What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
Thanks, Janet, so much for hosting me on your lovely blog. I’m happy to be here. I write in two genres: Historical/paranormal and gay fiction. While most of my books are full-length novels in the historical genre, I tend to write mostly novellas for my male/male books. My best-selling series in gay fiction is CROSSROADS, four mystery/suspense/paranormal novellas. One of the main characters, Frank McGuire has the ability to commune with the dead. As a private investigator, he must call on his special abilities quite often. More about the Crossroads series below:
Crossroads: http://amzn.to/fRni1t
Crossroads Revisited: http://amzn.to/ejkD4r
Crossroads Showdown: http://amzn.to/fkCmnX
Crossroads Shadowland: http://amzn.to/etMkps
Warning: These novellas contain elements of intense man love scenes
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
I started out writing historical, but somewhere along the way, purchased some gay fiction. I found it intriguing – the way men react to one another in their relationships. Interestingly enough, studies have shown that straight women top the list as readers of gay fiction. While I enjoy writing the shorter novellas, I have a tendency to drift back to the books of my heart, historical with paranormal elements.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I’m grappling with that right now as I sort out the plot for Wolfboy – the sequel to Where The Rain Is Made. The story line is really better suited to Young Adult since the main characters are in their late teens. However, I’ve never written YA. I guess there’s a first time for everything, huh? Stay tuned for more about Wolfboy, coming to a Kindle and Nook near you in 2011.
More about Where The Rain Is Made here: http://amzn.to/ev0I3Y
*Nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark in the BEST enovel category
*Recipient of 30 five star reviews
*Winner of Best Video by Dark Divas
*Recipient of numerous Book of the Month, Recommended Read, Top Reviewers Pick by many of the top professional review sites
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
Mostly Historical or Paranormal or a combination thereof. I’m not very big on contemporary unless it’s Urban Fantasy. I really love Gothic, and hope to try my hand at a dark gothic novel one day.
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing.
I live in the Midwest part of the country – in a suburb of a medium-sized city. When I’m not writing I like to garden, read and spend time with my family. I’m quite a homebody and find I’m most comfortable just hanging out in the town home.
I’ve been writing for about seven years. During that time, I’ve written for numerous publishers, including New Concepts, Amber Quill Press, Decadent Publishing, Noble Romance, Phaze Publishing, The Wild Rose Press and several others. Now, I write mostly for Books We Love Spice and Decadent and occasionally self-publish some of my backlist and short stories. I find there are advantages and disadvantages to both traditional publishing and Indie, but I really love the freedom to write outside the box and the flexibility that comes with self-publication.
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
There are special to me in one way or another because they all remind me of a certain period in my personal life. I like Morgan a lot of Decadent Deceptions. I submitted Decadent Deceptions to my first and only contest entry, the Molly, and finaled. I adore Meko (Ethan Gray) from Where The Rain Is Made because he’s such a complex character. I guess one would have to be complex to be a time wanderer. Ethan Gray lives a very cushy life in modern times and a very brutal life when he travels back in time to help his people, the Cheyenne.
More about Decadent Deceptions here: http://amzn.to/dQj8WZ
An erotic romance/historical.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Aren’t there villains in all fictional books? LOL. Yes, there are bad men in my books. That’s what keeps the story moving. Once you discover who the villain is, you have to know what happens, right?
8. What are you working on now? Thank you so much for asking.
Wolfboy (see above). The sequel to Magnolia Heat, a gay fiction novella, called Magnolia Simmer, and a dragon series. I also contribute monthly to a multi-author erotic blog called Red Lipstick Journals. The nine members post sexy articles, book reviews, sex-toy reviews and short stories.
You can follow Red Lipstick Journals here: RED LIPSTICK JOURNALS, which you’ll want to do because we’re giving away a nine-story anthology to all followers in August.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
One of my latest releases is Sojourn with a Stranger. Here’s the blurb for this Historical/Paranormal (ghosts).
About Sojourn with a Stranger
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/gQLMV2
Penniless when she arrives in Norfolk, her mother and father drowned at sea, Raine Brinsley longs to return home to her grandfather in Maine. When Derek Stafford, owner of a large plantation, offers a solution to her dilemma, she’s stunned, if not outraged. She’d prefer to fulfill the contract to have his child and forget about him and his self-serving scheme. If only she could dispel the passion he’s awakened in her.
Derek Stafford’s only wish is to father an heir to Stafford House, thus securing his future. He didn’t count on the Scottish lass with green eyes interfering with his well-laid plan. After one night in her arms, guilt, not to mention the loss of his soul, becomes his penance. He’ll do anything to win her back, anything to quench the hunger tormenting his soul.
10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about. Enclose the opening of the book around 400 words.
This is a story of a young woman from Maine who is crossing the ocean with her parents to start a new life in Norfolk. When there’s a horrific accident at sea, our heroine is left virtually homeless and broke. She must take a servant’s position at a local mansion and encounters our hero, the owner of Stafford House. Derek Stafford is in desperate need of an heir and Raine must get back to her ailing grandfather in Maine. They strike a business deal wherein Raine will bear Derek’s child for a large sum of money. And again, things go horrifically wrong.
Watch the video here. I think it will give you a good idea about the plot and the paranormal elements that come into play.
Again, thanks for hosting me, Janet. I loved your questions.
You can find me here on the Internet:
Author home: http://www.ketadiablo.com
Keta’s Keep Romance Blog, http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com
The Stuff of Myth and Men (gay fiction blog) http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com
Showing posts with label Barbara Meyers - Thursday's Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barbara Meyers - Thursday's Interview. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thursday's Interview - Barbara Meyers
Today's interview is with Barbara Meyers.
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
Mostly I write contemporary romance and sometime in two romance sub-genres: romantic comedy and romantic suspense. I also write women’s fiction with a strong romantic element. I’ve experimented with young adult and fantasy.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
Both, I think. My mother watched soap operas when I was growing up. I loved the drama and the relationships. When I got older, I cut my teeth on Rosemary Rogers, Bertrice Small and Kathleen Woodiwiss among others. Along the way I also read a few disappointing romance novels until one day I threw one of those across the room after I finished it and proclaimed, “I can write better than that!” I did. I do. I have.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I probably wouldn’t venture into writing science or historical fiction.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I love suspense of all kinds, although I find romantic suspense done well can be difficult to find. I read a lot of psychological suspense and women’s fiction. I don’t, as a general rule, search out or read romance novels.
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I’ve been writing for twenty-plus years, but my publishing career is just starting to take off. I live in Southwest Florida with my dog and my first husband. Both my children are grown. For the past eight years I’ve worked at the local Starbucks, currently as a shift supervisor. It’s a great job for a writer.
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That is a hard question. At the moment, I’d say Trey Christopher, who will be featured in the third Braddock Brotherhood book from Samhain Publishing. He’s a small North Carolina town’s golden boy who made it big in the NFL and then crashed and burned. My story finds him returning to his hometown to rebuild his life and make amends. His goal is to stop behaving like an a**hole! I’m having fun watching him fight his addictions and take more care in his relationships with women than he has in the past.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Some of my stories have villains and some don’t. Often you don’t need a villain because the characters are their own worst enemy. In Not Quite Heaven, I created the villain rather late, during one of many revisions. He arrived naturally, born out bitter resentment and grief he believes is caused by the hero.
8. What are you working on now?
A couple of things. The third book in The Braddock Brotherhood series, which I’ve tentatively titled The FirstTtime Again. It features a thirty-year-old virgin as the heroine and the aforementioned Trey Christopher as the hero.
I’m also working on a women’s fiction story about a woman whose life begins to unravel when she becomes pregnant by another man while her husband is in a coma.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
Not Quite Heaven came from one of the ultimate romantic premises: A man and a woman with a difficult past who are snowed in together. Initially, it’s set in the mountains of northern Maine and later moves back to New York City.
10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about. Enclose the opening of the book around 400 words.
Not Quite Heaven explores how events and encounters from the past come back to haunt both the hero and the heroine and threaten the future they hope to build after they are forced to work together. The hero, Ian, is a best-selling author who may have lost his touch, so I created a story within the story. Ian unwittingly creates an alter ego in the character of police detective Ray Latimer. A slice of Ray’s story begins each chapter.
NOT QUITE HEAVEN
by Barbara Meyers
“Detective Latimer? You want to come have a look at this?”
Ray sauntered over to the rookie cop hunkered down on the wet pavement. He had little use for female trainees on the squad, especially if they were as eager to prove themselves as Officer Carrie Young. In Ray’s experience, women rarely knew as much as they thought they did, and someone always got hurt. Usually him.
Chapter 1
The computer keyboard hummed as the scene flowed from Ian’s imagination through his fingers and onto the screen. For once the dialogue came easily, the plot moved according to plan.
Sham rushed to the window in a flash of black and white fur. Ian ignored the dog’s growl. Nothing and no one would break his concentration. Not now. Not when, for once, the writing was going well.
Sham let loose with a series of sharp barks. Ian tensed, his fingers still poised over the keyboard.
The perfect twist of dialogue, the expression Ian envisioned in Ray Latimer’s eyes evaporated. Like the smoky tendrils of a dream which couldn’t be recaptured once awake, the essence of the scene remained but the specifics vanished. Such was the life of a writer.
“Damn it, Sham.” Ian gripped the arms of his chair and shoved it backward to stare out the window of his second floor office. To his amazement a bright red mini SUV, complete with skis strapped on top, partially covered by snow, sat in the driveway. “How in the hell?”
Several raps on the front door punctuated Sham’s excited woofs as he bounded down the stairs ahead of his master.
Through the peephole Ian eyed the woman on the doorstep as she shifted from one foot to the other.
His brain refused to accept the possibility a lone female had negotiated the treacherous mountain lane in such inclement winter weather to find him.
He took note of a red beret perched at a jaunty angle on top of dark hair and a matching scarf wound above the collar of an asphalt gray coat. With red-leather-gloved hands she rubbed her upper arms against the winter chill and continued to squirm.
Something about the woman was hauntingly, frighteningly familiar. Even as he told himself it couldn’t be he knew it was her. Ian’s initial annoyance at the interruption to his work multiplied ten-fold. He silently forgave Sham and transferred the blame where it belonged.
Ian yanked the door open.
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
Mostly I write contemporary romance and sometime in two romance sub-genres: romantic comedy and romantic suspense. I also write women’s fiction with a strong romantic element. I’ve experimented with young adult and fantasy.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
Both, I think. My mother watched soap operas when I was growing up. I loved the drama and the relationships. When I got older, I cut my teeth on Rosemary Rogers, Bertrice Small and Kathleen Woodiwiss among others. Along the way I also read a few disappointing romance novels until one day I threw one of those across the room after I finished it and proclaimed, “I can write better than that!” I did. I do. I have.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I probably wouldn’t venture into writing science or historical fiction.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I love suspense of all kinds, although I find romantic suspense done well can be difficult to find. I read a lot of psychological suspense and women’s fiction. I don’t, as a general rule, search out or read romance novels.
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I’ve been writing for twenty-plus years, but my publishing career is just starting to take off. I live in Southwest Florida with my dog and my first husband. Both my children are grown. For the past eight years I’ve worked at the local Starbucks, currently as a shift supervisor. It’s a great job for a writer.
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That is a hard question. At the moment, I’d say Trey Christopher, who will be featured in the third Braddock Brotherhood book from Samhain Publishing. He’s a small North Carolina town’s golden boy who made it big in the NFL and then crashed and burned. My story finds him returning to his hometown to rebuild his life and make amends. His goal is to stop behaving like an a**hole! I’m having fun watching him fight his addictions and take more care in his relationships with women than he has in the past.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Some of my stories have villains and some don’t. Often you don’t need a villain because the characters are their own worst enemy. In Not Quite Heaven, I created the villain rather late, during one of many revisions. He arrived naturally, born out bitter resentment and grief he believes is caused by the hero.
8. What are you working on now?
A couple of things. The third book in The Braddock Brotherhood series, which I’ve tentatively titled The FirstTtime Again. It features a thirty-year-old virgin as the heroine and the aforementioned Trey Christopher as the hero.
I’m also working on a women’s fiction story about a woman whose life begins to unravel when she becomes pregnant by another man while her husband is in a coma.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
Not Quite Heaven came from one of the ultimate romantic premises: A man and a woman with a difficult past who are snowed in together. Initially, it’s set in the mountains of northern Maine and later moves back to New York City.
10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about. Enclose the opening of the book around 400 words.
Not Quite Heaven explores how events and encounters from the past come back to haunt both the hero and the heroine and threaten the future they hope to build after they are forced to work together. The hero, Ian, is a best-selling author who may have lost his touch, so I created a story within the story. Ian unwittingly creates an alter ego in the character of police detective Ray Latimer. A slice of Ray’s story begins each chapter.
NOT QUITE HEAVEN
by Barbara Meyers
“Detective Latimer? You want to come have a look at this?”
Ray sauntered over to the rookie cop hunkered down on the wet pavement. He had little use for female trainees on the squad, especially if they were as eager to prove themselves as Officer Carrie Young. In Ray’s experience, women rarely knew as much as they thought they did, and someone always got hurt. Usually him.
Chapter 1
The computer keyboard hummed as the scene flowed from Ian’s imagination through his fingers and onto the screen. For once the dialogue came easily, the plot moved according to plan.
Sham rushed to the window in a flash of black and white fur. Ian ignored the dog’s growl. Nothing and no one would break his concentration. Not now. Not when, for once, the writing was going well.
Sham let loose with a series of sharp barks. Ian tensed, his fingers still poised over the keyboard.
The perfect twist of dialogue, the expression Ian envisioned in Ray Latimer’s eyes evaporated. Like the smoky tendrils of a dream which couldn’t be recaptured once awake, the essence of the scene remained but the specifics vanished. Such was the life of a writer.
“Damn it, Sham.” Ian gripped the arms of his chair and shoved it backward to stare out the window of his second floor office. To his amazement a bright red mini SUV, complete with skis strapped on top, partially covered by snow, sat in the driveway. “How in the hell?”
Several raps on the front door punctuated Sham’s excited woofs as he bounded down the stairs ahead of his master.
Through the peephole Ian eyed the woman on the doorstep as she shifted from one foot to the other.
His brain refused to accept the possibility a lone female had negotiated the treacherous mountain lane in such inclement winter weather to find him.
He took note of a red beret perched at a jaunty angle on top of dark hair and a matching scarf wound above the collar of an asphalt gray coat. With red-leather-gloved hands she rubbed her upper arms against the winter chill and continued to squirm.
Something about the woman was hauntingly, frighteningly familiar. Even as he told himself it couldn’t be he knew it was her. Ian’s initial annoyance at the interruption to his work multiplied ten-fold. He silently forgave Sham and transferred the blame where it belonged.
Ian yanked the door open.
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