A good friend of mine took one step towards reaching her goal of having her writing published when one of her stories was published as part of an anthology. I am so proud of her for taking this first step.
I have bought a copy of Second Chances yet I haven’t had the time to manage to read it yet (I’m a fail, I know) so rather than post a review, I thought I’d do a mini Q&A with each author who’s work is featured in the book.
Firstly, here’s the blurb and a little info about the book and where you can buy it (ebook only):
We all know what it’s like to lose out in love … but what if you get a second chance at happiness? Will you grab it, or run?
The Stories and their Authors:
Non-Negotiable by T. D. Green
Jacob Kerns, the advertising director for a small national greeting card company, is due for a promotion. His ambitions for advancement are jeopardized when he learns his next big contract will be handled by none other than Alexander Cory, his ex-lover from college.
Seeing Alex again opens the old wounds of that long ago betrayal, but Jake endeavors to put personal feelings aside to do his job. If only Alex would let him! When Jake’s boss falls ill, secrets come out. Will Jake find love again or is the whole thing non-negotiable?
1) What was the inspiration behind your story within the anthology?
The theme itself, Second Chances, was the inspiration. I wanted to explore how a bad breakup could cause long term emotional damage and what it would take to re-earn someone’s trust after years of hurt.
2) Why did you decide to submit to a M/M anthology?
I’ve been writing M/M stories for a long time now–about a decade–so submitting to an M/M anthology was a no-brainer. 🙂
3) What is your guilty pleasure when reading?
I can hardly get enough of fluffy M/M romances. I find writing fluff difficult, so it’s like brain candy for me.
4) How do you visualise when planning (if you do any)?
I’m what you call a pantser, so I only start off with a vague idea or a bit of dialogue. I let the story shape itself around the characters as they come to life one interaction at a time. Most of any visualizations come in mental character conversations while I’m doing the dishes or folding laundry.
5) Tell me about any projects you are working on or have in the pipeline.
Currently, I’m working on the companion novel to my five star rated dark, gay novel, Fragile Bones. Another M/M romance short is nearly completed, and I’m also editing book two and starting on book three of my YA series under another name.
Heart of Glass By L. J. Harris
Days after arriving in Australia for a working holiday, Zack Doherty is blindsided by the connection he instantly feels to Heath Connors, but circumstances don’t work in their favour. Zack is uncharacteristically forward in pushing Heath to accept a date when fate gives him a second opportunity.
Heath has only recently had the courage to admit his true self, walking away from his marriage and a good job when he could no longer lie to himself. The attraction he feels for a stranger that fleetingly crossed his path confirms he made the right choice.
Will Zack be the one to mend Heath’s heart of glass?
1) What was the inspiration behind your story within the anthology?
The story was actually inspired by a man I’d often seen cleaning windows at the set of lights I used to pass each day. I wondered what his story was, and how he came to be there. Not long after I decided to write a story for submission to the anthology and I already had two rough outlines done, and was undecided as to which one I’d work on (I still have the first chapter of the other story written). A few days later, on the drive to work, a left-hand drive Mustang sped past, and as I’d already decided to include that particular vehicle in one of the stories, my decision was made.
2) Why did you decide to submit to a M/M anthology?
That’s where the ideas that have been popping into my head seem to be leading of late, and when I saw the opportunity to submit a story, a couple of ideas immediately came to me. That’s not to say I’m going to write exclusively M/M, as I’ve written several het stories as well.
3) What is your guilty pleasure when reading?
Coffee (or perhaps a nice red at night), chocolate, total peace and quiet (as in rare but much appreciated alone time), and reading a story that I can totally absorb myself in. I’ve not had much time to read of late, but do you ever read a story where you get near the end and dread that it will be over soon, and that there aren’t more pages left to go? That’s the best thing of all, in my opinion.
4) How do you visualise when planning (if you do any)?
I always have a general idea of where I want the characters to go, then I create a mental picture of my characters…their looks, personalities, etc. I usually have a few pivotal moments planned before I begin as well, but I’ve come to discover that as I write, scenarios and plot twists sometimes pop into my head quite unexpectedly. It generally doesn’t impact on the outcome of the story, but having said that, if something I originally intended doesn’t seem to work (and that’s when the dreaded writer’s block often hits) I will find a way to make the necessary changes so that whatever the characters do remains true to how I pictured them.
5) Tell me about any projects you are working on or have in the pipeline.
I’ve begun the rather daunting task of editing my novel (which is a het. supernatural romance and is over halfway done) as I originally began writing it three years back when I was still very raw. I’d only written poetry for family and friends up until then (yes, nothing like plunging headlong into it by writing a full-length novel) and wish to not only thoroughly tweak it, but finally finish it to submit for publication. I’m also working on another M/M short story.
Better Together By DaNay Smith
Greyson Welles moved to Baltimore so that his long-time partner, Dominic Nash, could fulfill his dream of an internship at John Hopkins Hospital. It’s been four years though, and Greyson is becoming increasingly unhappy. He never gets to see Dominic and his own promising art career is on hold, instead he paints family portraits for a living.
Dominic can see that Greyson is unhappy with the long hours he puts in, but when his solution is to propose to the love of his life, he is surprised that not only does Greyson turn him down but leaves to pursue his own career dreams in New York.
Five years later Greyson can only think of one man able to sooth his wounded pride when there’s a less than stellar response to his latest collection—what will he do?
1) What was the inspiration behind your story within the anthology?
I love the idea of insurmountable obstacles being overcome. In most of my writing there’s something, usually the characters themselves, standing in the way of their happiness. With Greyson’s character in Better Together, I used his location and career hopes to pit the happiness of fulfillment against the happiness of being with the person you love. Since Greyson’s partner Dominic’s career was in a different location from where Greyson’s career could thrive, the insurmountable issue in the story became Greyson having his cake and eating it too. Once that idea was rooted in my head, I just wrote until the problem worked itself out.
2) Why did you decide to submit to a M/M anthology?
I started writing M/M stories in my spare time almost two years ago. I’ve always wanted to be a writer and I think that stories that expose something real and true about love whether it be romantic, familial, or even just physical need to be told regardless of the character’s sex. When the opportunity to publish arose, M/M is what I happened to be writing so that’s what I submitted.
3) What is your guilty pleasure when reading?
I have a ton of them. One of my favorites though would be would be secret affairs. I love stories about people dating their teachers, bosses, their best friend’s brother or anything of that nature. It’s icing on the cake if there’s an age gap added to the mix!
4) How do you visualise when planning (if you do any)?
I have to have a clear visual of some pretty random things before I can settle into writing. A lot of the time it’s my character’s homes. I will actually log onto real estate sites and house hunt for them before I write. There are other times though when I see something I think is beautiful or quirky like the glittery ground under Buckingham fountain in Chicago or a girl with a candy pink hair and then I’ll create a whole story just so that I can include that particular imagery.
5) Tell me about any projects you are working on or have in the pipeline.
I have two stories I’m working on at the moment. One is another M/M story in which the plot surrounds one my guilty pleasures. Without giving too much away, I can say that the story is about a man dating his deceased best friend’s son. The other story I’m working on has been rolling around in my head for quite some time and finally starting to come together sentence by sentence. It’s, in part, about a young girl trying to create a world for herself that is far better than what her parents have to offer, and her only friend who has his own fair share of issues but is determined to help her as she stumbles along toward her goals. Both stories are pretty ambitious for me, but I’m excited about them.
Dirty Martini By Bette Browne
Daniel Fletcher knocks back his third vodka of the night after running into his ex out with the same lover he had found him with in their bed two months before. He’d ended their relationship that night but coming face to face with them still together makes the pain of the breakup still very real.
Nathan Smith has seen more men than he can count drowning their sorrows in a bottle at his bar. He understands—he’s been there himself. One night a handsome brunette with sad blue eyes makes Nate want to assure him that everything will be okay. The connection he feels from a fleeting touch, as he walks the man out of the bar, shakes and stirs him in ways that he never expected.
What starts out as a means to forget might just be what they both need.
1) What was the inspiration behind your story within the anthology?
To be honest I can’t remember. I was actually writing a different story to submit to the Second Chances anthology and it was getting too long. When I realized that it would make a better novel than a short, I opened a new word document. All I remember now is the word “Bartender!” hitting me hard and then writing it down.
The rest of the story came from that.
2) Why did you decide to submit to a M/M anthology?
An anthology is an achievable start as a new author. It is certainly not as daunting as writing a full novel and then readying it for submission to a publisher. I also enjoy reading anthologies myself. You can dedicate the time in short spurts and feel satisfied when you finish a story, and the temptation to keep reading is less—mostly.
Why male/male? Mostly because I am a bit obsessed. It is the genre I read, and write, 95% of the time. I love it.
3) What is your guilty pleasure when reading?
Apart from the gorgeous men I may be reading about, it is the time I steal to read when I should be doing something else. I am reading the “Cut & Run” series by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux right now, and it is amazing. Even now the characters (Ty and Zane—God, they are hot) are calling me to come back to them. It’s a bit of an addiction if I’m honest.
4) How do you visualise when planning (if you do any)?
I am a bad planner. I always have a beginning and end in mind, sometimes a middle, but I tend to allow the story to develop itself. That has caused problems in the past, but more often than not has allowed me a certain freedom to let the characters lead me. It generally works. And if it turns out that that’s not happening, I change direction. Easy.
5) Tell me about any projects you are working on or have in the pipeline.
I have quite a few projects ‘happening’ right now, i.e., half-started manuscripts. The short story I originally started for Second Chances will hopefully turn into a series. I am well on my way to finishing and submitting book one, and have the sequel (which is based around a secondary character from book one) started. A third is in planning stage, whatever that means for me: giving it lots of headspace I suppose. In the first book, the MC is a pastry chef. I loved him and his “world” a great deal. While writing that story, I created a friend of his who is a chef, and he is a lot of fun. My attraction to him as a character prompted me to create his own story, and of course, it relates to
the food industry as well… a series was born.
I also had a great idea pop into my head recently: A male/female story that excites me a lot. I even wrote down an outline so as not to forget. When I might start on it I have no idea, but I’d really like to give this story a go. Even though I said I read/write male/male 95% of the time, I’m not adverse to a great het love story. A “great het love story” is what got me into writing in the first place.
But the story that I am giving most thought time to right now is a male/male crime thriller that I need to have ready by March. I think I have a great story there, if I can get it written. It’s started but nowhere near complete. With work and the holidays around the corner, it may prove difficult, but I am up for the challenge.
Busy days ahead.
Notice to Appear By C. C. Lorenz
Josh Campbell has had the date from hell—the food was mediocre, as was the company, and to top it all off, he finds himself in strife with the law. When he thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, he comes face to face in the courtroom with his schoolboy crush, Carter Sullivan. Now, not only has he got to pay a hefty fine, he has been humiliated in front of the one man he’s never forgotten.
Could the date from hell suddenly turn into the start of something new with Carter, now that their age difference is not the issue it was back in high school?
1) What was the inspiration behind your story within the anthology?
Initially, I had a completely different story planned out, but when I actually started writing, it wasn’t working for me at all. I thought I was going to scrap submitting anything entirely, but then started brainstorming about interesting ways people could connect and ended up drawing on a personal experience (side note: take out your driver’s license and make sure it isn’t expired. Trust me!) My story starts off in a courthouse where one of the main characters has to deal with a notice to appear he received for driving with an expired driver’s license. This happened to me and while I was waiting for my turn to face the judge, I spotted an acquaintance from high school in the same room. Personally, I sunk down in my seat and hid, but the experience
inspired this story – I wondered, what if you ran into your old high school crush and they finally noticed you. Would the years that have passed make you a little more confident, or would you still be completely intimidated by them? That’s where I started.
2) Why did you decide to submit to a M/M anthology?
If one man is good, two can only be better, right. 😉 Joking aside, I adore M/M romance and have been writing fan fiction for a few years. After basing so many characters on ones that already exist, I wanted to find out if I could create my own with enough depth to keep readers interested in their story.
3) What is your guilty pleasure when reading?
I feel like 75% of my reading falls under the heading of “guilty pleasure.” Take
your pic – graphic M/M romance? Yes, please. Fan fiction? Always. Re-reading the Twilight or True Blood series? Yup. It’s amazing any literature sneaks in there! God forbid my Kindle ever get stolen, or fall into my mother-in-law’s hands.
4) How do you visualise when planning (if you do any)?
I like to have a concrete starting and end point when I begin writing, but really tend to let the story take whatever twists and turns it wants to get there. If I get stuck along the way, which invariably happens, I work on creating an outline to corral my ideas and try to figure out what makes the most sense for the characters. Also, I commute to work and spend an hour and a half a day in my car, so I’ll usually let my mind wander to work out any issues I’m encountering. When I come up with something, I just have to hope that I still remember it by the time I get to the office and can write it down!
5) Tell me about any projects you are working on or have in the pipeline.
I’m always writing, whether it’s fan fiction or new original fiction. Hopefully you’ll see something from me in the new year!
For more information on all of these authors, head over to Bottom Drawer’s website where you can also buy the book.
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