Flirtatious Friday w/ Johnny Miles

This week, we're interviewing fellow Loose Id author, Johnny Miles. Johnny specializes in M/M erotic romance, so I had to change up some of my questions and I think you'll find his answers very insightful into the genre! Without further ado... on to the interview...

1.) Thank you for visiting today and answering a few questions. I'm going to step into uncharted territory with a few of my questions, but let's start with the staple... Tell us a little bit about yourself.

It’s my pleasure. Thank you for having me. Unchartered territory, huh? I have two words for you: bring it!

A little about myself. That’s always so hard for me. What do you choose to talk about? Let’s see. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York then moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1989. I’ve been with my partner for 14 years now. We have 4 pugs, a cat and a lot of big dreams!

2.) Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is “Lauderdale Hearts.” It’s a contemporary about Blake Hudson, a 39-year-old advertising exec who has a heart attack and goes to Fort Lauderdale to recuperate. Except that he winds up meeting Ricky Sanchez, a 24-year-old Latin massage therapist, and they fall in love.

It’s scheduled to come out January 11 and I’m really looking forward to it because I’ve gotten some very good feedback from a few friends as well as my editor.

3.) Romance heroes come in many flavors, but most are some epitome of a woman's fantasy, rather than a truthful everyday guy. However, in gay romance, the game is changed. Albeit the audience is still predominantly heterosexual females, what makes a homosexual hero different from a heterosexual hero?

That’s a good question. I’ve tried to wrap my mind around the concept of women reading m/m graphic love stories. But I guess it’s like a lot of straight guys with the fantasy of watching two women going at it. Frankly, I don’t personally know any gay men who like to read “romance” per se but they do like a love story peppered with some action/adventure and hot sex!

That having been said, aside from the obvious differences of whom the hero chooses to love or have sex with -- a hero is a hero. It doesn’t matter if he’s straight or gay; at least to me it doesn’t. I’ve read many books and seen tons of movies or television where I’m deeply moved by the emotion between the characters and often find myself identifying with one or both of them.

4.) The hero is the backbone of every gay romance but often, because the heroes are the same gender, the character whose point of view is strongest to the reader, designates them as the lead hero. How do you craft your stories, so that the reader is properly attuned to the intended lead hero?

I’m not sure that I purposely set about crafting a story in that way, though I suppose that at some subconscious level there is some of that thought process going on. I guess it would depend on the point-of-view and my purpose. For example, with my first book, “Casa Rodrigo” the “Hero” is a white Spanish male who falls in love with a slave. Though Alonso would probably be considered the hero I wanted Arbol, once a childhood friend, to be an equal in his own way, despite their horrible circumstances.

With “Lauderdale Hearts” I chose to stay with Blake’s point-of-view, though it’s not first person. I wanted the reader to identify with him more and perhaps understand his feelings a bit better.

5.) What aspects common to your heroes, would you like to see in yourself that isn't readily seen by others in real life?

Ask me that one when I’ve written a few more books. Thus far, I can pretty much relate to all of the characters: Alonso and Arbol, Blake to some degree, even Ricky. I think there’s a little bit of me in all of them.

6.) The term "Alpha Male" means two different things to men and women, in a very general and broad sense. What characteristics do you like to include in your heroes, that might qualify them as an Alpha Male?

An Alpha Male, to me, is one who is tough and dominant. But one who knows when to be soft and submissive. He’s not afraid to stand up to an opposing force, even if it means he might not win “the battle.” An Alpha is rough, full of sexual prowess but with a fierce determination to defend, protect and even nurture. But he’s also sometimes scared and uncertain though he might not show it. But no matter what, he sticks to his decisions and owns up to them even when they’re not the “right” ones.

Of course, being good-looking (in a gruff sort of way), masculine and hung like a horse doesn’t hurt either!

7.) What's your favorite non-romance book?

I have a lot of favorites but the one that stands out the most in my mind is “Tales of the City” by Armistead Maupin. My favorite non-book non-romance story, though you didn’t ask, is the one between Rose Tyler and The Doctor.

8.) If you could be any fictional heroine/hero, who would it be and why?

Ooooo. Good question. Let’s see. I’d have to say Frodo or Harry Potter. Both have to fight their own demons, with the help of others, in order to triumph over evil.

9.) Pure fantasy here, someone seduces you. Who would it be, and how would they ignite the fire? (It's fantasy here, so there's no boundaries. If its Leonardo Di Caprio taking you on the bow of the Titanic, so be it! Run wild with it!)

I don’t have a physical type so it’s hard to give you a physical reference. I love a cocky little fucker just as much as I love a big, hairy beast. But if I were to be seduced it would be by a man who is quiet, strong, determined, focused and confident. He would have to have a strong sense of self, a voracious sexual appetite -- any place, any time type of thing -- and he would have to know how to crawl into my brain and give me a good mind fuck before he ever even took off my clothes.

My current fantasy man is Ben Browder. He played John Crichton in the sci-fi series “Farscape.” I could watch him, do nothing, and still walk away sexually satisfied just from the sound of his gruff voice, his “All-American” looks and those sweet baby blues. And those lips. OMFG! Those lips. I could chew them for hours! He can probably talk me into doing just about anything he wanted, even if I hadn’t done it before. Heavy sigh.

10.) Romance is made up of many facets, each reflecting an emotion and I believe, corresponds to a physical reaction. What three emotions are most important in your vision of romance?

Here again, a tough question. But if I had to narrow it down, I’d say inner strength, confidence and sex appeal. I want to feel that I’ve been made the subject of your focus and whether you want to dominate me or have me dominate you, your full attention must be mine.

~ finis ~

My books on Fictionwise. 15% discount!

I was searching around and found out two of my books are listed at Fictionwise.com at 15% off list price!!! Never a better time to check one of them out...

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a58268/Brindle-Chase/?

X meets Y

Hypothetical question here: If you could match up any two characters from books, but they cannot be from the same book or series... who would you match up! (if you're a writer, choose one of your characters, but the other must be from someone else's)... Why? What do you think the authors would think?

Flirtatious Friday w/ Liz Crowe

Please welcome my good author friend, fellow Breathless Press Author, and beer enthusiast, Liz Crowe. Liz and I met before either of us were published and worked together, critiquing each other's works. It's like destiny that we found a home with the same publisher within a couple months of each other! Without further ado, here's Liz!

1.) Thank you for visiting today and answering a few questions. I'm going to step into uncharted territory with a few of my questions, but let's start with the staple... Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live one of those schizoid lives that many authors inhabit. Unable to actually carve out a living (yet) simply sitting and writing/editing/re-writing all day like many of us would like we get up and get out and make money elsewhere. Of course, I’ve taken a slightly different tack with this having recently more or less given up making money selling houses to focus on my new project: The Wolverine State Brewing Co. in Ann Arbor. I’m part owner, sales and marketing director and have created this character “The A2 Beer Wench” (not to be confused with the West Coast Beer Wench who is a journalist and kick arse karaoke partner) who blogs, facebooks, tweets and generally makes Herself known in the craft beer world as the “face” of the company. www.a2beerwench.com is where she cavorts and creates mayhem and lusts after Sam Calagione and whatnot, causing her business partners to roll their eyes and suffer her because she sells beer.

On the home front, I have one kid in college, one in 10^th and another in 7^th grade all busy with sports, music and being teenagers, which provides me plenty of windshield time opportunity to ponder the many universes of my characters. I have a degree in English Lit but have spent the bulk of my post-college days in marketing and public relations (and breeding, apparently). Ann Arbor, Michigan is home now but I’ve lived in three foreign countries (4 if you count Overland Park, Kansas). I’m a Southern Girl at heart, born in Nash-Vegas, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Louisville, Go Cards! I’m a rabid sports fan – only the real stuff, no golf or NASCAR, preferably soccer because frankly those are the hottest and most fit dudes around (and that Rick Pitino, he sure could write HIS own erotic fiction couldn’t he now?)

2.) Tell us about your latest book.

“The Rookie” is a short story (@ 8000 words) that was to be part of a series “Brewing Passion”. Turns out that my publisher figured out it, and the other story that’s in line edits (“Jockey Box”), are the missing chapters of a serialized novel “The Tap Room” (@ 60,000 words) that I had on my blog: www.aabedwench.blogspot.com. They now have the entire story in their hot little hands and we hope to get it out there spring/summer 2011 after “Jockey Box” and the Naughty Holiday chapter “XXXMas Ale” are released.

The Rookie is about a hot shot beer sales woman, Lisa, who is facing her least favorite sort of sales day—dragging a beer company rookie rep around on her calls (the dreaded “Ride Along” which was the working title for a while). Turns out that guy, Trent, is neither just a rep NOR a rookie and their instant sexual attraction and tension finally culminates in a surprise encounter in a pretty cool place.

3.) Romance heroes come in many flavors, but most are some epitome of a woman's fantasy, rather than a truthful everyday guy. However, because they represent what many women need/want or wish for in a partner, what could men learn from your heroes?

I read a lot in my genre, naturally and realize that 90% of the stuff out there is pure fantasy, as you say, even down to the larger than life, perfect men who strut around f**king everything that moves just because they can, in their six foot plus, thick haired, dark eyed, muscled glory. Between The Tap Room (the beer story) and Floor Time (another WIP that’s Realtor centric but set in the same town with many of the same characters in The Tap Room) I’ve created no less than six heroes. It makes my editor crazy, frankly and she keeps trying to tell me “traditional romance readers” don’t want that many options. But then she admits she herself is torn by the choices my heroines must make and wants to read on to find out what happens.

I swore to myself I would always stick to a more realistic arrangement for my heroines—you know, going from nothing and staring at reruns of The Office on Saturday nights to having to choose between more than one VERY viable male option—and NOT always making what the reader considers the “right choice”. Anyways, I’ve managed NOT to answer your question…can you tell?

I usually create a “love to hate him” option and a nicer one—not a perfect guy by any stretch, but one the readers tend to root for because we can all see what a disaster that bad boy will be for our heroine. My heroes are what I feel many men are: flawed humans, with normal physical needs/urges, including a need to make a connection with a special someone but reluctant to admit it (and once they’ve achieved one, quick to screw it up). They are, in a word, real. I love men, frankly, love to watch them walk, talk, drink, work, drive, mow the grass, whatever. They are horrifically frustrating creatures of course, but so are we. That’s what makes this sort of fiction so fun to create for me. Bringing out The Real in a hero is my favorite moment, once we’ve gotten past his swaggering, boasting, chest thumping bullshit. Keep it real men. That’s what you can learn from Trent, Owen, Jeff, Bradley, Jack, and Craig. Let us be our real selves around you too, once we’ve gotten past our own lipsticked, Brazillian waxed, pilates pummeled, sexy shoe wearing ideas of our own perfection.

4.) The heroine is the backbone of every romance and represents for the reader, a little part of themselves. I daresay, even for the male readers. What aspects of yourself, might we see a hint of in your heroines?

Oh I’m all over these gals I can tell you. “Erin Brady,” the heroine of The Tap Room, is the sole female owner of a small craft brewery and bar in a mid west college town. She has some issues I don’t have, and manages to get herself into predicaments I only imagine, of course (and if I’m writing from real life experience well, you can just try to figure out which ones THOSE are). Erin is torn by her need to be taken seriously in the Man’s World of Beer (yeah, we are making strides, we Beer Wenches, but we are still an anomaly which is fine with me, frankly), and her desire to maintain a normal personal life—something that is slowly slipping away as the story progresses. The need to be seen as Keg-Lifting strong, beer-drinking capable and smart with the Boys, yet sales savvy and still feminine is a real dilemma as This Wench can attest.

Lisa, the heroine of The Rookie (my first published work) has the same problem. She is a GREAT sales person, knows her products, is driven and more than a little OCD when it comes to hitting her sales goals at the cost of anything like a personal life—until Trent strides in to her universe of course. Leave to a man to give our little self-important lives a flip on its tail, eh ladies?

5.) A followup question, if I may. What aspects common to your heroines, would you like to see in yourself that isn't readily seen by others in real life?

Sara Thornton, my heroine in the Realtor WIP (Floor Time) has a lot of single minded focus that I lack. Of course she doesn’t have her finger in quite as many pies as I do either. However, I created Sara as more of a reflection of what I WAS as a Realtor (BBB=Back Before Beer): determined to prove myself, make a sh*tload of money through hard work, networking and raw guerilla marketing tactics that are crucial to any small business be it selling houses or beer. As you’ve probably discerned by now, her Bad Boy shows up (was actually lurking about for a while but makes his move within the course of the story) and she struggles to maintain her prior laser beam focus on her goals. That Nice Guy helps, but ultimately, Sara opts for the dangerous and unpredictable—at least for a while.

Now that I’m Beer Wenching and formulating naughty fiction instead of driving annoying buyers around in my car for hours only to have them choose to rent for a year or whatever, I am kinda scattered, I won’t kid you, in ways that are alarming to me. My Bad Boy is Beer, I guess. And He is a sexy beast, ‘specially since I picture him in a Sam Calagione shaped package (I promise to explain this reference).

6.) The term "Alpha Male" means two different things to men and women, in a very general and broad sense. What characteristics do you like to include in your heroes, that might qualify them as an Alpha Male?

I had this debate just this week with my 16-going on 30 year old daughter with regard to “Bro’s”, the new slang for “Young Alpha Male” in high school circles. A “Bro” is, depending on your perspective, The coolest dude in the room or the fraternity-bound tool who carries his lacrosse stick in the gun rack of his F150. He has the best hair, best clothes, hottest girls, usually good grades and is an Eddie Haskell level brown noser to the grups. My daughter is dating one.

An Alpha Male in his infancy started as a “bro” most likely. How better to become accustomed to screwing the hottest women and eating first after every hunt than to be That Guy in high school? As he develops, the Alpha learns that his power can be wielded for good or evil and I would venture most use it for good, making boat loads of money as lawyers, doctors or other professions that put them out in front of people constantly. An Alpha will settle down, choosing a woman of similar potential for his mate and they will typically reside in a McMansion, drive SUVs and have a few kids who generally excel at everything they try. I know, because I have sold a lot of 4000 square foot plus homes to these guys.

I am personally drawn to Alpha Males as a rule. I like to see what I can use in my girlie arsenal to bring them to their knees a bit. Usually works out well for all concerned. And my books are riddled with these guys, whether they are millionaire, 6’4” Jon Hamm look alike Realtors (Jack) or his rock band playing, Ducati riding, blond haired foil for Sara’s heart (Craig).

Erin is in the process of divorcing her Uber-Alpha-Male husband Bradley, a former football playing old Southern Money banker who simply cannot deal with the attention she now pays to her business of beer instead of him. She is surrounded by Alphas (Entrepreneurs in beer are such by definition) which is at moments both amazingly hot and incredibly stressful but ultimately, when she comes to terms with the level of relationship she has with each of them, turns out to be a happy place for her.

My Alphas (there are no Betas in my books—it doesn’t make for good conflict when one guy will just lie down and take it, you know?) come in all shapes and colors, but they share a few core characteristics:

Striking good looks (not perfect, but striking)

Successful in business

At least one (or in the case of “Jack” several) failed serious relationship

A desire to “tame” or “possess” the heroine, only to find her untamable and elusive

A final realization that he does not have to tame or possess, merely love, which he does, with relish.

7.) What's your favorite non-romance book?

Anything by Jonathan Franzen (Freedom, his newest book full of meaty long sentences that I love to go back and read out loud to myself, is an amazing treatise on Real Human Beings—I recommend it to all romance writers if for no other reason to see that “not so happily ever after” can be entertaining too.

Brewing Up a Business by Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewing. A seminal “how to” and “how not to” for anyone starting a brewery. And he is smoking hot and the model for Trent, one of Erin’s business partners.

I’m also a closet Stephen King fan but only of his long epic- style stories like The Stand and Under the Dome.

8.) If you could be any fictional heroine/hero, who would it be and why?

Scarlett O’Hara—and trust me, Rhett would NOT have left, but would still be sitting at my feet feeding me peeled grapes and pouring my wine while I counted my money made in the lumber business.

9.) Pure fantasy here, someone seduces you. Who would it be, and how would they ignite the fire? (It's fantasy here, so there's no boundaries. If its Leonardo Di Caprio taking you on the bow of the Titanic, so be it! Run wild with it!)

Oh you WOULD make me work, wouldn’t you?

OK, I’m a huge fan of public or semi public encounters—the thrill of “maybe getting caught” is a huge turn on for me and I have held back on my Real Sam Fantasy until now (it’s first person short scene with names changed to protect the innocent):

It’s been a tough couple of days at a national beer festival, serving, talking, serving and talking more to the thousands of beer fans mobbing the cavernous hall. I’ve already introduced myself to my “beer crush” Jack Amato, and he has acknowledged that he’s “heard of me”, and posed for the requisite photo. I consider it “mission accomplished” – I’ve met several craft beer rock stars at this event and many of them have given me excellent advice. That’s the cool thing about the beer business at this level—the more success we each have the more craft beer drinkers we create, and hence the more beer we all sell. At one point, with only an hour to go on the last night of the event I sense eyes on me so I glance up across the aisle to see Jack standing, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, just watching me work. A shiver runs up my spine. I have not been short of admirers, drinking buddies and dark corner groping enablers all weekend. It’s the beauty of the “what happens at the beer fest, stays” attitude we all take.

But this? Damn, now THIS is the pure, damp, sheet grasping stuff of dreams. I wink, and wave, but my palms are sweaty and my knees wobbly and not from the copious amounts of beer I’ve sampled all day either. I lose sight of him as we start the clean up process, packing up marketing materials and the security dudes chase out the last of the rowdies. My partners and some other Michigan based brewers have arranged to meet up at The Cruise Room, the famous art deco martini bar at the Oxford Hotel a few blocks away. Yes, even beer people get sick of drinking beer—but there are martinis to be imbibed and the festival to be arm-chair quarterbacked and gossip to share so off we go.

I sit, cozily between a couple of my colleagues from breweries in Michigan, as the small bar fills up with more and more of us—seems lots of folks had the same idea. There is a commotion when Jack enters the room, which I ignore. Something in my “man radar” told me he’d show up here. I smile into my Vespa (the perfect Casino Royale, Daniel Craig inducing combination of top shelf gin, Russian Vodka and Lillet aperitif— with a lemon garnish--gorgeous!) as my buddy sitting next to me elbows me in the side. “He’s headed straight over here,” he hisses. “I know,” I say to him, my calm exterior hiding tremors that could be read on a home made Richter scale in California. I continue to ignore him, as he slaps backs, shakes hands, kisses proffered cheeks but keeps an eye on me as I sit and chat, ensconced between two brewers.

I give it a solid count of 20 once he is standing by our table, still chatting to the guy who’s followed him all the way across the room. I know he’s stopped here for a reason but I’ll be damned if I’ll acknowledge it just yet. I look up, ostensibly to find our waiter to get myself another fortitude shot in martini form. He meets my eyes, still running his mouth to the annoying guy next to him. I raise my eyebrows. “Jack,” I say, as I raise up a bit from my seat to find that damn waiter.

“Jack,” the table says as a group as he shakes hands all around. When he my palm I swear I feel an electric shock…and pull away quickly, my face reddening embarrassingly. He smiles—smirks is more like it—which pisses me off. Fuck this guy. He’s messing with me and I am too tired to deal with it I don’t care if he is the one guy whose book I literally sleep with and turn to when I’m hitting that “what the hell made me think this was a good idea” wall in my brewery business. Everybody at the table, hell, in the room knows I have a huge “internet crush” on the guy. And yeah, he’s married. Whatever. I put a hand on the guy on the outside of the old fashioned overstuffed booth seat. “Excuse me babe,” I mutter. “I need a pee break.” He stands, and all eyes, including Sam’s follow me out the door.

I stand at the mirror after splashing water on my face to calm down. My hair is a mess, my eyes are tired, but my color is high and I’m aware of how hard my nipples are under my thin bra and company tee shirt. As I lean down once more to cup some water in my hands to drink I hear the door close and a noise like the click of a lock. I stand back up and turn slowly to see all six foot two inch of him, dark eyes flashing with either amusement or passion, as he makes his way in two steps over to me. I lean back against the marble sink, unable to speak. He takes a deep shuddering breath, cups my chin in one of his hands and leans down. I keep my eyes open in shock as his lips touch mine, ever so gently, just brushing me as my hands go white knuckled gripping the edge of the sink behind me.

He stands back up and smiles before pulling me towards him and whispering in my ear, bringing goose bumps to my entire body. I feel him slip one of those credit card shaped keys into my back pocket and then he grasps my ass and pulls me against what promises to be a simply lovely rock hard erection under his zipper. “Room 1800, the penthouse,” he mutters and runs in lips down my neck as I lean back, unable to suppress a moan before I bury my hands in his hair and pull his face back to mine.

“Kiss me Jack,” I mutter. “Like you mean it.” And he captures my lips and invades my mouth with his tongue, his hands on my ass. The kiss makes me positively dizzy and when I lift a leg to wrap around him, giving me even more contact with that glorious bulge he’s sporting he moans and fists his hands in my hair, giving my lower lip one last nip.

“I’ll follow you back up there, but I expect to see you within an hour,” he releases me and steps back, making an adjustment to his tight jeans, trying to relieve some of the pressure. I realize I haven’t moved from my original position, leaning against the sink as I stare at him, about to smack myself across the face to wake up from this dream. He lifts his eyebrows, opens the door and motions for me to precede him. I float out in a haze of passion and he hooks a finger in my belt loop before I get all the way past him and leans down to whisper to me. “Room 1800 Liz, one hour,” He captures my earlobe in his teeth and I shiver. “Plan to stay over,” he pats my ass as I leave. “We have a lot to talk about.”

Knowing better, knowing I should tell him to fuck off and go mess with some young groupie, I realize that I will be counting the minutes before I can safely make my exit and open the door to his room with they key he gave me. I smile, slip into my spot, a fresh Vespa ready and waiting as Jack follows me back in, in full capture-the-room mode, I can still feel his lips on mine, smell his scent, and I cross my legs tight under the table, shivering in anticipation. My friend leans into me. “Fix your lipstick,” he mutters under his breath. I blush and rub it all off onto a napkin, and the sound of Jack’s laughter across the room sends new tremors down my spine. Oh yeah, we have a LOT to talk about all right, I think as I glance at my watch and start the countdown.

(I’m including our “requisite photo” here from the Great American Beer Festival last month…..let your imaginations run wild! He’s lovely, no?)

10.) Romance is made up of many facets, each reflecting an emotion and I believe, corresponds to a physical reaction. What three emotions are most important in your vision of romance?

Passion/physical chemistry/lust, pure and raw.

Jealousy, and its corresponding pain and then recovery.

Love that comes from understanding and mutual respect.

Thanks for the opportunity Brindle! It’s been a blast!

Cheers,

Liz

Nook versus Kindle

Nook versus Kindle

We see a lot of articles around this topic and it's been one of great interest to me. Back and forth, these two have stomped out the other eReaders. Each release, one trumps the other in features and functionality. But there is a greater problem lurking beneath the sales figures.

I was torn. At first I was going to get a Nook, because it wasn't locked to a single source of buying books. Then the Kindle came out with revisions that made the Kindle better, at least in hardware and I switched my opinion. However, I started thinking. What if Kindle corners the market?

Amazon wants to set the price for books at $9.99 minimum for eBooks. Publishers will not be allowed to set their own price, if Amazon gets their way and they are flexing their muscle to do just that. This will wipe out the small publishers. My publishers and authors like me will get swept into oblivion and forgotten. I can't compete with Nora Roberts at $9.99, so I must charge less. I also think charging more for an eBook as Amazon wishes to do, is ridiculous.

The greater picture shows that the Amazon Kindle must have a strong competitor or the consequences will be horrible for many authors, publishers and readers. The Nook is the only one with the power to compete. Barnes and Noble must survive this war, or Amazon wins and we all lose. It sounds crazy, but its true. Read up on Amazon's battle with MacMillan distributors and what they want to do for book pricing. I'm not making this up.

So, I have decided, the Nook is what I will get. The Kindle features are only slightly better than the Nook at current. I'm confident the next Nook version will leap frog the Kindle as it has in the past. But most importantly, I hope my decision aids a strong competitor to keep Amazon from creating a monopoly on the industry I love.

Another great review for Gothic City Lights

Gothic City Lights scores again with another great review. This one comes from Nocturne Romance Reads

check it out! http://paranormal-romancejunkies.webs.com/apps/blog/show/5072784-gothic-city-lights-by-brindle-chase

Flirtatious Friday with Laura Browning

To kick off my weekly interview series, Laura's debut could not have been more perfectly timed. Today is her official release for The Silkie's Call, Now available at The Wild Rose Press, in their Wilder Catalog. Get it while it's hot!

1.) Thank you for visiting today, Laura, and answering a few questions. I'm going to step into uncharted territory with a few of my questions, but let's start with the staple... Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Like a lot of romance writers, I’ve been reading and writing romance for along time. As a kid, I can remember retelling fairytales to put myself in the heroine’s shoes, or sometimes, make myself into some warrior woman who swoops in to save the day. While the writing bug bit pretty early, so did the reality check of earning a living, so I trained as a journalist and worked for more than two decades in television news. I accomplished what I wanted in the industry and finally decided to get out. Still needing to earn a living (go figure!), I started teaching English. Love it. Love the kids, but I love writing even more.

2.) Tell us about your latest book.

This is my first published book. The idea for The Silkie’s Call came from two different places. First, a folk song Joan Baez, among others, recorded about a silkie, and secondly from the Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee”. The idea of seals who change to human form really for the sole purpose of sexually satiating the human they visit, as well as themselves, has a certain immediate appeal. Then I tempered that with the intense love Poe describes for Annabel Lee. What I ended up with was a hero and heroine who first fell in love as children. Tragedy separates them, and when they meet again, the heroine is partially paralyzed, so there are still some major issues they have to resolve.

3.) Romance heroes come in many flavors, but most are some epitome of a woman's fantasy, rather than a truthful everyday guy. However, because they represent what many women need/want or wish for in a partner, what could men learn from your heroes?

They always pick up their dirty clothes, cook and clean…just kidding, but I was getting into that whole fantasy thing. I think the thing my heroes all have in common is they are honorable men. When I say that, I don’t mean they’re Dudley Do-Right. (The hero in my next book is the villain of The Silkie’s Call.) They are men who have an internal code by which they live. They have their own opinions, but they also allow the heroine to have hers.

4.) The heroine is the backbone of every romance and represents for the reader, a little part of themselves. I daresay, even for the male readers. What aspects of yourself, might we see a hint of in your heroines?

Stubborn. Do I need to say more? Okay, feisty and stubborn.

5.) A follow-up question, if I may. What aspects common to your heroines, would you like to see in yourself that isn't readily seen by others in real life?

I admit it, as much as I’ve run newsrooms and managed classrooms, I still really appreciate having doors opened. So I guess it is that need to be able to kick back every once in a while and appreciate a big strong male.

6.) The term "Alpha Male" means two different things to men and women, in a very general and broad sense. What characteristics do you like to include in your heroes, that might qualify them as an Alpha Male?

First, let me say what I think an Alpha male is NOT – he’s not a guy who tries to physically and mentally dominate everything in his path. He is a male who stands up for what he believes in, no matter the cost. He is a male who takes care of what’s his. While family is important to him, he can also be a bit of a loner.

7.) What's your favorite non-romance book?

While I really enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, I have to say I my favorite non-romance is probably Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Above and beyond the whole vampire mythology, the style he used to write the book is pretty unique. He manages to use alternating first-person to really develop not only Harker and Mina, but also some of the other protagonists. Although I’m not a fan of writing in first person, I do like seeing a story through the eyes of more than one character.

8.) If you could be any fictional heroine/hero, who would it be and why?

I’d be Scarlett O’Hara, and I’ll be damned if I’d be stupid enough to lose Rhett Butler! That book’s ticked me off for years.

9.) Pure fantasy here, someone seduces you. Who would it be, and how would they ignite the fire? (It's fantasy here, so there's no boundaries. If its Leonardo Di Caprio taking you on the bow of the Titanic, so be it! Run wild with it!)

Shemar Moore as Derrick Morgan on Criminal Minds. Yeah. Not only would I not kick him out of bed for eating crackers…I’d buy him a case and dance on ‘em! We’d be sitting on a dock along the Pamlico Sound, watching the sun set. It would be that time of day before the tree frogs really get cranked, and all the world seems to be silent except for the gentle lap of water against the shore. All he’d need to do is look at me and say in that honey on a hot biscuit voice, “Come here, baby girl.” I would melt into a puddle of butter. –Okay, I’m easy.

10.) Romance is made up of many facets, each reflecting an emotion and I believe, corresponds to a physical reaction. What three emotions are most important in your vision of romance?

Lust, fear, and trust. I think for many of us the initial response to a member of the opposite sex is purely sexual. That’s followed by the recognition and fear that the lover has the potential to not only change our world, but hurt us. Finally we develop the trust in our partner not to use the power they hold in any way that would hurt us.

Thanks for giving me a chance to talk with you today.

If you’re interested in purchasing The Silkie’s Call, it’s available through The Wild Rose Press at: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/laura-browning-m-868.html?zenid=deff7ede8d22525d542e555203f5cabc

Brindle featured at Rachel Leigh's

My interview with Rachel Leigh is up on her blog. Drop by, say hello, ask a question and read the interview! Check it out here http://rachelleighromance.blogspot.com/

Interviews coming to Brindle's Blathering

Hey all... I've opened my blog to interviews, which will be posted every Friday. Meet here to read up on and chat with other romance writers, editors and cover artists! My schedule has filled up so fast, I'm booked into 2011 already! Here's the coming line-up and be sure to check in beginning Oct 22nd.


Liz Crowe, author. Oct 22nd
Johnny Miles, author. Oct 29th
Annabel Joseph, author. Nov 5th
Sayde Grace, author. Nov 12th
PJ Forte, author. Nov 19th

Diva-Licious reels in a great review!

They kept rolling in! This time its Diva-licious harvesting a wonderful review from Seriously Reviewed. Check it out!


http://seriouslyreviewed.blogspot.com/2010/10/diva-licious-by-brindle-chase.html

TGiAG scores again!

Another Fantastic review for The Grass is Always Greener , this one from Naughtymommy's Reviews. Check it out!

http://naughtymommyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/grass-is-always-greener-by-brindle.html