Where are you from, and where do you call home?
Originally I’m from Massachusetts and I lived in that state for most of my life. Currently we’re enjoying the warmth of Florida has to offer which I love. No more New England winters for us to deal with!
What inspired you to start writing?
Interesting question and my answer is going to be long-winded!
I love to read (mainly romance and non-fiction history stories) but I could never find the perfect blend of elements and storyline that fed my soul. It seemed bookstores or libraries didn’t stock the kind of romance I craved. I bounced around from Danielle Steel, Sandra Brown, Bella Andre, Jaci Burton, and then I stumbled upon Jackie Collins.
Jackie had the right heat level I desired and her storylines were always intriguing enough to keep me reading. I knew I had found something special with Jackie but it still felt like I was missing something—a key element that would take Jackie’s sexy romps to a higher level.
It wasn’t until I read a menage story (MMF) I think authored by Shayla Black where I hit the bullseye on exactly what was missing in every other story I’d read. The menage storyline was well written but when the two men were together it lit a fire inside of me. It was definitely an ah-ha moment. With the wonderful invention of the Kindle device, I took a chance and downloaded Damon Suede’s Hot Head which is MM and BOOM. All the pieces connected inside my brain and I knew I’d found my genre. I devoured every MM book I could get my hands on from Amazon and it stirred something within me.
By this point I’d already written a few MF stories, some which have never been published, but discovering MM as I did had suddenly inspired to write my own story in that genre. The question became, “What would I write in this new MM sub-genre?” I mulled that question over for a while and then I had the dream of all dreams, with full blazing glory and as vivid as an MGM movie, complete with dialog. The complete storyline was effortlessly dropped into my lap and when I woke up that morning I nearly ran to my laptop to get it written. It seemed like I’d found my niche market of MM Rockstar Romance and it felt like a perfect fit for me.
Typically, it takes me a couple of months to write a story but I had this first MM story written in about two weeks time. That had never happened before but it led to the release of, Fall For Me: Book One in The Rock Gods Series.
The rest, as they say, is history. Since the birth of Dagger and Ryan (main characters from Fall For Me) all I’ve published is MM stories.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since the 1990’s, first releasing short, erotic stories for men’s magazines (this was before the invention of the computer—yes, I am that old). My first published full-length novel was in the MF genre and released in 2009, Sheet Music: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Story.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
1. Know the market you’re targeting to sell your books and follow the current trends and tropes for that market.
2. Be sure to hire professional vendors such as editors, cover artists, and formatters. I’ve always said, writing a book is the easy part of the process (at least for me). But it’s the post-production process that is critical to actually selling your books. If you’re not familiar with how to do the marketing then hire a professional who does.
3. It might be an asset for you to take a few classes in marketing and advertising to make sure your book is as polished as it can be and as eye-popping as possible.
4. And most importantly, don’t give up. Just keep writing—every day, even if it is merely a few paragraphs.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I have been fortunate not to have a full-blown writer’s block but I have struggled with bits and pieces of a story. What I do when that happens is scroll back a few chapters and start reading with fresh eyes. Almost always new material comes to me and it starts the flow of words all over again. Something else I’ve done is put the project aside and work on a different story for a day or two. I usually have 2-3 working manuscripts to jump to if need be.
What Author’s in the genre do you read?
My list of author auto buys change every once in a while when I discover a new author. But these authors are mainstays for me: (in no particular order)
Daryl Banner
TL Travis
Riley Hart
KM Neuhold
Lauren Blakely
Neve Wilder
Annabella Michaels
Aimee Nicole Walker
AE Via
And so, so many more. . .
What comes first, the plot or characters?
It varies with every project, but typically I see the plot in my head first and then the characters present themselves to me. Sometimes lyrics to a song appear in my head and I’ll spin a story from just that (since I write rockstar romance, the lyrics are always helpful as it can set the tone of the story).
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
At the moment I have 3 open manuscripts. One I’m particularly excited about is, Gamble On Me which is my contribution to, The Road To Rocktoberfest, Series II which releases on November 15, 2022. The pre-order for this title is already live!!
Gamble On Me, is a rockstar romance with a whole new group of characters for you to fall in love with. It’s a story from my favorite trope too which is: childhood friends/crushes who fall in love as adults.
One character, his nickname is Trip, is a rockstar trying to find himself after coming out of rehab for the fourth time. He returns home to an island off the coast of Florida called, Starfish Island. Not long after he arrives on the island, he sees his childhood crush, named Bixs, for the first time in ten years.
They shared one very hot kiss the night before Trip left the island to go to L.A. and chase his dream of becoming a musician.
Bixs remained on the island to build a life and becomes part of the island’s police force—in addition to doing small construction jobs on the side. Both still harbor feelings for the other but it is Trip who is better at showing it to Bixs. They manage to quickly rebuild their friendship, revisiting old memories, places of their youth, and the one pivotal kiss neither of them has forgotten, but Trip wants more. He’s not willing to accept their kiss, at the age of eighteen, can possible be their only kiss.
As a musician, Trip is stuck in limbo. Fired from the band he created because of addictions, he’s unclear about his future path now that he’s sober. Bixs is there for support and strongly urges Trip to consider a solo career and audition for the annual Rocktoberfest weekend concert held ever year out in a desert in the southwest. After much debate, Trip sends in an audition tape to the board selecting the concert line-up. What happens next are the many ups and downs of a new, intimate relationship and a whole new career path for Trip.
Performing on stage is one thing but doing so without the crutch of mind-numbing substances that once polluted his blood was an entirely new beast for Trip to conquer. He wasn’t sure he could do it with the same level of talent his fans were used to hearing.
Bixs had his own struggles to deal with. He needed to find his place in Trip’s life and what his position was in their relationship. Plus there was his job to think about. He wasn’t completely “out” to the residents on the island or with his family which made PDA’s difficult to share with Trip and it was something Trip loved to do to show his affection to Bixs.
Rekindling things with Trip was a life-changing event but there were other concerns for them to get past as well. Would they end up making magic together as a committed couple, or would the pressure of the life they were building prove to be too much and push them in opposite directions all over again?
Describe the perfect writing space.
If we’re talking about a fantasy writing space, I’d say the perfect location for me would be a small cabin or cottage either overlooking a lake, stream, or an oceanfront property right on the beach.
One wall would be floor to ceiling book shelves, I’d want a stone fireplace on another wall, a quaint, sunny kitchen with a refrigerator/freezer combo stuffed with multiple flavors of ice cream, an outside grill for me to grill all my meals, there would also be a porch off the front facing the water with really comfy chairs or a love-seat swing, and a small, airy bedroom with lots of windows and french doors that open up to the porch. I can see this place perfectly in my minds-eye!
Anyone up for a road trip?
Do you do research for your books? If so, what does that entail?
Oh, good golly! Of course I research the books. Sometimes this process is on-going through the entire story, while other times I only need to research a particular scene or activity the characters are doing.
I research by searching online for information, I watch YouTube videos if necessary, I’ve also read books to acquire info, and even interviewed people to learn what I need to know. The goal is to research the story enough to write the most believable book possible.
One book I wrote that didn’t require a lot of research is, Beyond The Music: Book 7 in The Rock Gods Series.
The reason for almost no research on this story is because Multiple Sclerosis (central part of the story) has been part of my life since my diagnosis back in 2002. I didn’t have to research much because I lived that story myself. A lot of the dialog was taken directly from my actual neurologist appointments, the descriptions and symptoms were mostly mine as well, but I gave my character, Lincoln a more severe case of the disease for dramatic effect.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
If you’re referencing published and unpublished books together as a whole, I’d say around 40 or so titles. But if you’re talking about published titles only, then I think I have around 36 or 37 books in print. I’m not exactly sure.
As for a favorite book out of the bunch, I’d first say that there are pieces in all my books that I love, love, love, but my ultimate favorite book has got to be Fall For Me which I mentioned earlier. There are so many scenes in that story that still make me swoon a full decade after writing it!
There is the kitchen scene after the awards show, Dagger’s big reveal in the bathroom, Ryan’s struggle with his sexual identity, and so on. There are just so many wonderful moments in that story and now that I’m thinking about this book, I think I’ll squeeze in a re-read!! YES! I am prone to read my own stories after they release!
Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
I do hear from readers and I love it when they reach out like that! They usually have questions for me regarding upcoming projects or release dates of current projects. Sometimes they point out flaws or things they didn’t like but mostly the correspondence is about them swooning over one of my stories which is an amazing feeling for me as an author. No matter what, I love hearing from my readers and I’m happy to respond.
A huge thank you to the lovely Tammy Middleton for having me be her “August Author Of The Month” and for these incredible questions! I hope this questionnaire gives everyone a better understanding of what drives my creativity and makes me tick. If you have any additional questions for me, please feel free to contact me through Facebook Messenger or my email address at: alpkv@comcast.net
Thank you for your continued support!
Happy Reading!!
Ann Lister is a native New Englander currently living on the island of Martha's Vineyard with her husband. She has pulled details from her years living in the New England area and uses many local settings and landmarks in her novels. After graduating art school, marrying, and raising two daughters, she established her own video production company. Her nearly two decades working in video production included work within the music industry and won her a coveted Telly Award.
Her 'behind-the-scenes' exposure to the music world and her love of rock music is the inspiration for her erotic rock star romances. Her rock star romance, “Fall For Me”, Book One in The Rock Gods series, was a Finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Award and Book Three, Make You Mine, established her as an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author. Each book in The Rock Gods series brings her two favorite elements together: musicians and the love between two men.
Her stories focus on what it truly means to love; love unconditionally, love without restrictions or labels, love without fear or judgment – to just simply love.
Ann Lister Social Media Links
To learn more about the craziness that is Ann MacConnell Lister, stalk her on these social media platforms:
Website: http://www.annlister-author.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnListerAuthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AuthorAnnLister
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ann.macconnelllister
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/519355.Ann_Lister
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ann-lister
Queeromance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/?s=Ann+Lister
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1673855842830676
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annlisterrockgods/
Love Romance Reads: https://www.loveromancereads.com/annlister
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Thank You!!! I love this author and have stalked her relentlessly!! Great Big Squeezy Squishy Sue Hugs 😁💖
ReplyDeleteI love Ann’s books so much. I especially love The Rock Gods. Dagger and Ryan are so yummy as well as the rest of the boys. ❤️ This is a great interview. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove love my sweetums Ann I’ve read her books so many times when I’m in a funk I go to her sexy men to pick me up especially my Wheland yum
ReplyDeleteLove you Ann