I was recently interviewed by fellow author and accomplished drabblist, Rick Haynes.

Read how it went below. 

  What was it your ambition to be when you were a child?

I really wanted to be a carpenter. I got my first tool kit when I was five, and one of the first things I did was cut myself with the saw. All my family had been carpenters, so I was surrounded by men working with wood all the time and I wanted to do the same.

  Are you a planner when it comes to your plots?

Definitely not. The only book I’ve worked on that had a plan was Riding Steel, the first book I did jointly with Jack Silince. It all started from a picture I found of two men embracing on a beach between two piers. I guess you could say my relationship with Jack grew from that book.

  Do you write to a set routine or just when the urge grips you?

My writing regimen is very erratic. Sometimes I’ll work from first thing in the morning until last thing at night. At other times, I barely do an hour a day.

  Do you design your own book covers and banners or do you obtain outside help?

I do all my covers myself, except the first one for Halfbreeds. That was done for me by  Brandon Ball. I do all my own promotional images too.

  Is it easier to write for ladies than for gentlemen?

I guess so, although writing gay erotica means some of what I do is aimed at men. I’ve never really thought about which sex my books are aimed at. I’ve had my gay erotica read by straight men and my paranormal books read by men. I don’t have a target audience in mind when I write.

  Which writer has been the single biggest influence on your career and why?

I would have to say Kresley Cole. Although she’s not what you could call a great writer in the way the Brontes were or Jane Austen was, her books did show me how far you could go in describing sex in a published work. I’d never read any erotica before her books.

  You’re throwing a dinner party and you have room for three guests. Which three authors, past and present would you invite?

That’s a hard one. First would probably be Ken Follet. I love his books. They’re so rich in detail whether they’re set in the medieval period or the twentieth century. Second would probably be Terry Pratchett. He’s been a favourite for years. Third would be Douglas Adams. That man was a genius!

  What’s the one question you wish people would ask you when you tell them you’re a writer? 

I’m not sure. I usually get asked what genre I write and if I’ve published. Other than that, I get asked why I write gay erotica as well as paranormal. I can’t think of any questions I’d rather be asked.

  Do your characters names have significance or do you just pick names you like without worrying about the meaning?

Nearly all my characters have names with meaning, whether it’s because they’re based on someone I’ve known or because I want their name to have a meaning that reflects their personality. I spend hours deciding on a name sometimes. I have several name dictionaries to help me get it right.

  What makes you love/hate a book?

Historical inaccuracy really bugs me. I’ll put a book down without finishing it if it’s obvious the author hasn’t researched a period sufficiently. On the other side, if a book draws me in to a period in history and makes me believe the characters actually lived then, I’ll devour the book in no time.

  Do you dread editing or relish it?

Editing is a nightmare! After spending what could have been months writing a book, the thought of then having to take some bits out is awful.

  If you saw several 2 or 3 star reviews on Amazon, how would you deal with them and what steps would you take to rectify the situation?

I once came across a review that was only two stars and said my book was the worst book ever written. After a couple of days thinking I should give up writing, I got over that and did a some promotion using the fact it had been described the worst book ever written.

  What single project would you love to finish in the future?

I have a story I wrote several years ago that I’d love to sort out and publish. It’s a romance about a woman in her forties who holds a candle for a man she’s known since she was eighteen. It’s all written out in longhand. One day I’ll get it typed up.

  How many people do you ask to A) Read your book? B) Review your book and C) Promote it?

I have one reader who reads everything I write as soon as I’ve finished it. It was her son who designed my first cover. I’m not great at getting people to review my books. I never know who to ask. As for promotion, I do a lot of it myself, although there are a couple of ladies who pimp me a bit on Facebook, something I’m very grateful for.

  Which of your covers is your favourite and what inspired the choice of image?

I think that would have to be the one for Halfbreeds. I can read the story in the images on the front and back. I gave Brandon a brief and he came back with a design that totally blew me away.

  If you get writers block, do you battle through or walk away until your head is cleared?

I abandon writing completely until my head is back in the right place. I’ve never been able to battle on. If it’s just a case of being stuck on one particular story, I’ll work on another one until inspiration strikes again.

  If you could live in any period of history, what would you choose?

The idea of living in a different period is very tempting as I’ve read so much history. However, I’m not sure I would want to leave modern plumbing behind. History might be fascinating, but it wasn’t so good on the nostrils. If you put a gun to my head though, I would opt for mid-Victorian. The world was opening up so much and technology was leaping forward. Not sure I’d sit back and ignore colonialism though. The British Empire was built on the blood of other nations.

  What would be the one thing you would tell a new author not to do?

I think that would have to be not to release a book until they had done a lot of promotion. When I released Halfbreeds I didn’t belong to any book promo groups on FB, nor did I know any other authors except M J Rutter. You can’t get by as an indie author without the help of others who’ve already been through the process.

  Do you have any peculiar phobias and how do you deal with them?

I have a huge phobia about people, particularly people touching me. The last hairdresser I went to knew that and had learned to work around it, but the whole process was agonising for me. People with no concept of personal space frequently come close to getting punched.

  A local group, with some writing experience, has lost their writing teacher to illness. They ask you to step in. What would you want them to do in the two hour session?

Interesting question. I think I would ask them to do a detailed description of themselves. A lot of people delude themselves about who they really are, so it would be a good exercise in self-analysis.

  How much time do you spend on promotion and where are the best places to promote? Are there any little tricks of the trade that you could share?

I don’t spend nearly enough time on promotion. Some authors pimp their books daily, but I barely do it monthly a lot of the time. The best places? Anywhere and everywhere. The more FB groups you’re a member of the better. The only tip I have is to find groups that specialise in the genre you write. I belong to one that’s only for shifter stories, and even though it’s a massive group with thousands of members, it’s still an awesome group. I’ve done one werewolf book and I post about it there, and the response is phenomenal.

  How long on average does it take you to write a first draft?

Usually a few days. I tend to write my first draft out by hand, although I’m slowly using the computer more. Once I’ve finished the draft. I can then go back through it and make notes in the margins.

  What’s the most annoying thing people say when you tell them you’re a writer?

I haven’t come across an annoying question yet. My ex did once ask me why I kept writing so much. All I could say in response was that I had to.

  Do you find it difficult coming up with a book title?

Definitely. Titles are usually a nightmare for me. I usually end up going with something rather unimaginative.

  If you could choose any other vocation what would you choose?

I used to make body jewellery for a living, and I loved that. I guess I’d go back to that if I could, although there’s no market for hand-made pieces these days.