Release Day blitz and #giveaway | Louder than Words by @Siryn

Derrek is a local teacher in Clearwater Florida. He frequents a nearby coffee shop before work every morning, where he finds himself enraptured with a young barista, Alex. But Alex never seems to notice him, even when he’s handing Derrek his morning coffee.

After weeks of hiding in his corner under the pretense of working, Derrek finally gains enough courage to ask Alex on a date. He’s crushed when all he gets for an answer is complete silence. He thinks it’s the end, until he finds out that Alex has a disability that has paralyzed his vocal cords.

Sign language is Alex’s way of communication, and it’s something that Derrek knows little to nothing about. With renewed determination, Derrek asks Alex to teach him sign language. Derrek wants to be able to talk to Alex, to tell him how he really feels, and find out if Alex feels the same.

But more than anything, he longs for a relationship that goes deeper than just words alone.

Buy links: Amazon | Smashwords

Where are you from, and where do you call home?

I was born in Colorado, but Reno is where I call home. This place is so beautiful and there’s lots to do outside.

What inspired you to start writing?

I suppose I’ve always wanted to write. It’s a passion of mine. I need to tell the stories that I’m constantly thinking about.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Ever since I could put sentences together really.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Never give up. Read as much as you can and keep writing. Write anything, poems, diaries, short stories. It’s like practice. The more you write the better you will be at it. I’m always learning and trying to make it better.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes, and I hate it. I try to write something else if I’m stuck on the current project. If I can’t write anything else I turn to inspiration. I’m highly inspired by art and music. I love to read, so I often go back and read things I’ve read before, or I search for something new. If none of that helps, and sometimes that happens, I’m a gamer, so I turn to my PS4, or 3DS and let the games sweep me away.

What Author’s in the genre do you read?

Quite a few actually. I’ve read Santino Hassel, Thomas Mason, Caitlin Ricci, and Aundrea Singer to name a few. I have yet to read C.S Pacat, and I really want to read Megan Erickson as well. My goals for the coming summer!

What comes first, the plot or characters?

That depends. Sometimes the plot, sometimes the characters. I just let it come to me and then go from there.

Describe the perfect writing space.

My couch (which is also dubbed the Game of Thrones chair because it’s so large). A cup of hot coffee, some music playing and the windows wide open to let in the breeze. I would also enjoy sitting outside on my porch, but I don’t have a table set yet.

Do you do research for your books? If so, what does that entail?

Depends on what I need. For Louder than Words, I did need to do research for Alex’s disability. I went through a ton of medical articles to figure out what it was he would have that would cause his inability to speak. I’ve researched places before too, especially if I’m using a real spot such as I did for Louder than Words, so I did some mapping out for that as well with google maps and visual aids to make sure I had it right. Mostly I write fantasy, so I don’t usually do any research unless I’m looking for specific creatures to use and need to know their attributes.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Well, if we’re talking unpublished then I’ve written a lot. I also co-write as well and if we couple that together, it’s quite the library of books that have been written. Currently, my favorite of my own stuff is my paranormal romance that will be published with Deep Desires Press titled Incubus Touch and part of the Polar Nights series I have going. With my co-writer, I have quite a few favorites, but I think we both will probably agree that our Japan gang series (currently called guns and roses series) is our number one favorite and that is currently at 8 or 9 books long.

Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?

On my Wattpad profile I hear from quite a few readers. I’ve been told that they really enjoy my writing and stories. They are always asking for more. I’ve also been encouraged to publish by many of them which is always heart warming. Currently, I have quite a few asking for a sequel to my freebie Magus which is located on Wattpad. I’m going to try to fulfill that request as soon as I can.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?

Oh I’m always working on something. Let’s see, my Polar Nights series is coming out soon starting with Incubus Touch as book one of the series. It’s a paranormal series set in Tromsø Norway. The books will all be novella’s short spicy reads and definitely erotic. Coming from Inkitt later this year will be Desert Dancer which was a request from readers after reading King’s Lament. So that’s something to look forward to under the pen name Lilia Blanc. And I’m working on a full length novel that I hope to get published sometime this year as well! At least, that is the plan. And that’s about it, but who knows what will be next.