Cindy Spencer Pape and J.M. Snyder
Interview: May 02, 2008
Wildfire would like to welcome authors Cindy Spencer Pape and J.M. Snyder.
Cindy Spencer Pape
Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?
Cindy: Seriously writing? About nine years. Making up stories in my head? My whole life. The catalyst to taking a real shot at it was having a job that occasionally required me to be at my desk, but with nothing to do. Had a computer, so why not give this writing thing a shot?
Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants, or a combination of both?
Cindy: Mostly I just wing it, but as I go I do make a kind of bullet point outline for things that should probably happen at a given time. Usually only one or two bullets a chapter, and even those tend to be awfully fluid.
Julie: What influenced you to get published? How long did it take for your first book to get published?
Cindy: I always WANTED to get published. It was more a matter of convincing them that they wanted me. It took me about six years to find the right home for the right books, then I sold 3 to 3 different publishers, almost at the same time.
Julie: When you write, is atmosphere important? For example, do you use mood music or candles? Do you need complete quiet to concentrate?
Cindy: Not a bit. I could write through a riot. I've written on planes, sitting in the orthodontist office waiting for a kid, anywhere. I once wrote a whole book longhand in a 10 cent spiral notebook that I carried every day as a substitute teacher. I'd work on it during movies or while classes did assignments, but mostly at lunch. Actually dead silence is probably the hardest for me to deal with. I turn on travel channel and ignore it all day if I'm home alone.
Julie: What are the elements of a great romance for you?
Cindy: The HEA is the one critical thing. Without that, I'm not a happy camper. You also need great characters that are both sexy and flawed. Chemistry is vital, and a plot line that keeps you interested.
Julie: Do you plan on attending any conferences, chats, or book signings? If so, when and where?
Cindy: I just got back from the Romantic Times convention in Pittsburgh, which was wonderful. Can't wait to go again next year in Orlando. I'm hoping to do several book signings around Michigan or nearby states this year, but have no details at this time.
Julie: Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?
Cindy: It happens to all of us. Sometimes I switch to a different project for a while. That can help. So can taking a notebook and a pen and writing somewhere different for a while—whether my back yard if the weather is nice or a coffee shop if it's snowing. And sometimes you just force yourself to get through the scene that's causing trouble, even if you have to do it one sentence at a time.
Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?
Cindy: I can't write dim or ditsy characters. They drive me crazy. And try as I might, I can't seem to write without humor, so I'd say both brains and a sense of humor are required. Other than that? They have to be sexy, at least to each other—a lot of my characters are far from traditionally gorgeous, but they have to flip the switches of their counterpart. And they have to have flaws. Perfect people are horribly annoying and no fun to root for.
Julie: The editing process is so critical. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of the editor/author relationship?
Cindy: Communication and trust. You have to be able to trust your editor to know how to bring out the best in your book. And both parties have to communicate openly for that kind of relationship to work. I've been VERY fortunate with my editors.
Julie: Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress?
Cindy: Drive my husband crazy? Bang my head on the kitchen table? Actually I love deadlines. I'm not so disciplined without them, so they're great for me. Keep me moving.
Julie: If you weren't writing romance, what would you be writing?
Cindy: Fantasy, more than likely. Or SF. I'm still a great big geek.
Julie: What's next for you?
Cindy: Well, I've got two more books in my gargoyle series for Ellora's Cave. I've been working on some other urban fantasy romance projects, which I love. And definitely more of my Southern Michigan University geek books. Those are really close to my heart. And for any of you have read them, yes, my SMU is fictional, but the Irish Hills are real. Beautiful place and perfect setting for a university loaded with geeks and magic.
Backlist:
Love at the Crazy H #1: The Cowboy's Christmas Bride, The Wild Rose Press
Love at the Crazy H #2: Crazy for the Cowboy, The Wild Rose Press
Dragon in the System, Cerridwen Press
Beltaine Bargain, The Wild Rose Press
Between a Rock and a Hard-On, Ellora's Cave
Curses, The Wild Rose Press
One Good Man with Lacey Thorn, Ellora's Cave
Djinni and the Geek, Ellora's Cave
Stone and Earth, Ellora's Cave
Teach Me, Ellora's Cave
Coming soon:
Love at the Crazy H #3: Always a Cowboy, The Wild Rose Press
Stone and Sea, Ellora's Cave
Three for All, Ellora's Cave
Sorcerer's Song, in Ellora's Cavemen, Jewels of the Nile Vol.III, Ellora's Cave
Heart of the Bear, Total-E-Bound
Links:
Website:
Myspace:
Newsletter Group:
Blog: Oh Get a Grip:
Blog: Goddesses of Storytelling:
J.M. Snyder
Julie: Tell us a little bit about your latest release.
JM: My latest story is Conflict of Interest, published April 2008 by Torquere Press. It's a story of first love. Alex is volunteering for the summer with an outreach program, taking the summer off from studying music at a local community college. When Father Nate calls him and asks him to work with Jamie as a big brother, Alex envisions a little kid and maybe some hero worship. He's not expecting the beautiful young man only two years younger than he is.
Jamie's hot. Very hot, and even if he is eighteen, Alex feels guilty lusting after the kid. But Alex is sending some very mixed signals, and Jamie is getting pretty frustrated with the waiting. Will it take a catastrophe to make these two see that they might be right for each other?
Julie: When a new book comes out, are you nervous about how readers will react to it?
JM.: No, not really. I have two beta readers who read my finished stories prior to my submitting them for publication, and I self-edit as well, so I know the story is the best it can be when the publisher receives it. But even then, there will be some readers who may not like it, for whatever reason. I realize this. I don't like every book I read, and I'm not naïve enough to think every reader will love my stories, either. But I really appreciate those who do. J
Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?
JM: I started writing when I was around 8 years old—not gay fiction, of course, but stories I had in my mind that I wanted to share with others. As long as I've been able to read, I've wanted to be a writer. I never really finished much of what I started when I was younger, but in high school I became serious about writing and began my first novel.
When that was finished, I worked on several short stories, some of which were published. After college, I grew disillusioned with writing—it's very hard to break into fantasy, and that's what I was writing. One day I complained that teenagers who wrote 'N Sync slash fan fiction wrote more than I did. With that in mind, I set out in search of such fiction, only to discover I couldn't find any I liked. So I said well damn, I'll write it myself.
For two years, I wrote slash or homoerotic fan fiction. Then I thought, why not try my hand at original fiction again? Gay fiction, as that's what was in my heart. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants, or a combination of both?
JM: I don't outline. I have to know enough of the story to get started—the characters, of course, and the first few scenes—but if I know everything that's going to happen, then I get bored with the story and don't bother writing to the end. I prefer to get the story started and then let the plot and the characters take over.
Julie: Most people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. What's the most unglamorous thing that you've done in the past week?
JM: Ha! I have two cats and live alone, so every night I have to clean out the litter box. If that's not unglamorous, I don't know what is!
Julie: What books are currently on your nightstand?
JM: I read a lot of nonfiction—you never know what might spark a story. At the moment I'm reading Uppity Women of Ancient Times, and after that I have lined up Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Ca$h, which I'll review for my GLBT book review site, Rainbow Reviews.
Julie: How long does it take you to finish a book from start to submission?
J.M: It really depends. Some stories practically write themselves—my Between States series, which are novella length stories about werecat shifters on opposing sides of the American Civil War, only took a few weeks to write. But some stories prove harder to write; The Bonds of Love took six months.
Julie: Do you remember the first romance novel that you read?
JM: Probably the Golden Urchin by Madeleine Brent. I was in middle school at the time, a huge reader of fantasy stories, but I was also fascinated by Australia—the land, the culture, its people. The librarian at my school suggested this story because it was about a young girl who was living with Aborigines and was taken in by a European man and his wife. They sent the girl to a boarding school, where she grew into a proper "lady", but years later when she met the man again, his wife had passed and she discovered she'd been in love with him all along. It's really quite a good story.
Julie: Do you prefer writing series books over non series or does it matter?
JM: Actually I'm not a fan of series. I understand why people like them, but I prefer to write novels, get the characters out of my system, and move on. Unfortunately it takes me quite a while to actually finish a novel-length story, so I write a lot of short stories, as well. I don't foresee myself writing a lot of series, but I've had several requests from readers to revisit certain characters, so I do plan to write follow-up stories for them.
Julie: What's next for you?
JM: I've set myself a ton of deadlines this year. I have several novella-length stories to write for Amber Quill Press, for inclusion in upcoming "Amber Pax" collections, and my two series (The Positions of Love and Working Man) will continue through December 2008. I also plan to try my luck with gay "YA" or young adult fiction, which I'll write under a pen name. And I'd like to return to a novel sometime soon, though I haven't really thought it out much yet. Whatever the future holds, I know I'll keep writing .
An author of gay erotic/romantic fiction, J. M. Snyder began self-publishing gay erotic fiction in 2002 and released several books in trade paperback format. Recently, Snyder has moved into the world of e-publishing, working with Aspen Mountain Press, Amber Quill Press, and Torquere Press. Snyder's short gay fiction has been published online at Ruthie's Club, Tit-Elation, and Amazon Shorts, as well as in anthologies published by Aspen Mountain Press, Cleis Press, and Alyson Books.
Backlist:
Operation Starseed, iUniverse
Scarred: Four Novellas, iUniverse
Power Play, iUniverse
Vince, Lulu Press
Bones of the Sea, Lulu Press
It's All Relative, Lulu Press
Shorts, Lulu Press
Trin, Aspen Mountain Press
Henry and Jim, Amazon Shorts
Just What the Doctor Ordered, Aspen Mountain Press
Stepping Up to the Plate, Lulu Press
Between Brothers, Lulu
Scarred, Aspen Mountain Press
Caught Off Base, Amazon Shorts
Persistence of Memory, Amber Quill Press
On the Down Low, Aspen Mountain Press
Under a Confederate Moon, Amber Quill Press
World Enough and Time, Torquere Press
The Powers of Love, Amber Quill Press
War Torn, Aspen Mountain Press
Matching Tats, Amber Quill Press
Working Man (series), Aspen Mountain Press
Beneath a Yankee Sky, Amber Quill Press
Crushed, Amber Quill Press
Undertow, Aspen Mountain Press
No Apologies, Aspen Mountain Press
The Positions of Love (series), Amber Quill Press
Afflicted, Torquere Press
The Bonds of Love, Amber Quill Press
The Regent's Knight, Amber Quill Press
Conflict of Interest, Torquere Press
My short stories have appeared in the following anthologies:
Creatures of the Night, Creatures of Delight, Aspen Mountain Press
Babes in Toyland, Aspen Mountain Press
Cupid's Arrow, Aspen Mountain Press
Country Boys, Cleis Press
My First Time Volume 5, Alyson Books
Best Gay Love Stories: Summer Flings, Alyson Books
Best Gay Romance 2008, Cleis Press
Coming soon:
Tricked Out, Aspen Mountain Press
With This Ring, Amber Quill Press
Forever After, Amber Quill Press
Before the Show, Torquere Press
All Shook Up, Amber Quill Press
On Company Time, Amber Quill Press
Beautiful Liar, Amber Quill Press
Wanted, Amber Quill Press
A More Perfect Union, Amber Quill Press
Between States (series paperback), Amber Quill Press
Beautiful Disaster, Amber Quill Press
Stealing Second, Amber Quill Press
The Positions of Love (series paperback), Amber Quill Press
My short stories will be appearing in the following anthologies:
Best Gay Bondage Erotica, Cleis Press
Boys in Heat, Cleis Press
The Queer Collection 2008, Fabulist Flash Press
Links:
Website
Blog
LiveJournal
MySpace
Yahoo! Group
Rainbow Reviews
My "Vic & Matt" website
If you would like to request an interview, please send a query to info@allromanceebooks.com
Until next time!
Julie Cummings
Wildfire Interview Coordinator
All Romance eBooks
Dragon In Heat by Missy Lyons
This story is rated 4 flames. It contains explicit love scenes described using graphic and direct language. Read at your own discretion.
The heat was unbearable. Alyssa's skin felt like it was on fire, and every brush of the clothing against her skin made her needs increase, and her sexual frustration erupt. She needed a man or she was going to die, the mating heat was too intense. That was all she could think of, was the impending desire and the need to be touched, to be used. She needed to be fucked senseless.
She quickly shed her night clothes in a pile by the bed, and her fingers strayed to her inner heat. She circled the moist center of her desire entering herself with urgent strokes. It wasn't enough, to sate her desires. She needed a man, and knew what her body was doing to her. She was in a full mating heat cycle, and without a man, she would be left in excruciating agony. Any would do, but she only wanted one man between her thighs servicing her needs in this way, and that was her husband, Xanther.
As if he could sense her need, he came to her. She was barely conscious of the door opening and closing. Nothing mattered, until she felt the weight of his body upon her own. The pressure of his muscled body felt too good to resist writhing her frame against his. In the dark, she could still see the silhouette of his face, his nostrils flare at the sight of her hungry face. She spread her legs, wrapping them around his thighs, urgently pressing herself up against his hard cock.
"You're in heat."
"I know. Take me." She spread her legs in an invitation, stroking one of his legs with her toes.
"I had no idea, or I wouldn't have wasted time bringing breakfast to bed."
"We'll eat later, just fuck me now, please." She worked at the buttons to his pants, freeing his strong throbbing member and stroking it fervently. The heat was growing so intense. She could smell the fire. "I need you so bad."
"I am at your service, wife." He stood for a moment, and she had to stop herself from clutching at him to keep his skin next to hers. So she worked at her clit, massaging the small nub and two of her fingers slid in and out of her wet hole, imagining it was him inside of her filling her to her core. He stripped himself and then he was upon her, kissing her, and his large dick pushed deep into her inner womb, stretching her to her limit. She cried out with the beauty of it, and the delicious pain that caused her to want more. The need that made her grind against him as he pulled in and out of her. She had known sex with him before, but never in heat.
"I can't stop the fire this time." Her voice was throaty and raw, and her lips were kissing him, biting at him, as he pumped into her. The smell of fire and sex permeated the air, burning desire, and burning sheets. It was a curse of being a dragon.
"Then we'll go to the sand beds until your heat is over, but for now, just enjoy it." He would take her to the underground chamber where dragons mated, and there he would mate in her true form as well as this one, but he knew he had to take the edge off her heat now. He had to possess her, and lay claim before any other males were tempted to interrupt, and there might be some, if he wasn't the Crowned Prince. A female dragon in heat would call men to her within a mile distance, so great was their need to mate and to procreate.
He pumped mercilessly into her over and over until she cried out; her legs quivered under him as she came, juices spilling freely, easing the way of his entrance. Waves of ecstasy crashed over her, as she was temporarily released from her need. Mercilessly he pumped her, still hungry with a desire to mate her. His seed spilled into her and her body spasmed around his cock milking him dry. He lay inside of her, and he could feel his cock pulse with the last of his desire and awaken with a new hunger as she began to writhe against him once more.
"Does this mean I could end up being with child?"
"If we do it right, it does." His heart swelled with pride at the idea of being a father, and of watching his wife grow big with a child in her belly. It had been too many years since a dragon in his clan had a child, but with the shortage of women, the children had been growing fewer and fewer over the years until it seemed there would be no more. He could feel himself harden again in anticipation of their repeated mating over the next few days.
"Shall we try again?"
"Again, and again. Practice makes perfect." She smiled up at him lovingly.
Missy hates to write about herself in third person, but she does it for these fun little biographies. She has been writing since childhood, but has been attempting to write for the romance industry for the last six years with a great response from her readers. She writes multiple genres, and has been loving researching European history as several of her newest stories take place in France. Hopefully you will see those in the near future.
Backlist:
39 And Holding Him, Phaze Publishing
Blood Ties, Phaze Publishing
Bound by Desire, Phaze Publishing
Boyfriend for Hire, Whispers Publishing
Closing the Deal, Phaze Publishing
Dragon Heat, Red Rose Publishing
Naughty or Nice, Whispers Publishing
A Warrior's Woman, Whispers Publishing
Coming Soon:
Gold Fever, Phaze Publishing
Links:
website
myspace
yahoo group
blog
Submissions to The Weekly Sizzle should be sent to Sizzle@allromanceebooks.com. We are looking for original short stories, 1-5 flames, 200-2000 words.
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