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.
Giveaway
Susan is giving away the first 2 books (e-books) in the Men of London series. “Love You Senseless” and “Sight and Sinners.” For a chance to win, comment on this post, below.
Today, Susan Mac Nicol – Susan writes steamy, sexy and fun contemporary gay romance stories, some suspenseful, some gritty and dark and others that hopefully make you think. She’s also Editor in Chief at Divine Magazine,an online LGBTQ e-zine, and a Charity Board trustee at The Being Me Campaignin London.
Thanks so much, Susan, 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?
Susan Mac Nicol: I started writing when I was around eight years old and I still have all the scribbles and stuff I wrote. I wrote a children’s story, got an agent (back in South Africa) and because I was young, in my teens, and stupid, I never saw it through. Life was about boys and having fun. I started writing again with a view publication back in 2012 and that’s where everything happened that got me where I am today. I guess I must be okay because people seem to like my books 😊
JSC: How would you describe your writing style/genre?
SM: We all have our unique style of writing and our own voice. Mine tends to be very dialogue driven- I love it – and also realistic and matter of fact. I’m not a fan of saccharine, sweet stories, preferring to write darker and more action driven tales. A reader told me last week she couldn’t remember any of my characters say ‘I love you’ or at least, hardly ever, and my response was that in RL I’m not a romantic (LMAO) and tend to use actions to show affections and love rather than the words themselves.
JSC: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
SM: For research for Living on Air, my husband and I went to stay in a real circus for four days. I approached a number of UK circuses and one of them was happy to let me have an old caravan and gave access to the backstage of the circus and see everything that went on. It was one heck of an experience and one that I’ll remember until I’m old.
J. Scott Coatsworth: What do you do when you get writer’s block?
SM: It happens, and when it does, I try and focus on doing something else, like going to visit antique stores with my hubby, going to the theatre, or on a day out somewhere where I can let my brain drift. Sometimes it takes a while to get back into writing mode but it helps.
J. Scott Coatsworth: Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, why not?
SM: Hell, no. I’m happy to have people know who I am, and luckily I don’t have to hide it. Some people are not so fortunate to be have this luxury.
JSC: How long do you write each day?
SM: I use something called Pacemaker and plot my work according to the books I want to complete. It allows you to have a start and end date and create how you want to write it, to allow you to schedule your time effectively. I’m currently writing three books at the same time. For example, book 1 may need 500 words three times a week, book 2 800 words, five days a week and book 3 250 words three times a week to get me to my goal. So each day time spent is different.
JSC: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
SM: I do read reviews on Amazon, never on Goodreads. I take the good with the bad, and I don’t get caught up in the bad ones. I take what’s said on board, though, if it’s constructive.
JSC: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
SM: I’ve written 26 books so far and for 22 of them I’ve worked a full-time job. I’d go to work, come home and write until midnight, one a.m. and every weekend. I was lucky enough to be able to reduce my work hours to two days a week at the moment which makes it easier. The time I have to write hasn’t affected my books, I don’t believe, and I pride myself on being consistent.
JSC: What were your goals and intentions in For Fox Sake, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
SM: In For Fox Sake, my aim was to create a fictional world – I call it my Diagon Alley for Kink- and build a set of stories around this world and the people that inhabit it. I think with book one I’ve started to achieve this and I’m hoping people enjoy the idea as much I have.
JSC: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about him or her.
SM: There are two secondary characters in the book that readers will learn more about as the series progresses. Aurelio and Tomas will have their very own romance among the pages of the books, along with the already established relationship of Clay and Tate, the two main MC’s.
JSC: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An archaeologist or anthropologist, and a journalist 😊
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?
SM: Oh yes. I used to sneak into my dad’s bedroom and read his Louis L’Amour novels which he hid away. I’ve always been a huge reader, inspired mostly by my dad’s love of it.
JSC: If you could create a new holiday, what would it be?
SM: Free Book Day, when all the books for sale cost nothing.
JSC: What fictional speculative fiction character would you like to spend an evening with, and why?
SM: Arthur Conan Doyle. He fascinates me as a man and a writer.
JSC: Star Trek or Star Wars? Why?
SM: Both. I love this sort of science fiction and I’ve always been a huge fan of both.
And now for Susan’s new book: For Fox Sake:
The Places You’ll Go And The Things That You’ll See
Former SAS soldier, Clay Mortimer, the M in M&W Investigations, had thought he’d seen it all. But when his ex calls and asks for a favour Clay is intrigued, and then a bit surprised. He and his partner, Tate Williams, have a robust and imaginative sex life, but the things they see and learn in Fetish Alley take their understanding of human behaviour to the next level. Tate’s take is part kid in a candy store fascination, part shocked. At the end of the day, all good detective work requires an open mind and the skill to ferret out the truth. Still, the layers of deceit and avarice they encounter are more than par for the course, particularly from people who are not keen about outsiders to the world of Fetish Alley.
Amazon | Boroughs | Smashwords | Goodreads
Excerpt
Clay reached over and removed the iPad from Tate’s grasp. He set it down on the night table on Tate’s side of the bed, as his lover’s face creased in a teasing smile.
“Wanting to get frisky, are we? Or are you planning on going to sleep? Now you’re getting older, you need it more.”
“Fuck you,” Clay said as he burrowed his way under the covers, hands trailing over Tate’s thighs.
Tate’s body stiffened, and his legs fell open in invitation. “I hope so.” He sounded breathless as Clay nudged his backside and Tate lifted his bum to let Clay drag his undies down his legs. “I’m hoping to get blown first, though.” His words were cut off as Clay smiled around his mouthful of cock, then teased Tate’s opening with the tip of his tongue.
“Fuck, yes.” Tate’s back arched upward, pushing his cock deeper into Clay’s mouth. He swirled his tongue around Tate’s hard length and massaged his balls at the same time. Listening to Tate pant and gasp profanities while he had his dick sucked was one of Clay’s overwhelming pleasures.
Time slowed down to simply being “in the moment” as Clay brought his lover to the brink and back repeatedly. The two of them were so practised at knowing each other’s bodies that sex was a natural—both men knowing the other’s erogenous zones and sexual quirks. Their lovemaking was a litany of sounds and movements that, had it been a stage play on the West End, would have drawn hedonistic crowds.
Author Bio
The official stuff
Susan writes steamy, sexy and fun contemporary gay romance stories, some suspenseful, some gritty and dark and others that hopefully make you think. She’s also Editor in Chief at Divine Magazine,an online LGBTQ e-zine, and a Charity Board trustee at The Being Me Campaignin London.
Susan attained PAN status with the Romance Writers of America with her first M/M book, Stripped Bare. She’s currently a member of The Society of Authors in the UK and the Authors Guild in the US. She enjoys being a member of Queer Romance Ink, All Author, Book + Main Bites and the Paranormal Romance Guild.
The ‘unofficial’ stuff…
She loves going to the theatre, live music concerts (especially if it’s her man crush Adam Lambert) walks in the countryside, a good G and T, lazing away afternoons reading a good book, and watching re-runs of Silent Witness.
Her chequered past includes stories like being mistaken for a prostitute in the city of Johannesburg, being chased by a rhino on a dusty Kenyan road, getting kicked out of a youth club for being a ‘bad influence’ (she encourages free thinking) and having an aunt who was engaged to Cliff Richard 😊
Amazon Author Page URL – https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Mac-Nicol/e/B008YE9GGI/
Twitter URL – https://twitter.com/SusanMacNicol7
Facebook URL – https://www.facebook.com/susiemax77 /
Author Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanmacnicol/
Author Goodreads page URL – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6472959.Susan_Mac_Nicol
Book Listing on Goodreads URL – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43782211-for-fox-sake—fetish-series-1?from_search=true
Follow on Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-mac-nicol
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