25 November 2014

The Cellar Tour Stop!


 
It's time to learn the truth about what happened that day in The Cellar.

Taryn and Thanos are the formidable Ambassadors of House Orion. Taryn was born into power, bred from birth to lead the people of Greece along with his sister Theresa, Thanos was never a part of his mother's plan. The son of a fisherman was not a suitable match for the son of Greece as far as their mother was concerned, but Taryn always takes what he wants.

The Cellar is the story of how these two men met and fell in love, and what lengths Taryn went to, to ensure he kept his man. This novella also contains a more detailed accounting of what happened the night Raven and Tanis went for a walk on the beach, and the adult version of Mistletoe and Mayhem that was initially released as a free short through goodreads.

The Cellar is the second novella in the Opposites series, the series should be read in order.

** Warning, Opposites is an Adult Dystopian majorly M/M series that contains explicit sexual content and relationships between gay, straight and lesbian couples. However, The Cellar is strictly a M/M novella **

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23476801-the-cellar
I’ve been a fan of this series since I first read Opposites, and I was really excited for this book because of one simple fact.  I just HAD to know what happened in the cellar!  It’s hinted at in the other books, but to actually find out what had happened, was awesome.
I do enjoy Ms. Smith’s writing style in the books, but the one thing that does end up confusing me is how similar the names are in the story.  But thankfully I was able to follow along enough that I wasn’t completely lost.
I also liked how there were some hints about what was going to happen in the future, and with what was revealed at the end of Appearances.  I do wish there would have been some more information given about everything, but I do have high hopes for the next book to come!
I do think that this was a great addition to the series, and it keeps you wanting for more of the world that Ms. Smith has created!

Amazon US || Smashwords || ARe

Who in your personal life was the biggest supporter of your writing?
My mother. She has always been my biggest supporter in everything I do, even if she thinks I’m wrong, she supports me. But she loves my books, my writing, and these characters I’ve created. In fact, Raven and Tanis fans have her to thank for the chapter Ravens Wood in The Library, it was at her request.

Do you prefer quiet or background noise when writing? If background noise, what?
Music is a must for me when I’m writing, it inspires me and keeps me kind of grounded.

What is one thing you wish your readers could understand about the writing process?
Just that, it is a process and it takes time. I’m not a fulltime author, as much as I want to be, and so I just don’t have the ability to crank out several books a year. The majority of emails and comments are, “How much longer until the next book?!” and I promise you, it’s coming, but I can only write a couple books a year.

If your characters could come to life and be a real human, which one do you think you would get along with best and which one would drive you crazy first?
I’d get along with Maya best I’m certain since she is the character I wrote most like me. I think were Ariadne a real person, I might want to kill her. She is entirely too chipper and meticulous.

When did you start writing and what was your inspiration?
I started writing Opposites in early 2011 and I was inspired mostly by a love of reading and an urge to tell a story that was bouncing around in my brain like a ping pong ball.

Is there a genre or type of book that you love to read but could never write and if so why?
Oh yes, Zombies. I absolutely love zombie stories but I don’t think I could write them and do them justice.

Since you've been writing how much has the genre changed? Good, bad?
The LGBT genre is becoming more and more prevalent every year. Writers like Andrew Grey, Mary Calmes and Amy Lane are showing that you can write a book that center around an LGBT couple and still give the story purpose, meaning, content and structure. When M/M books first burst onto the scene, I think a lot of people thought it was just a way to put porn to paper, and while that is still true for some stories, there are really great books out there that tell a story and allow readers to immerse themselves into the lives of the characters.

Seeing more and more authors going the "self-pub' route. Thoughts?
I’m self published and I think that every author should publish at least one book themselves. It’s a lot of work but it really teaches you how to be self sufficient and resilient. I hope to publish traditional one day and there are a lot of LGBT friendly pub sites now that weren’t there a decade ago, but there is a freedom to self pub that you won’t find with a publisher.

How much thought do you as an author put into your cover, cover models etc. And has that changed since you started writing. If so, have you or will you go back and re-do covers you’re no longer pleased with?
My covers are a direct reflection to the story and/or characters of that book. I put hours into researching the perfect model and backgrounds for my covers because I want people to look at them and WANT to read my book. I also want readers to be able to define the story with the cover. I did actually go back and change my first books cover about a year after it published to make it more adherent to the story and cohesive with the other covers. I think an author should put as much effort into a cover as they do in the manuscript, a lot of times your cover is what sells your book, so if it’s tacky or looks like something created by a kindergarten student people will sometimes skip a purchase.

What is the most intense scene you have ever written? Did you find it difficult writing that scene?
In Opposites there is a chapter, The Clearing, that really just tore me apart when I was writing it. To this day when I read over that scene I still cry. It’s very emotional and so much happens in that particular chapter that not only shapes the story going forward, but the people involved. I’ve had several intense or heavy scenes throughout all the books, but this one will always be the most emotional to me. I think it was the combination of love, hate and death in the scene that made it difficult to write. Finding the right balance between the three was a challenge.


When writing, what comes first? The characters or the plot?
The characters, then I create the plots and stories around them.

Do you ever write your own personal fantasies into your books?
Oh yes! Who doesn’t? Sawyer is my own, personal, wet dream. Perhaps that is why I made him straight.

How much if any of your story line comes from real life people or events?
A good bit, actually. I write around songs, movies, pictures and stories that I’ve seen and heard that appeal to me. I take what I like about them and make them my own. And the character Raven is not only based on my GBFF but he has a huge voice and opinion on what I write for the character.

How many times do you read what you wrote and think "where the hell did that come from?!"
That has happened a few times. I will be half asleep and nearly dead but still ticking away at a manuscript, then when I go back and read over it I’m blown away and wondering where the hell did those words come from? It really is true when Authors say the characters live inside their heads, mine sure do, and they are very vocal.

Do you have to look at the keys when you type?
What in interesting question, and no. My typing teacher in college would take the correction tape out of the typewriters and make us wear a sleep mask when we were typing. So I truly learned to type by touch and if I look at the keyboard, that is when I make mistakes.

How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
You do realize you are talking to a M/M author, and my Chuck would chuck a lot of wood! *wink, wink*

What are you two favorite 80’s movies?
The Outsiders and Less Than Zero

Why are man-hole covers round?
Because holes are round, duh! 

A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. She now calls Texas home from her small town on the outskirts of the DFW Metroplex. Most days you can find her curled up with her kindle and a good book alongside a glass of something aged and red or a steaming cup of coffee!

At 42 years young, she's decided to enter the next phase of her life by adding the title of "author" to her list of accomplishments that includes single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Smith is and outspoken advocate for Autism and equal rights for the LGBTQ community.

Her Opposites series is based outside the normal parameters of social acceptability, examining a 'what if'... What If to be gay or lesbian were the norm? What if to be straight labeled you as an Opposite and made YOU the Outkast?

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