I met Greg online a couple years ago after another author said we had some things in common. Robin Kaye gave me his name when I met her at a WRW retreat in August 2012. (Washington Romance Writers) Ironically, this was the only retreat or meeting I have been to with WRW. I officially joined in 2013, and I am a member this year as well, but I have yet to find the time to squeeze the group into my schedule. However, I count that meeting a HUGE success for me because I met Greg!
My friend Lynn and I met him for brunch a couple times while he was in the area last year, and that made the friendship even better because he was not only a "person I'd met online." I got to HUG Greg. And if anyone pays enough attention, they will know I love to hug people. Then I also had the privilege of seeing him in Florida while I attended Rainbow Con. (Picture above is from that convention.) He is a delightful man and a wonderful friend.
But THIS POST is also about him as a writer! Greg writes under the name Alex Carreras.
As with my previous posts for FRIEND FRIDAY, I gave him some interview questions to answer to give some insight into the mind of Gregory Payne. LOL. I already had a little glimpse when I read his book. Tales From The Pink Side. It was hilarious. That book was a collection of stories from his own life and reading them left me shaking my head and thinking, "Oh Greg…." You just have to read it to see what I mean.
So in the interest of looking deeper into the writing mind of Gregory Payne, here is my interview:
Me: What inspires your
writing?
Alex: I get inspiration from most everything especially from the
guys at the gym. Who doesn’t, right? My PUMP Series comes to mind. Damn I love
those hunky guys.
Me: When did you start
writing m/m romance?
Alex: I started writing gay stories about four years ago. It
started with my novella, Summer Heat which was published by Siren.
Me: Are you a full time
author?
Alex: I still have the dreaded day job but I’m working on that.
Me: Who is your
favorite author?
Alex: I love so many but there are a few who come to mind: Ann
Rice, Anita Shreve, Jackie Collins to name only a few.
Me: How many books have
you written so far?
Alex: Most of mine are novella length so around 18 or 19, I’ve
lost count. I did just finish a novel but it’s still sitting on my computer
waiting for round two. Guess I better get busy.
Me: How much of
yourself did you manifest into your favorite character?
Alex: I have to be honest, I don’t have a favorite character but
I do put a little of me in each and every one of them, even the ones who are
hard to like.
Me: When someone reads
one of your books, what do you hope they gain from reading it?
Alex: I hope she/he laughs a little, cries a little, and
generally walks away feeling a little bit happier.
Me: How do you keep
your creative "spark" alive?
Alex: Uhhhhhhhhhhh….Hmmmmmmmm……I’m not so sure that I do.
Chocolate and caffeine can help.
Me: What is your
suggestion or piece of advice to new and upcoming writers?
Alex: Drink. A lot. And if you don’t, you might want to start.
Me: Where we can find
you on the Internet?
Alex: Grindr, Manhunt, Adam 4 Adam, Squirt. KIDDING!!!!! All the
usual suspects.
(Me: You are so bad!)
Me: Could you please
share your favorite excerpt from (Your book) with us?
Alex: I could but I won’t. But I would love my readers to share
theirs on my Facebook page. I dare you.
Amazon:
All Romance:
B&N:
Siren:
Amazon U.K.:
Facebook:
Purchase above title HERE.
So if you are interested in getting to know Greg better, find him on Facebook and have a chat! That's what I did! "Friending" people on the Internet has been a wonderful experience for me. MANY of my friends are authors and getting to know them has been fabulous. Gregory was one of the outstanding people I have met who even welcomed me into his home, I met his partner Scott, and I got to play with his wonderful dog Darcy. I'm not saying the experience will be the same for everyone, this is how it happened for ME. So thank you Robin for saying, "I think you'd get along with my friend Greg," because YES I do!!!
Many many hugs to Greg… AKA Alex Carreras (I love saying that name. If you roll the Rs it sounds exotic)… for stopping by. I hope you all will visit his Facebook page and leave excerpts. That could be fun!
******* *******
Next week, we will have a visit from Chris Shirley. Previous Friend Friday posts included Sue Brown, and Jeff Adams. I hope you will visit again soon!
And for Wade Kelly fans, NAMES CAN NEVER HURT ME is out in 10 days! Have you PRE-ORDER this book at DREAMSPINNER yet? There is still time :) Or, you can check out the excerpts I will be leaking on my blog tour starting MONDAY over at Joyfully Jay.
I will appear on:
August 4 - Joyfully Jay
August 7 - Prism Book Alliance
August 11 - The Blogger Girls
August 12 - Rainbow Book Reviews (Review only)
August 13 - Smoocher's Voice
August 14 - The Novel Approach
August 16 - Jeff Adams' Blog
August 17 - FACEBOOK takeover of Dreamspinner's FB page. I will chat in the afternoon with whoever shows up!
August 20 - GGR Reviews
August 22 - Multitasking Momma
August 25 - Rainbow Gold Reviews
August 26 - Tammmy Middleton's blog
August 27 - back at Joyfully Jay
Thanks for having me and Darcy sends a big lick! Love you!
ReplyDeleteAnytime!!! Many hugs back! <3
DeleteWOOHOO. OK i'm on this thing. Nice to get acquainted with you Gregory and I look forward to checking out your stuff. :-) I mean, your books. You know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteYou can check out my stuff any time!
Delete