18May/18

Shara Godwinson

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May 18, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Shara Godwinson as the guest on Episode 164 – I’m Kind of Like a Cat!!

This week Shara Godwinson joins us to talk about her novel Dragon Fire, Angel Light and her soon to be re-released novel Tales of the Driss, Krystal Dragons. We also talk about how she’s overcoming her disabilities to be a writer and the method behind her madness!!

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Bio:

Shara has always loved fantasy, having fallen in love with it as a child. She loved fairy tales from Authors such as Hans Christian Anderson and The Brothers Grimm. J.R.R. Tolkien has always been a massive influence, especially characters like Fili, Kili, Faramir and Sam (a personal favorite). She graduated from Eastern Oregon University in 2015 with bachelor’s in history and Liberal Studies. She lives in Eastern Oregon with her cat, Isabella, her Chihuahua Maisie, and her Ring Necked Parakeet, Pretty.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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13May/18

Read by Strangers: Stories by Philip Dean Walker

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Philip Dean Walker back in November 2016. To listen to his episode and get links to his work, check out Episode 084: Bars Are Where Our History Happened!

I was very much looking forward to this next collection of stories from Philip Dean Walker, after enjoying the superb At Danceteria and other Stories. Whilst that book concentrated on definitive moments in our history, and real people, this anthology has a mixed bag of stories and characters plucked from Walker’s imagination.

And what an imagination it is, from the woman who endangers her baby whilst engaging in an illicit affair to the man whose fantasies take a very dark turn. Despite the lurking horror, there is a playfulness to the writing, a chance for Walker to play with different styles from lilting to staccato, poetic to erotic. Perhaps because the stories were written over a few years, some being published elsewhere before now, the mix of styles could seem a little disjointed, although I enjoyed the unpredictability of it. In all cases though, the quality was outstanding.

Here we have a writer not afraid to experiment. A Cup of Fur was distinctly odd, and took it’s sweet time to get to the point. In various cases, there doesn’t seem to be a point per se. Each piece seems to be a cold, hard look at the human condition, and what some people are capable of.

I enjoyed the sense of experimentation, of testing himself with the viewpoints of people of various genders and sexuality. There is no doubt this is a literary collection, yet balancing the gravitas with a sense of mischievousness to stop the stories becoming dry and worthy. There is no consistency with the length of stories, so each one is a surprise.

Standouts for me were Unicorn, where lads trespassing in an abandoned house learn more about a family tragedy, A Goddess Lying Breathless In Carnage, beautiful and sinister, And Three-Sink Sink. I still don’t understand the title but the writing was pure, savage and totally compelling.

BLURB

Read by Strangers is a collection of sixteen stories exploring the complexities of the human experience. From weary men seeking a ride back from a club but find themselves trapped to a woman addicted to a virtual reality game who is neglecting her child to a man whose fantasies about of his neighbor’s wife have begun to take over his life, the characters in each of these stories are enveloped in their commitment to their own personal desires. 

11May/18

Kevin Klehr

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May 11, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Kevin Klehr back as the guest on Episode 163 – A Good Femme Fatale!!

This week Kevin Klehr returns to talk about his latest release, Social Media Central, the creation of the book trailer and the pitfalls of advertising the trailer on Facebook. We also discuss the ins and outs of social media and the lengths Kevin went through to cast and produce the trailer using live actors!!

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Bio:

Kevin is the author of a number of books including the Actors and Angels series and the Nate and Cameron collection.

The Actors and Angels series are three comedies about theatre in the Afterlife, where two friends explore their love for each other through several lifetimes with the help of a gay angel. The third in the series scored a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Alternative Universe/Reality novel.

The Nate and Cameron collection are two novellas that delve into a relationship between a dreamer and a realist, where the latter is coming to terms with loving second best. The two stories, Nate and the New Yorker and Nate’s Last Tango, are also available in one paperback edition.

And his latest novel, Social Media Central, explores a future where everyone is addicted to their screens.

Kevin lives with his long-term partner, Warren, in their humble apartment affectionately named Sabrina), in Australia’s own “Emerald City,” Sydney.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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April 21, 2017


It gives us great pleasure to welcome back Kevin Klehr as the guest on episode 108: Always Come with Cake!

This week Kevin Klehr returns to talk about his new novel From Top to Bottom, his foray into erotica, his new publisher Nine Star Press, and then Kevin drops tips for writers.

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Bio:

Kevin lives with his long-term partner, Warren, in their humble apartment (affectionately named Sabrina), in Australia’s own ‘Emerald City,’ Sydney.

From an early age Kevin had a passion for writing, jotting down stories and plays until it came time to confront puberty. After dealing with pimple creams and facial hair, Kevin didn’t pick up a pen again until he was in his thirties. His handwritten manuscript was being committed to paper when his social circumstances changed, giving him no time to write. Concerned, his partner, Warren, snuck the notebook out to a friend who in turn came back and demanded Kevin finish his novel. It wasn’t long before Kevin’s active imagination was let loose again.

 

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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February 12, 2016

 NatTheNewYorker_cvr_100dpi-210x330DramaQueensLoveScenes_100dpi_cvr-210x330DramaQueensAdultThemes_100dpi_cvr-210x330 It gives us great pleasure to announce Kevin Klehr as the guest on Episode 043: Life is a Cabaret.
Join us as we talk with Kevin about trusting your editor, contracts and how to read them, what equality and mainstream mean to a queer author, turning a trope on its head and the international Con experience.
You can find Kevin’s novels here:

Connect with Kevin on the web:

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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04May/18

Charlotte Reagan

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May 4, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Charlotte Reagan as the guest on Episode 162 – The Sacred Cow!!

This week Charlotte Reagan joins us to talk about her sweet novel Just Juliet and her slightly darker novel Loving Lakyn. We also talk about Young Adult (YA) versus New Adult (NA), what’s on our bookshelves, and Charlotte drops some awesome recommendations!!

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Bio:

Charlotte Reagan was born, raised, and currently resides in a small town in Texas with her cat. She’s been writing pretty much all her life, even when she was too young to know how to put her stories down on paper. Once she started she couldn’t seem to stop! She still has boxes of old notebooks filled with ideas and plots that she never finished. She writes young adult romances focusing primarily on the LGBT+ community. Charlotte crafts lighthearted stories that bring about hope, laughter, and maybe even a few tears. She can usually be found with her laptop or off traveling somewhere!

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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27Apr/18

Kaelan Rhywiol

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April 27, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Kaelan Rhywiol as the guest on Episode 161 – The Vale Between Worlds!!

This week Kaelan Rhywiol joins us to discuss xyr upcoming novel, Bloodbound, which features own voices demisexuality, non-binary, mixed-race rep, touch aversion, gray aromanticism, kink, and bi/pansexuality. We discuss the need for all types of representation in literature as well as get some information Kaelan’s editor-mind would like to share with authors!!

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Bio:

Kaelan Rhywiol was born and raised in the Adirondack mountains of Upstate NY, US. Xie currently lives in Southern Ontario, Canada with xyr husband of 19 years, their two kids, three cats and a grumpy chinchilla. Xie is not currently represented by an agent, and while not actively searching for one, if the right one offered would consider it. Xie is published through Multifarious Press, a small, independent press devoted to diversity. Xie has a paranormal romance upcoming from NineStar Press in early summer 2018 featuring own voices demisexuality, non-binary, mixed-race rep, touch aversion, gray aromanticism, kink, and bi/pansexuality.

Xie is the author of YAHUI’S SUSPENSION, SERVING THE DRAKON, NERA’S NEED, ANNA’S CHOICE, A DANCER’S HOPE, A HARSHER KISS, MOTHMEN, ILAVANI vol 1-5. As well as the upcoming title BLOODBOUND from NineStar Press.

Xie works as a freelance editor for small, independent presses and private clients. Xie does inexpensive cover art for independent authors and is an authenticity reader for autism, rape survival, mixed-race rep, polyamory, kink, chronic pain, and mental illness (anxiety, depression).

Xie owns KaelanRhywiol.com and Multifariouspress.com

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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20Apr/18

M.D. Neu

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April 20, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome M.D. Neu as the guest on Episode 160 – Cross Gender, Cross Culture, Cross Economics!!

This week M.D. Neu joins us to chat about his works, with a deep look into the immortal vampires from his novel The Calling, as well as how our books are discovered, and the reality that LGBTQA is cross culture, cross gender, cross economics!!

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Bio:

M.D. Neu is a LGBTQA Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man, he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric, his husband of eighteen plus years.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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17Apr/18

Seven-Sided Spy by Hannah Carmack

Review, , , , ,

 

We recently had the pleasure of Hannah Carmack’s company at WROTE. To listen to her episode, check out Episode 150: I Guess What Changed Was Me!

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the story is told by seven different characters, who all have code names and mutations, giving you at least fourteen names to remember. If you liked the multi-character aspect of Game of Thrones, this book’s multiple points of view and complex, espionage plot is for you.

Most of the story takes place in the dense backwaters of North Carolina, which means that the Cold War element of the story is primarily told, rather than shown. I struggled to find a sense of history. Unless I had been informed that the book was set in this time period, I may well have not picked it up.

Having said that, the writing was intelligent and the dialogue sparky and crafted well. I sensed a real affection between the author and her characters, as well as a sense that she knew what was happening, even if I hadn’t pieced everything together yet.

Because of the back and forth styling, the switch between POV’s and the numerous changes of name, I struggled to engage with a character. I appreciate that others will love this challenge, and for a first novel, it is a wonderfully ambitious mix of spy novel and science fiction.

Finally, I do love the cover. It certainly captures the myriad of characters, some stronger than others, and the kaleidoscopic nature of the work.

__________________________________________

BLURB

In the midst of the cold war, the CIA’s finest and most fatal female agent, Diana Riley, vanishes. Kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the backcountry of North Carolina, she and her team of unsavory partners are forced to undergo illegal experimentation.

But, when the experiments leave them horribly deformed and unable to reenter society without someone crying monster, the previously glamorous and high-maintenance spies must escape KGB captivity and avoid recapture at the hands of Nikola, a ruthless KGB agent with an intense and well-justified grudge against her former flame.

13Apr/18

Lee James

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April 13, 2018

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It gives us great pleasure to welcome Lee James back as the guest on Episode 159 – I Don’t Need to Draw You a Picture!!

This week Lee James returns to talk with us about his new novel Threads, and about searching for a mainstream publisher after life among the boutique publishers, including children as characters, and world building when your work isn’t romance driven!!

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Bio:

Lee James was born and reared on his family’s Indiana farm. At the age of twelve, he walked past an outdoor convention of the KKK – all members in full white-sheet drag. (Never mind he’d been told to stay the hell away from that park.) When one of the Klan members eyes met Lee’s, he began to understand bigotry, intolerance and hatred. He attended a Western university, where he majored in the humanities and political science, then studied law.

He’s worked for and in civil rights bills and laws for thirty-five years, in both the public and private sectors – his brush with the Klan left a lifelong impression. He moonlights as a writer of crime noir mystery-thrillers.

Lee enjoys classic rock, blues, jazz, and WW II swing. His hobbies include reading and rose gardening; activities done simultaneously thanks to an iPod and audiobooks. Unless provoked, he avoids discussing politics with anyone driven over the edge by ultraconservative network news.

Lee resides in a Minneapolis burb with his spouse of thirty-eight years, and two huge but mellow Maine Coon cats.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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December 24, 2015

It gives us great pleasure to announce Lee James as the guest on Episodes 035: Errors and Revisions, parts 1 and 2.
Join us as we talk with Lee about his journey crafting Crime Noir novels, how one bad review can change everything, Amazon and audio books, and working with editors and publishers.
You can find Lee’s novels here:

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06Apr/18

Sharita Lira

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March 23, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Sharita Lira as the guest on Episode 158 – From My Own Crazy Brain!!

This week Sharita Lira, who writes as Michael Mandrake (and a couple others), joins us to discuss her latest books in the Immortals series AND the Protekt series. Additionally, she drops a bomb on Vance when she tells him she’s one of the founders of the Queer in Color resource for authors and readers!!

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Queer in Color resource links:

Bio:

Romance and erotica author Sharita Lira believes that love conquers all. Writing sexy stories of people who might be complete opposites, but somehow make a lasting connection that often leads to a happily ever after.

Happily married and mother of two, Sharita never allows complex plots to deter her from writing the story. Inspired by heavy music, attractive people she’s seen in person and on the internet, Sharita always has a tale on her brain.

In addition to being a computer geek and a metalhead, Sharita loves live music, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She’s also a founding member and contributor to the heavy metal ezine FourteenG.

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30Mar/18

Jeff McKown

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March 23, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Jeff McKown as the guest on Episode 157 – The Opposite of What I Intended!!

This week Jeff McKown joins us to talk about writing his first novel, Solid Ground, the line between fiction and autobiography, and living the writing life!!

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Bio:

Jeff McKown writes fiction. In his work, he is especially fond of exploring tragic flaws, unfortunate circumstances, and the small moments that matter. In life, he obsesses over tennis, politics, and whiskey, not necessarily in that order. He endeavors to be a better Buddhist — which hasn’t always worked out that well. He lives near Monterey, CA with his partner Paul and their best friend, Kyle. Solid Ground is his first novel.

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