Please welcome Ann Lister, author of Meant for Me, book 5 in the The Rock Gods series from SleighFarm Publishing
Author Name: Ann Lister
Book Title: Meant For Me, The Rock Gods series, Book 5
Publisher: SleighFarm Publishing Group
Book Length: 270 pages, 85,000 words
Genre: Gay Romance, Erotic
Book Release Date: May 28, 2015
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis from Book Cover By Design
Buy Link: Amazon: Meant For Me
STORY BLURB:
Tony Wilcox, the quiet keyboard player for Ivory Tower, has always believed he was straight. A sexual encounter with his best friend leaves Tony questioning his heart and the unwavering attraction he has for Jared. Living and working together is no longer enough for Tony... he wants more. He wants Jared as his.
Jared Baker, the bass player for the band, has a past that is getting in the way of him fully embracing what he wants... Tony. He's tried everything to create distance between them, but none of it eliminated the feelings he has developed for Tony.
Trying to suppress the anger and confusion from Jared withdrawing from his life, Tony does his best to get beyond the feelings he has for his friend. When Jared becomes deathly ill, it's Tony that he calls for help and Tony has to decide if he can heal Jared without giving away too much of his heart.
Can best friends find their way to true love and discover if they were meant for each other, or will the challenges of life force them to choose separate paths?
EXCERPT
Jared continued to gently rock his hips against Tony to ease them through the aftershocks, then leaned in to offer Tony a soft, lingering kiss. When Jared's eyes opened, Tony was staring up at him. The intensity of that gaze took Jared's breath away and he rose up to his elbows again.
“You okay?” Jared asked with tenderness.
“Isn't this where you freak-out and leave?” Tony asked.
Jared's eyebrows bunched together. “I told you, T, I'm not leaving,” Jared replied. “Being with you like this only makes me want more, so much more.”
Tony pushed his fingers through Jared's hair and tucked a piece behind his ear. “There's no girl here between us to act as a buffer, and no other logical way you can pretend this didn't happen. Can you blame me for thinking you might bolt once the buzz of this wears off?”
“I know my track record with you isn't the greatest, but things are different now—I'm different,” Jared proclaimed.
“How so?” Tony questioned.
Jared ran the back of his fingers across Tony's cheek. “I guess you could say, I finally found the balls to admit to myself what it is I'm feeling,” Jared said. “More importantly, I found the backbone to come here and tell you.”
Tony shook his head. “I'm sorry if I'm being skeptical about this, but you've either run or pushed me away at very pivotal moments. At this point, I'm finding it difficult to understand where you're coming from, and what's really going on inside your head.”
Jared dropped down to Tony's chest and his face rolled into the bend of Tony's shoulder. It took a few seconds, but Tony's arms finally wrapped around Jared's back and Jared nuzzled in closer. God, he loved the warmth of Tony's embrace. It offered so much more than comfort. It felt safe.
“I'm so sorry for putting you through that, and if there was a way I could take it back I would,” Jared said with his lips against Tony's neck. “Truth is, I had trouble...accepting things.”
“Do you think it was easy for me?” Tony asked. “Jesus! How do you come to terms with wanting your best friend like this? There's no easy way to accept something like that. You either go with what you're feeling, or walk away, and that's what you seemed hell bent on doing.”
“I'm here now, T, and that has to count for something,” Jared whispered.
Tony shifted beneath Jared and they both felt the come cooling on their skin. Jared eased off to Tony's side and rolled from the bed. He walked into the bathroom and returned with a towel to clean them both. When he reached the bed, Tony was already using tissues from the nightstand to wipe the mess off his stomach. Jared climbed back onto the bed and finished cleaning Tony with the towel, then tossed the towel onto the floor and stretched out on his side facing Tony. He slid his leg over Tony's thigh again, dropped his head to Tony's shoulder, and ran his fingers over Tony's chest and stomach. He loved the way Tony's soft dusting of hair tickled the pads of his fingers.
“I don't know how I can prove it to you, T, but I will. And, I'll keep on proving it to you every fucking day you'll let me,” Jared's voice was soft, but he knew Tony was hearing every word loud and clear. “I'm not running, and I was serious about wanting more.”
What inspired you to start writing?
I started writing because I grew tired of not finding exactly what I wanted in a romance story. That's the simple answer. The more intricate answer is I needed to get the stories out of my head as they were taking up far too much space.
How long have you been writing?
I started seriously writing and making money doing it back in the early 1990's. Back then I was writing short, erotic M/M stories for men's magazines.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
First find your ”voice” and then research your target market to find out exactly who you are writing for. I would also advise a new author to develop a thick skin to withstand the bad reviews (because they will come) but remain open-minded enough to learn from them.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I have never suffered a serious ”block”, but have been stalled with the story direction a few times and thankfully these periods have been brief. Sometimes all it takes is for me to re-read what I've already written in the story and that will quickly get my head back into the characters heads. If that doesn't work then I typically step away from that story for a day or so and come back at it with fresh eyes. Both methods work for me and ususally I am right back on track.
Who is your favorite author and why?
Oh, that is like asking me who my favorite child is! LOL. I have many authors I love and all for varying reasons. It would be impossible for me to pick just one. I feel blessed to have many of my favorite authors as friends right now and I have learned something from each of them on how to navigate through this wild business of writing books!
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
For me, it is getting the reader to feel the emotions I felt when I wrote the story. Of course having a good story line to being with is a great launching pad. After that, it is important to me that I make the characters real enough for the reader to feel as if they know them, and care enough about them to want to read their story.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
It can sometimes take months to develop a story line. Sometimes it all plays out for me in a dream and then I merely sit down and write what I saw in that dream. Once I get the basic plot though, I will take some time to work that plot out thoroughly from every angle inside my head before I start typing. The first draft of the story is written and used as a place to lay my plot ideas and from there the story takes shape. The last draft is when I add a lot of the color to my story canvas and that would be the last bits of description or some of the finer details.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
That depends on the story I am writing. I'm working on a rock star romance series right now and I already have the characters in my head, so in that case the characters definitely came first. Characters that are well fleshed-out have very distinctive – and established personalities and that will offer me the plot – or the journey the characters will take me on. Sometimes the whole process works in reverse, where I have the entire plot figured out in my head and the characters come afterward.
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
My newest release is Meant For Me, Book 5 in The Rock Gods series. This is Tony Wilcox and Jared Baker's story. What isn't in the blurb is Tony and Jared have a very sweet love connection that had been in the works for many years before either of them wanted to ”see” it. Because this story has a softer edge to it, there is much less angst in it because that factor wasn't necessary for these two characters to work well together.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
I am about 40,000 words into Book 6 in The Rock Gods series. This one is titled Fighting His Fire and it is Dante Duponte and Ashton Lane's story. If you've read the other stories in this series you will know the combustible and contentious relationship these two characters have together. Simply put: these two love to hate each other and their interactions typically turn physical in seconds when put together in the same space. These bruising moments for them remain long after they realize what they're feeling isn't anger – it's love. Their combative tatics are just their way of expressing the deep passion they have for the other, and sometimes love can leave real bruises.
What are you reading now?
I am actually finishing Trust by Ella Frank and next up is Chasing The Rainbow by Kade Boehme.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Years ago I enjoyed reading Sandra Brown because her style was a little more erotic than some of the other typical romance authors. I found myself searching for just the right combination. I needed more eroticism in what I read and I figured I couldn't be the only person wanting that in a romance book and that led me to start writing the type of story I wanted to read.
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
My book titles always come from the actual story. It might be something the characters are known to say, or it could be a lyric in one of the songs my characters write (they are rock stars). My first rock star romance, Sheet Music: A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story came from a phrase the main character, Michael Wade said to his love interest. ”Sheet music, or music between the sheets.” That book released back in 2009 and the phrase turned out to be the slogan of all my books since.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think I realized that notion when I released Sheet Music back in 2009.
Describe your writing space.
In May of 2014 my release Meant For Me, Book 3 in The Rock Gods series hit #1 in Gay Romance, Gay Fiction, and Gay Erotica. That is when my husband and I realized I needed a much bigger (and better) writing space. He is a builder by trade so together we designed a space for me which now occupies the area that was once our sun room. As the description suggests, this room is very sunny and has a lot of window and glass doors that overlook our side yard. I have several bird feeders outside one of the window and lots of other wildlife that I can watch while I write. I love this room we built! It is my own personal nirvana.
What is the hardest part about writing for you?
The hardest part of me is letting go of the characters. As any artist would tell you, it isn't easy to walk away from your art and say it is ”done.” These aren't characters to me. They are living, breathing, flesh and bone people that I've spent a LOT of time with by the time the book is compeleted and released. Because of that, I have serious trouble walking away from the intimacy I've developed with them.
What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
Typically I start each day (7 days a week) with a bit of marketing and working through the emails I receive. After I complete that, then it is all about the writing. I might spend all my writing time one day on a single paragraph. Other days I might write several chapters. It depends on how loud the characters voices are in my head at that time and also how many distractions I have during the day and there are always distractions. Lol.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Quirk? Lol. Hmmm, I'm not sure. I very seldom write at night and most authors I know do their writing at night. Not sure if that is a quirk or not.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Reading would be my first choice. Plus, reading is also part of the job. I do read for pleasure, but I am also reading to stay on top of what is going on in the M/M genre.
What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
I am sometimes shocked at how quickly the story ideas come to me. I am equally surprised by how many people are avid readers of my work. In the beginning I wrote to entertain my close friends. Having so many total strangers reading my books now is an amazing surprise – and one I very much love and appreciate!!
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
With the release of Meant For Me on May 28th, that gives me ten titles in print. I've written more than that, but they are not all in print. As for my favorite, (again) that is like asking who my favorite child is. Lol. Whatever book I am working on feels like my favorite at the time. I do have a deep, crazy love for Dagger Drummund and Ryan Pierce from Fall For Me, Book 1 in The Rock Gods. Dagger was the first character in the series to introduce himself to me. And lets face it, you always remember your first.
Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
I hear from my readers a lot and I'm very grateful for that. They keep me on track and focused on getting the best possible story out to them. They humble me and their words of praise can sometimes bring me to tears. Hearing how a reader was moved by my story and felt the same exact emotions I did when I wrote the story is priceless. It makes all the long hours and stress worth it.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Something in the art field and every job or career I've had have all been based in artexcept for one.
How do you do research for your books?
I research in many ways. The obvious way is through the internet. I'll research locations, hotels, airports, etc. Then I have several people I depend on to make sure I have the dynamics of the M/M relationship correct and I've also been known to watch gay porn for that purpose, too (only for research and nothing more – lol). If there is a theme in the story like BDSM I will consult with a specialist, as I did with Looking At Forever, Book 4 in The Rock Gods series. My goal is to get my stories as close to reality as possible but still allowing a little bit of gray area for the reader to ”suspend their reality” to believe the story.
Ann Lister writes erotic love stories using beautifully drawn characters; flawed and emotionally damaged, and at the height of their careers, each in search of the one thing that still eludes them: love.
The Rock Gods series gave her Bestselling Author status on Amazon. Each book in this series brings her two favorite elements together: musicians and the love between two men. These stories focus on what it truly means to love; love unconditionally, love without restrictions or labels, love without fear or judgment – to just simply love.
Author Links:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Lister/95422803480?fref=photo
Website: www.annlisterpublications.com
Twitter: @AnnListerAuthor
Amazon Buy Links Rock Gods Series:
Fall For Me (part 1)
Take What You Want (part 2)
Make You Mine (part 3)
Looking at Forever (part 4)
Meant For Me (part 5)
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