I've been dreaming about writing a book for, well, ever. But as it is so often with dreams, reality got in the way in the shape of a mind-numbing day job and an enormous lack of inspiration.

Then—rather unexpectedly, I admit—a very generous muse made an appearance in my life, hand in hand with an incredibly persistent character's appearance in my head. They just wouldn't be ignored and, although it came as a bit of a surprise that said character was gay, it explains a lot.

From that night on, writing took on a dynamic of its own. I've become the willing slave to all those fascinating characters who want their stories told and keep turning up sometimes faster than I can take notes. This has resulted in several manuscripts at various stages of completion, so I'm always working on clearing some much-needed headspace and giving all the gorgeous guys who live in there the happy ever afters they deserve.

My characters often have a dramatic, sometimes even traumatic past and have to overcome some mostly internal conflicts to be with the one they love. The fact that they tend to get quite a bit of naughty action along the way is, well, a very nice side effect.

Q: What does a typical writing day look like for you?

A: I don't have a typical writing day as such. Like so many others, I'm not a full-time author, much as I wish I were. So I usually write in every available moment that I can snatch away from the rest of my life—and I do mean every. I've written some astonishingly dirty scenes in doctors' waiting rooms, believe it or not.

Mostly I write in the evenings and at night though. I adore the atmosphere when it's all silent and dark around me and I can focus entirely on my story. Also, both my muse and I have insomniac tendencies so we often meet in those quiet hours between dusk and dawn.

 

Q: Where do you get your inspirations from?

A: Usually my characters find me and their story simply unravels in my head as I'm writing it down. I hardly ever go after them actively. Frequently, it starts with just a few words, a significant phrase or a key scene which then triggers the rest. One of my longest novels was inspired by no more than just one term, in fact.

 

Q: Does what you read influence your own writing?

A: Definitely. Not long ago, I read a book by one of my favourite authors, Harper Fox, and I just couldn’t seem to stop writing after that. The story line was there and the characters were so clear and real inside my head I thought I could hear them walk, not just talk the way they usually do. The result was a sixty thousand word novel completed in less than four weeks—with a lot going on in my alter ego's life during that time as well.

 

Q: Does music influence your writing, too?

A: Yes, very much so. Although I can write in virtually any situation, I find that it works best when I'm listening to music. It creates a different flow and some of my books even have their own soundtrack. That's a rare thing to happen, but it does.

 

Q: Do you ever suffer from writer's block?

A: No, not really. I sometimes feel a little burned out, or drained, perhaps. It's as though I have spilled pretty much all of the words I have in me. In those moments, reading a few pages or an entire book has proven to be the best way to get me back on track.

 

Q: What does being a writer mean to you?

A: Ooh, nice one. A lot. Not quite the world, but very nearly.

 

Q: Why?

A: I've found that writing gives me access to an entirely different side of myself, one that I never really knew existed, or at least, that I never knew how to unleash.

To me, writing is also highly addictive. So much so in fact, that I'm finding it harder not to write than to do it. Seriously, forcing me to go two days without writing something makes me jittery.

 

Q: Why did you choose erotic romance?

A: I didn’t. My characters just enjoy their romps and being deliciously naughty.

 

Q: And you don’t?

A: You're not seriously asking me that, are you?

 

Q: How come your characters are all gay?

A: Honestly, I've no idea. They just are. But personally, I think that the dynamic in same-sex relationships is much more intriguing than the one you usually find when you look at heterosexual couples. Besides, I like the visuals better.

 

Q: You talk about your muse a lot. Do you believe there is a higher power that enables you towrite?

A: Funny. A friend asked me something like that just a couple of days ago. Although, I believe the genre I write in had him think of diabolical demons rather than a higher power.

I know that, when it comes to writing, there is something going on which I can't quite grasp. Whether that's a higher power, diabolical demons or just my own twisted subconscious peeking out of the abyss that is my mind, I do not know. Until I do, I prefer to blame it on my muse. Not least because it's the alternative which is easiest to explain. Whatever it is though, I'm immensely grateful for it.

 

Q: What's the worst aspect about book publishing in your opinion?

A: Waiting. Patience is a virtue, but none of mine. When I first got involved with book publishing, I felt like I was really being put to the test. However, I think I've relaxed a bit since, and the pacing of bringing out new stories has definitely improved, too.

 

Q: And what's the best part?

A: Receiving feedback from a reader who enjoyed one of my stories. The first time someone sent me an e-mail to thank me for my book, I was close to weeping with joy. The only reason I didn’t was because it was two in the morning and my beloved would have killed me if I had.

It's an indescribable feeling when a reader contacts me and tells me that they like what I've written. It means that I'm not the only one who gets something out of all those lonely hours spent typing.

Apart from that, I adore every step along the way. The writing process as such, hitting 'save' for the final time when I've completed a manuscript and pressing 'send' when I submit it. Not to mention those moments when a story is accepted for publication, when I see a cover for the first time and ultimately, of course, every single release day is a thrill.

But still, knowing that someone out there actually appreciates what I do is an exhilarating feeling!

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