Creative Process – Coming Soon!

August 29, 2017 by

Hey all,

It’s been a busy summer. I sold one house, moved out, bought another and moved in, which is no small feat with two kids and two cats. But it finally happened and I’m trying to find my focus again. I did get a well needed beach vacation, and the new house is wonderful so I’m not complaining at all.

In the meantime, great things have been going on behind the scenes. My new novel, Creative Process, is due to be released on September 25th! It’s actually available for preorder on Dreamspinner’s website now, and I’ll put up links on the book’s page for everywhere else when I get them.

It’s a story about Reese, a best-selling author who is frequently owned by his muse (a detective dead set on apprehending a serial killer), and haunted by the ghost of relationships past. It’s also a story about Owen, a cellist who has finally landed a position with the symphony, a goal he’s been working toward since he was young despite the disapproval of his family. It’s a story about their chance meeting, the different ways artistic lives can interfere with and also enhance relationships, and about making love a priority.

Reese and Owen are surrounded by an eclectic group of New York artists and friends – writers, musicians, sculptors, mixed media, painters, etc. – who play a big role in helping them along to their HEA.

Click here for an excerpt, and to pre-order!

The Official Blurb:

Best-selling thriller author Reese Kelsey knows his career isn’t conducive to romance. He doesn’t work the normal nine-to-five, and sometimes his characters take hold and demand all his attention, causing him to neglect important appointments… and lovers. Rather than go through another heartbreak, Reese contents himself with his small circle of friends—fellow gay New York City artists—and his dedicated publicist, Chad.

Until he sees Owen Mercado lugging his cello toward the subway and impulsively offers him a ride.

Owen has worked long and hard for a career in the symphony, and success comes with a demanding schedule—something Reese understands. Their desires and lifestyles are surprisingly compatible, and Reese and Owen certainly set the bedroom on fire. They’re both carrying baggage, but they fit, and it’s hard not to hope for a future that once seemed impossible.

But when Reese’s work inevitably pulls him into its dark world and refuses to let go, Owen draws a hard line, and Reese discovers he can’t rely on good intentions alone. He will have to control the obsession that drove his other lovers away or risk losing Owen as well.

 

 

Filed Under: New Releases, News & Updates Tagged With:

Deviations Audio: Interview with Maxx Power

June 20, 2017 by

In case you don’t know by now, Deviations: Submission has recently been released in audio!

Chris Owen and I took our search for the right narrator for these books very seriously. It was important to us that we get the right voices not only for Dominant Tobias and his sub, Noah, but also for Phan, Bradford, and Nikki, too. We listened to twelve voice actor auditions and then asked two of those men to do another small audition for us. We were so excited to be able to bring Maxx onto the project. Not only is he talented, but he’s great to work with. Those of you who have listened to the book know what I mean. If you haven’t, go listen to the excerpt here.

So to introduce you to Maxx, I asked a bunch of superfans over at the fan-led Facebook Group, Tobias Vincent’s Deviants, to give me some questions for him. Below are those questions, put together in a little interview format.

Enjoy!

1. How many read-throughs do you do before you do your final edit? 

Maxx: It’s usually about a 3-1 ratio. So if the book is 1 hour long, it takes me about 3 hours to complete it to where it’s ready for publishing to Audible.

2. How long does it take to get each character right in your head for it? 

Maxx: That’s a tough one. Some are easy. Tobias, was right away. Ironically it’s the exact same voice I use for my guided meditation sessions clients. I’m not sure what that says about how people out there are relaxing! Some take a long time to get right.

3. How do you keep track of what voice you use for each character, such as ones that only show up for a few lines in each book?

Maxx: Once you get it, you keep a short clip of that voice recorded somewhere like a phone or tablet, then refer back to it as needed

4. Is it difficult to voice a female character without sounding like a caricature?

Maxx: Yes! I try to use more inflection, rather than changing the pitch of my voice entirely, because that usually ends up sounding fake

5. Have you ever done a story with so many characters that the voices got confusing?

Maxx: Yes! I did a space drama where there were about 25 characters, none of them Human. It became a real chore to refer back to each one. That’s where my technique about keeping short audio clips of each was priceless

6. Has poor editing on the manuscript led to odd errors when you’re narrating?

Maxx: Yes! As someone with a degree in Journalism it always trips me up because I notice each and every error. Sometimes you just have to turn that part of your brain off and read it as written.

7. What’s the oddest named character you’ve had to try to pronounce?

Maxx: Ornagi. One of the aliens from the book I mentioned above. I wasn’t sure which letters were soft or silent. In the end I just made a choice and the author liked it

8. Have you ever had to narrate a story that you just didn’t enjoy? Did that make it harder to complete the project?

Maxx: Yes I have read stories I didn’t enjoy. It wasn’t any harder thought. As a professional I approach each book the same way, regardless of the subject matter or my personal tastes.

9. Have you ever loved a story so much that the narration was truly enjoyable and you didn’t want the story to end?

Maxx: All the time. Just like when you are reading for pleasure, you get attached to the characters. Sometimes, I find myself “thinking” in the character’s voice. It’s a very weird sensation, I can only equate to maybe mastering a foreign language? So, if you get fluent enough in Spanish for instance, eventually you’ll start reading silently with your own voice in your head in Spanish. Same thing happens to me with character voices!

10. When you’re working on a long project do you find yourself thinking in the voices of the characters?

Maxx: Oh, I see I just answered this LOL. Yes!

You can find Maxx on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Deviations Series, New Releases Tagged With:

Chechnya – What can you do?

May 9, 2017 by

Kadyrov has called for the “elimination” of the gay community by the end of May. – Pink News

Ramzan Kadyrov.

Don’t know that name? Google it. The head of the Chechen republic has a history of violence and human rights violations that go back more than a decade. Not only dies he inspire, incite and order others to violence, but he has personally participated in many of these incidents of killings and torture himself.

On April 1, I read a New York Times article reporting that gay men were simply disappearing in Chechnya. That authorities there were rounding up gay men and men suspected of being gay, and that one of the ways they were doing this was by doing things like posing as gay themselves online to trap people.*

Shortly thereafter came the reports of torture camps and detention centers.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had a long

In that same article, a spokesman for Kadyrov denies the allegations calling such actions impossible:
You cannot arrest or repress people who just don’t exist in the republic. If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.*

Over the next week, and in the weeks since, I’ve read article after article and blog post after blog post about this. I’ve seen aid organizations speak out about it. Several organizations are now doing whatever they can to assist these men. But do you know what I haven’t seen?

There hasn’t been a statement from the Whitehouse. Not one word. Why hasn’t Trump spoken out against Kadyrov? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, we all know why – but how can our government remain silent in the face of these horrific events?

Wait: Nikki Haley apparently did speak out against what she called “discrimination” and called upon the Chechan authorities to investigate the allegations.

If true, this violation of human rights cannot be ignored – Chechen authorities must immediately investigate these allegations, hold anyone involved accountable, and take steps to prevent future abuses.**

That’s not likely, since the “authorities” themselves are carrying out these atrocities. The inaction and doublespeak is nothing short of unconscionable.

And now? Kadyrov has called for the “elimination” of the gay community by the end of May (the start of Ramadan).***

GAY MEN IN CHECHNYA NEED OUR HELP NOW.

If you’re an author who would like to get involved, please sign up at Authors & Publishers for LGBT Chechens. There, you can also find answers to frequently asked questions about the auction, royalty donations, the charitable organizations that are helping out LGBT Chechens, and more.

If you are a reader who would like to learn more about the situation in Chechnya and how to help — including how to make a direct donation to a designated charity, buy a book from a participating author, or support the auction — please visit Readers & Writers for LGBT Chechens. You’ll find more information, as well as links and graphics you can add to your own blog, social media, or your website.

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* Chechen Authorities Arresting and Killing Gay Men, Russian Paper Says, New York Times April 1, 2017
** Nikki Haley: U.S. ‘disturbed’ by gay Chechnya arrests, Washington Blade, April 17, 2017
*** Chechnya’s president: I will eliminate the gay community by the start of Ramadan, Pink News, April 21, 2017

Filed Under: Activism