For this stop on the 'Dirty Dozen' blog hop
I am hosting the fabulous Alexa Land!
Alexa Land is an independent author of gay fiction and romance. She was born in Southern California and has been on a gradual northern migration ever since, having called Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and now Oregon home. Her character-driven books include the best-selling Firsts and Forever Series, which is currently at nine volumes and counting. Her most recent book, Coming Home, was a number one best seller in gay fiction and gay romance and broke into the Top 100 across all genres on Amazon. It was also ranked in the Top 10 independently published books on Amazon, across genres. The next book in the series, All I Believe, will be out before the end of the year.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads | Amazon
Grab these two books from the Firsts and Forever series by Alexa Land
{Click here for the entire series, buy links and reading order}
Grab these two books from the Firsts and Forever series by Alexa Land
{Click here for the entire series, buy links and reading order}
Our Unique 'Dirty Dozen' 12 question Q&A answered by Alexa...
1.
Do you fully
outline a book? Or do you sit and let the thoughts flow as you type? I don’t outline
at all. I prefer to just let the story flow and see where it takes me, and
often it goes in some fun, unexpected directions!
2.
Describe your
writing style in five words and what about that style sets you apart from other
authors in your genre? Okay, I really had to think about this, and here’s
what I came up with: funny, quirky, heartfelt, entertaining and character-driven
(let’s pretend those hyphenated words at the end count as one)! My readers tell
me all the time that they laugh out loud while reading my books, and later find
themselves sobbing at another scene. My stories take you through a wide range
of emotions, and I think that sets them apart.
3.
What are you
currently working on, and what can we expect from you in 2016? Right now I’m
hard at work on All I Believe, the tenth book in my best-selling Firsts and Forever
series. It’ll be out before the end of the year, and the series will continue
with at least three new books in 2016.
4.
What's the
answer to the one question no interviewer has ever asked? (You don't have to
supply the question.)
Henrietta.
5.
When you're
stuck on a story, what do you do to get the words flowing again? If I get stuck
I just step away, sometimes for days if necessary. That’s all I can do, because
it just doesn’t work if I try to force it. Even if I’m not writing, part of me
will keep thinking through the scene that’s giving me problems, almost
subliminally. It’s kind of like putting a dish on the back burner and leaving
it on a low simmer. It might take a while, but eventually it gets done.
6.
What's your
favorite scene from your own work and the one that's lingered longest from
someone else's.
I had fun with the wedding cake scene in Against the Wall. It involves one of
my most popular characters, zany 80-year-old Nana Dombruso, and the cake ends
up completely NC-17. The reason I like it so much is because a lot of readers told
me it made them laugh so hard that tears were streaming down their faces, and making
people laugh is pretty much the best thing ever! As for someone else’s, I’d
have to go with the ending to The Ravine by Ray Bradbury. It’s just so
brilliant and unexpected! I read it as a child, and it’s stayed with me for
decades.
7.
What is your
favorite genre to read? Least favorite? I read MM most of the time. I’m pretty
unlikely to read a MF romance these days.
8.
Tell us about
your writing environment and where your writing time fits into your daily or
weekly schedule.
Writing is my full-time job. Because I have back problems, I’ve found the least
painful way for me to write is in a recliner in my living room with a laptop,
so that’s pretty much Alexa Central!
9.
How do you
manage all of your new plot bunnies and what is your process to work on one? I work on one
book at a time, and always write chronologically. That’s the byproduct of
working without an outline: I can’t really skip around, because I need A to
lead to B, which leads to C, and so on. If I get an idea for another book or
for a scene I’m not working on yet, I’ll write it down on anything that’s
handy: the back of a receipt, my hand, on the bathroom mirror with lipstick –
whatever it takes! I’m also notorious for having a dozen notebooks scattered
around my house, which I fling open somewhere in the middle when I need to
scribble down an idea. I guess it’d be too easy to write things in the front of
one notebook, where I’d actually find them again! But just the act of writing
something down is usually enough to retain it.
10.
What keeps you
focused when writing?
My readers. Knowing they’re eagerly awaiting the next book in the series is
enough to make me focus and get it done. Sometimes they have the opposite
effect though, because they’re fun to talk to and it’s tempting to spend all
kinds of time on Facebook with them!
11.
In a perfect
world, would you write full time? If so, would it still be mm/LGBT or would
there be some mf in there too? Actually, I do
write full-time, and consider myself incredibly fortunate! I’m a single mom, and
this is how I support myself and my son. I write only MM by choice and have
never had any interest in writing MF.
12.
What influenced
your decision to write in this genre? The years I lived in San Francisco, and
the gay couple I became best friends with during that time. They faced so many challenges,
from surviving a violent gay bashing to being rejected by family members and
their church, not being allowed to legally marry, and more. One of them died of
complications from the AIDS virus just a few years after I met him, and never
got to see his dream of marriage equality realized. I think of him whenever I
write a beautiful wedding for one of my couples. Despite all they went through,
they were two of the funniest, sweetest, most upbeat people I’ve ever met, and their
friendship touched my heart and changed me forever. When I decided I wanted to
write, I knew I had to tell stories like theirs.
Follow the hop, here is the list of stops...
September 24th | AE Via is hosting Wade Kelly
September 25th | Aisling Mancy is hosting Tempeste O'Riley
September 28th | Alexa Land is hosting TM Smith
September 29th | Carter Quinn is hosting Nicole Dennis
September 30th | Jeff Adams is hosting Nic Starr
October 1st | LE Franks is hosting Morticia Knight
October 2nd | Morticia Knight is hosting LE Franks
October 5th | Nic Starr is hosting Jeff Adams
October 6th | Nicole Dennis is hosting Carter Quinn
October 7th | TM Smith is hosting Alexa Land
October 8th | Tempeste O'Riley is hosting Aisling Mancy
October 9th | Wade Kelly is hosting AE Via
"Dirty Dozen" e-book extravaganza giveaway...
ONE lucky winner will receive an e-book from each Author on the hop. Most Author's have submitted winner's choice from their backlist, but a few have listed a specific title.
AE Via:
Winner’s choice, one book from the Nothing Special series
Aisling Mancy:
Joyeaux Noel by Aisling Mancy (adult) or Safe by C. Kennedy (young adult)
Alexa Land:
One ebook copy from the 'Coming Home' series, or Winner's choice from my backlist.
Carter Quinn:
Jeff Adams:
LE Frank:
Winner's choice, copy of 6 Days to Valentine or Can This be Real
Morticia Knight:
Nic Starr:
Winner's choice, copy of Andrew's Promise or More Than a Friend
Nicole Dennis:
TM Smith: Winner’s choice, one book from TM's backlist
Tempeste O'Riley:
Wade Kelly:
Just think, you could have every book you see pictured above on your e-reader. That should keep you busy for a while!
Be sure to follow the hop and see how all 12 questions might be the same, but the answers will be wildly different. And show your support by sharing each days post on your social media accounts!
Good luck everyone, see you in San Diego!!
**** to enter the giveaway leave a comment below - you can visit EACH stop on the hop via the links above by their name, and leave a comment at EACH stop for additional entries. At the end of the hop I will put EVERY comment from EACH stop into a hat and draw ONE lucky winner ****
REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL WHEN YOU COMMENT SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN. NO EMAIL, YOU FORFEIT
Angela:
ReplyDeleteLove this blog hop, Great Q&A!! And it is nice to see what the authors are up to at the moment or what will be coming soon. My TBR list is getting fuller by the day :)
ahpg(at)ziggo(dot)nl
Thanks for hosting me, Tams! Looking forward to seeing you at GRL!
ReplyDeleteApart from the fact that the first cover is Whiskers which I reckon is the most clever cover I have seen this year... the rest are certainly wishlist material.
ReplyDeletebatchelorboy55 (at) gamil (dot) com
Yeah! I do Judge a book by its cover
Amazing giveaway. Tks for the chance
ReplyDeletekimberlyhay69@gmail.com
I love how the authors all have such different answers to these questions!
ReplyDeleteI love all the different answers to these questions! I think there is someone that touches your life that you never forget and think of at the sweetest times. Love the answer to #12!
ReplyDeletejuliesmall2016(at)gmail(dot)com
I really enjoyed this. Great Q&A. And great answers Alexa!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this. Great Q&A. And great answers Alexa!
ReplyDeleteAnother amazing interview about an amazing author that I adore. Thank you so much for doing this for all your fans. Thank you so much for the amazing giveaway, too.
ReplyDeletedreamerbookslover@gmail.com
Loved the questions! Love all the authors... Ksmstad@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteLovely interview,Alexa. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteteecon58@gmail.com
Alexa is one of my favorite authors because of the way her stories take me on a gamut of emotions. Love Nana!
ReplyDeleteSome more interesting and different answers I am pleased you will be writing more books in the in "First and Forever" series.
ReplyDeleteShilreyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk
Great interview!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I teared up a bit on that last question. So looking forward to meeting you in less than a week (hopefully, since it looks like we will both be there a few days beforehand) :)
ReplyDeletejenrichards@wi.rr.com
Cool interview and giveaway. Ty
ReplyDeletebabybarlow78@gmail.com
great authors to choose from
ReplyDeleteAgain, #4 is a hoot!
ReplyDeleteTrix, vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Great interview and answers. Thank you for sharing =)
ReplyDeletehumhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
A great Q & A thank you.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Through the Q & A we get to peek into each author's lives/mode of writing. I really enjoy reading about how they get their stories together. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletetaina1959 @ yahoo.com
Fantastic Q&A... Alexa is one of my favorite authors absolutely love her books. Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteASeubert30(AT)gmail(Dot)com
Alex is one of my favorite authors along with her Firsts and Forever series! I enjoyed the interview so much. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOops! ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteHenrietta is the name of you imaginary friend when you were young! Am I close? . sstogner1 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteGood guess! It's the name of my first pet, actually, a little fuzzy yellow chick that my parents gave me for Easter when I was about three or four (SUCH a terrible decision, since we lived in LA and not on Green Acres)! Henrietta grew up to be Henry and the story ends quite tragically with operatic amounts of emotional scarring. It should, in fact, be accompanied by a tiny violin. So it's probably a good thing that no interviewer has ever asked me that question. :)
DeleteHenrietta is the name of a childhood imaginary friend :)
ReplyDeletesstogner1 at gmail dot com