#20Twenty with... Iyana Jenna

I am delighted to welcome Iyana Jenna onto my blog today, author of Release Me recently released by Evernight Publishing.

Iyana Jenna is a new-to-me author, so it was just as illuminating for me to read Iyana's answers, as it is for you now. So, without further ado, let's get cracking with another round of twenty questions.

ACT ONE – all about you…

Hi! 

I'm Iyana Jenna and you can call me Iyana. I like writing, romance, and man love so as you can see on this site, you're mostly going to find m/m stories whether they are for adults or young adults. They are not going to be too heavy on explicit sex, though, as many say that my stories are considered sweet romance.

When I don't write, I teach English to children, teens, and adults. I also work in the curriculum and materials department in an institution. Among my responsibilities are writing books and tests.

1) Have you always been a writer or is it something you fell into?

Hmm, let’s see. I started to write something about eight years ago because I couldn’t find the thing I wanted to read. But if I went back more to the past, when I was at elementary school I already liked scribbling. My school once pointed me to represent them in a writing competition. I didn’t win anything but I felt very proud. So I guess to answer the question, I might have always been a writer. :)

2) Do you have a particular writing style or ritual?

I think deadlines play an important role here. When I face a deadline, suddenly I can push myself to write, so anywhere I sit and any writing tool I have will be enough for me to start writing. The perfect place must be in front of my computer, but I can also write in my cell phone on my way to the office and back. In fact, that is mostly my writing mode recently, writing into my cell phone.

3) Is there a book or an author that has influenced you in your writing?

Honestly, my main inspiration is J.R.R. Tolkien. I’d never have started writing again or been inspired to keep writing in these eight years. Because of him and his books, The Lord of the Rings, I feel like I can’t stop writing. I extend my highest gratitude for him for that.

4) Is there one piece of writing (or life?) advice that has stuck with you, or that you would like to share?

It’s just that you shouldn’t give up writing, editing, and sending your pieces to the publishers. Rejection is a normal thing. The point is you should keep doing it and improving your writing at the same time.

5) Can you tell us three things about yourself that we probably don’t already know?

1. I like squid. Squid cooked in red chili pepper is the best.

2. I’m totally forgetful. I have to put reminders on my cell phone or I will never remember doing things I have to do.

3. I’m crazy about Sam and Dean Winchester, the two sexy ghost hunters from the series Supernatural.

6) What five luxury items or gadgets would you hate to be without?

Uh, I guess I don’t have too many luxurious items. All I need are my netbook and smartphone. I don’t even have an e-reader. I know, I know…

ACT TWO – all about your new release…

Taking a break from dealing with his father’s clients on legal matters, Nicholas Haynes went out to the sea on his yacht—only to find a man floating in the water. The man was still alive, much to Nicholas’s relief.

Gregory Phillips was a private investigator and his last job almost turned him into fish food if not for Nicholas. Little did he know that the main suspect in his case was one of Nicholas’ father’s clients. When Nicholas insisted on taking care of Gregory after the incident that almost killed him, can he trust Nicholas enough with his life?

7) Congratulations on your recent release of Release Me, what was your inspiration for writing Nicholas and Gregory’s story?

Thank you very much! For the characters, my inspirations are still these two guys that I love so much. They look so good together and it’s obvious they love each other. Sorry I can’t tell their names, though. :) As for the story, it’s because I like to watch action thriller movies, but in this case I mix drama and romance into it. I love romance. :)

8) Did the story flow from your finger tips or did some scenes take a bit of cajoling?

When I first wrote it, it seemed to just flow from my fingertips. But when it got to the editor’s hand, I found that I needed to fix quite a number of things. I don’t know if my logic is too weird or what. :)

9) How long did it take for the initial spark of the story to make it onto the page and then onto the publisher’s desk?

I can’t write very fast. The most I can do in one day is probably just 1,000 words, what with going to the office, teaching, and all. That happens for every story I write. It’s the same with this one. But the process from getting the idea to the writing was quite fast because I didn’t make an outline first. It was all in my head.

10) Do you have a favourite paragraph or sentence from your story that you would like to tantalise us with?

Nicholas practically carried Gregory back to bed. Gregory’s pale face turned greenish when Nicholas laid him down and tucked him in. His breaths were short and fast. Nicholas couldn’t help brushing Gregory’s brow with his thumb, and froze as he thought Gregory would snap at him. But Gregory said nothing. He lay still, eyes closed, but caught Nicholas’s wrist when he was about to pull back.

11) Over to you, what can you tell us about Release Me, to make us rush out and buy it?

It’s a gentle romance between two men, a story where one guy saves another’s life and despite the condition and who they are, they fall in love and decide to be together for the rest of their lives.

12) What can we expect from you next? Is there something you are working on right now? 

This July 21 I will have an m/m short story released by Alfie Dog Fiction. Some future releases include short stories and a novella that will be published by Books to Go Now, Leap of Faith (October 2013), and JMS Books (January 2014). Right now I’m revising a short story after I got inputs from some friends. I’m also working on a novella that I hope I can finish in time to be included in an anthology. Please cross your fingers for me. :)

QUICK FIRE ROUND – it’s pop quiz time…

13) Plotter or pantser? 

More pantser, I guess.

14) Secret Seven or Famous Five? (please tell me you know them!?)

The question is, you know them?? :D That’s awesome! It’s Famous Five all the way. I guess it’s the first book I read.

15) Digital books or print books?

Print books

16) Tea or coffee?

Coffee 

17) Cats or dogs?

Cats 

18) Extrovert or introvert?

Introvert 

19) Save or spend?

Save

20) Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you so much for taking part, Iyana, I wish you every success with your new release.

Thank you so much for having me! It’s been such a pleasure.

To discover even more about Iyana Jenna, and to keep up with her latest projects, you can visit her at:

Blog     Website     Amazon     

Goodreads     Facebook     Twitter

Buy it now…

Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance E-books
Bookstrand

Giveaway…

I would love to offer two free e-books of your choice from my published work. 

Thank you again!

#20Twenty with... Faberge Nostromo

I am delighted to welcome Faberge Nostromo onto my blog today, author of His Secret Dancer, recently published by Breathless Press.

Faberge burst on the social network a fair few months ago now and was an instant hit. Having followed his progress from contract to publication and beyond, I cannot wait to dig a little deeper with a game of twenty questions.

ACT ONE – all about you… 

I grew up in the East End of London before escaping to East Anglia. I’ve been a civil servant, a tea boy, sound engineer, a librarian and an IT consultant but deep down, I always knew that I was a writer. I now live deep in the heart of Suffolk with my wife, son and too many guitars.

1) Have you always been a writer or is it something you fell into?

I'd always thought that I was a writer until I actually became one then I realised that I'd not been one at all. A writer writes, writes and writes – and has readers. Writing in an echo chamber – tweeters tweeting to tweeters, bloggers blogging about blogging – isn't being a writer. Writing a book is a bloody pain in the derriere and takes time and effort and then more time and more effort. Then a bit more. And a little bit after that. Then it comes out and you realise you should have done it better.

2) You’ve already had a pretty varied career, but out of all your skills and experiences, which one would you say has helped you the most in your new writing career?

I've had a career in the true sense of the verb – 'move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way'. I think it's that very aspect of it that's helped. I've banged off a lot of walls and fallen over a lot of obstacles and gathered a lot of moss on the way. Just got to try to make sense of it and wrap it up in a story… or two… or three.

3) Do you have a particular writing style or ritual?

Mostly I sit at a keyboard (MacBook Air or Smartphone) whenever I'm not doing anything else and try to think of reasons not to write. Then maybe a sentence will fall out unexpectedly and if there's a following wind I'll have a paragraph eventually and then – and sometimes I'm really lucky – it all starts flowing and I'll look up and there's a chapter on the screen in front of me.

More annoying is when a scene, or character, or crucial event occurs to me and I'm meant to be busy doing something else and I have to find a way to scribble it down somewhere. Being in a business meeting and suddenly realising that your transgender hero/ine is going to wear the six-inch heels and fishnets on his first date can make for some interesting note taking.

4) Is there a book or an author that has influenced you in your writing?

Meeting Raven McAllan kick started me. I read Almost Entente Cordiale after meeting her as she sat, glass of wine in hand, MacBook on lap, by a swimming pool in South Africa and decided that, finally, I was going to write a book.

5) Can you tell us three things about yourself that we probably don’t already know?

I'm too tall to buy trousers in Marks & Spencer, I'm a Reiki healer and I recently qualified in Indian Head Massage.

6) What five luxury items or gadgets would you hate to be without?

I'm glued to my MacBook Air when I've not got my face in my Android Smartphone, so that's two but I really can't be without a guitar or a ukulele - and my Kindle would make five!

ACT TWO – all about your new release…

Dan's drab life is a world away from his secret life as Danielle, the burlesque star of Tomasz's transvestite nightclub, Trans-Action.

Having found 'her' inner T girl as a student, Danielle has discovered the power of her femininity and her talent to entice and excite - but she realizes that Dan's life is losing the passion it once had.

As Danielle's relationship with Tomasz takes her deeper into both her lover and his world, encountering passions neither thought they dare explore, demure Francine is too often left to her own devices and desires. Her only release is in the fantasies inspired by the customers who pass through her life and her patisserie.

Does she want a man in her life or a woman? Or both…

Seeing her man exploring her wardrobe she decides to embrace the power of her own sexuality. Then a sizzling encounter with Tomasz unlocks the vixen in her and sets their two worlds on a collision course.

Can Dan bring Dan's world and Danielle's together - especially when he discovers Danielle's secret lover secretly loving Francine?

Or will Tomasz come between them both?

7) Congratulations on your recent release of His Secret Dancer, what was your inspiration for writing Dan/Danielle, Tomasz and Francine’s story? (no, I didn’t make a mistake then folks, intriguing isn’t it!?)

It was two things – meeting Raven McAlland and then a few days later I actually met a man who'd been a transvestite burlesque dancer! So I thought – well, that's my twist on boy-meets-girl.

8) Did the story flow from your finger tips or did some scenes take a bit of cajoling?

The story did sort of flow and tell itself – mostly - but writing the scenes between Danielle and Tomasz took me miles out of my comfort zone.

9) I know His Secret Dancer is your debut (and hopefully the first of many), but how long did it take for the initial spark of the story to make it onto the page and then onto the publisher’s desk?

Funnily enough, almost exactly a year to the day from that swimming pool meeting and meeting the real life Dan/Danielle. His Secret Dancer was rejected at the first attempt but with such positive comments I had to revise and resubmit.

10) Do you have a favourite paragraph or sentence from your story that you would like to tantalise us with?

Two paragraph from the scene that's had the most comments –

She idly ran one finger along a flour-dusted rolling pin, tracing its long smooth wooden lines and rounded end as she licked the warm chocolate dripping from the index finger of her other hand. There was a private sensual pleasure in baking. It was so very tactile and sensual, so very full of evocative aromas to accompany the textures of pastry, warm dough, and melting chocolate.

Sexual, almost, and so feminine. The mixing and blending of ingredients, the creation of something new. She ran her tongue over her lips to catch the last traces, like a sweet chocolate kiss, closing her eyes and letting the heady aroma of the rich, dark chocolate fill her senses.

11) Over to you, what can you tell us about His Secret Dancer, to make us rush out and buy it?

Tired of boy-meets-girl? Try boy/girl meets boy who meets boy/girl's girlfriend. Twist, turns and some hot scenes – and chocolate!

12) What can we expect from you next? Is there something you are working on right now?

Well, I am hard at work on a sci-fi erotic romance. I'm a full-on Trekkie, having been brought up on the original Star Trek series so at this very moment I have a shuttle being flown by a mysterious alien empath down to a planet where gender is a very big issue while back at the star ship the Captain and his green skinned First Mate are having relationship problems.

QUICK FIRE ROUND – it’s pop quiz time…

13) Plotter or pantser?

Total, total pantster… well, not quite. I have an idea and a more or less complete picture of the arc of the story and the characters involved but I realised early on that my job is to let those character tell me what their story is about.

14) Secret Seven or Famous Five? (please tell me you know them!?)

Famous Five! But I'm really a Swallows and Amazons kid.

15) Digital books or print books?

Ah, well, you see it's like this… having my Kindle has revolutionised my reading (I'd never even looked at Milton, Dickens and Jane Austen but since I got it, I'm all over those writers) but, really, books every time.

As Giles, the librarian/watcher in Buffy says when asked why he doesn't like books on computers he say "it's the smell" to which Miss Callender says "but computers don't smell". "Exactly," he replies.

16) Tea or coffee?

Coffee in the morning, tea (roi boos or earl grey) in the afternoon.

17) Cats or dogs?

Cats. Dogs are pack animals that follow leaders. Cats are having none of that.

18) Extrovert or introvert?

An introvert disguised as an extrovert.

19) Save or spend?

Spend. It's not that life is too short more that you're a long time dead.

20) Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook for maintaining relationships, twitter for making statements.

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you so much for taking part, Faberge, I wish you every success with your writing career, and hope it grows from strength to strength.

To discover even more about Faberge, and to keep up with his latest projects and shenanigans, you can visit him at:

Fabs on the web -

Facebook     Twitter     Blog

Buy it now...

Add to Goodreads

ISBN: 978-1-77101-986-6
Heat Rating: 4
Word Count: 34000
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Breathless Press
Amazon / Amazon UK
All Romance
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
iTunes
Kobo

Excerpt…

A woman, slim, tall, smart business attire – dark blue jacket, strong shoulders, just above knee length skirt, black tights – possibly stockings, but an expensive pair – and a very nice pair of black court shoes, heels just under the low side of slutty but just above the high side of sensible. Her friend/partner was a little shorter; her hair a very neat, jet black bob over piercing eyes very subtly made up and the sexiest mouth Francine had ever gazed upon. Full, almost pouting dark red lips, shimmering with an understated but overwhelming moist invitation to kiss, if you dare. She seemed to smolder with an androgynous sexuality that made Francine catch her breath. They were plainly together, holding hands, eyes on each other and when the taller woman picked up one of the samples of cake that Francine had out on the counter and placed it with an innocent nonchalance, but oh so sexually, in the shorter woman's mouth Francine felt a shiver tingle from her clit through to the depths of her pussy. The shorter woman’s eyes closed as the fingers brushed her lips, dropping the sweet pastry onto her tongue. Her lips closed on the fingers and a soft ‘mmm’ escaped like a sigh as they were pulled away.

Click here for another excerpt (and have the cold shower on standby!)

Blog Guest: Kayla Jameth

I am delighted to welcome Kayla Jameth onto my blog today, author of From the Ashes published by Breathless Press.

In keeping in my favourite ‘three act structure’, here we go with another round of twenty questions as we try to get to know Kayla that little bit better.

Thank you, Aurelia. <Clears Throat Nervously> I hope I know all the answers to the questions.

ACT ONE – all about you…

A knight and a former princess, Kayla Jameth now spends her time writing m/m romance. A true Renaissance woman, she has done everything from cross stitch like a proper lady to welding with the best of them. An eclectic life has left her with an unique understanding of the world inhabited by men and an appreciation for the difficulties faced by men in m/m relationships. It is her devout wish that her experiences translate into a richer telling of such tales.

1) Have you always been a writer or is it something you fell into?

It is something that I fell into. A friend asked me to help edit her Bleach slash fanfiction. Since she and I read a lot of yaoi, I was more than happy to help. So I became Kei-chan and started reading slash. Unfortunately, most of the Samurai Champloo slash was mediocre at best. I foolishly said, "I can write better than that!" and my friend made me back it up.

I had some friends who liked what I did enough to encourage me to continue. My first piece of non-fanfiction was From the Ashes. I continued to write erotic short stories based on "inspiration photos". One of which, Legends, was picked up by Breathless Press for an anthology.

Another photo inspired a much longer piece from me entitled Alexios' Fate and is my first novel. While working on the sequel to Alexios' tale, I revamped From the Ashes and now I can say that I am multiply published!

2) Do you have a particular writing style or ritual?

No, I can't say that I do. I just sit down and work on my story whenever I can.

3) I see that you specialise in male/male romance; was this always your intention – a conscious decision before you ever picked up a pen – or did you find yourself led in this direction by your characters?

I started reading yaoi years ago and was hooked. My friend Sara introduced me to m/m romances and there was no escape.

Since my first piece was a fanfiction slash, it's no surprise that I continued in that vein and have been writing m/m ever since. Besides, I find that I have no interest in het romances. I never have. I don't identify with the heroines. I'm too much of a tomboy.

4) Is there a book or an author that has influenced you in your writing?

AB Gayle and Deanna Wadsworth have directly influenced my writing. Alison edited all my fledgling attempts and taught me important things like POV and show not tell. I call Deanna the queen of gab. She has taught me how to increase dialog in my stories.

JL Langley's stories were an eye-opener and have influenced my sex scenes.

5) Can you tell us three things about yourself that we probably don’t already know?

I am a former princess regent. In that post, I was responsible for the arts and sciences (culture) of a D&D based LARP. That means I can sew amazing medieval/fantasy costumes, and have worn chain mail into battle. I'm also a knight because of this.

I am a science/math geek. I graduated at the top of my class, even in college I've always been in the top 5%.

I'm a tomboy. I grew up on a farm. I can: weld, make maple syrup, drive a tractor, wrangle cattle, can veggies, sew, do cross-stitch/embroidery, and a slew of other things.

All in all, I am a bit of a Renaissance woman.

6) What five luxury items or gadgets would you hate to be without?

My Kindle DX

My Kindle Fire

My Kindle for iPhone and the iPhone it rode in on

Anything that has a copy of Word 2010 and DropBox on it

Umm... Maybe I'll get a Kindle Fire HD?

ACT TWO – all about your new release…

Available NOW!

Cinder is not just another pretty face. He aspires to be his own man, but finds himself longing to belong to another man.

Cinder never thought that he could rise from the ashes of his life, but an unexpected encounter with a woman claiming to be his fairy godmother may be just what he needs. Finding himself flung into his very own fairy tale, she sends him off to meet his Prince Charming. But was the gown really necessary?

7) Congratulations on your recent release of From the Ashes, already garnering fabulous reviews, but can you tell us what your inspiration was for writing Cinder and Henri’s story?

Thank you! I'm very proud of that boy and his prince.

How did I come to meet Cinder? A mutual friend, Linda Reilly, read the Samurai Champloo fanfiction slash I had written and suggested I write an m/m fairy tale for a submission call. I remember thinking at the time "Yeah, right! Who wants to read something I wrote?" But I like puzzles and so I found myself thinking about plausible scenarios for one. I finally settled on a Cinderfella (m/m version of the classic Cinderella story).

Once I came up with the scenario, Cinder wouldn't give me a moment's peace. Remember that fanfic I was writing? I was working on the third chapter and Cinder wouldn't let me finish it until I wrote his story. Insistent little thing! So I set Infinite Infatuation aside and went where Cinder wanted me to go.

8) Did the story flow from your finger tips or did some scenes take a bit of cajoling?

That first night, I wrote half the story! I finally tore myself away from his clutches at 4:00 am. I had to get up at 6:00 am for work. That pissed him off and he didn't talk to me again for a couple of days. But in the end, I got his story down.

9) How long did it take for the initial spark of the story to make it onto the page and then onto the publisher’s desk?

I wrote the original draft nearly three years ago in about a week's time. Then in May of last year, I worked it over and sent it to my favorite beta readers. I sent it to my editor in June and she picked it up.

10) Do you have a favourite paragraph or sentence that you would like to tantalise us with?

Just one??? <Sigh...> Ok, I'll give it a try. Let's see.

The man caught his eye and smiled, somewhat more predatorily than Cinder was entirely comfortable with. What was going through the aristocrat's mind? Cinder began to feel like one of the small cakes the footmen carried on silver trays.

There! I did it, but there is so much more I want to tell you too.

11) Over to you, what can you tell us about From the Ashes, to make us rush out and buy it?

From the Ashes is a sweet m/m take on the classic Cinderella tale, but with some twists that you may not be expecting. Not to mention the hot sex scenes!

12) What can we expect from you next? Is there something you are working on right now?

I have a short story entitled 496 BC, Alexios' Fate 1.5, due out this year in an anthology.

I'm working on books two and three in the Apollo's Men series. The continuation of Alexios and Galen's story is currently untitled and approximately 2/3 through the rough draft stage. A Spartan Love, book three, is in the initial stages. The intro, also known as Taming Theron in which our young hero discovers that food is the way to a man's heart, is being expanded before the original story line starts. My beta readers love Andreas.

QUICK FIRE ROUND – it’s pop quiz time…

13) Plotter or pantser?

Pantser

14) Secret Seven or Famous Five? (please tell me you know them!?)

The Mad Scientists' Club

15) Digital books or print books?

Both, but I can carry a lot more ebooks!

16) Tea or coffee?

Tea

17) Cats or dogs?

Cats

18) Extrovert or introvert?

Depends. I'm an extrovert at work and introvert at home.

19) Save or spend?

Primarily save, but if I really want something I will spend. You should see my book/ebook collection!

20) Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook

And that's a wrap!

Thank you so much for taking part, Kayla, and for such great answers!

If you would like to keep in touch with Kayla, you can connect with her here:

Facebook     Twitter     Blog     Goodreads

And now the important part...

Buy it now:

Breathless Press

Amazon

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks

Bookstrand

ISBN: 978-1-77101-910-1

Released 4th January 2013

Heat Rating: 3 / Word Count: 24017