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, Pelaam – Living in clean, green New Zealand, Pelaam is a multi-published author of gay romance and erotic books. When not busy writing she can be found indulging in her other passions of cookery and wine appreciation.
Thanks so much, Pelaam, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Pelaam: A zookeeper. I had a very romantic notion of being a zookeeper and looking after animals. The issues of cleaning them all didn’t enter my head. I even applied to work in a zoo when I was first looking for work.
JSC: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
P: I started writing before I was seven years old. I wrote fantasy even then, with talking animals having adventures. I continued to write throughout my childhood. Although I moved to what would now be called fanfiction. Only a teacher ever saw it, and he was surprised at the depth of imagination. I dabbled a toe in posting to a free site, about ten years ago, and was approached by a publisher to write for them. I haven’t looked back. I can’t imagine not writing.
JSC: Describe yourself using… ( a food, a book, a song, a movie, an animal, a drink, a place etc)
P: Dr Doolittle. Dogs look at or walk after me, even if they’re with their owners. Cats usually come to sit with me, too. I love animals… and I talk to them.
JSC: How would you describe your writing style/genre?
P: My preferred genres are sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal. I quite like to blur the lines. My style is ‘pantser’. I have multiple WIPs on the go at any time – ten at present. Recently I misread a book’s catchy one-line blurb. Just by one letter. I now have a story in my head that’s wanting to be written. That’s how quickly a plot bunny can strike.
JSC: Do you have any strange writing habits or superstitions?
P: I can’t write in silence. I can be in a bar or restaurant, surrounded by hubbub and write very happily. At home, I always put on a DVD of a film or series that I know really well. When I look up, I know exactly where it’s up to. That way it doesn’t distract me from writing.
JSC: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
P: It was Becomes the Rose. At the time it was first published, it was for a submission call for Halloween. However, when the original publisher closed, and I reworked it for the new publisher – Fireborn Publishing – I was encouraged to put it and several other works under the title “Demonica Universe”. They all had the same premise of a world where demons, along with other paranormal creatures, lived openly with humankind. As a consequence, this book ended up as number four in the universe. I’ve also been working on a series of Demonica Origins, going back in time to write stories chronicling how humans and preternaturals began their association.
Becomes the Rose tells of how my MC Tarin loses his way in a forest on a camping trip and finds a village in the fog. But the villagers are actually a mix of humans and vampires, cursed to exist only over Halloween each year.
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?
P: Yes, absolutely. I had the maximum number of library tickets I could and worked my way through all the fantasy, sci fi, fairy tale, dragons, witches, and ghost story books I could find. I have a lot of the books I bought s a child, and I still can’t read just one book at a time.
JSC: What’s your writing process?
P: Sometimes I start at the beginning, other times the middle. It tends to depend on what hits me first about a story. I then continue to write, usually out of sequence, and go from start to finish to connect it all. At one time I used to handwrite everything. Now, I’ll write in notebooks if I’m out and about, but the rest is done at the computer.
JSC: Would you visit the future or the past, and why?
P: The past. I’d love to be in a safe bubble and walk with dinosaurs for real. I had a fascination for dinosaurs when growing up. I’d love to be able to watch them walk, swim, and fly.
JSC: What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
P: I’m working on two which are close to finish. “Strawberry Fields” which is my last year’s Nano. A steampunk sci-fi with the title being the name of my spacecraft. There are heroes and villains, action and adventure, and of course, love. The other I have close to finishing doesn’t have a title as yet. It’s fantasy/paranormal, but I don’t want to give too much away as I’m hoping to surprise the reader. The main character is Alex who meets a group of steampunk cosplayers when on a skiing holiday.
And now for Pelaam new book: All That Glistens:
Despite feeling increasingly estranged from his sister Citlali, fey prince Taima doesn’t hesitate to attempt a single-handed rescue on hearing she’s missing along with a group of riders from the palace.
Instead, Taima discovers that while someone can appear attractive on the outside, they may be hiding a heart of pure evil. He also finds that a rough and gruff appearance can house a love beyond anything he may have imagined.
When Taima is kidnapped it will take all of duende captain Hanne’s strength and courage, as well as those who also love Taima, to face and defeat a deadly foe.
One who has killed before and will not hesitate to do so again.
Evernight Publishing | Amazon
Excerpt
Hands trembling and keeping as close to the stone walls as possible, Taima made his way slowly into the bowels of Amand’s fortress, to the furnace rooms. Taima disliked the darkness, the cramped space, and the increasingly suffocating heat.
Already sweat slid down his cheeks, and his clothing stuck uncomfortably to his body. How does anyone work in such a terrible place? But since several Duende had told him it was where Hanne was likely to be, then that’s where he would go.
The fiery torches dotted along the walls gave off just enough flickering light for Taima to see in front of him, and he stopped, trying to breathe more deeply. He looked at the small container he held. Taima was glad he’d thought to cover it with a dampened cloth, but it was already starting to dry out. Taima hoped and prayed he was almost at the bottom of the seemingly endless stairways.
With a last, deep breath, Taima moved forward, following the stairs in a turn to the left and stopped again as a dark red glow appeared before him. The furnace room. At last.
Despite increasing heat, Taima hurried forward. The Fey had no miners or iron workers, only talented gold and silversmiths. So when he reached the cavern holding the furnaces, Taima simply stopped and stared.
Never in his life had he seen the likes of the inferno before him. To his left was a wall of huge furnaces, with teams of Duende constantly feeding them the fuel they needed. Containers carried molten metal to banks of other workers who hammered at anvils. The stench of steam, smoke, sweat, and metal was heavy in the air.
Somewhere in the mass of men, machines, and metal was Hanne. It was only then that Taima noticed how the workers dressed, or rather didn’t dress. Some were fully naked, others wore only a thick leather apron. Despite the lingering effects of the dark, enclosed space, and the heat from the furnace, a different hotness encompassed Taima. A soft groan escaped him as he scanned the room, searching for Hanne, wondering if he, too, would be as good as naked.
No one paid him much attention. A few Duende looked him up and down as he passed them, but nobody stopped their work. Then Taima spotted Hanne. Unable to move, Taima watched him work.
Rivulets of sweat ran down Hanne’s bronze, broad chest. His arms rose and fell, powerful muscles bulging while he hammered the iron on his anvil. The physical heat of the furnace room paled into insignificance. An entirely different fire consumed Taima.
His mouth dry, Taima made himself move forward. He was still a few feet away when Hanne turned, his face soot-streaked, his expression dark. There was no way Taima could speak.
Instead, he darted forward, quickly thrust the gift into Hanne’s hands, and then turned and ran before Hanne could react. Racing from the furnace room, Taima took the stair two, even three at a time until he finally stopped, leaning against the stone wall of a long hallway.
The cool stones were a balm to his heated skin, but they didn’t douse the fire in his veins. Taima took huge gulps of air to calm his heart that hammered frantically in his chest, as well as his mind that had filled with so many whirling thoughts he felt dizzy. For better or worse, the deed was done.
Now he could only wait.
Author Bio
Living in clean, green New Zealand, Pelaam is a multi-published author of gay romance and erotic books. When not busy writing she can be found indulging in her other passions of cookery and wine appreciation.
Pelaam’s books: “Smoking Mirror” was a finalist in 2017 Rainbow Awards in Gay futuristic/sci-fi. “Stranded” was the Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice winner 2016 for Sci-fi. “The Avian Emperor” was runner up and received an Honourable Mention in the 2016 Rainbow Awards Gay futuristic/sci-fi. “Future Imperfect” was a finalist for the 2015 Rainbow Awards in Gay futuristic/sci-fi. “On Dragon’s Wings” was LR Café 2014 winner for Fantasy. “Breath of the Feathered Serpent” was a finalist for the 2014 Rainbow Awards in Gay futuristic/sci-fi.
She can be found on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pamela.pelaamone
with an author page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pelaam/1467778320131583