Friend Fridays - Lori Toland

Hello Lovely people. We are back for another Friend Friday and here with us is Lori Toland. She did a short interview to give me and you all an idea about things that inspire her and how long she's been writing, etc. I met Lori BRIEFLY at Rainbow Con in 2014. Long enough to say hello and get autographed swag, but not long enough to get a picture or get to know anything about her.

In 2014 I was JUST getting used to talking to people. I had been to my FIRST CON EVER in October of 2013 with GRL, and Rainbow Con came just a few months later in April of 2014. I was still shy, although less than at GRL because I knew more people. But when you know very few, and think very few know you, it is hard to break out and be confident and talk to people, etc. At least it started out like that. So even though I had heard of Lori and was familiar with some of her titles, I still was not up to the full on "fan girl" mode to take a picture and talk about her books. Nope. I just said HI and kept on going.

Actually, Rainbow Con was for me a transition from quiet nobody, to someone who was not afraid to talk to people. I met a lot of great people there. One particular person, DAVID BERGER, became a lovely friend online whom I'd met at Rainbow Con yet barely spoke to THERE. I will remedy that situation this July!! Lori Toland is listed as an author for Rainbow Con this year so maybe I'll get a picture this time … hahaha. I am looking forward to going as I recognize SO MANY names on the attending author list. And hey, if any of you are going please let me know so I can look for you!!

Now, on with that interview!

WK -  What inspires your writing?

LT - Life inspires my writing. A lot of my underlying plot issues (like Blaze worrying what his grandmother will say about him being gay) come from my friends and family who have confessed their greatest fears. I hope conveying these issues in a format that is fun to read makes the reader think about their own lives, that maybe there is a family member that might be scared to tell them the truth about their sexuality.  (Life inspires my writing too. I get it.)

WK -  When did you start writing m/m romance?

LT - Oh boy, back in 1999, not long after I started writing. I really loved it and there was nothing like it back then in the market. I wanted to read it, so I wrote it. (You've been doing this a long time!)

WK -  Who is your favorite character in Encore and why?

LT - I really love Pete. He’s such a multi-faceted character and very much demanding his own book. I’ve written a lot of scenes for his book, just to get him out of my head. *sigh* he still sticks around.

WK - How much of yourself did you manifest into your favorite character?

LT - Pete? Not that much, but I suspect we’ll see a little bit of me in him in his book. All the characters have a little piece of me, whether it’s Blaze being a dreamer and Jason being a business geek. Jennifer is probably the closest to me than any of my characters.

WK -  Can you share four things you’ve learned about the business?

1.   Keep writing.

2.   Writing is not as easy as it looks.

3.   Being a published author is as awesome as it looks.

4.   Cake…wait, what was that question again?

LOL… Cake… hahaha…. But good answers!

WK - How do you keep your creative "spark" alive?

LT - I love listening to music while walking. I let my mind wander and I try not to walk out into traffic while daydreaming about my characters. I never stop dreaming but I get my best plotting done while walking — and I get a workout!

WK -  If you could sit down to dinner with one person, past or present, who would it be and what’s the one question you’d love to ask?

LT - My great-grandmother. She had so many amazing stories passed down from her ancestors. She was Cherokee and a direct descendant of John Ross, who led the Cherokees along the trail of tears. I would ask her to tell me the stories that were passed down to her.

WK - What is your suggestion or piece of advice to new and upcoming writers?

LT - Never stop writing. When you hit send on your first book, start your next one while waiting to hear back on that one.

AMEN! Been there, done that! I think it is the expectation of rejection that kept me on the edge of my seat until I heard back and paralyzed with fear so I couldn't write until I knew something. Good advice, Lori!

WK - Where we can find you on the Internet?

http://www.loritoland.com

WK - Could you please share your favorite excerpt from Encore with us?

Gladly! I hope you enjoy it! :)

“Hey bro.”

Blaze turned around and grinned at Tommy, the lead singer of their band. “Hey man,” he said and gave him a one arm hug.

“I’ve gotta talk to you real quick.”

“Blaze.”

Suddenly there were a dozen people on stage with them as they moved the set around. Zack’s drums were already set up on the stage and Blaze’s guitar rested in the stand from the tour. Blaze turned back to Tommy. “We’ll talk later, yeah?”

Tommy shook his head. “It’s important. You’re gonna freak the fuck out.”

Blaze frowned as he dug in his pocket for his guitar pick. “What’s wrong?”

An announcement that rang out drowned his answer and Tommy threw up his hands in exasperation. After the introduction ended, he yelled, “Really? We’re trying to have a conv—” Tommy froze midsentence and looked over Blaze’s shoulder.

When he turned, he saw the one person he hoped never to see again in his life. In a town as small as Hollywood, he knew that wasn’t realistic but he had hoped they would be able to continue keeping their distance from each other.

As he looked up into Jason Stockton’s narrowed dark brown eyes, his heart pounded. The sliver of trepidation was drowned in the instantaneous desire that surged within him. Even though Jason had nearly destroyed him, Blaze still wanted him.

Jason Stockton had been his first real relationship and they had been head-over-heels in love until one stupid moment when they threw it all away. Though their fight had seemed important at the time, it had been stupid. Blaze knew that now.

Their disagreement over Cassie had been fueled by lack of sleep; their argument had spiraled out of control until they called it quits. Their very public break-up left Blaze’s heart shattered. Somehow over the past year, he had managed to avoid Jason and Blaze would have given anything to continue that winning streak.

He glared at Jason. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Blurb:

Blaze Shinozuka is a bonafide rockstar with his band, Razor's Edge. After his romance with music manager Jason Stockton crashed and burned, Blaze is free to live and love. It's been a wild and heady year that's been blissfully drama free until the one man he's been avoiding comes careening back in to wreak havoc on his heart once again.

Jason Stockton has become the superstar he never wanted to be. When his music reality show becomes an overnight success, he's thrust into the limelight against his will. He's coping with intrusions into his private life but then a chance encounter sends him right into the arms of the man he loved...and lost.

Their time apart has changed them, except the passion between them burns brighter than ever. With the media hounding them in the midst of multiple scandals, they find they can only depend on one person — each other. Will they learn to trust that their love is enough to see them through it all? Or will this be their final dance before calling it quits, this time for good?

This gay romance was formerly known as Into The Light and contains less loving than previous books in the series but more anger and snark. It also contains some female lovin', beloved character death and a possibly repentant pop star.  (Thank you for these "warnings.")

Book Links-
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21954310-encore?ac=1
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1dQGPUy
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-replacement-guitarist-4-encore-lori-toland/1120271383?ean=9781500872908

About the author:

CEO by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will forever be her hero.

Links:
Email: lori@loritoland.com
Website: http://www.loritoland.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoriToland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/loritoland
Amazon Author Page: amzn.to/1qfgD9C
Barnes & Noble Author Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/lori-toland
 

 *****

Thanks to all the Friend Friday guests so far. Sue Brown, Jeff Adams (TWICE), Gregory Payne,  Chris Shirley, Tammy Middleton,  DS Kenn,  Whitley Gray, Felice Stevens, Bronwyn Heeley, Andrew Q. Gordon, And Sarah Madison.

Throwback Thursday to October 2012!

Hello lovely people. I know I haven't been around, but part of that is due to trying to balance the writer life with the real world wife and mother life. Balancing everything can be hard. I think I used to put the writing off. Like, when something had to give it was my writing because "Oh, I can do that later." Except, later was the next day, or the next, and then a week went by and I forgot how much I need it. Writing is therapy! It helps me deal with my life because I can write the emotion I feel. I am very emotional, did you know that?

Well, the throwback is to 2012 because a post caught my eye: Out of the Funk. (Read original post) or just see below because it's posted here. There were all of 9 views on it, so I doubt very many people read what I said back then. HAHA.

Yeah, so, I really shouldn't write a blog when I feel down. It normally goes away right after I do that! Like now!!! I'm okay. I just get dried up and the words don't flow and the characters are silent. Writer's block! It is definitely a BLOCK. More like a wall sometimes.

But "Names Can Never Hurt Me" is back on track. I have over 18.5k written and most of what I had in 3rd person is now switched to 1st! (Really glad.) I'll need to smooth things out though. Like I can read it over and I KNOW which parts were originally 3rd person and what I added fresh. Nick's voice is more casual in the newer parts. Anyway, that is what edits are for and polish after the whole story is completed, right? So I will get to it. I decided on switching POV's between characters. Not lots, but enough to give a look into the other character. I think it adds depth.

And more editor, (now that I complained in the last blog,) said things are going well and she is pushing through it fine. So glad. Not sure WHEN she will be done, but it is closer to an end when there is an actually start tot he editing. (ya know?)

I guess I don't have loads more to say than that. I'm writing, so I'm not currently reading. For those who "follow" my reviews it might be a little while. I'm in a sort-of groove and I don't need other people's characters confusing my head. I'll get back to reading soon.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Wade :)

I find this interesting! I still feel like I shouldn't blog when I'm feeling down but not because the words don't flow. I think it used to be a sort of self-pity because I JUST COULDN'T WRITE and I was bummed about it. And, often when I'm down now it is because of something someone in my real life says to me about what I write. Ya know, all that crap I deal with and dealt with doesn't go away. I stopped whining about it, but the nay-sayers are still there and they get me down sometimes. But what got me, and this is just a BREIF mention about it since this post is not about that, is that I was questioned why I don't "recoil" from it. The "IT" most likely being gay sex, gay relationships, or homosexuality in general. Well, when I heard that word, I DID recoil. I recoiled from the user. "Recoil" to ME is a very strong word! To recoil in the sense I took it, seemed impossible and I felt like I had been given a choice. Side with him and "recoil" from homosexuality, or recoil from the person I was talking to in RL and stand defensively in front of people like Matt & Brad, Sam & RICK, or Jeff & Will. Those were the people I thought about in that moment. I thought, "NO!" Jeff is my friend! I love him. I could never recoil because he's gay. I don't think of him like that. I call him my honorary cousin. To me, he and Will are like family. Matt and Brad write so much about life and love that I could never "recoil" from the wisdom I gain from knowing them online and interacting with Matt. And ANYONE who would recoil from Sam is just stupid. That kid has wisdom in spades! He's an amazing inspiration. So yeah, the "battle" is ongoing. But I continue to write about the things that effect me, so yes, you may see more religious content as I see fit, because this is where my passion lies. (JOCK 2, however, has none)

Anyway…. Funny how I talk about NAMES having POV shifts because I took them out! haha. I love Nick's voice. He is a great character. Yes, some people don't like him, but I think he is the most dynamic character I've written. Those who don't give him a chance are missing out!

As before, I am not currently reading because I am writing, but I DID tell my daughter we are reading this summer. So, I will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird with my daughter, and hopefully finish some books I started earlier in the year!

Writing is going swimmingly! I have 34k in 17 days for this latest one! This is the best I've ever done writing! I hope to keep up the trend because I have promised Dreamspinner several books! That translates into more reading for you all once these start getting published. 2016 could be an extremely exciting year for Wade Kelly fans! (Just saying!)

No! Jocks Don't Date Guys (JOCK series, book 2) has been contracted and is about 5 weeks out for start of production. It should come your way in November or December. I was hoping for October, but that is hard when I didn't submit it until May. I need to time projects better. I will! I am writing Book 3, but put it on hold for Banker's Hours because those characters are talking up a storm. It is light and funny and fast paced so it should be a hit. (I hope.)

(Note: this is the first look at the Wade Kelly Scale with 8 titles on it! Three of them are not released yet, but should be the next ones. This is where I believe they sit.)

JOCK 2 is also very light. It's a 3 on the scale because of some "back story" that seeps into the present day events and causes some trauma, but hey, a book with gummy bears and cheerleaders has to be good, right? ahhahaha. I think you'll like that book. It is very sweet. Alonzo may be my favorite character ever. Hard to say. I have a special place for Darian, but Alonzo stole my heart.

Here is the blurb for the one coming out later this year:

No! Jocks Don't Date Guys

What is a sexy soccer stud supposed to do when “following family traditions” falls 180 degrees opposite his closeted ideal?

From birth, Chris Jackson had been schooled on how to land himself a cheerleader. After all, his father married one, and his father’s father before that. Heck, even his older brother married their father’s definition of a stereotypical cheerleader the summer before Chris went off to college. For two years, Chris dodged invasive questions about relationships by blaming his lack of female companionship on grueling practices and heavy coarse loads; but really, his lack of interest in girls period should have given the family a clue. It wasn’t until Chris mentioned meeting a boy that his father’s synapses short-circuited.

Alonzo Martin was anything but a buxom blond. From his black hair, combat boots, and trench coat, to his nail polish and guyliner, the mysterious introvert was not so easily persuaded to go on a date. Alonzo’s insecurities kept Chris at arm’s length, but even his painful past couldn’t compete with the charismatic jock’s winning smile and sense of humor.

When opposites attract, only cheerleaders and gummy bears can overcome fear and family traditions.

So, what do you think? Worth reading? I hope so. As I was reading through it one more time before official edits start, I was truly enjoying it. I love Chris, and I adore Alonzo! 

Ciao for now!

Wade :)

Friend Fridays - Sarah Madison

Hello my lovely people. We are back again today for another segment of Friend Fridays where I share an excerpt or interview. Something about a book or author whom I've met online. I have yet to meet Sarah personally, but I look forward to in the future.

This is an excerpt post from Sarah's book: Walk a Mile

Walk a Mile: Book Two in the Sixth Sense series. Release date October 3, 2014 An All Romance Bestseller! An October 2014 Recommended Read from Prism Book Alliance. Third Place in Best M/M Mystery in the 2014 Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice Awards. The Sixth Sense series was awarded 2nd place for Best M/M Mystery Series in the 2014 PRG’s Reviewer’s Choice Awards.

Blurb: Six months after starting their hunt for a serial killer who is still at large, FBI agents Jerry Lee Parker and John Flynn are partners in every sense. But Jerry has serious doubts about their relationship and whether they would even be together if not for the way Flynn changed after touching a mysterious artifact in a museum.

Flynn hates the extraordinary power bestowed on him by the artifact and wants nothing more than to have a normal life again. Jerry fears that without the unusual connection they forged, Flynn will no longer want or need him. Chasing after a similar artifact takes them back to Flynn's old stomping grounds in Washington D.C., where his newfound abilities uncover long-buried secrets, the kind people would kill to protect. But they aren't the only ones looking for these powerful relics, and what they discover will threaten their relationship—and their lives.

Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5521

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00NYNNAJS

This Excerpt is PG-13 for those who care to know :)

Jerry could sympathize. His palms dampened at the idea of meeting Flynn’s former lover. His former female lover. He wiped his hands surreptitiously at his sides and wished there was time for him to dash into the men’s room and straighten his tie or something. If he put his sunglasses back on now would he look cool or pretentious? Crap. Would anyone noticed if he stood with his gut sucked in for the rest of this visit? Maybe she’d be a frumpy librarian type. Oh, who was he kidding? This was Flynn’s ex-girlfriend he was talking about. She’d be the sexy librarian that would knock your socks off just by saying hello. The echo of a woman’s shoes on the tiled floor made him realize she was here and he’d run out of time to make a better impression. Slowly, he turned to face the woman approaching them. Oddly, when he briefly caught Flynn’s eye, he looked as reluctant as Jerry felt.

Nancy Glover was absolutely stunning. She couldn’t have looked better for the ‘run into the old boyfriend’ moment than if she’d planned for it. Her hair was that vibrant Dana-Scully red that could only come from a professional colorist, and suddenly Flynn’s remarks about him not dying his hair that color had a lot more meaning than before. The intense shade complimented her pale skin and illuminated her green eyes. Of course she would have green eyes. Dressed in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, she had the cool demeanor of Agent Scully as well.

“John,” she said, walking up to the counter where Flynn and Jerry were waiting. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here at the museum. In fact, I’m surprised you’re in town at all. I would have bet good money that you weren’t coming in for the reunion.” Her smile was pleasant but cautious, like a stray cat that wanted to be friendly but wasn’t sure she wasn’t about to get shoved in a carrier and taken off to the shelter.

The woman behind the desk watched their interaction avidly. Jerry thought about offering her some popcorn. Flynn glanced at him sharply.

“I’m not here for the reunion.” Had it been anyone else, he would have sounded curt, but Flynn’s charm didn’t fail him. “I didn’t know you were working here. Last I heard you were at the Smithsonian.”

She shrugged. “There were cutbacks. You know how it is in a down economy. To be honest, I prefer working at a smaller museum. Less bureaucracy.” A real smile cracked her cool exterior. Damn. Under other circumstances, Jerry suspected he’d like her. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the two of them. “So what are you doing here? And who’s your friend?”

“My partner, Special Agent Jerry Parker. We had to come to D.C. on business and I was curious about this trinket box that was listed as part of the Smithsonian’s collection. How’d it end up here?”

“Come with me, I’ll show it to you. You can go ahead and close up, Betty. I’ll see them out.” Nancy turned on a glistening black heel and walked back down the hallway from which she’d come, her shoes clicking authoritatively as she moved. “As to how it ended up here, the Smithsonian had no idea what to do with it. It didn’t seem to be particularly valuable and no one could tell precisely what its origins are. You’re telling me you saw one of these in California?”

“Yes,” Jerry said, entering the conversation for the first time. “Though this one appears to be a bit smaller. The designs on the casing are similar, but not identical.”

Book Three, Truth and Consequences, will be available in the fall of 2015!

Sarah Madison Author Bio and Contact Information: 

Bio: Sarah Madison is a veterinarian with a big dog, an even bigger horse, too many cats, and a very patient boyfriend. She is a terrible cook, and concedes that her life would be easier if Purina made People Chow. She writes because it is cheaper than therapy. (LOL. I -Wade Kelly- think that's funny.)

Contact links:

Website: http://www.sarahmadisonfiction.com/

 On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004K9QY5C

On Facebook (Author page): http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sarah-Madison-Author/106445646104338

On Facebook (Profile page): https://www.facebook.com/akasarahmadison

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahMadisonFic

On Dreamspinner: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Sarah+Madison&osCsid=i8qhvu8sb7150s11croi48klc3&x=31&y=8

Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4057853.Sarah_Madison

On Tumblr: http://sarahmadisonfiction.tumblr.com/

  

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Thanks to all the Friend Friday guests so far. Sue Brown, Jeff Adams (TWICE), Gregory Payne,  Chris Shirley, Tammy Middleton,  DS Kenn,  Whitley Gray, Felice Stevens, Bronwyn Heeley, and Andrew Q. Gordon.




Thank you for dropping by!