Mary, I want to start by saying how happy we are to have you here with us today. We so appreciate you taking the time out of your hectic schedule to visit with your readers, so how about if we kick things off with an introduction—will you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
Thank you so much for having me!
I am a wife and mother of two, one girl, one boy, and I work full time at an EDJ and write as soon as my kids go to bed and until ridiculous hours of the morning. I don’t think my family remembers what I look like without circles under my eyes.
When did you discover your passion for writing? Was there someone in particular who encouraged and inspired your love of storytelling?
I started writing when I was twelve and I wrote about two knights, or what I thought knights were like, and it was the adventures of Demetrius and Konor. And they did everything together and even though my mother loved it, she also said that two men shouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed together. And where were the damsels in distress? My guys just saved each other, killed the bad guys and rode off into the sunset together. I liked it being just them instead because I thought it was romantic. My family was confused.
Have you always written Male/Male romance? What drew you to the M/M genre?
I always thought how romantic a movie was or how beautiful a story was and then how much more romantic or hotter it would be if both the leads were men. I do it to my husband all the time, I say “that was great, but you know what would have been better…”
And by this time, yeah, he knows.
Are you surprised by the ever growing female fan-base of Male/Male fiction?
No I’m not surprised; there was a really good article in LA Weekly a few years back:
http://www.laweekly.com/2009-12-17/art-books/man-on-man-the-new-gay-romance/1/
that explained it a lot better than I ever could. But most of the women I know think the idea of two men together is very hot and very romantic and they love to read it.
What was your first published book?
A Matter of Time.
How many books have you had published thus far?
As of now I have 16 total.
Asking this question might be a bit like asking you to choose one child over another, but of all the characters you’ve created, do you have one who stands out among the others as a favorite? If so, who and why?
Jory (from A Matter of Time) is my favorite character because writing him is just so much fun. It’s like being in a car without breaks, just a wild fun ride. And Jory is witty like I wish I was and quick and can banter like nobody’s business and he’s way, way, prettier than me. He’s the cool kid I never was.
Dreamspinner press recently re-released your “A Matter of Time” series, with the next book, Bulletproof, coming out on Sept. 26th. Would you consider giving us just a small taste of what we can expect next from Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage?
This is an excerpt from when Jory sees Sam for the first time after being apart for close to 4 months:
As my eyes took in everything at once, my attention was caught by one of the men at the pool table closest to me. Defined muscles in his broad back flexed and bunched under a dress shirt that was straining across wide shoulders, bulging biceps, triceps, and fell untucked over a firm, round, tight ass. His movement was fluid for a big man, and I was reminded of the carved specimen that usually resided in my bed.
“Oh shit.” I caught my breath when the man turned, because I was looking at Sam Kage… and not, at the very same time.
The light brown hair with highlights in it, copper, gold, bronze, and wheat was gone, replaced by black waves even darker than Dane’s. It looked so alien. The goatee was out of place, as was the stubbly mustache, since Sam was normally clean shaven. The shirt, open halfway down his chest, revealing his rippling torso, was a treat, but hardly in the man’s comfort zone. I had never seen him wear jewelry with the exception of his wedding ring and his watch, so the diamond cross that was hanging from his neck was glaring, drawing my eye. I also saw that his wedding ring was very absent. Taken all together, he looked weird, like him but not like him all at the same time. I knew him on sight; he would have to be invisible for me not to notice him, but why he was dressed like an extra from Miami Vice back in the day, I could not imagine. I would have to take a picture so I could show his sisters. They would laugh for weeks.
For the life of me, I couldn’t decide on a plan of action. My first thought was that I should wave, second, I was going to rush across the room and launch myself at him, and door number three was me just yelling until all my frustration with his absence was vented. It would drag on for several minutes, I was just sure.
In the end I did nothing, because wonder of wonders, my brain actually kicked in. Standing there like a statue, staring at the man I loved; I realized that we were both in trouble if I said even a word to him. Obviously he was undercover, as what I had no idea, but I knew I would blow it for him if I didn’t just walk away. I had to walk away. And I was going to, I was ready to, up until the second he looked up and his eyes hit mine. He did a quick double take, and I was swallowed in smoky blue. He couldn’t change his eyes without contacts, and looking into the familiar heat made my knees weak. The whimper in the back of my throat could not be stopped. He moved fast, crossing the floor to me. I braced for the assault.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled at me under his breath the second he was close enough.
I noticed his lashes had not been dyed to match his hair, and were still long, thick, and gold. The jet-black hair was colored so there were no highlights in it, flat black, not glossy, but still thick, still that which I wanted to run my fingers through and mess all up. He would look phenomenal all tousled in bed. I wondered if they had dyed the hair between his navel and his groin black as well. Did they mess with the treasure trail? The thought hit me like a fist, slamming through me so hard that I had to suck in a breath. I ached to be under him.
“Jory.” My name was spoken deep and low.
“Oh,” I said, stalling, trying to remember what he’d asked me.
Looking at him, being close to him, my mind had gone blank.
“J?”
Wait, where was I again?
“Focus,” he snapped at me, the annoyance there in his strained voice.
But he was right there in front of me, and it took everything I had not to reach out and put my hand on his face, another on his rockhard abdomen. I wanted to touch him so badly my stomach hurt.
It’s Jory’s regular roller coaster, if you love him you have to take the ride. Sam always rides.
I’ll try to ask this question without giving too much away, but here goes. The family bond is an important thread that weaves through the storyline, certainly for Jory and Dane Harcourt—how did Jory being orphaned influence your development of his character?
I will try and answer without being confusing. My original thought was that in AMOT Jory is an orphan and so is Dane and the thing about their relationship is that Dane has always treated him like a brother and so when the opportunity arose, I felt it was a natural progression of their relationship for Dane to make the offer for them to become true brothers. Dane wants a say in Jory’s life and Jory wants him to have it but the reverse is also true. Jory wants to be a person that Dane has to listen to. Their banter is some of my favorite, and because Dane is such a serious person, for Jory to be able to break through the ice to the man underneath, I always felt that there had to be a reason for that that ran deeper.
Have you planned the series out to a set number of books, or will you simply continue to gift us with more Jory and Sam until they have nothing left to tell us?
I think this is going to be it with Jory and Sam, I wanted to explain some things and I wanted to know what Jory looked like settled and writing about them is like visiting old friends. Sam especially, I can see his face and the long suffering smile and the tilt of his head.
Do you prefer writing in the 1st or the 3rd person? What advantages do you see in writing in one vs. the other?
I would love to write in limited 3rd person but I’m terrible at it. I so respect authors who can do it, that gift is amazing. I think you get so much more from 3rd person, both sides, both character’s feelings but I get sort of lost in the “epicness” of it all and it becomes a mad jumble. Once voice in my head is about all I can manage.
Do you have any works-in-progress or upcoming publications, other than Bulletproof and Nexus, you’d care to share with us?
Honored Vow, my third werepanther book and last book with the focus on Jin and Logan will be out in either November/December and I have story in the Dreamspinner Advent Calendar that will be released December 1st.
As for works in progress I plan to write a sequel to Again because Dante needs some redemption, a sequel to my novella Romanus because I have plans for Mason James, Domin’s book…it goes on because all the characters live in your head and it’s just getting it all down that takes time.
What is the most challenging topic you’ve ever broached in your writing?
When I wrote Any Closer, the secondary character was raped and I wanted to make sure that the topic was handled sensitively. Charlie Ryder is very near and dear to my heart.
When someone reads one of your books for the first time, what do you hope s/he takes away from the experience?
I just want them to have felt like the guys they just finished reading about really loved each other. I love, love, and that’s what I want to convey. I write romance because I am hardwired for the happily ever after and I want you to feel it inside, that everything is settled and good. Dreamspinner Press has this Bittersweet Dream line that I respect so much that I will never write. You mean the guys don’t get together in the end? Love doesn’t conquer all? There’s just no way.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received with respect to the art of writing? How did it change the way you approach your craft?
I read this article about Walter Mosley in 2007 and it was called, This Year You Write Your Novel. He said that you must write every day. There are two reasons for this rule he says, getting the work done and connecting with your unconscious mind. Some days you may be rewriting rereading or just sitting there scrolling back and forth through the text. This is enough to bring you back into the dream of the story. If you skip a day or more between your writing sessions, you mind will drift away from these deep moments of your story. You will find that you’ll have to slog back to a place that would have been easily attained if you wrote every day.
Those were his sage words so I clipped it out of the magazine, tacked it on the wall, eventually transferring it to my binder that holds all my story ideas, and once I wrote every single day, 365 days a year, for at least 3 hours a day, things changed. I have friends that write so fast that I could never hope to keep up with them and they are phenomenal writers but for me, just making sure not a day goes by that I don’t write seems to be working. So Walter Mosley, he’s what worked.
What is the question you’re most frequently asked by your fans?
Are you going to write another book about Jory?
When you have the chance to sit down and enjoy some quiet reading time, what sorts of books are you most likely to pick up? Who are your favorite authors?
I read all kinds of things; something about the character just needs to spark my interest and I have to be absorbed by the first page. I have a tiny little attention span, like a gnat has better focus than me, so I have to be engaged fast. For me, a book has to just start. I do read out of my genre but find lately that most of what I read is m/m. As for authors there are so many but Amy Lane, Ariel Tachna are auto buys for me, Lori Toland, and ML Rhodes I read on a regular basis and I have discovered new authors I love like Damon Suede and Reiko Morgan. It’s so amazing when you’re reading and you’re so transported that when it’s done, you’re sad. I’ve also had the experience, like after I read Giselle Ellis’ Take My Picture where I thought, I can’t write like that, I need to go herd sheep in Mongolia.
How would you describe your sense of humor? What makes you laugh?
David Sedaris makes me laugh. Holidays On Ice is one of my all-time favorite things to read. Eddie Izzard will render me breathless. But I have a teeny-tiny little brain too so Sports Center commercials will make me giggle as well. My husband always gives me a look and rolls his eyes.
Of all the modern conveniences, which one would you most likely say you couldn’t live without?
Starbucks. Venti Quad Iced Vanilla Latte. A daily must have.
Thanks again for spending some time with us, Mary. It’s been a pleasure having you with us. Will you tell us where we can find you on the Internet?
http://marycalmesbooks.blogspot.com
And we’d love if you’d consider sharing a favorite excerpt from one of your books with us.
This is from Timing, when Stef and Charlotte are yelling at each other after the first part of a very emotional weekend for both of them.
“We know so much about each other, we’ve shared so much… all of that makes us more than just friends, Stef. I know how you need quiet in the morning, and you know how I like my coffee and that I like pickles but not cucumbers. I know how you held me the night I was attacked… after you brought me home to your apartment and made me tea… how you wrapped me in your arms under the covers, and I was so safe… oh Stef, do you really think I could ever not need you or not want you or not love you? Is that even fucking possible?”
No. The answer was no. It was not possible I was permanent. I squeezed her so tight she farted. “Charlotte!”
The crying turned to laughter instantly, and when I put her down, she couldn’t even breathe.
“God, you’re disgusting.”
It’s one of my favorites because you understand their relationship right there.
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