Featured Author: Isabelle Rowan

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | DREAMSPINNER PRESS | AMAZON

BIO

I teach by day and write by night – or whenever I can escape to fit in a few words. I’m a woman of ‘a certain age’ who lives in a seaside suburb south of Melbourne, so my stories are usually based in the country I know and love, Australia. Most of my writing is m/m romance with a slightly gritty edge, but I do venture into horror now and then.

Although the book I’ve chosen to highlight is not my most recent, it might give readers a taste of the people and places I like to write about. A Note in the Margin is set in Melbourne, but I believe the situation the characters find themselves in could apply anywhere in the world. My hope is that people not only enjoy it, but it might encourage them to look at the homeless in a different light. It is a heart-warming story that might just make you shed a tear or two.

THIS WEEKS FEATURED AUTHOR

Author Questions:

Are you plot or character driven?

Almost everything I’ve written is character driven. I have a basic plot idea, but that often changes once the characters take on life in my head. I’m not a writer who can plan and plot out every aspect of their stories – I’ve tried and failed miserably – so I have to trust my characters.

I love a good story with twists and turns, but I find the journey a character so much more satisfying. You become invested in their emotions, feel their loves and fears, and hopefully can relate to happy or happy for now ending.

Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?

Every piece of writing has a soundtrack and individual characters often do too. Putting on my headphones is the easiest way to get into the mood for a particular piece of writing. I’m currently writing the third installment in the A Note in the Margin series and needed to get back into that mindset. I put on the VAST track ‘Flames’ – John and David were instantly there with all their love and need for each other. Daniel in The Red Heart came to life with the Goth sounds of Sisters of Mercy. Often I just have the hum of café traffic, but the music is still there in the back of my mind.

Tell us about the different types of characters you like to write about? Why are these types so appealing to you?

Perfect people aren’t very interesting are they? Or very realistic! The most interesting characters to write about have flaws, issues, and journeys to take. David is probably my most broken character at the start of A Note in the Margin; we find him homeless and unable to deal with the realities of a ‘normal’ life. He is still my favourite because he had so far to go and allowed other characters to grow around him.

Even a villain like my vampire Galen in Ink wouldn’t have interested me if he’d simply been evil. Galen had weaknesses and was also quite broken – he actually made me cry near the end of the book, a bit embarrassing when I write in cafes.

Reader Questions:

What are your favourite genres to read from? Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

My favourite genre to read is supernatural/horror – not the hardcore gory stuff, but something that is more atmospheric. Obviously I love vampire books and one of my early passions was Anne Rice - Ignore the movie and forget that portrayal of Lestat. Her books were always so rich in detail and ‘The Vampire Lestat’ totally suckered me in. However, my absolute favorite vampire novel would have to be ‘Lost Souls’ by Poppy Z Brite. Sure many of the music references are dated now, but Zillah and his gang sang to me as they drove around in their van.

Do you have a favourite character from another author?

In her novel ‘Lost Souls’, Poppy Z Brite wrote a character called Ghost. I read this book many years ago, but Ghost stays with me. He is an ethereal character who, although human, seems to exist between worlds. He is a true innocent and for some reason that really struck a chord in me.

What are your comfort reads when you are sick or feeling low?

Don’t laugh, but I love to revisit The Wind in the Willows. It is the most special book from my childhood and the adventures of Ratty, Mole and Mr. Toad still make me smile. I included my love of this story Twelve Days, the second book in the A Note in the Margin series and plan to have it play a role in the third.

Quickies:

Night or Day?

It’s winter right now in Melbourne so day – cold with winter sunshine.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee - although I drink more peppermint tea.

Leather or Lace?

I’m a black lace girl, especially when teamed with velvet.

Chocolate or Sex?

Can I have both? If I have to choose… nah, still want both.

Pajama movie night or Cocktails at the bar?

Love a night in with a movie!

Formal or Casual?

Casual – high heels would make me about 6ft tall!

A NOTE IN THE MARGIN

John McCann, a man who judges life by the tally of an accounts ledger, has a supreme goal in life: To achieve, live, and enjoy the rarified executive lifestyle. But he's encountered one problem: The migraines are going to continue to get worse unless you make some major changes in your lifestyle. What you need is a 'sea change'… Perhaps buy a nice little business in the country, settle down, something easier to occupy your time…

 While John knows the doctor is right, he just can't resign from the job he's fought so hard for. He decides the sacrifice of taking a year's leave of absence won't interfere too much with his plans, and so he finds himself running Margins, a cozy little bookstore, with the help of the former owner's son, Jamie. John expects to put in his year, get his stress under control, and then get back to business.

 What John doesn't expect is how Margins and its denizens draw him in, particularly the quiet, disheveled man who takes refuge in the old leather chair in the second-hand book section. John's plans for an unattached year of simple business crumble when he meets David and is forced to re-evaluate life, love and what he really wants from both. John and David are forced to come to terms with their pasts as they struggle to determine what possible future they might build together.

EXCERPT

“It’s a cold night, John, and it’s late.” When it was obvious John didn’t get the intent of his words Jamie continued. “It’s late, John. The shelter will be closed. David knows that and he has nowhere to go.”

“Then why didn’t he fucking say so?” John rolled his eyes and growled. “Why didn’t he ask…?”

Jamie shot John a withering look and said, “Would you?”

John felt the air leave his lungs. Of course he wouldn’t. His fucking pride wouldn’t let him, but he still tried to reason. “Look, he’ll find somewhere.”

“Yeah, John… and he can always call the hypothermia emergency line if he can find a phone that hasn’t been vandalized!” Jamie spat out.

“Come on, Jamie. I’ll drive you home,” John said quietly, wondering if there was such a thing as a hypothermia emergency line.

It was bitterly cold and had started to rain by the time they reached the car, but neither man acknowledged it. They sat in silence while John peered through the fogged window waiting for the demister to clear the glass. They were several blocks down the main road when John pulled sharply into the curb. He hit the button that lowered the electric windows, leaned across Jamie’s lap, and shouted, “Get in!”

The icy wind rushed in through the open window, making Jamie’s eyes water, but he was still able to make out the somewhat surprised and confused expression on David’s face. He just stood there staring at John unsure what to do. Jamie had no clue what John had in mind, but he mentally willed David to walk to the car. He could feel John growing impatient when David didn’t move so he called, “Come on, Davey. Please get in.”

Jamie held his breath for what seemed an age until he saw David start to walk toward them; he quickly twisted around in his seat to open the back door. David lowered himself into the car and didn’t say a word. He just sat and waited for John to explain the invitation. John hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but managed to come up with, “Look, it’s fucking freezing and um… you may as well crash on the couch tonight. After all, you did help move it.”

Jamie knew it sounded pretty lame, but he gave John an appreciative smile when David closed the door and mumbled his thanks. He chattered happily the rest of the way to his apartment making sure to cover up the silence in the rest of the car. When John pulled up out front Jamie mouthed thank you to John before making a dash through the rain to his front door.

John could feel David sitting quietly behind him and wondered what the hell he was doing taking this man home. After a moment or two he turned around and asked, “Want to sit in the front? That way I’ll feel less like your chauffer.”

David looked at him before giving a small nod and stepping out of the car to swap seats. He wasn’t totally sure what was going on here but John seemed okay, and Jamie liked him.

Once the car was in motion John commented on how quiet it was now that Jamie was gone and went on to tell David about Jamie’s ability to talk nonstop without taking a breath. David visibly relaxed and smiled at John’s observations.

They were nearly back at John’s when he stopped outside a pharmacy and said, “Need some supplies if you’re staying over. Not be a minute.”

David felt his stomach plunge as he watched John jog into the store. There’s always a cost…. Even for a night on the couch. He squeezed his eyes shut and contemplated just getting out of the car, but was too tired and simply didn’t have enough energy to move. He didn’t look at John when he got back into the car but eyed the small paper bag warily before it was tossed onto the backseat. He spent the rest of the trip in sullen silence despite John’s attempts to make conversation.

When they got to the apartment he walked quietly behind John and stood still as the door was closed behind him. David felt the familiar wave of helplessness as he waited for the inevitable rough touch.

John was confused by the change in David. He’d not moved since John closed the door and his entire body language radiated fear. John knew he was out of his depth with this man; he hadn’t meant to make him feel so uncomfortable. He passed the bag over and said in a hesitant voice, “I didn’t know what you had so I just got some of the basics.

Look, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, but… oh fuck, I don’t know….”

John’s sentence trailed off as he closed his eyes and wearily rubbed his hand across his forehead.

Slightly stunned by John’s words, David looked down at the paper bag in his hands. He cautiously unfolded the neat crease to find a toothbrush, bar of soap, and a razor. He felt a rush of both relief and shame; relief that he was wrong and shame for not trusting John’s intentions.

Featured Author: LJ LaBarthe

LJ LaBarthe

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | DREAMSPINNER PRESS | AMAZON | BLOG | TWITTER 

BIO

L.J. LaBarthe is a French-Australian woman, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she went on to write a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school yearbook, her university newspaper, and, from her early teens to her twenties, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English and a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places, urbex, history, and researching.

L.J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, and contemporary Australian stories, usually m/m romance and featuring m/m erotica.

L.J. lives in the city of Adelaide, and is owned by her cat.

This Weeks Featured Author

Author Questions:

What inspires you to write?

Everything. Music, books, TV shows, conversations, dreams—you name it.

Are you plot or character driven?

A bit of both, I think. Though it's usually a scene that pops into my head, and inspires a plot bunny before a character does.

Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?

I do, and it depends on my mood and the scene I'm writing. I tend to listen to hard rock or punk, sometimes I listen to classical piano. Some of my favourite artists are The Damned, Therapy?, 30 Seconds to Mars, Avenged Sevenfold, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Tool, Yoo Seung Jun, Nine Inch Nails, Muse, Nightwish, and local Adelaide bands.

Tell us about the different types of characters you like to write about? Why are these types so appealing to you?

I seem to be drawn to write characters that have a tendency towards playful banter and teasing. In life, people don't just talk about the serious things, or be stilted with each other, and the more intimate one's friends are, the more relaxed those conversations are going to be. And, because laughter is really the best medicine, being able to laugh with each other, at each other, to have those secret little in-jokes, is, I think really important. So I like to try to put that intimate camaraderie into my characters' lives and their relationships.

I'm also fond of sarcasm, so there's always at least one character who is the King/Queen of Sarcasm. And when I was young, I was painfully shy and found it difficult to talk to people, so I generally have at least one character who has that sort of difficulty and resorts to either silence or formality or one-word answers. Shyness is such a big thing, I think, and so many of us experience it, I think it's something that everyone can relate to on some level.

My characters are flawed but they try their best to do the right thing. Except for the truly evil characters, they're just plain evil. Mostly, however, my characters are all in the gray zone of morality.

Is there a particular genre you prefer to write?

I love writing paranormal—angels, demons, shifters, mythological creatures of any kind. I was raised on Greek and Roman myths and fairy tales, so they're sort of in my blood! I also love writing historicals, particularly medieval or set in the Byzantine Empire. I would love to write a spy novel, but I'm not confident enough to do that. One day, though! Fantasy or lite-Science Fiction, definitely.  Australian stories, as I am Australian and I do like writing about life here, even if it includes an angel or two, or it's a historical set in 1920!

Do you have a favourite character from your books?

I love them all, but I'd be lying if I said none of them were favourites. In "The Archangel Chronicles," I love the Archangels, Shateiel, Agrat, the Archdemons, Lucifer, Lilith and my shifter kids the most. I realize that sounds like a long list, but there's a LOT of characters in those books!

In my historical, "City of Jade," Gallienus of Constantinople and Misahuen of Gyeongju are my favourites. I really loved writing their story and I felt quite upset and bereft when it was over. I also really loved writing the Lady Tahirah and her sons and two of the caravan guards, Ahmad and Yusuf.

Reader Questions:

What are your favourite genres to read from?

Fantasy. I love fantasy novels. I probably read more fantasy than any other genre. I also read crime fiction, usually books my mum recommends me, as she's the crime novel afficiondo of the family! I tend to glaze over hard sci-fi, as the technobabble goes right over my head, I'm sad to say. Biographies are another favourite. Some of these are M/M, some aren't.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

Two of my ultimate favourites actually are script writers more than novel writers—J. Michael Straczynski and Steven DeKnight. I find their ability to plot long, intricate arcs of storytelling that transform a TV script into something like a serial visual novel to be incredible. DeKnight's use of language particularly just blows me away, and both writers have created some of the most interesting characters and story lines I've ever seen. Both of them also included GLBT characters as well as het, and have not treated those characters as anything 'unusual', rather with the same respect and compassion that het couples under extreme situations, often shared with the GBLT couples, experience.

I also find DeKnight's method of dealing with homophobes bluntly refreshing—one of his tweets on the subject actually made me a bit teary. He said, "Yeah, all somepeople see is gayness. All I see is love." Straczynski dealt with this in much the same fashion on Usenet, back in pre-social media days. A quote from him, states, "Let me put this assimply as I can...in the year 2258, nobody *cares* about your sexualorientation. It doesn't come up. No one makes an issue out of it. There are nodiscussions, no proclamations, no inquiries, no "how will theyreact?" It's like being left-handed or right-handed; no one really caresone way or another."  So these authors have had a tremendous impact for me and, I have no doubt, for others.

For those wondering what these two men wrote/write, J. Michael Straczynski has written for TV (including animation), theatre, and film and he has written novels, comics, short stories and non-fiction. Stephen DeKnight has written for TV and comics.

For novels, though, the list is as long as my arm, and we'd be here all week!

What are your comfort reads when you are sick or feeling low?

I default to the books by David Eddings. "The Belgariad" and "The Mallorean" got me through a lot of difficult times as a teenager, so they're my comfort food for the brain. Also "Creatures of Light and Dark" by Roger Zelazny or "Demian" by Herman Hesse or  the "Dragonriders of Pern" series by Anne McCaffrey. But mostly David Eddings.

Quickies:

Night or Day? Night.

Coffee or Tea? Tea.

Leather or Lace? Leather. I think I'll be a punk rock "princess" for life.

Pajama movie night or Cocktails at the bar? Pajama movie night!

Formal or Casual? Casual.

City Of Jade

1131, The Silk Road.

Gallienus of Constantinople, a scarred soldier who used to work the city gates, enters a new phase of his life when he meets and falls in love with Misahuen of Gyeongju. But prejudice of same-sex relationships dominates Byzantine society, and both the Emperor and the Church denounce such love. Should Misahuen and Gallienus be discovered, the punishment is castration or death. Fearing he’ll lose Misahuen, Gallienus decides to go with Misahuen when he leaves the city forever.

A former farmer, Misahuen fled war-torn Korea and journeyed to Constantinople with a merchant caravan. He didn’t expect to take such an interest in a wounded soldier at journey’s end. But he understands the danger, so he and Gallienus join another caravan as guardsmen and begin a two-thousand-mile trip along the Silk Road. Now all they have to do is persevere to their final destination without the truth of their relationship being discovered and killed because of it… or by the other dangers along the Road.

Saturday's Spotlight: Ariel Tachna

Ariel Tachna

arieltachna (at) gmail (dot) com

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | AMAZON | DREAMSPINNER PRESS | TWITTER

BIO

Ariel Tachna lives outside of Houston with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat. Before moving there, she traveled all over the world, having fallen in love with both France, where she found her husband, and India, where she dreams of retiring some day. She’s bilingual with snippets of four other languages to her credit, and is as in love with languages as she is with writing.

OUTLAST THE NIGHT

Sequel to Chase the Stars

Lang Downs: Book Three

Office manager Sam Emery is unemployed and out of luck. When his emotionally abusive wife demands a divorce, he contacts the one person he has left, his brother, Neil. He doesn’t expect Neil to reject him, but he also doesn’t expect the news of his divorce—and of his sexuality—to be met with such acceptance.

Neil takes Sam to Lang Downs, the sheep station Neil calls home. There, Sam learns that life as a gay man isn’t impossible. Caine and Macklin, the station owners, certainly seem to be making it work. When Caine offers Sam a job, it’s a dream come true.

Jeremy Taylor leaves the only home he’s ever known when his brother’s homophobia becomes more than he can bear. He goes to the one place he knows he will be accepted: Lang Downs. He clicks with Sam instantly—but the animosity between Lang Downs and Jeremy’s home station runs deep, and the jackaroos won’t accept Jeremy without a fight. Between Sam’s insecurity and Jeremy’s precarious position, their road will be a hard one—and that’s without having to wait for Sam’s divorce to be final before starting a new life together.

EXCERPT

“Bloody hell,” Neil spat. “What is he doing here?”

Before Sam could ask what that meant, Neil was striding across the room. The man who had caught Sam’s eye saw him coming and stood, hands at his side but clearly braced for a fight. A third man, one who looked as hard as the granite beneath their feet, interrupted Neil’s progress. “Don’t blame one man for his brother’s faults.”

“What’s he doing here?” Neil repeated.

“Working,” the older man said. “Caine hired him this morning, so unless you want to argue with him over it, back off.”

Sam tensed, knowing how badly Neil reacted to those kinds of orders when his temper was high. His jaw dropped when Neil shook himself and took a step back. “If Caine hired him, I won’t make trouble, but if he starts anything, I will finish it.”

“That’s fair, Macklin,” the other man said from his place against the wall. “You know I’m not going to start anything, so as long as he keeps his word, we’ll be square.”

“I keep my word, Taylor,” Neil ground out. “Unlike some people.”

“Neil, that’s enough.” Another man entered the conversation, a younger one, with short dark hair and an American accent. Sam figured that must be Caine. “Jeremy asked for a place to stay and a job after he left Taylor Peak. I’ve given him that. I’d appreciate it if you respect that.”

“Yes, boss. I’m sorry.”

“Introduce me to your brother.”

“Caine, this is my brother, Sam. Sam, my boss, Caine Neiheisel.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Sam said, even though Caine was probably Sam’s age. He owed the man the roof over his head and maybe a job. Sam planned to mind his manners.

“Please, call me Caine. We aren’t formal here. Welcome to Lang Downs.”

“Thank you. I appreciate you letting me stay for a while.”

Caine smiled, and Sam felt warmth bloom inside at the kindness he saw there. It wasn’t sexual. Sam knew Caine was with Macklin, and if Macklin was indeed the man who had kept Neil from attacking Taylor, Caine wouldn’t look twice at someone like Sam. It felt almost familial, like he’d been adopted and hadn’t known it. “Get something to eat and get settled in tonight. Tomorrow I’d like to talk to you. I have some questions, and Neil thought you might be able to help.”

“I’m happy to help,” Sam said. “I don’t know a lot about sheep, but other than industry-specific regulations, the laws don’t vary that much from one business to another. I should be able to help you out. And if I can’t, I might know someone who can get the information we need.”

“Good to hear,” Caine said. “We’ll talk about it after breakfast tomorrow. Did Neil warn you what time the day starts around here?”

“No,” Sam said.

“Early,” Neil replied. “Breakfast is at five. You don’t have to come down then, but if you don’t, you’ll only get cold cereal. Kami has no patience with people who don’t get their lazy arses out of bed.”

“I’ll be up,” Sam said. “I don’t want anyone to have to go out of their way for me.”

“I’m going to finish my dinner,” Caine said. “I’ll look for you both in the morning.”

Sam turned back to Neil as Caine walked back to where he had been sitting before Neil exploded. Sam would ask again later about Taylor and the reasons behind Neil’s animosity. For now, the food smelled delicious, and Sam was getting hungry.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked, smiling at the aborigine behind the counter when he approached.

“Wombat curry,” the man—Kami, Sam thought Neil had said—replied.

“I’ve never had wombat before,” Sam said, holding his plate while Kami ladled a thick stew onto his plate.

“You aren’t having it now either,” Neil said. “It’s either beef or mutton, probably mutton. Kami likes to take the piss with blow-ins.”

“And I fell for it.”

“You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last,” Kami said. “You want some naan with the curry?”

“Kami makes it fresh,” Neil said. “It’s as good as anything you ever got in town.”

“Sure, I’ll have a piece,” Sam said. It wouldn’t hurt to get on Kami’s good side. The man would be feeding him for the foreseeable future. Better that Kami like him.

They found a seat at a table with several other men and a pretty woman who smacked Neil on the back of the head as soon as he sat down. “What was that?” she demanded.

“Not here, Molly, please,” Neil said.

Sam hid his snicker behind a bite of curry. He had never imagined Neil looking quite so henpecked. “Fine,” Molly said, “but we will discuss this when we get home.”

Neil looked so mortified that Sam took pity on him. “Hi,” he said, “I’m Sam, Neil’s brother.”

Molly looked like she wanted to smack Neil again. “No manners,” she muttered. “Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Molly. Welcome to Lang Downs.”

“Thank you. Everyone has been very kind.”

“It’s that kind of place,” Molly said, “which is why we’re going to discuss Neil’s outburst later. He’s second in line behind Macklin. He can’t go around acting stupid, or he’s going to lose his place.”

“It’s Jeremy Taylor,” Neil said. “What was I supposed to think?”

“That your bosses pay enough attention to who’s in their canteen to realize he was there and that if they know he’s there and don’t have a problem with it, you shouldn’t either?” Molly suggested.

“Taylor?” Sam repeated. “Like the neighboring station?”

“Yes, that Taylor,” Neil said. “Well, the younger brother, but that family. I said I wouldn’t start anything, and I won’t, but I don’t trust him. Devlin Taylor wouldn’t know good management if it bit him in the arse.”

Sam glanced at Taylor across the room, wondering what had led the other man to leave his home and come here instead. Taylor rose as Sam was looking that way, dumped his plate in the bin of dirty dishes, and headed outside. Sam couldn’t help but think the man looked lonely.

Thursday's Thirty: Isabelle Rowan

Isabelle Rowan

WEBSITE | DREAMSPINNER PRESS | AMAZON | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Today we have Aussie author Isabelle Rowan in the hot seat, answering Thursday's Thirty, and revealing a little bit about herself!

1.      Sinful or Sweet?

Definitely sinful – sweet gives me a headache!

2.      Night or Day?

Hmm. Early hours of the morning – I love that time just before dawn.

3.      Coffee or Tea?

Coffee – long and black. Although I do love peppermint tea.

4.      Leather or Lace?

I’m a black lace girl, especially when teamed with velvet.

5.      Chocolate or Sex?

Can I have both? If I have to choose… nah, still want both.

6.      Pajama movie night or Cocktails at the bar?

Definitely pajama movie night! I’m a total movie freak!

7.      Happily Ever After or Happy For Now?

Happy for now- I don’t think I’ve ever written a happily ever after even though there’s always hope.

8.      Ebook or Paperback?

There’s something very special about holding a book, so paperback.

9.      Star Trek or Star Wars?

Trek!!!

10.  Dogs or Cats?

Cats – slinky oriental cats.

11.  Fruit or Chocolate?

Chocolate – preferably dark.

12.  Hero or Heroine?

Hero – like Aragorn.

13.  Twilight or True Blood?

I like my vampires with bite so True Blood all the way.

14.  Fantasy or Sci-Fi?

That’s tough because I love both. Fantasy maybe, but only just.

15.  Hard or Soft? —interpret that as you wish ;-)

Hard body, soft heart?

16.  Sweet or Savory?

Savory.

17.  Gold or Silver?

Luckily I like silver because I can’t afford gold.

18.  Vampire or Werewolf?

Vampires – I’ve always had a thing for vampires.

19.  Werewolf or Shifter?

I think werewolf – darker and more dangerous for some reason.

20.  Contemporary or Paranormal?

Paranormal, although I write more contemporary.

21.  Love or Lust?

Love. *blush*

22.  Naughty or Nice?

But isn’t naughty nice?

23.  Christmas or Halloween?

Halloween! So much more fun.

24.  Beer or Wine?

Wine, although I’m not much use after one glass!

25.  Games Of Throne or Spartacus?

Oh my God, I love Game of Thrones!

26.  International or Home Grown?

Home grown I think. Most of my characters are home grown Aussies.

27.  Movie or TV Show?

TV series – long ones that come in box sets! I don’t sleep much.

28.  Brains or Brawn?

Brains. Give me a geek.

29.  City or Country?

Country. Cities are for visiting, not living.

30.  Piercing or Tattoos?

Tattoos – I have several and am always adding to them. Ink combined my two loves; vampires and tattoos! Plus Daniel in The Red Heart was a tattooist.

The Red Heart

An ex-soldier and an urban Goth walk into a desert. It sounds like the start of a joke, but for Sam Collins and Daniel Evans, it is the beginning of their story. Daniel walks to shed his drug-filled past and make himself whole. But Sam, who hides the demons of war behind a smile, needs Daniel more than either man knows. An old stockman’s wisdom sends them on their journey together, a long hard road to find Australia’s sacred Red Heart and—perhaps—each other.