Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today, Kelex – International bestselling gay erotica/erotic romance author Kelex lives in Hampton Roads with her twenty-something slacker kidult and two semi-loveable masses of fur who are often found snarling at the mailman or UPS driverāor pooping on the brand new carpet.
Kelex is giving away any an e-book off her backlist, not including His Surrogate Omega, to two interested readers! Mobi or ePub only. For a chance to win, comment on the post below.
Thanks so much, Kelex, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
Kelex: My 7thgrade teacher was the first person who told me I had a gift. I didnāt really believe her, but she seemed to know way back when that I would have a career in writing. I didnāt publish my first book until twenty-some odd years later ā but a few years and a few books down the road, I got in touch with her. Found out sheād quit teaching and she even told me over the phone that she didnāt love it anymore. That she didnāt think she was making a difference. I got to tell her that she did. That her words and her belief in me had stayed with me all these years. She cried. I cried. It was a good moment.
JSC: Whatās the weirdest thing youāve ever done in the name of research?
K: Does porn count? (HA!) Iāve done some odd searchesā¦ the layout of a morgue. How to poison someone. How to save someone from poisoning. Weaponry. I usually try to post on social media and let the FBI know itās book research, so just in case theyāre watching my internet searches, thinking Iām a killer.
JSC: Have you ever taken a trip to research a story? Tell me about it.
K: Yes! New Orleans. Iāve been back twice since, too. I absolutely adore the city. It was made for storytelling and I highly recommend going if someoneās never been. The cemeteries are amazing and rich in voodoo and history, the food is to die for, and you can walk around all day with a drink in your hand and your inner juvenile delinquent will approve.
JSC: Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why?
K: My real nameās Kelex. Really. Okay, maybe not. To be honest, when I started writing as Kelex, I had some very religious family members (note: in-laws) who we already had a precarious relationship with post-divorce. I didnāt want the possibility of my daughterās grandparents finding out and potentially cutting off ties. Sheās important to meā¦ but now that sheās 23, Iām a lot less worried about them finding out and even posted the real me on social media a few times.
JSC: How long do you write each day?
K: I have a word-count each day (I try for a minimum of 5K). Some days, if the muse is feeling it, I can be done in three hours or so. On days when the ADHD is on point, it takes a hell of a lot longer. And I still might not make it. Point is, I TRY every day.
JSC: How long have you been writing?
K: Iāve written all my life, ever since I could. Admittedly, it was mostly cute girlie poems when I was younger, but writing has always been a part of me. I started writing my first novel in 2006. Signed the contract for it in 2008. December 2008, to be honest. So Iāve been a āprofessionalā for a decade now, you could say.
JSC: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
K: Both? I used to be a total pantser, but Iād too often go on these wild tangents and end up deleting things. So a few years ago, I started with a SUPER LOOSE outline. Scene by sceneā¦ it might just be a line to remind me where Iām going. Tangents still happen, but a little less often and I have a path to get me back. Occasionally the tangentās too good and I have to rethink the plan, but such is life.
JSC: What is the most heartfelt thing a reader has said to you?
K: I had someone tell me once I was their happy place. When theyāve had a bad day, they go back and re-read one of my books. I was dumbfounded and had no idea what to say to her. I still donāt, but all I can say now is she made my day. My year, more like it.
JSC: Star Trek or Star Wars? Why?
K: STAR WARS. I mean, I enjoy them both because I enjoy Sci-Fi, but thereās romance to Star Warsā¦ less logicalā¦ and more like me.
JSC: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
K: The angst. I usually write things a little flufflier and funā¦ but as of late Iāve been getting a bit angsty. His Surrogate Omega made me cry writing it, numerous times. Once, I legit ugly cried and had to stop writing and clean my face. It broke meā¦ and Iām absolutely exhausted right now that itās done. I just hope other people enjoy it since itās so different than the things I normally publish.
And now for Kelex’s new book: His Surrogate Omega (December 19th):
BLURB
Omega Gray Tomlinson is positive heāll remain unmated for the rest of his life. By his mid-thirties, he remains unclaimed and without prospects, and lives confined to the Omega Quadrant, where heās sure heāll likely end up dying alone.
When his older brother, Silver, and Silverās alpha die in a tragic accident, his nephews come to live in his little sequestered world. Without an alpha, he knows he has little means to help support the boys. The only choice he can stomach is to offer his services as a surrogate.
Gray meets Jamie, the infertile omega who so desperately wants a child with his alpha Rohan. Immediately he senses a bond like none heās ever felt before. Itās brotherly love at first sight and Gray decides Jamie is the one, agreeing to carry their child.
But when circumstances change, Gray is faced with new challenges, a new love interest, and a battle for the very life that grew inside him.
And maybe thereās an alpha out there for him after allā¦
Get It On Amazon
Excerpt
His gaze fell on Jamieās bright smile. āYouāre here!ā
Jamie rushed over and spun Gray to face the man he was there to meet.
As soon as he set sight on Rohan, the air rushed from his lungs. The man was stunningā¦ perfectly made in every way. Big and muscled as any alpha, he wore an expensive looking tailored suit that showed wide shoulders and a narrow waist. The alphaās scent hit Grayā¦ and he paused to inhale a little of it. Lust washed over him, his body rocked by need. Heād just gone through his heat the week before, so he didnāt understand the sensations running through him.
Some of Grayās cream slickened his ass. Mortification filled him. There was also no missing the sudden clench to Rohanās jaw.
The alpha had to scent himā¦
Dark eyes met his before that stare swept completely over him. Gray saw lust there in that gaze and had to remind himself it was all an instinctual reaction. An alpha scenting an available omegaāthatās all it was.
And in that moment, he wished heād injected some of Averyās scent blocker. He hadnāt even thought about itā¦ but then, why would he? He had little experience with alphas. His father, and a few friends whoād come over every so often when he was youngābut once heād gone into heat that first time, heād been sequestered away. Even though Rohan had an omega all his own, it wouldnāt completely subdue the animal instinct within Rohan. Jamie and Tensen couldnāt scent himā¦ only the alpha in the room would know.
Gray couldnāt look away from the alphaās dark, fierce stare. His body shook with needā¦
And the desire to bow down then and there to be taken. He snagged his gaze away, shame filling him.
Jamie babbled on, seeming oblivious to what was happening. āI couldnāt wait for you two to meetā¦ it feels like such a long time coming. So, without further adoāRohan, this is Gray. Gray, my alpha, Rohan.ā
He lifted his stare to Rohanās once more. The alphaās gaze was locked on him. Gray felt his skin tinglingā¦ butterflies spinning in his gutā¦
All for a man he couldnāt haveā¦
A man he might carry a child for.Gray clenched his own jaw thinking of his womb filled with Rohanās child. His womb clenched, too.
Author Bio
International bestselling gay erotica/erotic romance author Kelex lives in Hampton Roads with her twenty-something slacker kidult and two semi-loveable masses of fur who are often found snarling at the mailman or UPS driverāor pooping on the brand new carpet.
When not being a pain in her daughterās ass, a gardening goddess, the baker of bread, the master of cake disaster, or the drinker of alllllll the coffee, she writes under various pen names all over the erotica and erotic romance genre map.
Kelex Links:
Website (NSFW): http://www.authorkelex.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelex.author
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/KelexErotica/
Facebook Fan Group (House of Kelex): https://www.facebook.com/groups/218264788624838/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kelex11
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kelexerotica/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkelex/
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tumblr: https://waywardpornwriter.tumblr.com