Please welcome Kay, who has generously offered to give one lucky commentor an ebook!
How
did you start your writing career?
I
wanted to be an author as soon as I could write. I wrote little story books as a child, but
that fizzled out at school and university when I threw myself into my love of
history and I trained to be a professional historian. But it was no good – in the end, I just
preferred making things up. Even when studying, I poured out fanfic at a rate
of knots. Then, two years ago, I wrote Bound
for the Forest to please myself rather than anything else but that story came
together well for me, and everything spilled happily from there.
Tell
us about your favorite character from your books.
Oh,
it’s so hard to choose a favorite. I
love Simon in my recent release, Simon,
Sex, and the Solstice Stone. He’s a
shy, geeky history student, so I guess he has more in common with me than any
other character I’ve written background-wise, though in some ways he’s very
different. At the start of the story,
though he knows he’s gay, he’s not sure he’d even ‘in’ to sex!
If
I had to pick a favorite pair of lovers, I’d plump for Tam and Herne the Hunter
from Bound to the Beast. Tam is feisty and clever, and as for Herne –
what’s not to love about a brooding fifteen-hundred-year-old immortal spirit
who shifts to sport the antlers of a stag when his passions are stirred?
Where
do you dream of traveling to and why?
I’m
really lucky in that I get to travel around the world with my husband, who’s
involved in international medical research projects. This year, I’ve been to
Mallorca, Montreal, Florence, Dubrovnik, and Berlin – and each place has
stunned me in a different way. However, though I flew over Maine on the way to
Canada, I’ve never been to the USA. Next year, Washington and Seattle might
well be on the agenda and I can’t wait.
I guess that proving to myself that America isn’t just the magical place
they made up for the movies and TV is my dream ;)
Does travel play in the writing of your books?
Though
I travel all over the world, my books so far have all been inspired by local
landscapes. The Greenwood series (Bound
for the Forest and Bound to the
Beast) is set in a fantasy version of the New Forest, which is about
fifteen minutes drive to the west of where I live. An ancient royal hunting
ground, the New Forest is rich with stories of fair folk, ghosts, and bloody legends about murdered kings and princes, on
whom the poor folk of the forest—or the forest itself?—have sought revenge for
strict hunting laws. Catching Kit, my first contemporary
paranormal, was set in the center of London, and in the suburbs where I grew
up. For my latest release, Simon, Sex,
and the Solstice Stone, I was inspired by the ancient stone circles of
Wiltshire, Stonehenge and Avebury, which are about an hour’s drive from where I
live now. Simon, the hero of the story, lives in the old medieval city of
Southampton itself, in walking distance from my apartment.
Tell us about your current release.
Simon,
Sex, and the Solstice Stone, is about a lonely, geeky history
student who meets the man of his dreams in the middle of a stone circle that
he’s studying. One problem – the amazing
guy, Aubrey, claims to be a time traveler from 1647, and despite their mutual
attraction, Aubrey’s desperate to get home before Christmas. What’s more, his method of shifting through
time involves outdoor sexual rituals at the stone circle, and shy Simon’s not
entirely sure he’s up for it—particularly as he’s trying to resist falling in
love with this man who seems desperate just to shag and leave him. So there’s
all sorts of trouble ahead for my guys, particularly when Simon realizes
Aubrey’s getting home might just be a matter of life and death.
Tell us about your next release.
I’m working on the third novel in my m/m paranormal Greenwood series—the ones based on the
myths and legends of the New Forest. The first book in the series, Bound for the Forest, is set in the
nineteenth century in the spring; the second, Bound to the Beast, is set in the sixteenth century in the
summer. Number three, provisionally
titled Lord of the Forest, is set in
the twelfth century in the autumn—so I’m going back in time, but forward
through the seasons.
The books can also be read in any order, though certain
themes that unite them. Now I think of it, one of those is al fresco
lovemaking, so maybe that is a common theme of all of my books as there’s a
fair bit in Simon, Sex, and the Solstice Stone! Anyway, I’m having great fun writing the
medieval period, and while Bound to the
Beast was the tale of the brooding, mythical alpha male, Herne the Hunter, Lord of the Forest features another
famous Greenwood legend, Robin Hood.
When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?
I
always write during the day, and my first rule in having a productive one is
turning off the internet. With no distractions, I can get five or so hours of
solid writing done on a good day. That can be anything between two and four
thousand words, depending on how things are flowing.
What
is the hardest part of writing your books?
Hmmm,
that’s a tough one! For Simon, Sex, and the Solstice Stone I
had a real struggle with the passages where the characters get to know each
other at the start—mainly because I was trying to get my head around how a guy
from 1647 would react to suddenly arrive in 2012! Usually, the beginning is the
easiest part. Fight and action scenes
are often the toughest, or scenes involving a lot of characters. In Bound to the Beast I wrote scenes
involving the Wild Hard, an army of the living dead. Describing all their ghoulish appearances and
actions was headache-inducing task.
Where
do you research for your books?
For
historical settings, I’m a firm believer in history books. The internet doesn’t quite cut it—there’s so
many dodgy sources and misquotes, so I like to do my research the traditional
way. That said, very little of the
research ever makes it into the books, but it’s good to have the background in
my head.
What
does your family think of your writing career?
My
‘other half’ is great and reads all my stuff – he even acts as a consultant on
various ‘issues.’ My parents are also
very supportive, and my mum has read some of my stories, though nothing too
sexy as that would just be weird. She
does tend to tell everyone about it, though—including my former infant school
teacher, who is a good friend of hers and who asked for a signed copy of my
recent paperback release, Bound for the
Forest. As she was new to the m/m
and possibly the erotic romance genre, I suggested she tried Catching Kit, my tale of elves and elf
catchers first. If she likes that, I figured she might be ready for the magic,
bondage, and rather kinkier action of Bound
for the Forest (mind you, Catching Kit is kinky enough. Eeeep!)
Plotter
or Pantser? Why?
Oh,
plotter, because otherwise I’d worry too much that it was going to turn out a
disaster! I’ve always known roughly where I was going when I’ve started my
books, with the exception of Bound for
the Forest, my one ‘Pantser’ book, but I wrote that for myself rather than
specifically for publication. I don’t stick religiously to my plans, but once
I’ve got a firm idea, there will be little changes, but not usually major ones.
But never say never! I know how the third Greenwood novel will end, but there
might still be some surprises on the journey for me. I hope so J
Simon, Sex, and the
Solstice Stone (published by Loose Id, m/m, paranormal, time travel, 45k).
Blurb:
Simon’s holiday season is looking grim. His boyfriend’s dumped him, and his
self-esteem is rock bottom. Stuck in the UK where nobody celebrates
Thanksgiving, the shy, geeky student drowns his sorrows at an ancient stone
circle. When a gorgeous stranger, Aubrey, shows up and attempts to seduce him,
Simon is flattered but also freaked—especially when Aubrey claims to be from an
historic sex cult who’d uncovered the true powers of the circle. It’s a time
machine. Aubrey intended to travel back three hundred and sixty-five days, but
an error propelled him forward three hundred and sixty-five years into a world
alien to him.
Simon
reluctantly takes the lost time traveler under his wing, and Aubrey teaches
Simon the ways of sex, love, and magic. Simon’s never felt so alive, but as
their bond grows, Aubrey remains determined to perform a dangerous ritual and
return home at the winter solstice. Fearing he’s no more to Aubrey than a
sexual sacrifice, Simon must discover the dark secrets of Aubrey’s pagan past.
Only then can Simon choose between risking all for the man he loves or a lonely
Christmas without him.
Excerpt:
They crumpled to the shower floor, Simon boneless in
Aubrey’s arms. They panted as one. “Sweet heavens,” murmured Aubrey at length.
“I have never known such fire. I don’t quite know what possessed me.” He
planted a kiss on the top of Simon’s head. “Apart from you.”
“Mmmmm.” His afterglow fading, Simon clung to the
pleasant feel of Aubrey holding him. For a few minutes it satisfied.
But then all that blood rushed back from his cock to his
brain, and he tensed.
“Are you well?” asked Aubrey. Gently he touched Simon’s
chin, urging him to look up. “Was I too rough?”
“No, I’m fine.” Simon’s headache came thundering back,
though he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with Aubrey. The man had given him
nothing he hadn’t wanted, but now a certain question begged harder than ever.
He forced it out.
“Aubrey, I need to know. Were you trying to travel back
in time to save a lover?”
“No.” Simon sagged into him with guilty relief. “A
little before the last harvest, some soldiers came to our farm. I was away,
fighting for the very same side, but they accused our people, who’d never
harmed a soul, of witchcraft. Of devil worship.”
Simon’s jealousy felt suddenly wrong. He extracted
himself and rose, wrapping himself tightly in a towel. “I’m so sorry.”
“So am I. They took away many of my friends. I must warn
them. You see why I have to go home?”
Aubrey’s words ripped into him, raw and real, leaving
him bewildered. He could only start to imagine what awful fate Aubrey’s
companions had met. Torture, a stripping to search for the mark of Satan, or
maybe a lashing. Possibly they were bound, then plunged into a cold, icy river,
and the end result had probably been a slow, lingering death by hanging. Simon
might not want to live as the Gildskipe had, but he doubted they deserved such
a fate.
No wonder Aubrey had taken the risk of going back. So
much for the frightened puppy Simon had rescued this morning. The man was a
bloody hero.
A horrible feeling of inadequacy rose within. “I better
get the food. Come down when you’re ready. We need to talk about the winter
solstice, right?”
After drying himself and dressing in his room, Simon
rushed downstairs. He located a bottle of decent Bordeaux, two old-fashioned
pewter goblets, which he reckoned would make Aubrey feel at home, and some tall
red candles in white pottery candlesticks. His actions did nothing to stop the
bedlam restarting in his brain. What on earth had he just allowed to happen?
He’d learned only one thing for certain. Aubrey had plenty of other people he
cared about, including numerous lovers, and would never be for keeps.
Fuck
it. What does that matter? I enjoyed it. He seemed to enjoy it too. Maybe I’m
not quite as useless a lover as Pete made out.
But it didn’t make things any easier. What might he not
be able to refuse this man next?
All the same he found himself keener than ever to
please. He divided the turkey meal onto two plates, with the additional
vegetables and some quick-cook Yorkshire puddings, only slightly charred, and
arranged all of it neatly on a large tray. He carried the dinner to the coffee
table in the lounge. Aubrey had dressed and sat waiting on the sofa, his long
legs stretched out beneath the table.
Well, it wasn’t the Thanksgiving Simon had anticipated,
but hey, he wasn’t alone. He just hoped Gran would forgive him his choice of
predinner entertainment.
My website: http://kayberrisford.com/
