I’m blown away to learn that Carnevale and A Gilded Cage have been awarded an Honorable Mention in this year’s Rainbow Awards, meaning that a judge has given them a rating of 36 or higher out of 40.

This pair of short stories was written on a large canvass with vivid imagery.  The sights, sounds, and smells of Venice of long ago and the beautiful countryside vineyard are detailed and brief as to let the reader see what they will as the story progresses.  What takes center stage is the true sexual awakening of Perry, a young gentleman from England, and his attachment to Jack, the former Englishman that can’t go home.

I’ve been tagged for this Fabulous Five blog hop by the equally fabulous Chris T Kat, whose latest book Tidal Change is now available from Dreamspinner.

What am I working on?

What I’m hoping to get to work on in the next few days is the final book in the Strength of the Pack series — Karl’s story. I wanted to start it as soon as I finished Blowing Off Steam, but things that were happening in the non-fictional world had to take priority.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I think that’s more for a reader to answer than it is for me. I can talk until the cows come home about characteristics of my work, but whether those differentiate it from others in the m/m genre, I really couldn’t say.  If anyone would like to venture an opinion, I’d love to hear! 🙂

Why do I write what I do?

I write M/M because I find the dynamics within M/M relationships fascinating. I read and enjoy M/F on occasion, but I don’have a particular interest in writing it. I struggle to come up with a female main character who interests me (though I love having strong female characters in supporting roles where the story permits) and on the odd occasion I’ve mused over a M/F plotline I’ve ended up entangled in all society’s baggage about gender roles.

As for the genres I write within M/M – I write whatever story comes to me at the time, and I can rarely tell in advance what that is going to be. I never expected to write one about trains, for example, though in retrospect I probably could have predicted the Masquerade series, with my love of all things Regency. I know it’s not exactly a Regency, being the tail end of the Georgian period and set in Venice, but it’s close enough.

How does my writing process work?

I tend to write in very short, concentrated bursts, then take a break doing something completely different (often just sitting quietly, with no stimuli) and wait for the next part to become ordered in my subconscious until it’s ready to be told. I try to capture concepts and feelings as they flow rather than get the sentence structure perfect, which means my first draft is a bit of a mess.

I always have a plan for the book in mind – I’m wary of starting one without knowing how it’s going to end, in case I write myself into a corner – but I don’t plan it all out in minute detail. Probably because half of the time the characters end up doing things that I hadn’t allowed for!  I often end up with themes emerging that I hadn’t expected.

Those who are paying attention will realise I’ve stopped at four questions rather than five. That’s because the fifth element is tagging someone else for this blog hop, but it seems as if I am the last person in the world to have done it!