Howdy folks!
Look at me,
being all cowboy and shit, when I'm actually a down and dirty London cockney…
In case you
haven't worked it out, I'm Garrett Leigh, British born author and cover artist
at Dreamspinner Press and Loose ID. I've been writing since I was a little
girl, but in those days, I think it was called telling fibs.
Please tell us a little bit about your current
release. What inspired you to write this story? How did it come about?
I'm here to
promote Bullet, the first in my Blue Boy series at Loose ID. Bullet is the tail
of reluctant porn star Levi Ramone, and his pugnacious love interest, Sonny
Valentine.
Bullet came
about as I was writing a mega angsty novel, Only Love (out with Dreamspinner
next summer). Bullet was supposed to be a quick, light release after a year
spent putting a wounded war vet through hell.
But it didn't
quite work out that way. I'm an angst writer at heart, and my attempts to be
anything else always seem to fail.
Bullet is 33k of
angsty, dirty heartache, and I'm damned proud of it!
Is there an underlying theme in your stories?
Oh, angst, for
sure. And tattoos…no, seriously. My MC's always seem to have, or develop,
physical flaws or disabilities. Or mental health issues. And the reason for
this, I think, is that men of any age find these perceived weaknesses hard to
talk about. Scars, nightmares, fears, illnesses. But, like the rest of us,
these things are what makes us human, and I enjoy exploring this part of the
male psyche and tearing it apart.
Of course,
putting it back together is fun too, especially when the MC in question has an
adorable companion to help/comfort them
Would you categorize your stories as romance,
erotica, or something else? Why?
Romance. The sex
is there, and when my characters go, they go,
and it's totally hot. But you will never find a sex scene in my books that
doesn't advance the plot and serve a purpose. I can read porn without plot and
love it, but I seem incapable of writing it.
There’s some controversy about women who write M/M?
Do you have any thoughts on the subject you want to share?
I think it's
bullshit. Women have been writing from the male POV in heterosexual romance for
centuries, and vice versa. The idea that something is suddenly wrong because
it's gay, and/or popular is nonsense.
What’s your favorite part of the writing
process? (the spark, the research, character oultines…?)
Oh, the research
for sure. Put me in front of google with a list and I'm a happy bunny. Only
problem is I bookmark all this shit I never go back to! It's fun, though. Even
the horrid stuff, and the things you learn are…interesting.
What’s your least
favorite part of the writing process?
Continuity. It's
the hardest thing for me, especially in longer novels. My fab editor at DSP
tears her hair out over my dodgy timelines!
What’s your favorite part of the publishing
process? (writing the story, working with an editor, working with the art
department, marketing, etc?)
The cover art,
for sure. I'm lucky enough to do most of my own, and they're often at least
drafted before the story is complete. I find having a visual motivation for the
book really helps my writing.
I also love producing art for other
authors. Connecting with them and seeing their books through their eyes is
fascinating.
Do
you have any heroes or people you look up to? (Real life mentors, public
figures, fellow authors, living or dead). If so, who and why?
John Bird, the founder of The Big Issue,
and Reg Keys, the father of a British soldier, killed in action, who stood
against Tony Blair in his constituency in the general election that followed
the Iraq war. That dude broke my heart.
One
of the hardest things for an author to take is a bad review. How do you handle
those one and two star reviews?
Folk will think what they think,
whatever I say or do. And to some, my stuff probably is a pile of poo. You
can't mean something to everyone you touch. Sometimes, you just gotta glide on
by.
What’s
next on the horizon for you? WIPs, writing goals, personal goals…?
I have a lot going on in the next year. Two novels and a couple of novellas,
and another novel under submission. I'm also looking forward to falling into my
next big novel. Just haven't figured out what it is yet…
Levi
Ramone entered the gay porn market for one reason, and one reason only–he
needed the cash to pay his momma's spiraling gambling debts.
Seven
years later, he's a veteran with a reputation as one of Blue Boy Studio's most
ruthless tops, and when his boss suggests it's time for a change, he finds
himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
Figuratively
speaking, at least.
Enter
Sonny Valentine, a go-go dancer at Blue's sister club, Silver's. Levi has
secretly admired Sonny from afar for years, but there's one problem–he can't
stand Sonny and the feeling is entirely mutual. When Levi learns Sonny is to
play the third part in a scene he considers his worst nightmare, he figures
things can't get any worse.
But when
preparations for the scene from hell collide with tragic events in his personal
life, he finds his fast growing, red hot attraction to Sonny the one thing left
between him and a bullet.
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