About the Author:
David Connor wanted to be a soap opera writer ever since his 8th grade English teacher wrote atop one of his papers “You should get a job writing for As the World Turns.” David has written for soap opera publications and for a radio soap, and now writes steamy romantic stories—soap operas in print. He has written several novels and novellas, and has also contributed to a number of anthologies in the gay erotic romance genre.
David also writes stage plays, and humor and satire from the home he shares in upstate New York, the setting for many of his books, with his kitty cat, Molly. David believes he is also sometimes visited by loved ones no longer here on Earth, including the spirits of Max, the dog, and Mrs. Fat Pants, the cat, not only at Christmas, either.
Check out David’s Facebook author page here: And talk to him on Twitter @DannyCinicic.
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
I have a general idea of who, and quite often I think I know what—but I find myself saying quite often “I didn’t see that coming.” In Christmas Spirit the whole Shelf Elf thing just came about as I was writing and in Tidings of Comfort and Joey Down Under Seth’s parents were originally his friends.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
Yes. And sometimes I let them. In Quadruple Flip Erika refused to be a secondary character and she now wants her own sequel. We’ll see.
What drew you to the M/M genre in particular?
I have loved writing since I was in grade school. I wrote a bunch of stuff for magazines and when I tried to write a novel, doors seemed to slam in my face. This was a welcoming market. I hopped on board for some of the anthologies and met some wonderful people along the way. I am also a gay guy, so… there is that.
Do you write in other genres besides M/M?
Yes, but nothing is really out there as far as books are concerned. I have been featured in Soap Opera Digest and Mad Magazine.
What is your favourite food?
Mashed potatoes are right up there.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Morning. I love the solitude of morning when it’s too early even for the cat. I love the way the sun shines through my kitchen window when it rises over the mountain.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
Scotland. It looks so very lush and green.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Tidings of Comfort and Joey is set in Australia. Quadruple Flip travels from Japan, to Canada, to the U. S., Great Britain, and Russia, following a gang of athletes on their Olympic journey. Double Flip was set in London as well. But don’t judge my writing on that book. I was pretty darned green.
Do you listen to music while writing?
I prefer total silence.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
I have three Christmas stories out: Tidings of Comfort and Joey, part of Dreamspinner Press’s annual Advent, which is very exciting. I also have Christmas Spirit from Secret Cravings about two young men making the transition to maturity with the help of one’s ghostly grampy. And finally, from Loose Id I helped my writing partner with Shepherd, Wise Man and the Little Drummer boy, a blush-worthy M/M/M tale where we put three characters from three different stories we never really got to fleshing out into one lusty tale. It felt so good to give them their happily ever after.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
To better know my audience. When I wrote Double Flip I had no idea what the genre was all about. What I wrote—though possibly enjoyable to a few people—was more like a cross between a Mad Magazine piece and the kind of story from gay nudie mags.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Yes. Do you think they’ll let me rewrite Double Flip? Can we go back in time a couple years?
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Stick with it. You have to love what you do, because every book is not going to be a bestseller and every review is not going to be 5 stars. You’re probably not going to get filthy rich either.
What are three words that describe you?
Funny, introverted, creative.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
Old school Catcher in the Rye holds up for me. Men never grow all the way up (a theme in Christmas Spirit) and there is a little Holden Caulfield in every adult male. I was also quite taken with John Irving’s In One Person. There are some great takeaways from that story, including a passage about how writers can never be completely content with their own lives, otherwise they will never be able to create other worlds.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
List of previous books if any
Rated XXXMas
Amazon Author Page
Dreamspinner Press Author Page
Any websites/places readers can find you on the web
https://www.facebook.com/mmromcomsinprint?ref=hl
***
Christmas Spirit
by David Connor
M/M Contemporary/Christmas/Holidays
Scattered, irresponsible, and hurting inside, Aidan, has gone cold when it comes to love. Everyone he loves leaves him. Just as Kip comes close to thawing his heart, tragedy strikes again. Aidan’s grampy, the only family he has left, is rushed to the hospital. His last words to his grandson encourage him to become a better man, one worthy of Kip. Fearing he never will be that man, Aidan breaks things off. One year later, over Christmas, in the warmth of the Florida sun, the couple reunites. With the help of Aidan’s grampy’s spirit—which only Kip can hear—they try to find their future in life and as a couple.
Excerpt:
Christmas past, 2013.
I believed him—silly me—so I slipped off my shoes and sat on the bed. I smiled shyly when he pulled on my arm until I was lying beside him.
“We ain’t never done this before.” Aidan smiled back.
“No.”
“How come?” he asked.
“Professional boundaries?”
Aidan laughed. “Be they gone now?”
“I’m not sure.” I really wasn’t.
“Or you just feel sorry for me?”
“Not sorry. No.” I searched my brain for what I was feeling. “Protective,” I offered. “No. That’s not it. I guess I wanna make you not be afraid of…” I didn’t dare toss out the word love again. “Of… ya know.”
Aidan said nothing. His blue eyes found my ombre though and they told me I’d said something meaningful.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
Bare leg to bare leg I felt a chill. “Brr!” I suddenly said. “Get up. You’re still cold.” And so was I.
Aidan got out of bed without argument. I pulled back the top sheet he’d been lying on and guided him beneath it. The view as he splayed his legs to scooch to one side let me know if we ever did have sex, I’d be in for a workout.
I picked up the sand-colored quilt from the floor and threw that overtop of him as well. Then I picked up my computer tablet.
“You getting in?” he asked.
“I’ll be the top.” Damn me and my nervous malapropisms. I decided not to correct myself. That would only draw attention. The smirk across Aidan’s thick, pale lips told me it didn’t really matter. “You were outside smoking, weren’t you?” There, I turned attention back on him.
“Just cigarettes.”
I smiled. Aidan was funny.
“Is that about me?”
“Yes.” I settled next to him. I tucked the covers in around him, for more warmth and also as a barrier between his body and mine. The sheets smelled good, like laundry soap and dryer sheets. Aidan, his scent, wafting about from when he’d stirred, smelled like cigarettes and winter. “You should have worn a coat. At least shoes.”
“And I shouldn’t smoke.”
He always seemed to know what I was thinking. I agreed with a sideways nod.
“I was under the portico,” he said. “Wasn’t that cold.”
“Is it snowing hard?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
Available from Amazon
0 comments:
Post a Comment