of your books for the first time, what do you hope they gain, feel or experience?

I want my readers to experience the emotional journey of my characters. Since I write primarily romance, that journey is most often one of falling in love. I want them to experience the highs and lows, to feel that first flutter of attraction and the devastating crash of the breakup. I want to create a fictional dream where they live for a while right alongside my characters. And I want them to sigh with satisfaction when they read the last page. If that happens, then I’ve done my job.

Can you share something you’ve learned about the business of writing since your first publication?

I’ve learned that writing the book is only the first step. Promoting the book is a whole other job, one most writers aren’t especially suited to.

Does the title of a book you’re writing come to you as you’re writing it, or does it come before you even begin the first sentence?

Before I can begin working on a story, I need some kind of title, something to call it even if it’s just in my own head. Sometimes that original, working title turns out to be the right one, other times it changes. But no matter when it happens, I always know when I’ve hit on the right title.

How would you describe your sense of humor? Who and what makes you laugh?

Sense of humor is one of the most important things in life. Without one, I’ll bet life would be incredibly dull. As for what makes me laugh, I think the better question is who. My husband and I laugh a lot. We can find humor in almost any situation which is probably why we’ve stayed together for two decades.

What is the most frequently asked Kimberly question?

I guess the most frequently asked question is one that a lot of straight female writers of gay romance get asked. That is, why gay romance?


My answer is quite simply that men fascinate me–how they act, how they think, how they feel–it’s all very interesting. And since I’ve spent my entire life loving and being atracted to men, I feel like I can write with some authority about that.

What are you working on now?

I’m finishing the first draft of my third novel called Dancing With degas. I’m also working on edits for an anthology called Shifting sands which is a series of six interconnected stories about shifter animals, the Chinese zodiac and a Texas ranch.

What was the best piece of advice you’ve received with respect to the art of writing? How did you implement it into your work?

Write every day. It helps to keep my head in the story and keep the characters talking.

When it comes to promotion, what lengths have you gone to in order to increase reader-awareness of your work?

I love hearing from readers and interacting with readers. So I try to do a good number of chats as well as participate on several author groups. I think it’s important for an author to establish a presence and part of that is being accessible. If you let readers get to know you alittle, especially for a new author like me, they might be more inclined to give your work a try. It’s a very different thing from just flooding the loops with excerpts or other less personal promo.

Writing is obviously not just how you make your living, but your life-style as well. What do you do to keep the creative “spark” alive – both in your work and out of it?

As I said, I write every day, at least a few hundred words. I also do a lot of reading both in and out of genre. I also love to observe people. So one of my favorite activities is to go to a coffee shop or a restaurant and just listen to comversations going on around me and immerse myself in other people’s little dramas.

What pros and cons surround the e-publishing industry, and how do you envision the future of e-publishing?

I’ve been a fan of ebooks for many, many years, so I’m thrilled by the growth of the ebook industry. The number of titles and formats that are available is staggering when compared with what was available even ten years ago; and it seems there’s no reason to think this growth trend will slow down.

It would be nice if something could be done about ebook piracy, though I don’t know what. I think it may be one of those situations where it’s necessary to change hearts and minds before any real progress can be made. People need to understand that taking an ebook without paying for it is no different from walking into your local bookstore and taking a print book off the shelf without paying for it. Until they do, I’m afraid nothing will change.

What kind of books do you like to read?

I’ll read almost anything, though fiction is my first love. When I’m writing, particularly when I’m embroiled in the first draft, I don’t do a lot of reading because I want to spend every spare minute in my own story world. Also, I don’t want to be unduly influenced by another writer’s voice. I like my stories to sound like me. But when I’m in one of my refilling the well phases, I’m just as likely to be caught reading a biography of Lincoln as Suz Brockmann’s latest Troubleshooters novel. All’s fair in love and books.

If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

Lonely. I would really miss all those characters who live in my head.

I recently read your novels Phoenix Rising and Bound to Please? Where did you get the idea for these stories?

All my stories begin with the characters. They show up and start talking in my head long before anything resembling a plot begins to take shape.

When it comes to the covers of your books, what do you like or dislike about them?

Covers don’t mean much to me personally because I’m visually impaired. But from a marketing perspective, I know that a good cover can help sell abook. Anne Cain did the cover art for both of my novels and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on that artwork.

Aside from writing, what else do you enjoy doing?

I love to travel, especially to warm places. Key West is the home of my heart even though I haven’t figured out how to make it my permanent home yet. Still, until that happens, we try to get there a couple of times a year.

I also like to read and sail and walk on the beach. And even though I don’t drive myself, I love riding our Harley. There’s nothing quite like it.

Any special projects coming out soon we should watch for?

I have a short novella called Blush releasing this month from MLR Press. The story is a modern-day vampire tale and is part of the Red anthology. It’s an interesting project because each writer was given the same five items (the color red, a cold drink of water, a pebble, a cricket and the scent of blood oranges) and asked to write an erotic romance that includes all the items. It was a lot of fun to write and I’m very excited about the anthology. I’ll be sharing the pages with some truly amazing authors whose work I admire including Victor Bannis, William Maltese, PA Brown and JP Bowie.

New writers are always trying to glean advice from those with more experience. What suggestions do you have for new writers?

Write every day and read all the time. Read the good stuff as well as whatever thrills you, whether or not anyone else is thrilled by it. Watch how the writers you most admire handle the language. And most important, keep writing and never give up.

What future projects do you have in the works?

Right now I’m finishing the first draft of a novel called Dancing With Degas. I was just working on a blurb for the story, so I’m going to try it out on you.


Following his partner’s sudden death, Michael, blind since childhood, struggles with an interfering family, revelations about his lover’s infidelity and doubts about his own independence. But when a new man offers more than friendship, Michael is forced to choose between treasured memories and a chance at future happiness.

It needs work, but that’s the idea of it.


I also just contracted the third book in the Phoenix Rising/Bound To Please series. This one is Mario’s story and will be called Consent To Pleasure.

Can you please tell us where we can find you and your books on the Internet?

My web site which is also my blog can be found at, http://www.kimberlygardner.com/. I also participate on a blog called fiction with friction (http://www.fictionwithfriction.com/) which I share with a group of my friends who are also writers of gay romance. FWF has quite a stellar list of participants and we take turns blogging each day. Some of us more faithfully than others. *g*

>Phoenix Rising by Kimberly Gardner

>

Phoenix Rising

by Kimberly Gardner

All Romance E-Books

300 Pages

4 KISSES

Buy Here

Blurb:
Two dozen roses, one dozen balloons and a night with a sexy, young stripper. What a thirty-sixth birthday for Jimmy Trent. But the ultimate gift is yet to come as he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful dancer. Adam Hyland’s life is in the dumps. Living in his car and stripping for his supper, he doesn’t expect much when the birthday-boy invites him to stay for cake and champagne. Yet seeing the look in Jimmy’s eyes, Adam dares to hope for more. Will their differences tear them apart? Or can their love take flight like a Phoenix Rising from the ashes?

Review:
The main characters: Adam, who is a trained (retired) ballet dancer who lives in his car and strips for cash. He’s 22, recently left his lover Darren due to…you guessed it…cheating. Adam is hired to strip for a conservative closet case, Jimmy Trent, who is celebrating his 35th Birthday. Jimmy Trent is what he considers a computer nerd, is wealthy, has a heart of gold, and lonely.

The second Jimmy sees the beautiful dancer he falls hard. Adam is all that and then some in his eyes and he’ll do whatever it takes, (as long as they are in bed behind closed doors) to keep the gorgeous dancer to himself. Jimmy does the one night stand thing when things become necessary. Settling down and having a forever love just didn’t happen for him. Apparently not everyone in his family knows he is gay, he never hid that, but he never brought it up, so basically that topic was avoided. Maybe they did know he was gay and just never said anything about it.

The two men fall instantly in love…but no happily ever after—not yet. There’s baggage that must be sorted out, feelings to fix, emotions to understand, and sex to have. Adam moves into the apartment over Jimmy’s garage and for a while, things seem to go well for them. However, Adam is feeling more and more like a kept boy but he reasons that with the fact that he loves Jimmy and Jimmy loves him. Then the cards fell down.

Jimmy actually thought he could keep Adam his lover and be discreet about it. Adam isn’t happy about living that type of life but he finds that he loves Jimmy so he’s willing to do things Jimmy’s way. That is until Adam tries to show PDA in front of a couple of his friends. Things go from awkward to bad in minutes and before I knew what was going on Adam left!!! Of course a few things happened to help lead to this decision, including vandalism to Jimmy’s car. And it’s not just any car. Wait till you find out who did that crime!

The next time I heard from him, he was living in NY and modeling for a hot photographer who was into kink big time. Six months passed without Jimmy and Adam even speaking to one another. The torture. All because instead of talking about fears and issues, they thought them out and kept those thoughts inside them.

Both men literally made me want to jump through the pages and slap them with all the thinking they were doing. Not acting on their thoughts, not saying what they thought just having sex and then nothing. It’s like they don’t talk. Jimmy is very insecure and it bothered me just a little bit the way he kept bringing up the, “I’m scared you’ll leave me,” bit. I’m almost wondering if maybe Jimmy shouldn’t have been the younger one but I guess in a sense he was. Adam was experienced in the life he lived, whereas Jimmy wasn’t. Adam actually made Jimmy a complete person in more ways than one.

The sex between the characters: HOT as HELL!! Kimberly does a wonderful job in this department. I wonder if she’d hold classes on how to write this hot man on man action…

The story revolves around the two characters and I found that Adam was a bit on the know it all side and Jimmy I just wanted to take in hand and show him a few things. He was more likeable in bed. He was more demanding there as well. Light D/s stuff. Out of it, he was different. That didn’t take me out of the story; it flowed smooth especially given its length. The characters likeable.

Do I recommend? Yep…Have at it…I’m off to read the next one. Bound To Please

Review by Michele

>Shameless Self Promotion

>

Thank you for indulging me as I plug my own book. Michele and I began this website with the intention of providing readers a service by offering honest reviews and presenting interesting interviews and excerpts of the authors they love. We did not apologize for the fact that we wanted our focus to be positive, and we wanted to help our fellow authors as much as possible. This was why Michele and I also decided to feature and promote our own books on our site as well. We do not feel it is conceited, ingratiating or self-congratulatory to present our own work in the same manner that we would any other author.

I would add, however, that we make no pretense about the fact that when we provide a review for each other, we do not exactly offer the most objective opinions. I’m a big fan of Michele and her work, and I’m confident that I can say the same about her in relation to me.

Puppy Love 2: Building a Family is a book that is very dear to my heart. I began writing the story about seven years ago, immediately after I had completed Puppy Love. I was about one-forth of the way finished when I abandoned the series altogether. I’d decided to give up on Matt and Petey and leave them in my past.

It was last year, after I had published Dumb Jock, that I began to receive quite a bit of email from readers who were interested in the Puppy Love series. Originally I’d had it posted on a website which featured gay erotic stories. These readers urged me to continue with the story, and so I searched my soul and decided to finish the story.

It was at this point that I decided that I was going to write the outcome of this story based upon what was in my heart. I had always wanted Matt and Petey to mature beyond the heavy D/s sex games they played in book one. I wanted to see Matt as a deeper, more compassionate and responsible Master. I wanted to see Petey develop a little thicker skin and a bit of a backbone. And I wanted to begin fleshing out the characters of Alex and Drew.

In book 2, I hope you will see a lot of growth on the part of all the central characters. I hope you will understand Petey’s identity as a gay submissive a little better. I hope you will start to see other sides of Matt. And I hope you will gain a little respect for Drew.

I’d like to share a couple of links to other reviews the book has received, and I’d like to encourage readers to enter the giveaway contest I’m currently running at Goodreads.

Thank you again for indulging me a little as I share my work with you.

Jeff Erno

Reviews by Jesse Wave Review by guest reviewer Jenre

Rainbow Reviews Review by Lydia

Enter to Win at Goodreads!!

>Marguerite Labbe

>

Marguerite Labbe

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I’m a military brat and have lived all over the U.S. My Dad almost had an overseas stint in Belgium which would have been cool but I’m glad it didn’t happen because when we moved to Maryland instead I ended up next door neighbors with my future husband. I majored in Comparative Folklore & Mythology but didn’t get to finish school. I’ve tried running my own business, worked for many years in an alcohol and drug rehab center. Now in between writing I wrangle in lawyers and lobbyists in Washington, DC.

What was your first book and how long did it take to get it published? The first book I ever wrote and finished was Bee Among the Clover with Fae Sutherland. We wrote it five years ago and had a hard time selling it at first. After several almost hits and many revisions, we finally found a home for Bee. It was just re-released through Dreamspinner Press in February. So it’s been a very long time in the works.

When did you start writing in Gay & Lesbian, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy? What about these genres interested you the most? I’ve written fantasy for as long as I can remember writing. It’s always been my favorite genre. There’s just something about other worlds that appeals to the heart of me. Anything can happen in them. I started writing gay and lesbian stories in college and the main appeal for me, especially at the start, was the psychology behind the characters and the relationships. Relationships can be hard enough with carrying the weight of society’s judgments.

How long did it take you to get published? How many books have you written thus far? It took about three years. There were several rejections, but most of them were followed with we’d like to see other submissions from you, which gave us hope. Let’s see, Fae and I have written two novels, a novella and nine short stories. I also have three solo novels out in my vampire trilogy.

Do you write full time? I wish, but no. I work full time as a legal secretary in Washington, DC and I write whenever I get spare time to do so.

Looking back was there something in particular that helped you to decide to become a writer? Did you choose it or did the profession choose you? I think it was just a matter of getting the confidence enough to take that risk. I’ve been writing since elementary school. In college my family really pushed me to get published and I wasn’t mentally ready yet. And I actually stopped writing altogether because I lost my ability to enjoy writing. I became too critical of it. Eventually I started writing again just for me until one day I asked myself why I wasn’t trying to get published. I was born to write, but I chose to try to get published.

On a typical writing day, how would you spend your time? If it’s a quiet day at work then I usually do secretary tasks for 30 minutes then write for 30 minutes. If it’s busy I try to squeeze it in before work and during lunch. I generally don’t write in the evenings unless I’m on a deadline. I’m a morning bird and by the time I get home and have settled down it’s usually 7 p.m. and I feel like my creativity is shot. On the weekends or on vacations I write first thing in the morning when the house is quiet and the coffee is fresh.

Do you write right through or do you revise as you go along? I revise as I go along. It’s a good way of getting unstuck if I’m blocked. Or I’ll think of something that I forgot and go back. The closer I get to the end, I tend to revise less. When I start a book I’ll probably go over the beginning a dozen times until I hit a good flow.

When it comes to plotting, do you write freely or plan everything in advance? It’s a mixture of both. I have to have some idea of where the story is going before I start. I usually have the beginning and the end with a few scenes in between that I know are going to be there. The rest comes as I go along. I also have to know the characters and setting really well.

What kind of research do you do before and during a new book? It depends on the book, the setting and what’s going on in the characters’ lives. If I’m writing a fantasy I like to have all my worldbuilding done before I start. I have a number of research books at home and I tend to buy new ones with each book. I’ll do some initial research online, but then I like to go to the graduate library at the University of Maryland for the more in depth research. I used to work there in college so I know my way around it and the card catalogue.

How much of yourself and the people you know manifest into your characters? How do you approach development of your characters? Where do you draw the line? I don’t base my characters off of people I know. I might take an interesting quirk of someone I know or for a minor character I might combine a bunch of different people. For example, Steve in the Triquetra Series was a mix of the guys my husband lived with in his dorm at college. I think I would be very uncomfortable with completely basing a character off of someone I knew. I like to people watch on the subway. Some just look like characters and I’ll write down what they look like, what their wearing and base a character off of that. If it’s a main character I like to know what their likes and dislikes are, what kind of a home did they come from, what they do for a living. I have a whole list of questions that I answer. I even like to have a few memories of theirs, even if it never makes it into the story. Because then I feel like I know them.

How long does it take for you to complete a book you would allow someone to read? My friend Suzane usually reads all my books and so does my husband. I send it to them every five chapters or so, so that I know I’m on the right track. Or if I finish a particularly difficult scene that I’m worried about or proud of I’ll give it to them immediately. Other than my beta readers, I don’t give the book to anyone else until it’s been published.

Writers often go on about writer’s block. Do you ever suffer from it, and what measures do you take to get past it? I think everyone gets writers block once in awhile, whether from stresses in life, or the book has gone off in a wrong direction, or you just lose your confidence for the moment. For me, switching from the computer to writing freehand will almost always unblock me. If I have internet access and I’m not at work I like to get on the Romance Divas chat room and do chat challenges. It’s nice to share, hash out problems and read each others’ little blips of words. I like to do that when I’m on a deadline.

When someone reads one of your books for the first time, what do you hope they gain, feel or experience? Wow, Michele and Jeff, you’ve got some really good questions on here. I’ve never been asked this. I get very involved with my characters and I fall in love with them. I hate ending a story because I hate saying goodbye to them, so I often drag my feet writing the final chapters. What I want mostly when I write is for the character’s emotions to come through and for the readers to feel a part of the characters’ journey.

Can you share three things you’ve learned about the business of writing since your first publication?

1. That you’ll spend almost as much of your time promoting as you do writing.
2.  It’s a waiting game. You’ll be on pins and needles waiting to hear on submissions, waiting for edits, waiting for reviews. And no matter how many times you hit refresh for your email what you’re waiting for is not going to come faster so it’s best just to bury yourself in another project. 
3.  It is a business and you have to treat it as such. Be professional, trust your instincts, read every word of your contracts and ask for clarification if you need it.

Does the title of a book you’re writing come to you as you’re writing it, or does it come before you even begin the first sentence? It depends on the book, but usually it comes to me as I’m writing it. Titles don’t come naturally to me.

How would you describe your sense of humor? Who and what makes you laugh? It’s a little off beat. I love to laugh and smile. I’m not a big fan of a lot of comedy movies. I get most of my laughs through my zany friends and family, but there are some comedians who will make me laugh until my stomach hurts and I have to leave the room like Wanda Sykes. I like good, clever dialogue, a la Quentin Tarantino or movies with quick banter between characters like Riggs and Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon movies. A good practical joke is always fun too. I like to play them on my husband and son.

What is the most frequently asked Marguerite question? It’s kind of like a two in one question. Why m/m? And how did you get started in that genre? I talk quite a bit about what I write to anybody who asks so I often get people who have never heard of the genre at all.

What are you working on now? I’m trying my hand at a contemporary romance. I’ve written them with my co-author Fae Sutherland, but I’ve never tried it solo. My mind tends to gravitate more toward fantasy and urban paranormal than contemporary. Right now it’s tentatively titled All Bets Are Off.

Eli Hollister and Ash Gallagher hook up for an amazing night and Eli thinks that he may have found someone in his small New Hampshire town who may break his bad luck of always finding the right man at the wrong time. Until, Ash winds up a student in his class at the local college and Eli can’t deny that he’s still attracted to him. As if he weren’t already in enough trouble with the Dean.

Ash is looking forward to moving in a new direction with his life. After serving one stint in the active Marine Corp and another in the reserves as he worked through college, he’s ready to put his military life behind him. The last thing he expected this semester was to fall in lust with his English professor. And the more Eli resists him, the more Ash is determined to have him.
Over baseball, bets and classroom debates Eli and Ash learn that, when it comes to life and love…
All bets are off.

What was the best piece of advice you’ve received with respect to the art of writing? How did you implement it into your work? It was something my dad said when I was about fourteen or fifteen and boy it hurt at the time. He’s always been my most honest critic and he makes me really examine a story and a character’s motivations. At the time I was writing more poetry than stories and I had been experimenting with a new way of writing them. I brought him a bunch for him to read. He sat down in the recliner chair in the living room and read each one intently then sat me down on the arm of the chair and told me that they were pretty words on a paper and that I had neglected to tell a story with them. He’s always asking me what am I trying to say with what I’m writing. At the time, I was crushed and it took awhile for me to realize that he was right. I think it works both for poetry and stories. Word choice, syntax are tools for writing, but you have to know what you want to convey for it to work.

When it comes to promotion, what lengths have you gone to in order to increase reader-awareness of your work? I haven’t gone to a book club naked, though that was the advice offered to me by my son. I’ll admit that I have ogled billboards and thought it would be nice to have the money to plaster my book cover on one. I like to attend events because I’m a face-to-face kind of person. This year I’ll be at the Rainbow Book Festival in NYC on March 27th. There are several others that haven’t been finalized yet that I should be going to, including pride events. I don’t have as big of web presence as my co-author Fae and I’m not the best blogger, but I like to be on Goodreads with the other m/m readers. I like to offer contests with new releases and send out prizes. Fae and I started promoting ourselves with a webpage a long time before we were actually published.

Writing is obviously not just how you make your living, but your life-style as well. What do you do to keep the creative “spark” alive – both in your work and out of it? Well, I’m always trying new crafts and failing at them. Every once in a while I get in the mood to do something crafty. I think it goes back to when I was four and I wanted to be a painter like my grandmother. I inherited her gift for words, but not for art. I’ve tried crocheting, knitting, quilting, jewelry making and scrapbooking. It fulfills the need for the moment and goes no where. I also roleplay with a group of friends and my husband. We’ve played hundreds of games over the years and I’ve always credited roleplaying for helping me with character creation.

What pros and cons surround the e-publishing industry, and how do you envision the future of e-publishing? I think that e-publishing is only going to grow. Sometimes the attitudes of mainstream publishing toward e-publishing can be frustrating. But I do think that there have already been great strides since I’ve been involved in the e-publishing industry. I’m happy where I am as an e-published author and I support the industry.

What kind of books do you like to read? All kinds. I like sci-fi/fantasy, mysteries, historicals, romance, non-fiction books on all kinds of subjects, contemporary stories set in other countries, biographies. I’m a book addict.

If you weren’t a writer what would you be? I honestly don’t know. I’ve never wanted to be anything else really other than a writer and a mother. The closest I’ve ever come to wanting a career is when I worked at an alcohol/drug rehab center. I went back to college for my counseling certification. After my son was born though, my husband and I realized that we’d never be able to pay the bills if I went to work full time at the center instead of working as a legal secretary in DC. I think that if I ever were in a position where I could quit my day job to write, I just might go back to counseling on a part time basis.

I recently read the books in the Triquetra series. Where did you get the idea for those stories? The initial idea came from a call for stories at the Erotic Dreams e-zine. They wanted stories about “vampires, cold January nights and hot sex.” For the e-zine I wrote the three chapters surrounding when Jacob let Kristair in off of his fire escape. By the time I finished those three chapters I knew there was much more to tell. As I outlined the first book in the series, My Heart is Within You, I knew it would be a trilogy.

When it comes to the covers of your books, what do you like or dislike about them? I love the covers when they fit the story and the artwork is done well. I think there have only been two so far that I would’ve rather had something different. One of them just because that while it looked good as an e-book, the cover didn’t work out so well on print. Out of the trilogy, I think the first cover is my favorite because Kristair is up close and sexy, though I do love the smile on Jacob’s face on the third. I also really love the covers Anne Cain did for Bee Among the Clover and Lotus in the Wild. I especially loved the way she handled the light and colors in both covers.

Aside from writing, what else do you enjoy doing? I love just being at home with my husband, son and our two wee kittens Osiris and Isis. I love books, music and crossword puzzles. I like to travel, but I prefer going home either to visit my family in New Hampshire or my husband’s in Alabama, or going on vacations with my friends. Each year we rent a house in the Outer Banks and it’s the most relaxing time of year for me.

Any special projects coming out soon we should watch for? Lotus in the Wild is coming out in April with Dreamspinner Press. It’s the sequel to Bee Among the Clover. And in the story, Wulfgar finally meets his match. It was actually written years ago, but until we found a home for Bee we couldn’t do anything with it. It’s good to know that it’s finally going to be out.

New writers are always trying to glean advice from those with more experience. What suggestions do you have for new writers? I’d say carry a pen and notebook with you everywhere. Ideas strike all the time. My muse likes to give me whole conversations at the most impossible times. I have one notebook now that’s almost full and it has bits from all kinds of stories in it. I had to go back with colored flags to mark the pages for different stories so I wouldn’t have to keep leafing through it to find what I want. You won’t always keep everything you’ve scribbled down, but there will be some real gems inside it.

What future projects do you have in the works? Oh loads. Books I’ve already started include two fantasy stories, one with a captive prince who agrees to form a bond with his captor in the hopes of stopping a war between their nations. The other involves two seers who use very different methods for their magic. One has to choose between following his heart or his duty to his king. I’m also working on two other contemporaries, one is a coming of age story and the other involves two best friends who fall in love, but both of them are already married. Fae and I have also recently started a space western. I have dozens of other ideas that have to wait by the wayside. I don’t write as fast as I’d like to.

Can you please tell us where we can find you on the Internet? I can be found at our website, http://chasethedream.net/ or on twitter at http://twitter.com/MargueriteLabbe.

>Excerpts from Marguerite Labbe

>

from

My Heart is Within You

The crammed sidewalks thinned and swirled and then opened up, giving me a clear view across the street. Once again I froze, staring at the man standing just under the streetlamp. Oh god. He looked strangely normal in his jeans and cream sweater that set off the rich tone of his skin. The light above created a halo around his head and shoulders. He almost could’ve been a young working man, trying to relive his college days, but the dangerous aura around him was obvious. He was no damned angel.


And I wasn’t the only one who sensed it. His sidewalk was as crowded as mine, with drunken students trolling the avenues, searching for a party and showing off their costumes, yet as one they all parted and flowed around him. No one came close enough to jostle him, no one told him to get out of the way, as people were bitching to me. No, he was a predator. He was the predator and I was his prey.


I should be scared. Forget scared. I should be outta my mind, shitting my pants like the time the gator got onto the pontoon while my friend and I were collecting crawfish traps. However, the last thing I was capable of feeling right now was fear.


Enthralled, I stepped to the edge of the curb, barely registering the cars going by, as I drank him in as if I were dying and he was the last thread connecting me to this life. It was hard to make out the details of his face, but his skin was golden, his body long and lean. His eyes bored right into me and I imagined they were that shade of brown that was so deep it was like you were sinking right into them. His head was shaved and, for some reason, I couldn’t quite pin his race down. It was like he could claim any number of ethnicities, or maybe something else, long since gone.


He was more darkly striking than the moonlight on the bayou back home, or the haunting song of the cicadas, or whatever else made me think of beauty, danger, and sorrow at once.


The punch of lust that hit me was overwhelming. He was a sin begging to be explored and with no guilt to be confessed to my priest afterward. I had been in some pretty tight spots growing up and none of them had scared me as much as this one did. He was a dangerous temptation and I was about 2.5 seconds from stalking across the street and kissing him.

from

Bee Among the Clover

Roman managed a few strides before his arm was caught and he was spun around. A startled look appeared in the Aron‘s eyes, and Roman realized his anger and hurt must have been showing on his expression. He controlled himself through a sheer force of will, not wanting give Aron further leverage to wound him. Inside he was a tangle of emotions, but he‘d be damned if he allowed Aron to see it.


“I gave you what I could. It wasn‘t enough, you wanted him.” Aron said, his voice rough.


“You don‘t know what I wanted, nor do you care. And in that respect, whether you like it or not, you are just like Wulfgar,” Roman retorted. The two of them made him want to scream. What he wanted didn‘t matter. It never had and never would. Not to Wulfgar and certainly not to Aron. He was more than used to it.


Aron shook his head sharply. “I told you to not compare me to him, Roman. If I hadn‘t taken his offer, do you think he wouldn‘t have simply ordered me to take you?” He growled, the sound frustrated, and raked a hand through his mussed hair. “It matters not, claim you enjoyed it all you wish, I saw with my own eyes the truth. It was a lesson, then? You and he deciding to put me in my place, make the foolish thrall think he had any chance of giving you pleasure when all along you were waiting for your master to give you what you wanted. Well congratulations, slave, the lesson was firmly learned. And in one year I will walk away from this place and never look back. You two deserve each other.”


Roman‘s control snapped, and he shoved Aron‘s chest hard and backed away. “Damn you! You don‘t understand anything! Pay attention, Aron, because here is a lesson for you. What I want means nothing! What I enjoy means nothing! What I feel means nothing! Every single thing my body feels is what he wants it to feel!” He barked a humorless laugh, shaking his head and backing up another step. “I cannot even achieve release without his permission. So go! I don‘t care, walk away when your time is done and forget all about what happened here. At least you have that option.” He looked away, his entire body trembling, eyes closing tightly against the roiling tumult of emotions inside him.


Aron seized his arms, pulling him close, and Roman‘s eyes flew open as Aron pinned him with his gaze. “He isn‘t here now. Feel this,” Aron rasped and claimed Roman‘s mouth in a heated kiss.

>Triquetra Trilogy by Marguerite Labb

>

Triquetra Trilogy

My Heart is Within You

by Marguerite Labb 
Dreamspinner Press
280 pages

5 KISSES

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Haunted by Your Soul

by Marguerite Labb

Dreamspinner Press

316 pages

5 KISSES

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Our Sacred Balance

by Marguerite Labb
Dreamspinner Press

300 pages

5 KISSES

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Blurb:

The power of heart and soul holds the key to the survival of the last of the ancient vampires. Kristair is running out of time. His race has faded away, prey to delusion and deterioration, and his only chance to live long enough to find a cure is to bind his psyche to a human vessel in a long forgotten ritual.

Kristair’s chosen vessel is Jacob Corvin, a man of passionate stubbornness and fierce loyalty; he has captured Kristair’s fantasies so completely that he is both the vampire’s greatest strength and most crippling weakness. Drawing upon Jacob’s spirit and Kristair’s resolve, they each bind a portion of their souls to one other. For as long as Jacob carries Kristair’s heart within him, the vampire can continue his quest.

Just when they have hope, their mission is threatened by The Syndicate, a group of younger vampires who attempt to force Kristair to teach them his secrets before he disappears like the rest of the ancients. Battling both The Syndicate’s attacks and his unexpected need and love for Jacob, Kristair’s strength begins to fade, forcing him to make a decision that will change his and Jacob’s lives forever.

Review:

Just when I thought I could not take another Vamp story. We began this Blog in March, and I can remember asking Ms. Labb if she’d participate in an author interview with us. I asked her if she wanted us to review a particular book for her, and she had one tiny request. Something she had written solo. If it would be okay. Okay, an easy request. I found her Triquetra Series and was thrilled. I love anything Celtic. Then I saw it was a vamp story and I did a small role of my eyes. Another blood sucking story. Lovely.

Shame on me! I started reading about Jacob and Kristair and almost immediately fell in love, not only with them, but with the plot as well. Ms. Labb put a sweet twist on vampires. She made me sit up and dig into this story with both eyeballs.

At the start of the story we have an ancient vampire who looks to be no older than a twenty something year old young man. He’s sitting in the stands of a football game and talking to a young lady, who turns out to be his adoptive daughter. This young girl adopted him actually when she was fifteen and alone in the world. She’s now in her twenties as well and is very protective of him. Kris, as she calls him, is dying and he’s on the hunt, (literally) for a new human vessel. He has his eye on Jacob Corvin, the running back of the school’s football team. Jacob is his chosen one and he couldn’t have chosen a better vessel. Jacob is handsome, down to earth, and very energetic, whereas Kristair is serious, ever so much so, a brooder, and on the verge of losing his mind. He admires Jacob’s energy, his beauty, and his view on life. They even each other out. They make you love them. And I did. I do.

Kris had to play it slow to win Jacob’s heart though. Jake was not making it easy, but who can blame him? While Kris was playing it slow, he stalked Jacob every where he went, going as far as watching him sleep at night from the fire escape outside of his dorm room. Instead of freaking out and trying to hide, Jacob actually finds himself enjoying the attention. He actually moved his bed as close to his window as he could, in order to flirt with the hunter, predator, and vampire. Their first sexual encounter turns into something a whole lot more than sex.

Jacob has his hands full with the vamp, almost from the first night of them being together things begin to happen, and none of them pleasant. The only great times the two have are in bed. At the start I thought Kris would be the dominant one. I mean it makes more sense. He’s thousands of years old; he’s a hunter, and all things that scare you at night, yet he’s a true sub at heart.

Kris, who has lived most of his life, alone and without a lover, was not prepared for the spit fire he found in Jake. Neither was I to be honest. I just love that boy! He’s sincere, outgoing, he loves to tease, he also is a take charge type of guy, and when things get heated up, his accent heats up. He’s no where near as stuffy as his lover is, and when I was in his head I found myself loving the way he thought about things. Very down to earth, very real character to believe in.

The story is told by both Jacob and Kris in the first person voice. Now, before reading this book, I had no idea it was written this way. So after I completed the first chapter and realized I wasn’t in Kris’ head anymore, but in Jacobs, I had to back up and re-read at the start of that chapter. I wasn’t warned, was not prepared, and Ms. Labb caught me being a lazy reader. I fixed that problem right away and stayed tuned into the boys and their adventures, the rest of their journey.

The story is set in Pittsburgh. YA!! Home of the Steelers! My favorite team by the way. I picture that city as being dark, full of steel, and cold. That image pieced with Kris and Jacob gave the story a perfect edge. Dark, gothic, and dangerous. Nothing is easy for the two men in love. From book one where they meet and fall in love and fight vampires to book three where they find peace and happiness, there’s always something going on that keeps you on the edge of your emotional roller coaster wondering what the hell is gonna happen next to these two?

I really hate to give anything of this wonderful story away, but some of the things I really liked, was the way Kris gave Jacob his tattoos. The way they could communicate without speaking. The way they felt each other even when they were apart. Though there were a few times I had to really think about which character’s head I was in because of the mind talking they did so often. I loved how Kris gave into Jacob, both in and out of bed, no matter what was happening. The ending of book one was a sad one, and if I hadn’t already had the second book, I would have been upset. And the same could be said about the ending of book two. We have these two men, both are madly in love, they just want to live a peaceful life with one another and to achieve that they went through hell. They fought vampires, they fought against things called the Ascended, who were like gods of some sort, and I don’t mind saying I didn’t care for them at all. They actually had the audacity to take Kris from Jacob! Poor Jacob. Not only that, Jacob’s best friend Tony meets an untimely death due to the vampires.

Lets just say all of Jacobs friends, and his life is changed forever upon meeting Kristair. Not saying it’s a bad thing. It made up for a great plot that was full of adventure and suspense. I loved everything about these books, even hating Narissa. In book three that Narissa has a lot to account for and when she is handed her fate, or rather when Kristair and Jacob are handed their fate due to that woman, I almost choked on the cup of coffee I was sipping.

Ms. Labb did an amazing job with all three of her stories in this series. I truly hope she decides to visit this boys again sometime soon. I think the Vampire Lord, Ussier, has a tale of his own to share, Ms. Labb. Oh and the covers? SWEET!! I love the covers. Kris is hotter than hell.

Review by Michele