Join the blazingly hot writers from Aspen Mountain Press in the Realms of Love Chat Castle Monday November 26 at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST. There will be give-aways galore so come on down and spend an hour with some interesting writers of your favorite romantic fiction genres.
Jeanne Barrack, Maura Anderson, Michelle Hasker, and JM Snyder from Aspen Mountain Press chat with YOU Monday. Jeanne will chat about the upcoming anthology Babes in Toyland II, Maura will share with us tidbits about Del Fantasma: Texas Tea, Michelle will chat about her Plain Brown Wrapper release, Kate’s Muse and J.M. will chat about the storm of new releases she’s had and will have at AMP!
Jeanne Barrack says: I’m a native New Yorker, born and bred in Brooklyn, married for thirty-odd years (and they have been odd) to my high school sweetheart. Is it any wonder I became a romance novelist? I now live on a mountain top in rural Pennsylvania.
Although we haven’t been blessed with children, we’ve had the pitter-patter of little Tibetan Terriers paws throughout our married life. Tibetan Terriers are called the “good luck” dog and they have been for us.
I play guitar and studied voice privately with a coach from Juilliard. I sing everything from folk music to Grand Opera – in ten languages including Gaelic and Hebrew.
My day job involves music therapy for seniors. Over the course of many years I have been inspired and astonished by the wealth of knowledge and experience of the elderly. Imagine meeting a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic and someone who actually knew Tyrone Power!
Maura Anderson says: As the oldest child in a family of hugely prolific readers, I was hooked early on the wonders of worlds unknown and information at my fingertips. When I discovered Johanna Lyndsey in my teen years, I was hooked on romances.
Though there have always been stories winding their way through my thoughts with the constant refrain of “what if…”, a few bad experiences with school creative writing classes caused me to never give them voice beyond my own daydreams for many many years.
My profession is software testing. I’m actually what’s called an SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) for a major software company which pays my bills nicely and provides a lot of challenge and technical work, even if it does eat into time I might like to spend writing.
I have a lot of hobbies – my geeky day job seems to demand a creative craft outlet to balance it and it’s often joked by my family (at least I think it’s a joke) that I need to found a 12 Step program for craft-a-holics. I knit, bead, make chainmail and beaded jewelry, quilt, make stained glass, and cross stitch. This is only what I currently do!
In 2004, after I had sold a non-fiction book (on software testing, fancy that!), I decided to actually try my hand at romance and erotic romance writing. So now my spare time is filled more with writing projects than with crafts, but I’ve sold my first erotic romance to Aspen Mountain Press and am working away on more.
I live in a wonderful rural community outside of Seattle, Washington with my amazing husband, Chuck, and our son Morgan. I also have an adult son, Jonathan, who is in college and not living at home (but is thankfully close enough to visit). We share our home with 7 indoor cats and an African Grey parrot as well as our backyard with a feral cat colony that we care for.
Adding to my rather diverse background, I am also a Wiccan High Priestess, an elder in my spiritual community (Mohsian Trad, for those who are curious).
Even with all the draws on my time, I still manage to read about a book every day to two days. I believe reading is my lifelong addiction!
Michelle Hasker says: Michelle Hasker has been writing for three years. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA.
She loves vampires and things that go bump in the night, so it’s no wonder her creations are truly paranormal. While most people only dream of finding love, Michelle’s characters find it, but in the most unexpected places.
Michelle lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, four children, assorted animals, and overactive imagination.
Michelle’s favorite quote: So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. Christopher Reeve
JM Snyder says: I’m a writer. More specifically, I’m a self-published and e-published author whose interest lies in gay erotic fiction. Why? Why not? I write what’s in my head and I guess that’s just how my mind works. You’ll find that my stories run from contemporary to science fiction, because I like a variety of different genres, but the characters are all gay men. They’re just who I like to write about, and who I’ve found my fans like to read about. And I don’t shy away from the sex, either (though some people say I don’t write enough). Gay erotic romance, you could call it. Works for me.
Currently I live in Richmond, Virginia, and hold down a full-time job as an office manager for a consulting firm. I have two very spoiled cats named Jelly and Jono. On those rare occasions when I’m not writing or editing or marketing my books, I like reading (mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and non-fiction, though Stephen King is my favorite author), visiting Civil War historical sites, watching TV (movies, old shows such as The A-Team or The Dukes of Hazzard or M*A*S*H, the History Channel, and American Idol), writing letters, and playing video games (I’m a Legend of Zelda fanatic).
I graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. While there, I was the Fantasy Editor of The Fractal, our campus sci-fi/fantasy journal. After graduation I started my own speculative fiction webzine, Disenchanted, published quarterly for almost two years. Though it was mostly fantasy, I began to explore gay fiction in the last few issues. At some point I stumbled upon slash fan fiction and, as they say, I never looked back.
Next Week: Claire Thompson and More
We’ve got the monthly ManLove author chat Monday, December 3. Claire Thompson will be queen of the Castle. More guests to be announced.
Claire’s got two releases to share with you:
Perfect Cover: Ryan Weston doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into when he signs on for the season at the Club Eros, a gay hedonistic paradise for the very beautiful and the very rich.
Eager for what he sees as an easy job in a tropical paradise, Ryan fails to mention he’s straight, probably the only straight man on the private island. Sean Evans, a year-round employee dreads peak season when hot young studs invade his space, focused on casual sex or finding a sugar daddy. When Ryan is assigned to his bungalow as his roommate, Sean expects more of the same. Yet when the two meet, Sean becomes an instant believer in love at first sight. It never occurs to him the odds are absurdly stacked against him from the beginning.
Odd Man Out: Ben was ready to move on, tired of Carl’s controlling, dominating ways. Carl, desperate to keep him, convinces him to attend his sister’s wedding, just as friends. There Ben meets David, the devastatingly handsome model and actor, and the sparks begin to fly. Ben and David move quickly, perhaps too quickly, into a romantic love affair ripe with passion that Ben hopes will never end. Carl, still obsessed with his ex-lover, seems bent on destroying his new relationship. His twisted attempts to win back Ben’s heart result in the uncovering of a secret from David’s past so damning he knows not even Ben will able to forgive him.
Odd Man Out explores the very real damage secrets can wreck on our lives, especially those we keep from ourselves. The sizzling passion and aching tenderness shared between the two lovers is not enough to sustain them. In the end, David must find the courage to face his past and embrace the happiness Ben offers. He must learn that trust is as essential as love.
