• Character Interviews,  Gay or MM

    Guy Stone from What’s in a Name by @phenshaw #RLFblog #mmromance

    Interview with Guy Stone
    This interview is designed for your hero or heroine to tell
    readers about himself or herself.
    Tell us about
    yourself, please.
    (Ahem!) My name is Stone. I’m the owner and bartender of
    Stonewall Saloon in Old Town Stone Acres, California. The bar’s been in the
    family from the frontier days when my great-grandpa entertained Wild Bill Cody
    and other famous—and sometimes infamous—characters who roamed the West. You
    don’t believe me, all you need to do is look at the pictures on the walls of
    the saloon. I’m big, burly, the kind of guy who rides his Harley in the hills
    to let off steam. Mostly, though, I’m pretty laid back. Ya gotta be to run a
    saloon where motorcycle gangs and gay men hang out. Until I met Jimmy Patterson,
    the guy who opened the coffee shop a couple doors down from the saloon, nobody
    asked what my first name was. Everybody just called me Stone. But Jimmy had to
    push it. But in the end, after he’d weaseled the name outta me, he agreed to
    call me Guy, his Guy.
    Authors call what you
    want but cannot have “the conflict” — what is yours?
    For the longest damn time, I wanted Jimmy, but he’s was
    living with this creepy fuck. So I kept my hands off because it just doesn’t
    sit well with me when I see guys coming on to other guys’ men. It just ain’t
    right. You know? So I played it cagy and talked to Jimmy whenever his
    “boyfriend” was chatting up other guys. You know, playing it cool. And hoping a
    lot. Don’t know if you can call that conflict. Or do you mean Tommy Thompson
    and his group of rough-housers who were always picking on the queers in high
    school? Yeah, they’re still a problem, but we’re working on them. You can read
    about it in the book.
    What inner doubt
    causes you the most difficulty?
    Jimmy’s like smart, book smart and friendly, sometimes I
    think too friendly. He sees everyone as good. Running a bar, I don’t. I know
    some guys are just plain rattlesnakes inside. But sometimes, you know, I’d like
    Jimmy to be right. I look at some crusty old drifter and I want to see somebody
    good and decent, not somebody looking for another free drink. Sometimes I
    wonder if I’m seeing the real world or Jimmy is. Of course, then another
    drifter walks into the bar and I’ve got my doubts again.
    In the story world your author created, explain what it is
    you fear most and why.
    No, see, you got it wrong. I’m the person everyone fears.
    Probably the bald head and the beefy body, you know? Cuts down on a lot of
    damage to the bar if everyone’s just a little uneasy about how unhappy I could
    get if things get outta hand. Mostly what I fear is some good-looking,
    smooth-talking, better-than-me-stud is going to walk into Jimmy’s life and he’s
    gonna compare us and find me wanting. If that happens, I’ll probably turn into
    the old drifter cuz Jimmy is my life.
    Tell us about your
    significant other, that person who makes living worthwhile.
    Jimmy? Well, you heard a lot about him in what I’ve already
    said. But I wanna add a couple a other things. Jimmy and the coffee shop’s
    co-owner Felicity had a hard life before they moved here. Jimmy’s happy all the
    time, so he gets stomped on a lot. He’s funny and sweet—and God knows I’ve
    never gone for sweet in a guy before—but realistic. He’s strong even though for
    the past year or so he says he’s been leaning on me. But don’t listen to that.
    He and Felicity have started two businesses and kept them going. People think
    by looking at me that I’m the strong one in this relationship. Not hardly.
    Why are you happy (or
    not happy) with the way your story ended?
    See, here’s the thing. Jimmy and me? We’re the real deal.
    The story is a hundred percent. We’re in it for the long haul. If that Pat
    Henshaw person had ended the story any other way, we’d have had some words
    about that. Fortunately, she saw the truth, so I didn’t have to get tough.
    About the Writer
    Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, was born
    and raised in Nebraska and has lived at various times in  Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and
    Northern California.  Pat has visited
    Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and now enjoys trips to
    Vermont, Oregon, and Arizona to see family. Pat spent her life surrounded by
    words—teaching  English composition at
    the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and
    websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS
    television programs.
    What was your biggest
    challenge in writing this book?
    LOL. Actually writing it. I’ve always wanted to be a
    published author—not to be confused with a published writer, which I’ve been
    since my 20s. I’ve written about nine full-length novels, but never had one
    published. I always promised myself that when I retired, I would get organized
    about writing books. So actually sitting down and doing what I’d promised
    myself was the biggest challenge I’ve overcome.
    Why did you choose
    this character for the interview today?
    What’s in a Name? is written from the viewpoint of Jimmy,
    but a lot of my readers are captivated by Guy Stone. So I thought it was about
    time Guy had his chance to explain himself and share what he thinks about
    Jimmy.
    Are any sequels
    planned for this book?
    This is the first in the series and came out in January
    2015. The second in the series, Redesigning Max, published in July 2015, and
    the third, Behr Facts, comes out in October 2015. I’ve submitted the fourth
    Foothills Pride novella, When Adam Fell, to the publisher, Dreamspinner Press,
    but haven’t heard anything back yet. I’m currently working on the fifth book in
    the series. Although all the books have characters and setting in common, they
    can be read independently.
    Why should readers
    who haven’t picked up one of your books before give this one a try?
    Because my books have no explicit sex, they are perfect
    starter books for traditional romance readers who are curious about the new
    trend in gay romance. My books are about love, not sex, and while gay romance
    and m/m romance books have been called erotica in the past, my books wouldn’t
    fit into that category at all. Readers looking for sex shouldn’t read my books.
    Readers looking for love and happy endings should read them.
    Is there anything
    you’d like to say to your readers?
    This has been a whirlwind year for me. My experiment to see
    if I could be a published author has been a success. As of the end of December,
    I will have published around 100,000 words with Dreamspinner and am blown away
    when I think about it. I want to thank my readers for making this possible and
    wish to pass on to them success in fulfilling their dreams.
    About the Book
    Title What’s in a Name?
    Genre Contemporary gay romance
    Author Pat Henshaw
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG
    Barista Jimmy Patterson thinks it’s
    a good idea to get rip-roaring drunk on his birthday after he’s dumped by his
    boyfriend.  When the burly owner of
    Stonewall Saloon rescues Jimmy, the night starts to look up.
    Now Jimmy just wants to know the
    bartender’s first name since he’s worn a different name tag every time Jimmy’s
    seen him.  “Guy” Stone gives
    Jimmy seven guesses, one for each night he takes Jimmy out on a date.
    While Jimmy’s trying to come up
    with his name, he’s distracted by the destruction of his coffee shop and what
    looks more and more like a hate crime.
    Buy This Book
    Publisher http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5965
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whats-in-a-name-pat-henshaw/1121096573?ean=2940149919833
    ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-what039sinaname-1718386-149.html
    Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/what-s-in-a-name-24
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