Wildfire would like to welcome authors Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael.

Mychael Black

Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

Mychael: Professionally, since around 2005. Overall, for as long as I can remember. I've always had a love of language and books, so it only seemed natural to try my hand at writing.

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants, or a combination of both?

Mychael: Little bit of both. Most of the time, it's a fly by the seat of my pants process. I usually only do an outline when I'm some ways into a story and need to plot out (roughly) where I need/want to go with it.

Julie: How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author?

Mychael: Everything. It's why I write—to touch lives, somehow, some way. I treasure feedback from my readers.

Julie: When you write, is atmosphere important? For example, do you use mood music or candles? Do you need complete quiet to concentrate?

Mychael: I tend to have music on, but that's mainly to drown out everything else. Quiet is a nonexistent concept in this house, so yeah, headphones are a godsend.

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Mychael: I'd love to win a Lambda Literary Award one of these days. Aside from that, it'd be nice to be a household name in gay fiction. *grins*

Julie: Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Mychael: Lord, yes. I have what we authors refer to as "Writer's ADD". I can't focus on one story for too long. At any given point, I have about five stories (of varying lengths) in the works at one time.

Julie: There are so many publishers out there, how do you decide who to submit your work to?

Mychael: I look at authors with that publisher, books coming soon, the websites themselves (are they nice and easy to navigate, etc). I do my homework and sit back to watch other authors comment on them. I also check places like Piers Anthony and Predators & Editors for any red flags.

Julie: Describe the space where you write.

Mychael: Cluttered. *laughs* School papers from both kids; mail (unopened and not); the usual Mountain Dew or Pepsi 20oz bottle; my cell phone; a big black desk caddy fully of envelopes, pens, etc; books (research and pleasure reading); a few clay figures my daughter has made; a lamp...

Julie: What do you do when you aren't writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?

Mychael: Reading, when I can. My books are threatening to topple over—both on my desk and the bookshelf behind me. And my eBook folder (for GLBT books alone) is stuffed full (if that's possible on a comp). Other than that, I play World of Warcraft. Love, love, love it!

Julie: Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?

Mychael: Oh, yeah. I usually take a day or two off because, more often than not, it's just my brain getting overloaded. I try doing something NOT writing/editing related.

Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?

Mychael: At this stage in my writing, at least one of my men is alpha. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but that's just where things have progressed.

Julie: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Mychael: Always remain professional. Readers aren't the only ones who watch—publishers do, too.

Julie: Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress?

Mychael: I thrive on it. *laughs* Ask Shayne. I function well (sometimes better, some would say) on stress and deadlines. Not sure why.

Julie: How involved do you typically get with regards to cover art for your books?

Mychael: Fairly involved. With mine and Shayne's books, I let Shayne handle dealing with the artists, etc. I do the edits. On my solo work, I'm pretty involved in giving my views to the artist (unless it's a preset cover).

Julie: What's next for you?

Mychael: A little bit of everything. In March, I have a Taste Test coming out from Torquere Press that involves a medical fetish theme. (Medical play with a loving D/s relationship.) In April, Shayne and I have a Birthstone coming from Torquere. We also have an anthology coming from Samhain that involves angels and demons. We're currently working on another anthology for Torquere's Turn of the Screw subscription service, that involves stories from the 7 Deadly Sins and the 7 Heavenly Virtues. I'm working on a new Chaser series for Torquere as well. And none of that includes the tons of sequels we're working on, or the books I'm writing. *laughs*

Mychael has been writing gay erotica for several years. When not writing, he can usually be found researching or brainstorming. His favorite subjects of research are: Medieval history, Welsh history, Welsh culture, Welsh language, Swords, Castles, Archaeology, Celtic history, Celtic mythology, Vampires and vampire mythologies, Magick, Christian mysteries, Angels, and other such topics. Mychael welcomes feedback and will gladly answer all messages.

Backlist:
Going Home, Torquere Press
Galleons & Gangplanks, Torquere Press
Lessons Learned, Torquere Press
Torqued Tales, Torquere Press
Century Hill: Death, Torquere Press
Hearth & Home: Well Laid Plans, Torquere Press
Hearth & Home 2: On Solid Ground, Torquere Press
Hearth & Home 3: Beginnings, Torquere Press
Taste Test: Blue Collar, Torquere Press
Toybox: Rings, Torquere Press
Whispers from Beyond, Torquere Press
Don't Let Go, Torquere Press
Spiked, Torquere Press
Apocalypse Rising, Torquere Press
The Prince's Angel, Torquere Press
The Power of Two, Phaze
Dominion, Phaze
Dark Needs Print, Phaze
Kitten, Phaze
Kitten 2, Phaze
Kitten Print, Phaze
Onyx, Phaze
The Cowboy and the Thief, Phaze
Magic & the Pagan, Samhain Publishing
The Duke's Husband, Phaze
The Adventures of Captain Chase Sykes & Navigator Duncan Sampson, Phaze

Specula, Torquere Press
Realms of Fantasy, Samhain Publishing
Through the Dark, Phaze
(Untitled Pearl Birthstone), Torquere Press
When I Dream of You, Phaze
Dreams of Death, Phaze
7, Torquere Press' Turn of the Screw

 

Links:
Mychael Black Website
The Princes Angel Website
Live Journal
Yahoo Group
Email

Shayne Carmichael

Shayne: I absolutely demand a dozen candles, rose petals scattered at my feet, and a glass of Justerini & Brooks Peach Brandy (1890 only) in my hand. Oh, and I must be surrounded by a minimum of five men.

HA! Yeah right. I am constantly bombarded with requests for my attention from the SO, my sons, and my daughter. Can we? Can I? Please take me to...?

Maybe after my first million, I can get the candles and roses. I'll probably have to wait 'til I hit the ten mil mark for the men.

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Shayne: I'm dipping into mainstream publishing. My goal is to have at least one or two mainstream works by a New York publishing house. I enjoy my e-publishing niche, and most of my works will be e-published. I just want one or two on the New York best selling list.

Julie: Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Shayne: With as many plot bunnies as Myc throws at me, I have no choice.

Julie: Describe the space where you write.

Shayne: The hallway between the kitchen and the second bathroom is our 'computer room'. There are two computers at two desks and behind me is a Wii and a TV. At any given time, my kids are behind me, jumping and swinging the Wii controllers.

Julie: What do you do when you aren't writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?

Shayne: I do a lot of artwork, and I'm the one behind a great deal of our cover art and trailers. I also enjoy the BDSM lifestyle, but I promise not to say too much about that.

Julie: Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?

Shayne: Bitch. A lot. Just ask Myc. My only method of coping is to drag Myc into writing with me. We very rarely suffer writers' block on our works together. Mostly because we just make up something as simple as a name, bare bone idea, or character description. Then we'll take that, and I'll write a paragraph or sentence, then Myc will. It goes back and forth like that until we have 5K or 80K.

Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?

Shayne: Only thing I won't compromise on in my writing is strong characters. No matter what they face or what happens to them, they have to have an inner strength. I don't like either reading or writing about weak main characters that remain weak and helpless through the entire blasted book.

Julie: Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress?

Shayne: Myc has the deadline fetish. I've avoided it up until recently. After completing the Nano, I told Myc I'd go in with him on two Torquere contracted works. We'll see how well I cope with it in April and June.

Julie: How involved do you typically get with regards to cover art for your books?

Shayne: Very involved since I generally design it. I have a feeling this is one of the things I might not get along with a New York house on. I'm very involved and picky and specific on cover art.

Julie: What's next for you?

Shayne: I just finished and sent Unjustly Accused and Edge of Nothingness to Phaze, and  His Sire's Heart and Blood Ties to Torquere. Also sent the first three chapters of Alerian to Tor Publishing and I'm scrambling to finish the last 10K and editing the whole 80K. (I wrote this two days ago, and Alerian is now at 77K. I still have 8k more I want to write. I think it's gonna go well over the original 81K I predicted. I haven't even written out the war yet. Not to mention the sequel is hatching. Hrmmm. Even have the title: Battle for the Outlands.)

Myc and I are working on our Pearl Birthstone and a sins and virtues anthology for Torquere TOTS.

I'm at 20K on my second mainstream novel, Realm of the Golden Phoenix, plus trying to write an Oz Heat Sheet for Phaze. (And Phaze is deciding on the letter of their alphabet for the 2009 Heat Sheets. Arrghhh. I voted for R and now have plot bunnies for Roar, Raw, Royalty, and I can't remember the last one.) After all of that, I plan to take over the world. Rudolpho is backing me up.

Shayne is too busy to have a bio. His head is too crammed full of plot bunnies to think straight most of the time. Blame Myc. It's all his fault. When he's not writing...uh, when is he not writing?

He lives, he breathes, thus he is. That is Shayne. That is all.

 
Backlist:
The Prince's Angel, Torquere Press
The Power of Two, Phaze
Dominion, Phaze
Dark Needs Print, Phaze
Kitten, Phaze
Kitten 2, Phaze
Kitten Print, Phaze
Onyx, Phaze
The Cowboy and the Thief, Phaze
Magic & the Pagan, Samhain Publishing
The Duke's Husband, Phaze
The Adventures of Captain Chase Sykes & Navigator Duncan Sampson, Phaze
Tombstone Ranch, Phaze

Coming soon:
Realms of Fantasy, Samhain Publishing
Through the Dark, Phaze
(Untitled Pearl Birthstone), Torquere Press
When I Dream of You, Phaze
Dreams of Death, Phaze
7, Torquere Press' Turn of the Screw
Snap Decision, Phaze
Guardian, Phaze

Links:
The Princes Angel Website
Yahoo Group
Email

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

Cut & Polish by Melody Knight
This story is rated 1 flame. Love scenes are not consummated, or if the love scenes are consummated details are not given.

He was as cut and polished as the diamond in his tie pin.

So pretty. So refined. The unuttered comments were acrid on her tongue. Aftertaste of the unspoken…

Ty looked up then, his cool, noncommittal expression marred by a crease between his brows.

Not a diamond—a zircon, capable of being marred.

And he was reading her far too well. The cur. Sorenta smiled his way, vaguely, politely. A myopic social greeting, capable of covering a thousand sins.

So, of course, that bloody Ty went from grave to grandiose in the blink of an eye. The damned man snatched up her hand with the delicacy of a connoisseur handling a priceless Ming vase, and daintily turned it over. An elegant gesture, to be sure…particularly pleasing when his warm mouth did a quick suck and nibble of the palm. Her body responded with a tug, a moistening, a yearning heat in her nether regions.

It was enough to make her fall for him a little and to hate him a lot. How could the cad be so irresponsible? Or did he just think he'd fooled the company, one and all? Sorenta scanned the idle partygoers, all striving for numbing conversation and modulated voices. A few interested gazes were aimed her way, but only a few. Most of the women must already know…

That Ty Reginald Kenworth was hopelessly, irreversibly, gay.

She was still thinking it when his voice jarred her from her observations.

"Some palms are tastier than others."

"I imagine it's a matter of what the owner was handling first." Suggestive words, but delivered in that dry tone left Ty looking almost…aghast. What had she been handling? Nothing nice, from the sounds of it. His lips left her palm with the swiftness of a retreating tubeworm.

Moisture still lingered on her skin, though not unpleasantly. For a reason quite beyond her, that hint of Ty warmth made her long to lock her lips with his, to sidle her tongue in-between, to…

Stop it! Why must I always fall for unsuitable men? Men who were focused only on other males, or on a woman's fashion sense?

This was Ty's fault, of course. Unethical bastard, leading her on that way! She licked her lips, then bit them, attempting to dismiss all thoughts of a Kenworth mating from her mind.

But he'd spent the last month wooing her! The small girl part of her, deprived of a special treat—of her happily-ever-after lingering on the horizon—still smoldered with resentment. Why had he never told her he was gay?

Ty was studying her now, but it was less study than puppy dog eyes begging forgiveness. The poor jerk didn't even know what he'd done wrong, but he wanted her unconditional approval, her forgiveness. He'd guessed she was fuming, even if he'd misread it first as steaminess. Now, he had his signals right, even if his rationale remained wrong. It's not what he's done, it's what he is…because it leaves no room for me!

Dammit!

She made a point of gazing intently at a Picasso on the wall. It made about as much sense to her at this moment as her life. Have I no discernment? That I could get so close, and not be able to see him for what he was? What he is?

Ty's warm fingers gripped her upper arm securely, and he steered her closer to the painting, while his voice murmured sweet nothings like, "I have a late supper planned…" and, more plainly, in case she didn't get it, "I'm ready whenever you are." To blow this dive, to get this show on the road, to finally give way to a tension which had been building for days. To culminate in a climax…

Dammit! Her gusty sigh must have given away her impatience. The man could be positively thick at times! Ty, fingers still firm on her skin, twisted her so she couldn't avoid looking at him…unless she wanted to stare at his shoes, instead. That didn't work, either. Long fingertips gently lifted her chin, and the real Ty—impatient, boyish, inelegant, irreverent—peered out through those long girly lashes. "What the hell's up, Flash?" he demanded. "And don't tell me 'nothing'." He pulled her close so she was locked in those strong arms. "I had in mind to grab your tail and do a runner." He donned a fake smile for the surrounding company, but she couldn't miss the erection poking her way.

Make up your mind!

Her eyes smoldered back at him, but it's not with the kind of passion you're looking for, bucko! These were eye flames, guaranteed to singe and burn. She blurted, "I spoke with that new author, Jake Ramsey." Her nostrils flared. "He said you went for his 'type'—that you and he had a fling, a couple of years back."

There. It was out. She'd flung it like a gauntlet.

Ty's eyes widened, then he burst out laughing. He didn't relinquish his hold on her, but drew back enough so he could read her expression. A cheesy grin marring his cut and polish, he leaned forward just enough to whisper in her ear, "I did." He was actually enjoying her reaction! The pleasure was all hers though, when he added, "Good ol' Jake used to be a Jacqueline."

N. D. Hansen-Hill was the author of 25 fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels until a year ago. That's when she began writing romances under the pseudonym Melody Knight. Melody now has five romantic suspense, SF romance, and SF fantasy novels to her credit, and—more recently—2 erotic novellas. Whether horror novel or erotic novella, all ND's books are suspenseful.

When she's not writing, ND oil paints, and now has work in 8 countries. She's also studying archeology, with the goal of qualifying by the end of next year to do contract archeology throughout the Pacific Rim.

Her books are published widely, with 27 published or contracted by Five Star, Linden Bay Romance, Fictionwise, Drollerie Press, Red Rose Publishing, and Cerridwen Press.

Backlist:
As Melody Knight
In Trysts, Linden Bay Romance
In Flames, Linden Bay Romance

Coming soon:
GlassWorks, Red Rose Publishing
Of Dragons, Red Rose Publishing

Backlist:
As N. D. Hansen-Hill
Trees, Fictionwise
Crystals, Fictionwise
Mud, Fictionwise
Shades, Fictionwise
Fire, Fictionwise
Light, Fictionwise
Static, Fictionwise
Vision, Fictionwise
Light Play, Fictionwise
Light Plays, Fictionwise
Lightning Play, Fictionwise
Grave Images, Fictionwise
Graven Image, Fictionwise
Grave Imagery, Fictionwise
Grave Image, Fictionwise
Elf, Fictionwise
Trolls, Fictionwise
Gilded Folly, Cerridwen Press
ErRatic, Five Star
 
Coming soon:
The Hollowing, Cerridwen Press
Gray Beginnings, Cerridwen Press
BoneSong, Drollerie Press
Relic, Drollerie Press

Websites:
Melody Website
N.D. Hansen-Hill
MySpace

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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