Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Welcome to G.A. Hauser's guest blog


Welcome G.A. Hauser to Love Romances and More, thank you for joining us.
Thank you for asking me. I’m very happy to be here with you.

Did you always want to become a writer?

No. I never even imagined it as an option growing up. I went to art school in NYC and took painting, sculpting and other than Fine Arts classes.

What is the most, and the least interesting fact about writing?

The most interesting is the character development. I like watching my men grow and evolve into loving partners. Least interesting is dealing with difficult people in the industry.

How did you celebrate your first release? What was it like to see your book in a bookstore? Do you have a special ritual for celebrating a book release?

My first release was In The Shadow of Alexander. I suppose I did dance around the room when I had the paperback in my hand. Now my greatest joy isn’t the book releases, but the friends I’ve made via my writing. I love their reaction to my new novels.

How did your family react to fact that you also write M/M romance novels? Have your family read your books?

No one in my family has read or will read my gay novels. My mom has passed away, and ironically she’d most likely be the one to read them and have a positive reaction to them. She was supportive of me in every way. The rest of the family thinks it’s odd that I write gay romance. But I’ve always been different that way. They reacted the same way when I became a patrol officer with the Seattle Police Department. Perhaps now that I am writing other genres they’ll give one a try.

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing?

I love Mary Renault. She inspired me to write about Alexander the Great, though I could never hope to be in her league. Anne Rice was another influence on me. The sex I read in Cry to Heaven made me hungry for more man on man reads, but at the time, there was nothing out there. Now I read my contemporaries. Love the genre.

Your release date is really full, which I love as a fan of your books, do you have a problem with deadlines and have you ever suffered a writer’s block?

No problem with deadlines. I love what I do and am very disciplined. I have what I call writer’s diarhea. (Sorry to be crass.) but I have so many book ideas there aren’t enough hours in the day to get the old ones re-written, and the new ones on paper.

Do you prefer stand-alone books or series?

Either. I think my fans like the series because they comment on wanting more when they’re done. I just ended the Action! Series with book five and I’ve been getting emails to do number six. If you’re a fan of my work, you can find all the characters overlap, and even though they aren’t direct sequels your favorite men will show up again. (I’ve written a guide to help find them. It’s a free download on my website called The Guide to Hauser’s Erotic Universe).

Your characters come to life in your books. Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life? Can you name an example? Do you have living role models for your characters?

Hmmm. If I allow Mark Richfield to take over my life, I’m in trouble! I don’t know if they take over, but I do draw from life to create them. They are parts of me, my family, my friends, everyone around me. I’m not quite sure any of my men should be role models. They are certainly not perfect heroes. That’s why I like them so much. They seem real to me. I don’t know a perfect person. If you do, don’t let me know. I’m not sure I want to. ;)

While reading your books the reader meets many characters from your other books, is it easy for you as the author to keep track on all your characters or do they get a life of their own?

Yes, my characters are in guest spots all over the place. I have to give that credit to David E. Kelly. He did it on television with Ally McBeal and The Practice, and I was hooked. I wanted my novel ‘worlds’ to overlap and for the world I’ve created to be consistent. So if one character meets another, they are who they are. It gets confusing, I know, but I think my readers are very smart and can follow it, (with the help of the guide if they need it). My intent is to create a universe, not just a series, or one book world.

Where do you get the inspirations for your books?

Everywhere. My past, friend’s stories, overhearing conversations at a cafe, you name it. Every detail I absorb and use. Nothing is sacred or safe if it’s said in front of a writer. Be forewarned.

Do you find it difficult at times to write love scenes?

Heck no. That’s the best part! I love to get down and dirty with them. My first few novels I think were quite tame. That’s all changed now. I’m much more daring with it and obviously cross lines. In the end, all my men behave. They just go through a journey to find themselves.

What is your favorite book from the books that you have written so far? Who are your favorite hero and heroine, and why?

That is such a hard question. I love Mark, Steve, Jack and Adam, so I suppose any book with those guys in it, could qualify as my favorite, though the new ones coming out, the Heroes series, Double Trouble, The Wedding Planner, and wow, a really fun one Going Deep! may all become my new favorites. Then again, there’s The Rape of St. Peter, and the whole new direction I’m taking with GA Hauser writing as Amanda Winters. I keep getting asked to categorize the new books. They don’t fit anywhere. They have gay sex in them, straight, bi, murders, mysteries...where do they fit in? I haven’t a clue. They’re just good fun.

You have written Paranormals, Fantasy, SciFi and Contemporaries, which is your favourite genre?

Yes, I’ve written them all, except maybe true SciFi. I’m not that big on aliens. But I wrote Prince of Servitude as fantasy, two vampire books and a ghost story in the Paranormal genre, and mostly contemporary books, though lately some have taken place in the 70’s and 80’s simply because I don’t want my characters carrying around IPODs and mobile phones. My favorite genre is M/M erotic.

Which book was the hardest to write and which the easiest?

Most of the books I write I would say are easy. Historicals are the hardest because there are fanatics out there who love to pick every word apart just to discredit you. I do as much research as I can but it never seems to be enough for the hard core critics. So, I’ll do less of them in the future.

If you could change places with one character from your books, who would it be and why?
Mark Richfield. He’s got the world on a silver spoon and three men who adore him like a husband. Even with all of Mark’s faults how bad could that be? Not to mention he’s too gorgeous for words.

If you could travel through time to visit a special time period or famous person, what or who would it be and why?

Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. I’d love to watch those to humping in bed. LOL

Do you listen to music while you are writing and if so what music is it?

No. It distracts me. I have the windows open and the birds and toads serenade me. I listen to music as I do other things, promotion and emails. I like all kinds of music, but lately I’ve been listening to old Chicago tunes, and Shawn Colvin. No idea why.


If you could choose of your books for a movie, which one would it be and who would you as the cast?

My ultimate goal is to see these books as movies. I think the genre is NOT represented on film and needs to be. But producers and movie backers would rather see beheadings, brutal rapes and torture than two men in bed together. Go figure. I can’t understand what’s so terrifying about male love scenes.
So...I hoped maybe Mile High could be the first foray into film. It’s a love story between men, and it’s a comedy. Maybe the film industry could handle it. I don’t know.
As to who would play the leads? Unknowns, please. I can’t handle the top ten Hollywood leading men. I would want to pick men who no one knew, but physically fit the parts.

Are you working on anything right now, and can you tell us a teaser about these projects?

Yes, I’m working on rewriting old novels that have been collecting dust on my computer. (can they do that? Hm.) Anyway, they are not strictly gay, but all have gay characters in them. Next month I will be releasing The Rape of St. Peter on paperback and ebook as part of my GA Hauser Collection. If you want something completely bizarre, read that one. It’s sure to ruffle feathers, and hopefully challenge my readers.

Then I’ll be releasing Butterfly Suicide, a tale of a woman whose fiancé died in a strange way and she tries to find the truth but learns her man was not who she thought he was. Next will be Silent Reign, about two American sisters who inherit an English manor, but believe me, it’s not your average Harlequin. Not by a long shot! Next, Mutley’s Crew, which I describe as Gilligan’s Island meets Lord of the Flies. Once the old books are done, I’m going to finish a short story I’ve written about two exchange students called Heart of Steele, which will take me back to gay erotic romance. And....once that’s done, I may have to think about bringing Mark and the gang back. The emails are beginning to make me think that the world is not ready to let those men go.


Big congrats to your latest releases, can you please tell us something about them.

I had a busy month. Man to Man was released from Phaze, the first in my Heroes Trilogy, about lifeguards, then comes Two in Two out, about fire-fighters, followed by Top Men, LA cops, and wow, are they sexy.
I put out Prince of Servitude on my own, and hope people will enjoy a gay fairy tale with a prince who falls in love, instead of the tired old princess tales.
And Dripping Hot, my book 5 in the Action! Series was released by Linden Bay Romance, LLC, but soon that section of Samhain publishing will vanish, and those books will be gone until I can reprint them and get them back out. So get them while you can.

Next month The Wedding Planner will be available from Torquere, and I will publish The Rape of St Peter. So, busy, busy!
Thank you for asking me to do this interview. I very much enjoyed it and I hope someone who has not yet read my books will pick one up. GA

Contest:

This time it is a small scavenger hunt, here are the questions:

1. Tell me the names of the different series that GA has written so far
2. In which book are Josh and Tanner the heroes
3. How many straight contemporaries has she written so far?

You can find the answers on GA's website

The winner gets one of GA's books on pdf, or is to get her new one released Sept 15th, The Rape of St. Peter. Your choice

Please send the answers to danny.lrm @ gmail.com. The winner will be posted in two days.

4 comments:

judiebabie said...

Hello GA,

I adore Mark and his 3 men who adore him, I hope we see him and his three men wrapped up, tied up and tangled up in the very near future!

Dannyfiredragon said...

Oh yeah I love Mark and his three guys, but I also like Alex and Oliver. I really hope to see more of them. Pretty please with with cherry on top.

LORETTA CANTON said...

Hi,

I haven't read any of your books but Mark sounds like a very lucky guy. I'm going to have to start reading them.

lorettaC
lbcanton@verizon.net

Unknown said...

Hi GA,

I'm new to your books but really enjoy the few that I have read.