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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Today’s guest is Lynn West. Thanks, Lynn.

Lynn West is an actual living and breathing person. You can find proof on Facebook. She is Editor in Chief at Dreamspinner Press and its imprints Harmony Ink Press and DSP Publications.

Dreamspinner Press


1) As a kid, what did you fantasize as your dream job?

I wanted to be an archaeologist. One of my first “research projects”—if you can call it that—in grade school was on a job, and that’s the one I drew out of a hat. I immediately fell in love with Egyptian mythology, pyramids, mummies, the whole nine yards. That love expanded out into any world mythologies I could find material on. Aside from the science fiction books I read at home, this fed my love for reading stories, especially love stories. Lots of love stories in mythology, ever noticed?

2) Macaroons or macarons?

Macaron. I am allergic to coconut, so most macaroons are a bad idea, and in my head, ROON = BAD. But I adore cookie sandwiches, and Elizabeth knows better than to let me go into a bakery in Europe. I guess I didn’t have a good foreign baking education, because I didn’t even know “macarons” were a thing until a few years ago when I visited London. I particularly like jam-filled.

3) Do you believe more in fate or coincidence?

Alas, to the woe of many friends, I am far too pragmatic to believe in fate and thus find myself resigned to a somewhat suspicious acceptance of coincidence. I suppose that makes my life in romantic fiction quite ironic, doesn’t it? Star-crossed lovers and all that. Perhaps that’s what makes me a better editor. I can focus on the story itself and not get caught up in the swell of violins, consuming humid heat, twinkling stars, and gasping lovers… no, not really. I’m still just as fascinated and entertained by stories about fate. But in real life, I definitely lean toward believing more in coincidence—or the fact that people twist coincidence in their favor.

4) What is your favorite word?

Unfortunately, I really can’t answer that one. I’ve had a love affair with words in multiple languages my entire life, and there’s no way I can pick one. (Although cafuné comes close. It’s Brazilian Portuguese for “tenderly stroking someone’s hair.”) But I can absolutely answer the opposite: What is your most hated word? And this really is a thing: my editors all know. I seriously—very seriously—considered outlawing use of the word totally in any Dreamspinner Press publication. Luckily, it’s not very popular in gay romance and has mostly been relegated to the realm of purple prose, although you can bet anytime one of my senior editors finds it, they bring it up during department meetings, just to taunt me with it. Curious yet?

Turgid.

5) Which Wonder of the Ancient World would you visit in its prime?

Top of my list would have to be The Great Pyramid of Giza, to feed my eternal love for anything ancient Egyptian. The artwork, the tombs, the poems and stories and epics written on the walls, no wonder the Egyptians believed some souls would stay entombed there forever to watch over the dead. Plenty to read!


Lynn West is one of the founders of Dreamspinner Press and was one of the first two editors employLynn Wested by the press in January 2007. She was named Editor in Chief in January 2009. She has edited the work of more than a hundred authors, including many of the bestsellers in Dreamspinner’s catalog. Before and during the early years of Dreamspinner, Lynn worked as a professional editor in fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and technical writing and was a fiction and nonfiction author, a public relations writer, and an award-winning print journalist before that, thus racking up twenty years of publishing experience as of January 2014. She holds a bachelor’s degree in modern languages and a master’s degree in management, as well as a variety of advanced educational and training certifications.  All that boring stuff aside, Lynn’s love of reading and writing comes thanks to a dissolute youth spent devouring Science Fiction Book Club tomes from her dad’s bookshelves. Her nickname is the Wicked Witch West, though her flying monkeys (staff) insist that “wicked” is a good thing in gay romance.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guests are Ryan and Zavier. Thanks, guys.

To know more about Ryan and Zavier, nab Demon of Mine by Rayna Vause, available from Dreamspinner Press. You can find Rayna–with more of Ryan and Zavier, and her other projects–on Twitter and Facebook.

DemonOfMine


Ryan: Ok Zav, just a few more questions to answer.
Zavier *holding up a hand to stop Ryan*: I’ve already answered questions. No more.
Ryan *sitting next to Zavier whacking his thigh*: Come on, it will be fun. There’s only 5. Besides we already agreed to do it.
Zavier: You mean we were volunteered?
Ryan *glaring*: Zavier.
Zavier *sighing*: Ok let do this.

Ryan: Question one, ‘What’s the best part of the day?’ Hmm… Dinner time. No matter how busy we get, Zav and I try to eat dinner together as much as possible.
Zavier *nodding*: I can agree with that. I love having that time near the end of the day just to sit and eat and be us.
Ryan *smiling*: Sometimes you’re so sweet.

Zavier *hunching*: Moving along. ‘What is the first thing you notice: Eyes or smile?’ Oh, this one is easy. *smiling at Ryan* It was your beautiful green eyes.
Ryan *smirking*: I thought it was my body.
Zavier *shrugs*: Well this time it was, but body wasn’t an option.

Ryan: Question three, ‘Morning bird or night owl.’ I like morning, but you’re a night owl.
Zavier: Byproduct of my job as a demon. Most of my business got done in the middle of the night. You get into a pattern.
Ryan: Makes sense.
Zavier: I do that on occasion.
Ryan *nudging Zavier with his elbow*: A very rare occasion.
Zavier *snorts*: Watch it buddy. What’s the next question?

Ryan: ‘One word to describe you current relationship.’ I’d have to go with Happy.
Zavier: Good word, I’d agree. *linking hands with Ryan*

Ryan *smiling*: Last question. ‘What would you do with a no strings attached second wish?’ That’s a tough one all things considered, I’m a little leery about wishes.
Zavier: Well I know what I’d do. I’d get a phone with teleportation capabilities. I miss teleportation. I miss it so much.
Ryan *rolling eyes*: You need to get over that. Flying is not that bad.
Zavier: It sucks large and it’s so slow.
Ryan: Alright you. Let’s go get you a little cheese to go with that whine.
Zavier: Just so long as it’s not soy cheese. *wandering off toward the kitchen*
Ryan *sighing*
Zavier. *shakes his head*

Thanks Elle for having us today! It’s been a blast.


Climbing the corporate ladder can be hell… DemonofMineAs a collections demon, Zavier grants his “clients” one wish in exchange for their souls. His job sucks, but once you make a deal with Corporate South, they own you. The trouble is, Zavier’s not a very good collections demon, with his tendencies to spurn authority and find loopholes to help deserving clients out of their contracts. He’s under scrutiny from the head of his department, who would quite literally like to see him burn. He just needs to close a simple deal to get upper management off his back. Instead, he meets Ryan. Ryan is desperately searching for a way to save his dying sister. He doesn’t believe in magic and demons, but he’s out of options. Zavier’s not what he expects in a demon, and even more unexpected is the strong sense of familiarity—very intimate familiarity. While trying to free Ryan from his contract, Zavier discovers secrets unscrupulous even by South standards. Exposing them could cost Zavier everything, but it might be Ryan’s only hope. [Amazon || Barnes&Noble || All Romance eBooks]

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Damon Suede. Thanks, Damon.

To know more about Damon Suede, check out damonsuede.com or see what he’s up to on Twitter (@damonsuede) and Facebook. His anticipated upcoming release is the romantic suspense Pent Up, and will be available fall 2015. Damon’s other titles are all available here.

BadIdea


1) Which mystery of the world (Stonehenge, Voynich Manuscript, Amelia Earhart, etc) do you want the explanation for?

Fabulous question! Actually, I love a good impenetrable mystery because solutions tend to leech all the magic and irony out of a paradoxical situation. Subjects like Jack the Ripper, the Pyramid complex at Giza, the Knights Templar, the Man in the Iron Mask… much as I’d like to know the dirt, I’d hate to snuff out the wild, weird suppositions they’ve inspired.

So, my answer probably isn’t very sexy, but it’s the truth: what I’d love to know is the fate of Aristotle’s POETICS II, especially if that explanation could put a copy in my hands. A historical and literary mystery with practical application. LOL

THE POETICS give Aristotle’s thoughts on Tragedy (aka stories with sad endings), which basically established the form of pop culture in the west for a couple thousand years, but we have less than fragments hinting at his discussion of Comedy (stories with happy endings). Scholars have theorized and attempted  to extrapolate, but that one book would have (and could still) change the course of world literature. And made my job easier. 🙂

2) Malta or Gozo?

Gozo, definitely. I have a friend from Sicily that raves about it. BY all accounts, a beautiful place with a crazy history although a bit warmer than I prefer as far as a vacay spot. Maybe I could just doze all day and live nocturnally.

Hell, if it was good enough for Calypso it’s good enough for me.

3) Bread and butter or toast and jam?

Bread and butter. Oddly enough, growing up down south I HATED butter. But while I was living in Europe, My then-bf had a flat in Vienna and used to get the freshest butter. I’d never tasted anything like that. That’s when I realized how nasty most processed US food can be. And the Austrians take their bread seriously.

Once I knew how bread and butter was supposed to taste, I obsessed about it with the zeal of the converted. Jam is great, but usually too sweet. I was one of those weird kids who scraped the icing off my cake. To this day, when I’m in a rural area or anywhere near fresh dairy, real bread and butter is a must.

4) What is your favorite word?

Eek. Tough. No way to narrow it to one. As you well know, I’m kind of a freak about language. How about three?

Slumber. Porphyry. Connotation.

For me the meanings and the sounds of words get tangled up. For those three, I love the meaning and the sound because of the way they reinforce each other.

5) What one object/work from The Met would you take to have as your own?

A Tiffany painting called “On the Way between Old and New Cairo, Citadel Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and Tombs of the Mamelukes.” At the moment, I think it’s on loan to the Brooklyn Museum, but it’s a real stunner…a beautiful, complicated, lush landscape that I’d love to be able to look at every day. I love that period of Gilded Age orientalism, when oils have just about reached the outer limit of realism and fantasy. It’s so big and over the top, I’d have to build an enormous Second Empire room just to hold it. Note to self: buy Gilded Age mansion, stat.

1024px-Louis_Comfort_Tiffany_-_On_the_Way_between_Old_and_New_Cairo,_Cit...


Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. DamonThough new to romance fiction, Damon has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades. He’s won some awards, but counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Please enjoy this Best of Friday Fun Five post featuring B.G. Thomas, Mary Calmes, Lyla Bellatas, Heather K, and lyric apted. Thanks, everyone!

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1) B.G., are there any words you always misspell when you’re writing?

“Mispell” (misspell). No seriously. And “experiance” (experience). I don’t know what the problem is with the word but I can’t get it.  And I type “jsut” (just) almost every single time! Arrrrgnhhhhh!

2) Mary: sweet or unsweet iced tea?

It depends on the restaurant I’m in. If they serve flavored tea, raspberry, mango, peach, then I would probably get that but as a rule, unsweetened is what I chose 9 times out of 10. It’s funny though, now that I live in the South, I’m spoiled with tea as an option. When I was in Orlando for the DSP workshop back in March, I asked for tea at a restaurant and nope, they had none. That’s crazy. I’m so used to my options being sweet or unsweet that I take it for granted.

3) Lyla: Hostess or Drake’s Cakes?

Drakes except I haven’t had one since I was in elementary school. I used to love Ring Dings and those CoffeeCakes. Unwrapping a Ring Ding was such a sensual act. All that chocolatey goodness in a compact tin foil wrapped package that was surprisingly weighty. Yum.

4) What is your favorite word, Heather?

That’s a tough one. I have the mouth of a church lady (a Jewish church lady??), so I never curse. I just feels wrong to me! My favorite word would probably be… love? I like “love.”

5) lyric, you have developed the ability to talk to animals but only one species. Which?

I want to say something horribly interesting, but in fact I’d have to say house cats. I live alone with my beloved Isabella and it would be nice if we could have an actual conversation. Though I fear it would consist a lot of her asking why I wasn’t feeding her Right Now and me apologizing.


friday fun five teaFriday Fun Five is a weekly feature hosted by Elle Brownlee where she poses a different batch of five fun questions to various people in the writing world.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Please enjoy this Best of Friday Fun Five post featuring Taylor V. Donovan, Katana Collins, Joyfully Jay, Amy Lane, and Hayley Peterson. Thanks, everyone!

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1) Taylor, what food do you make that’s your specialty?

I actually have two specialties. The first one is lasagna. The second is yellow rice with honey barbecue pork ribs and potato salad, Puerto Rican style. Our recipe includes apples, which is something I haven’t seen anywhere else. It’s delicious!

2) Katana: Tom Waits or Tom Jones?

I feel like Tom Waits would be the “cooler” answer, but I really love me some Tom Jones!

3) Jay: Art or science museum?

Science. I am lucky enough to live outside of Washington, DC where I have access to the many fabulous free museums.  I am a huge fan of the Air & Space museum and Natural History. I even like those discovery hands-on kind of places for the kids. When I travel to new cities, I always try to hit a museum there as well. I recently had a great time at the Field museum in Chicago. While I can appreciate art, I have never really been a big fan of art museums.

4) What is your favorite word, Amy?

Any combination of swearwords is all win for me!

5) Dreams come true in less than ideal settings sometimes–awkward time or awkward place, for example–has this happened to you, Hayley?

Absolutely! This is actually my favorite story to tell because it makes me so happy. I moved to Manchester, UK from Vancouver, Canada a couple years ago to try my hand at working in theatre production (stage management, sound design, etc.) and was working in a restaurant to pay the bills while working a few theatre gigs. While I had some good times and friends at the restaurant, the environment was less than pleasant at times and not exactly what I wanted to do as a career.  In addition, after working a bit of theatre, I was beginning to realize that I didn’t want to make a career out of it as I thought I had so I was feeling a bit stuck.

One evening I was working my usual dinner shift when Elizabeth North, Ariel Tachna, and all of the lovely DSP badasses walk in for a table after a long day at the UK Fiction Meet. I ended up serving them and we seemed to hit it off. They ended up coming back 2 days later and I was able to serve them again. Things ended up going so well that in the end, Elizabeth offered me a job with DSP. I learned 2 things that night. 1. Dreams come true when you don’t even expect it. For example, this job. And 2. Giving nice customers extra Sticky Toffee Pudding always pays off.


friday fun five teaFriday Fun Five is a weekly feature hosted by Elle Brownlee where she poses a different batch of five fun questions to various people in the writing world.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Please enjoy this Best of Friday Fun Five post featuring Suleikha Snyder, Susan Lee, Geoff Symon, Poppy Dennison, and Elizah J Davis. Thanks, everyone!

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1) Suleikha, if you could create a magical chimera, what animals would you combine?

Hmmm. Tough question. How about a kitten, an African grey parrot, and an otter. Mind you, I have no idea what it would look like, but it would be smart, chatty and extremely cute.

2) Susan: Deep sea or deep space exploration?

I’m TERRIFED of the ocean. I’ve almost drowned twice (once parasailing, being dipped, and not being able to be pulled back up! and another time bodyboarding too close to a pier!). So, I think deep sea would paralyze me. But, I don’t have much desire to go into the black of space either! I guess I’m kind of a chicken when it comes to the unknown!

3) Geoff: Red Vines or Twizzlers?

Twizzlers. Duh.

4) What is your favorite word, Poppy?

I embrace the Southern tradition of backhanded insults so my favorites are usually phrases that accomplish that. You’ll catch me saying things like “Bless your heart” and “Isn’t that precious?” And, like many other Southern women, if you hear me say “Oh hell no” you’d better run! LOL

5) You get an unlimited budget, but only for one room, Elizah – which room would you make over?

The bathroom, no question. I sometimes actively fantasize about having a large, super fancy bathroom oasis. One of these fifty bathrooms for example. A gigantic tub and a fireplace, are you kidding me? And heated floor tiles, of course. This is the dream, friends. (#dreamer bathroom?)


friday fun five teaFriday Fun Five is a weekly feature hosted by Elle Brownlee where she poses a different batch of five fun questions to various people in the writing world.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Please enjoy this Best of Friday Fun Five post featuring Alyssa Cole, Tere Michaels, K.A. Mitchell, Kate McMurray, and Rayna Vause. Thanks, everyone!

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1) Alyssa, if you could bring one fantasy creature to life which would you choose?

Okay, this question has one obvious answer: Falkor the luck dragon from The Neverending Story. He’s cute, furry, and I’d never have to worry about airfare again.

2) Tere: Castle or cottage?

Cottage. Castles are too drafty and I would spend all my time muttering about the heating bill while stomping about wearing a blanket like a cape.

3) K.A.: Sunny spring day or rainy fall day?

Rainy fall day, please. Love them. Give me a drive and rain and fall and some Chris Cornell coming out of my speakers, and I’m in heaven.

4) What is your favorite word, Kate?

Well, James Lipton, the first one that came to mind was “pomegranate.” I like a multisyllabic word.

5) You’re getting treated to lunch every day for always–but the meal will always be the same. What’s on the menu?

Tough question. There are so many yummy things to eat on a regular basis. I think I’d have to go with a variety of breakfast foods. Pancakes, waffles, omelets, the works. Of course, I’d need dessert too. The Borders near where I went to college used to sell these chocolate coated walnut brownies. Those would have to be included oh and Daiquiri Ice. It’s this sorbet like creation from Baskin Robbins that has lime in it with a hint of rum flavoring. Yum.


friday fun five teaFriday Fun Five is a weekly feature hosted by Elle Brownlee where she poses a different batch of five fun questions to various people in the writing world.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Paul Richmond. Thanks, Paul.

To know more about Paul Richmond, check out paulrichmondstudio.com or see what he’s up to on twitter (@paulrichmondart) and Facebook. His latest painting, Glistening with Dark Leaves, was inspired by the work of Walt Whitman and is available as a limited-edition print in three sizes.

GlisteningWithDarkLeaves_Lowres

1) What are your top guilty pleasure movies (you don’t feel guilty about)?

That’s a difficult one because I usually don’t feel guilty for liking anything. But I’m going to go with a camp-tastic movie called Sextette that was made in the late 70’s and starred Mae West. I may feel a tinge of guilt over this one simply because my deep enjoyment is for reasons that were most likely not intended by its creators. I love Mae West and think she was amazingly ahead of her time. And I also love the fact that she made a movie where she played a six kitten, lusted after the world over, when she was in her mid-80’s. There are scenes where she seems to struggle to stand up, let alone walk across the room. But that doesn’t stop her from seducing an entire team of young Olympic athletes and every other guy staying at the same hotel as her — ON HER HONEYMOON, by the way  — and dropping sexy one-liners like the queen of Twitter before it was even invented. I don’t know how she convinced people to make this movie, or what wattage of light bulb was used to illuminate her so severely that she spends many scenes looking like a pure white feather duster propped up in the corner, but I recommend everyone track down a copy and watch it immediately. Preferably while wearing something lacy and dripping in jewels.

2) Pancakes, waffles or crepes?

Waffles. I have an obsessive personality and when I get on a kick, look out. My parents recently bought me a waffle maker. Which means that now, as soon as my feet hit the floor each morning, I have an immediate urge to start mixing up waffle batter.

3) Spend all day in the library or in an amusement park?

Sorry smart people, I have to go with amusement park – but only if I can pick which one, which would be Dollywood of course! Where else can you literally skip down a swirling rainbow-colored road leading to an entire museum of Dolly Parton’s wigs and supportive garments? Right after college, I almost convinced a friend to take a mural painting job at Dollywood with me, which would have meant LIVING AT DOLLYWOOD for an entire winter and painting a giant mural of her on a wall at the entrance of the park. I didn’t even care what they paid us – I was ready to sign us up! But my friend was a bit more practical, and raised some legitimate (albeit boring) considerations – such as the likelihood of our paint freezing as we stood outside all day in the middle of a Smoky Mountain blizzard painting Dolly’s giant curves. Details details!

4) What is your favorite word?

“Yes!” I get excited about new projects and ideas and I always take on way more than I probably should. Like a few months ago when I was asked to paint a giant portrait of James Franco for a film he was making – and I had to have it finished in a week so I could deliver it to him on the set. This was a painting that would take me a month or more under normal circumstances, but with enough caffeine and determination, anything is possible. Several of my friends told me afterward that if they had been in my shoes, they would have been too afraid to take on the project because of the time constraints but then they would have regretted it the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, before I even fully processed whether it was humanly possible, I had already answered YES and was en route to the art store for supplies.

5) Where would you pitch your tent if you could camp anyplace in the world for one week?

I’m not sure what this camping thing is you speak of. I don’t vacation anyplace where I can’t plug in a hairdryer. 🙂 I do love to travel though, and it would be hard to pick a favorite destination. I took a trip to Florence and Rome when I was in my early twenties and I would love to go back there again with the hubby sometime. It made a big impression on me to be surrounded by so much history and art. I felt the same way when I visited Athens, Paris, and Madrid. So basically just give me my man and a couple passports, ship us off to the other side of the world somewhere, and I’ll be happy!


Paul Richmond is an internationally recognized visual artist and activist whose paintings draw inspiration from his own Paul_WarPaintexperiences as a young gay man. He graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design in 2002 and came out of the closet shortly thereafter. Since then, his artwork has become a vehicle for exploring and understanding his own journey, as well as developing a dialogue with other members of the LGBTQ community.  Influenced by his own struggles as he came to terms with his sexual identity, he seeks to challenge social constructs that exist around sexual orientation and gender roles. His career has included exhibitions in galleries throughout the United States, as well as publication in numerous art journals and anthologies. His work is collected by individuals from around the globe. In his role as the Associate Art Director for Dreamspinner Press and their young adult imprint, Harmony Ink Press, he has created over two hundred and fifty novel cover illustrations. He is a co-founder of the You Will Rise Project, an organization that empowers those who have experienced bullying to speak out creatively through the language, visual, and performing arts. Paul shares his life with husband, Dennis Niekro. They were married in a group ceremony with twenty-four other LGBT couples in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in June 2013. Together, they are committed to using their artistic talents to raise equality awareness.

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Raine O’Tierney. Thanks, Raine.

To know more about Raine O’Tierney, check out raineotierney.com or see what she’s up to on twitter (@Raineotierney). Her latest literary triumph is the TOTALLY FREE Sing Me Your Love Song and is available here.

SingMeYourLoveSong-PDF


1) Do you check your horoscope on a regular basis?

I don’t, but I *love* my sign–Pisces. We’re supposedly creative folk! I’d like to believe it’s true. We might just be fishy. (Baddup-pssh!)

2) Transcontinental railroad trip or cruise around the Cape of Good Hope?

Transcontinental railroad trip! One of my most exciting adventures was taking the train for the first time in Japan. I’ve actually never been on a train in the U.S. but as long as I have somewhere to place my Chromebook, I think I would be quite happy riding the rails for days on end.

3) Christmas décor: simple and rustic or decked out to the nines?

Okay, I adore Christmas decorations–I do! But I sometimes feel like they are meant for people who are not quite as, erm, lazy as I am. We have a two foot tree. Fold out branches. It comes with lights attached. And yet there are years I can’t be bothered to get it out of the box and put it on the table.

4) What is your favorite word?

Lionheart.

5) How would you spend one Saturday/overnight/Sunday in Las Vegas?

Researching! Gambling (for research), seeing shows (for research), eating and drinking (for research), talking to the hookers? (For research!) I actually have no idea. I’m really more of a ‘Go to the movies’ than ‘Go to Vegas’ sort of gal. 😉


Raine O’Tierney wants to change the world… one sweet story at a time. Known as “The Queen of the Sweetness” Raine_OTierney(well, a few people have said it anyway!) Raine loves writing sweet, character-driven stories about first loves, first times, fidelity, forever-endings and… friskiness? In addition to her solo works, she’s one half of a collaborative team with author Debbie McGowan. When she’s not writing, Raine is either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. She believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers. Contact her if you’re interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or discussing which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!

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Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guests are Liam and Garrett. Thanks, Liam and Garrett.

To know more about Liam and Garrett, check out my book Emergency Contact, available from Dreamspinner Press.

EmergencyContact


1) The best spot in the house to nap?

Garrett: On the chaise. Wrapped in afghans, quilts, and Apollo and Hermes–our cats–with Liam as my pillow.
Liam: I don’t nap.
Garrett: Liar.
Liam: Okay, well, I lay down when Garrett wants to nap and sometimes I fall asleep…
Garrett: (interrupts) He loves napping, don’t believe otherwise.
Liam: As I was saying… because who can resist being covered in afghans, quilts, cats, and a perfect adorable boyfriend?
Garrett: All is wonderful and forgiven. Forever.

2) Cinnamon rolls or croissant?

Garrett: Cinnamon rolls!
Liam: If Garrett is making them, anything really.

3) Dreamer or realist?

Garrett: We’re each a little bit of both.
Liam: Hmmm. You know, I can agree with that.

4) What is your favorite word?

Liam: Symmetry.
Garrett: Aww.
Liam: What? It’s a great word.
Garrett: Great–yes, yes it is. Mine is the look on his face when he sees me working in the library wearing my glasses.
Liam: That is decidedly not a word.
Garrett: Close enough for me.

5) There’s an annual summer solstice naked bike ride held in Seattle. Now that you’re residents, have you considered participating?

Liam: The what? No. Never.
Garrett: I’m working on changing that answer.
Liam: Let me run the numbers again and, oh look: No.
Garrett: It could be fun! Solstice! Body paints! We can paint each other!
Liam: …no. Probably.


When Liam’s best friend has to leave town on business, he asks for a favor—be an emergency contact for his cousinEmergencyContact who is new in town. Liam doesn’t think twice before he accepts. He’s great with numbers and confidently plays the odds, because nobody ever uses those emergency contacts, right? Wrong. The very next Sunday, cousin Garrett shows up at Liam’s apartment, fresh-faced, devastatingly gorgeous. Garrett arrived in New York City hoping to make it in the modeling world, and Liam isn’t sure what to do with him. While he eventually warms to welcome the distraction, he’s not prepared to have his steady, predictable world overturned. Liam is sure Garrett will soon tire of him and find someone closer in age and less eager for the quiet, settled life Liam prefers. But Garrett is not as shallow as Liam presumes. Although Garrett sees a future for the two of them, Liam manages to push him away. It is only then Liam sees the Garrett-shaped hole in his life.