Book title: Waves Break My Fall
Genre: M/M Erotic Romance
Cover artist: Reese Dante
Length (words): 20,573
Heat rating: NC-17
Blurb: Kage is a Marine, newly returned from Afghanistan and
having difficulty adjusting to being home. He tries to decompress with a quiet
trip to Puerto Vallarta.
Zach is a new college graduate and facing the realities of adulthood. Will
their hot summer fling grow into something more?
What are your main
characters’ names?
Kage and Zach
Ages?
Kage is in his early 30’s.
Zach is in his early to mid-20’s. He’s old enough to be
graduating college.
Occupations?
Kage is a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps.
Zach has just graduated college and his new occupation is a
spoiler.

Interview

How did you get your
start in the industry?
I started writing. I just started and kept writing. I found
people to give me critical feedback so I got better at it. About two years ago,
I was laid off from my day job, so decided to take advantage of it. I got a
short story and a novella ready and began to submit to e-presses with good
reputations. At the same time, I started writing articles for an online
newsletter for a popular television show. Then, I received an offer from Silver
Publishing three days after I received the offer for my current day job. I
accepted both!
What is the most
important thing you do for your career now, as compared to when you first
started writing?
Today it’s all about social media, marketing and ME, instead
of being about improving the writing. While getting better at the writing is
always important, now the focus is on putting myself out there as an author. I
have to market myself and the books through social media such as blogs,
Facebook and Twitter.
If you could change
something about your first book, what would it be?
That is a particularly tricky question for me! My first
book, Brothers in Arms, has received two consistent pieces of good natured
criticism. First, is that it’s too short. Second, there’s not enough sex. Part
of me would love to go back and fix both of those things. On the other hand,
fixing either one would make it a completely different story and could
potentially ruin it. Ultimately, it’s a great story just like it is, so I
wouldn’t change a thing, even though I do think about it from time to time!
If you could choose
anyone to be your mentor who would it be?
Sherry Lansing. She was a movie studio executive when women
were still being told their worth was based on their skills as wives and
mothers. Women were told to stop work when they married so they didn’t take
jobs from men who had families. She was a trail blazer and is still producing
movies today.
If you could give the
younger version of yourself advice what would it be?
You don’t have to play it safe. Those things you want to do
but think you shouldn’t because they
aren’t practical and won’t earn you money? Do them. At least try. You’ll be
surprised just what you’ll accomplish when you stop playing it safe.
Do you have a muse?
Describe this person, please.
I have many muses. They take the form of my MCs. Sometimes I
only have one at a time, sometimes both the boys talk to me. They tell me the
story, and they tell me about their fears and their dreams. They point me in
the direction the story needs to go. My muses are right there in the stories
for everyone to get to know.
What are some jobs
you’ve done before (or while) you were a writer?
I worked in one of the first Public Health HIV testing
clinics in the country. That tells you how old I am! I spent almost a decade as
a Police Dispatcher. That was an adventure!
Which of your books would
you recommend to someone who doesn’t normally read your genre, and why?
Brothers In Arms. Because it’s heavy on plot and light on
the sex, I think it would be a great way to give a reader a taste of the genre.
Once they realize they enjoy it, they can seek out all the other wonderful
stories with the heat level they find suits their tastes.
What kind of books do
you read when taking a break from your own writing?
The same kind I write! I love M/M erotic romance. However, I
also like fantasy and sci-fi, contemporary mysteries with strong female lead
characters, and true history.
What do you think is
the future of epublishing?
I think the future is here! Print books may never go
completely away, but e-books are so versatile and well-priced (by e-presses),
they’re here to stay. The technology and the industry are in their infancy, but
once it shakes out, the NY publishers with either get with the program, or go
under. The indie presses will continue to rise. Much like we saw Napster and
iTunes revolutionize the music industry by allowing artists to distribute their
work without being beholden to a label, we’ll continue to see the influence of
agents and legacy presses shrink.
What was the proudest
moment of your life so far?
It’s a very small moment that happened recently. My hubby
was leading his father through the house and I was on the couch doing some
marketing of a book. As he passed by, hubby told his father, “We have to be
quiet, she’s working. She’s a writer.”
Imagine you get to go
on a dream vacation, but you have only one hour to pack and leave, and it
starts as soon as you finish this interview. What will you take with you and
where will you go?
I would pack jeans, t-shirts and comfortable shoes. My
Kindle, my iPod and my passport. I’d be on my way to New Zealand to take the Lord of the
Rings filming tour! Yes, I’m a geek.
What good book have
you read recently?
I just finished Mercy Celeste’s “Beyond Complicated” and I
highly recommend it.
Where were you at
midnight, on December 31st when the new century started?
At a party, hanging off of a balcony with my then
girlfriend, banging pots, pans and lids together while cheering drunkenly.
What do you like to
do when you’re bored?
Read and write. You could have guessed that answer, I’m
sure.
Which statement is
more like you:
“I am a vacation spa because I am laid back and
relaxed.”
“I am a ten-countries in ten-days tour vacation,
because I do things as fast as possible.”
I am laid back and relaxed. I love lying on a warm beach
with a drink, listening to my iPod and reading my Kindle. 

Fill in the Blanks

My favorite type of car is a Mustang.
A perfect date would be coffee in a Barnes & Noble.
My characters would love it if I just let them have sex
without having to examine their feelings.
I think Coldplay is overrated. I prefer Matchbox
20.
If all the hot men in the world were mine, I’d
like it.
Paying someone else to do it is the best way to clean
my house.
There is more to writing than typing words.

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