Am I the NEXT BIG THING?: Check out my author blog interview

Am I publishing’s NEXT BIG THING?

Well, fellow author and sweet friend Shannon MacLeod seems to think so. She has tagged me as the NEXT BIG THING on Nai’lah Carter’s blog tour. Shannon is a cool author I met on Twitter. If you aren’t already, you should follow her at @themacleod.

The purpose of this promotion is to be able to discover new books you may not have heard about or for works that are still in progress. This is week 22 of the NEXT BIG THING blog tour.

So what what follows is the NEXT BIG THING interview — 10 questions about my writing, novels, etc. At the end of the interview, I will include links of authors I think will also be the NEXT BIG THING. Enjoy

What is the working title of your book?

Well, I actually have four books out right now on Amazon, including novels MONOGAMY SUCKS, DEAR HEF, an anthology INDULGENCE: TALES OF THE CIRQUE ROMANI, and my first novel LETTERS FROM CYBERSPACE. And I am finishing up the first draft of my sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS that will focus on the topic of open relationships. I am hoping to have my sequel out in early to mid 2014.

 Where did the idea come from for the book?

The ideas for my novels came from my own life and the lives of people I met or from close friends. Through writing we explore our true selves even if the characters are nothing like us. Our lives ultimately shape our words.

What genre does your book fall under?

Erotica. Or what I like to call real life erotica. One reviewer described my novels as “Tucker Max meets Sex in the City.” I think that is a pretty good description.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would say either Jason Schwartzman or Luke Wilson would make an interesting Jake Dalmas, the protagonist of MONOGAMY SUCKS, or Jimmy Rausch, the protagonist of DEAR HEF, if  movies or TV series were ever made of my novels.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Novel MONOGAMY SUCKS is a provocative peek behind the scenes of a Long Beach, Calif. man’s mid-thirties lust crisis and his ensuing sexy, intriguing, humorous journey into the swinging lifestyle.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Three of my novels — MONOGAMY SUCKS, DEAR HEF, INDULGENCE  have been published by digital publisher Lazy Day Publishing.  I published my first novel first novel LETTERS FROM CYBERSPACE.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I started writing my novel Monogamy Sucks in March 1998, however, because of my fears and doubts that anyone would interested in my story, I kept my novel hidden in my computer for more than 12 years as I worked on many drafts. Early in 2009, I read an article on the Huffington Post about how a number of best selling books started out first as blogs. So I decided to launch my novel on a blog one chapter a time in May 2010. Several months later, digital publisher Lazy Day Publishing offered me a book deal. I seriously doubt if that would have happened if I hadn’t put my novel out in the blogosphere and tweeted about it on Twitter. I believe Twitter is an essential tool in promoting my books and novels, writing in general as is Facebook, blogs and the Internet overall.

 What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Charles Bukowki’s “Women,” Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer,” Anais Nin’s “Henry and June,” to name a few.

Each of them bravely and uniquely explored controversial sexual and societal issues in a frank, unsentimental manner exposing truth and hypocrisy alike. I treasure novels that truly take me on a journey and challenge my preconceptions about life.

 Who or What inspired you to write this book?

The two most influential books on me as a writer are Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer” and Anais Nin’s “Henry and June.” Miller’s and Nin’s eagerness to explore erotic subjects in a serious way that were considered taboo at the time (1930s and 1940s) has always impressed me. Miller’s frank and brutal honest prose and Nin’s sensual, erotic and insightful diaries and description of her own sexual awakening have impacted my own writing. I say this humbly, but I view my novels MONOGAMY SUCKS and DEAR HEF as my attempts to write modern versions of Miller’s and Nin’s seminal novels. I would also have to mention Charles Bukowski’s novel WOMEN as having a huge impact on me. His honest prose and humor really impacted me. Bukowski, like Miller and Nin, went places most writers would avoid.

I wanted to write honest books about swinging, monogamy, sex, Internet sex, but leave in all the troubling, shocking and funny encounters most other erotica books leave out. Despite its explicit content, I don’t consider what I write erotica.  I call it real life erotica or reality fiction without the erotic trappings of your typical erotica novel. I want to make you think and laugh not just turn you on.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I hope you’re readers will take a chance and read my provocative novels and won’t be put off by the controversial content. They are really like no other modern novels they have read.  My books have some relevant and interesting things to say about sex, relationships and monogamy, and are an intriguing exploration of the male sexual mind. I think my novels appeal to both sexes, but really have seemed to have struck a chord among women, which was unexpected. Yes, my books are explicit, but I believe its themes are more universal than one might think.

You can find me on Twitter at @gpwriter. 

I tweet a lot about my books, writing, sex and life.

Check out these amazing writers, who along with Shannon MacLeod, I believe could be the
NEXT BIG THING:

SID KALI

RANEE DILLON

PENELOPE JONES

AMBER GRAYSON VAYLE

Tomorrow Night at 7 p.m. PST I will be a guest on the NAUGHTY SLOT radio program to talk about my novels MONOGAMY SUCKS, DEAR HEF and INDULGENCE

Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. PST I will be a guest on the Naughty Slot radio program to talk about my novels MONOGAMY SUCKS, DEAR HEF, and INDULGENCE: Tales of the Cirque Romani.

I was invited on the show by Amber Grayson Vayle, who I met on Twitter — follow her @thenaughtyslot   She is also an author in addition to her role as the host of the Naughty Slot radio show and TV series.

This is the 50th interview on my blog tour in support of my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS.

Enjoy. It will be a sexy conversation without a doubt.

GP

2011: A Remarkable Year on My Writer’s Journey

This has been a remarkable year for me as a writer.

2011 saw the publication of two of my novels — MONOGAMY SUCKS and DEAR HEF — and a paranormal erotica story Swinging with the Supernatural that was included in the Lazy Day Publishing print anthology INDULGENCE: Tales of the Cirque Romani.

However, the year started in a much darker place with me receiving hostile indifference toward my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS from some critics and readers. Yet through steady persistence of promoting my books in social media and in the mainstream press, I have been able to overcome a lot resistance to the explicit nature of my work.

MONOGAMY SUCKS continues to perform well in the Amazon Kindle sales rankings consistently placing in the top 50,000 out of 800,000 books. My others books are also slowly finding an audience.

I make no apologies. Frankly, I don’t write for the faint of heart. I try to depict sex without the rose colored glasses typical of mainstream erotica. I call it real life erotica with all the messy parts left in.

I must admit I do revel going into other areas that many other writers avoid — male sexual insecurity, disappointing swinging and casual sex encounters, the limitations of monogamy and traditional relationships, the honest  truth about the swinging lifestyle, and how the Internet distorts our sex and romantic lives. I try keep things humorous as means to engage my readers as I delve into thorny and uncomfortable issues.

Still, each day it seems I find new readers who embrace my vision. That support is priceless for a writer, and so rewarding when you can find it.

I will have more to offer in 2012 as I am half way through writing the sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS which I hope to finish by this summer or fall. It will be just as sexy and controversial as its predecessor.

Take a chance on my three books.  You will not be disappointed. You might even enjoy yourself and find out something about how other people live.

Isn’t that why we read novels in the first place?

Happy New Year to all my readers, supporters and fellow authors, writers, bloggers, poets, artists, musicians, filmmakers and songwriters.

GP

Just in Time for Halloween: My Dark and Sexy Story “Swinging with the Supernatural” is Featured in New Paranormal Erotica Anthology “Indulgence: The Tales of the Cirque Romani” Released Today

What happens when a swinger, a lady sword swallower & a lady midget sword swallower meet?

This intriguing scenario is explored in my story  “Swinging with the Supernatural” as part of the new provocative paranormal erotica print anthology Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani being released today just in time for Halloween.

Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani will be available in a digital version on Amazon Kindle, B&N and other retail outlets for $4.99. The print version will be available on Amazon as a print on demand book later this week for $9.99. The new anthology features 10 Lazy Day Publishing authors weaving sexy tales about a fictional carnival troupe called the Cirque Romani. This is the first print offering by the digital publisher Lazy Day Publishing.

This story was a departure for me as I’ve never previously written in the genre of paranormal erotica.  I really enjoyed it as it reminded me of the Science Fiction and Fantasy stories I used to write when I was younger. I believe the readers will enjoy the final result as well as the other excellent and intriguing stories in this collection.

My tale in Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani is about swinger Willy Roamer’s unusual and sexy trip to the carnival to watch a performance of the traveling carnival troupe the Cirque Romani. During his adventure, Willy meets a lady sword swallower and a lady midget sword swallower and discovers some supernatural secrets possessed by the troupe.

It’s a very sexy and different kind of story written in the same frank and unflinching manner as my readers of my novels Monogamy Sucks and Dear Hef have come to enjoy. I wanted to combine my brand of real life erotic fiction with a supernatural story, including vampires and shape shifters. I added some new interesting wrinkles to these familiar mythic creatures, too.  I am very grateful for Lazy Day Publishing giving me an opportunity to stretch myself as a writer.

Indulgence: The Tales of the Cirque Romani  also features the work of authors Alta Hensley (Master of Ceremonies), J.M. Kelley (Laws of Attraction), Amy le Blanc (Til the Day Makes Us), Ty Langston (Coming Home), A ‘Jeeper’Wade (Tiger Tamer), Liz Borino (Jesse), Rae Spencer (Cigany Flame), Ava Riley (The Beast Within) and Elizabeth Thorne (Bound by Silk).

I have read the entire anthology and I’m very taken with all of the stories. The authors all delivered sexy paranormal stories that will intrigue readers.

I highly recommend this collection and you should also pick up additional work from these fine authors.

Also check out the cool book trailer Lazy Day Publishing created for Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani at the end of this post.  It’s awesome, too.

GP