Today I have a good friend of mine visiting us for Valentine's Day. Angel Martinez is here and at the end she's going to be giving away a special prize. Thank you so much for dropping by Angel.
1: Angel you have been a busy bee and have two titles coming out two months apart. When did you first begin writing?
I’m often asked that question, and I think what people really mean by it is ‘when did you first begin to write with publication in mind’. I’ve written stories since I could write, but I began to write with a purpose in the last part of the ‘90’s when I wrote a story purely for my son’s entertainment (chapters read aloud at bedtime) and soon I realized I had written…a novel. (gasp)
That novel will most likely never be published but once you have that itch, once you’ve crossed that hurdle, you find you have to do it again. And again.
2: What or who inspired you to write?
Misery. No, not the Stephen King novel, (though I enjoyed that one) but a stint at a high-paying, soul-crushing job. Writing soothed me, cleared my head, and I realized I’d been suppressing the need.
I will say, though, that there are a lot of writers I admire, from Oscar Wilde to Ursula LeGuin. I admire writers who do things their own way, in their own time. I’m also inspired by myth and folktales, legends and fairytales which I’ve had a fondness for since, oh, birth.
3: Are you currently working on anything?
I’ve just finished the sequel to Finn, under the working title Diego, in which we get to see more of the fae and how they fit into the world. With that complete, I’ve just begun the next Finn novel after that, in which a certain handsome Marine we meet in Diego will feature prominently.
My other persona, Sandra Stixrude, who writes the non-erotic, suitable for the family SF, is working on editing the first book in the Anchorage series, releasing from Red Rose March 4th.
4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?
Seriously? People have time for fun? Oh, all right, I do take some time out once in a while. I love to travel (our last trip was to China – that was exciting and surprising!) I love movies, an enormous variety of them. I’m one of those strange people who like to haunt art museums, and, of course, I read.
5: Do you have any authors that you like to read most?
I tend to go on author binges, where I’ll devour large numbers of one author’s books. Just finished a small Tanya Huff binge, and have recently been on an L.E. Bryce binge. But most of the time I love variety, from mainstream SF and Fantasy to erotic romance, the classics to pure junk food. (And, yes, though the males in my life wrinkle their noses, I do like to curl up with Jane Austen now and then.)
6: Are you currently reading anything?
I’m about to start on the next (for me) Naomi Novik book, Empire of Ivory. I’m a couple books behind on that series. Really exciting stuff – I highly recommend it (And Captain Will Laurence is to die for.)
7: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Yes. Lots. Buts let’s concentrate on this one, because it’s important: don’t just practice writing, practice revision. Too many young writers believe that once it’s down on paper, barring a few corrections here and there, it’s done. You must be able to handle criticism (so practice with critique partners) and you must be able to do rewrites in a professional, timely way both for submission and publication. Put the ego away, take a step back, and pull it apart relentlessly. Be kind to your fellow authors, be hard on yourself.
8: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you most like to visit?
Yes! I want to go everywhere! If money and time were no object, I would love to see New Zealand and the Amazon. Oh, and Norway. Fjords, you know.
9: Can you tell us a bit about Aftermath that was released from Red Rose Publishing on January 7th?
Aftermath is a Contemporary M/M Romance, a change of pace for my readers from the urban fantasy I’ve been writing lately. Victor and Cody are very much in love, living the American Dream, but violence, in the form of rape, threatens to rip them apart. This is a story that stirs strong emotions and one I felt was important to tell.
10: And what about Lioness on the Knife releasing March 11th from Red Rose?
Lioness on the Knife is a collection of eight erotic short stories centered around the unifying theme of women on top (yes, there’s a pun there for Oscar Wilde fans.) The collection has a little of everything, some humor, some paranormal, some fantasy, and, yes, a bit of gender-bending along the way, because you know I can’t resist.
I’m often asked that question, and I think what people really mean by it is ‘when did you first begin to write with publication in mind’. I’ve written stories since I could write, but I began to write with a purpose in the last part of the ‘90’s when I wrote a story purely for my son’s entertainment (chapters read aloud at bedtime) and soon I realized I had written…a novel. (gasp)
That novel will most likely never be published but once you have that itch, once you’ve crossed that hurdle, you find you have to do it again. And again.
2: What or who inspired you to write?
Misery. No, not the Stephen King novel, (though I enjoyed that one) but a stint at a high-paying, soul-crushing job. Writing soothed me, cleared my head, and I realized I’d been suppressing the need.
I will say, though, that there are a lot of writers I admire, from Oscar Wilde to Ursula LeGuin. I admire writers who do things their own way, in their own time. I’m also inspired by myth and folktales, legends and fairytales which I’ve had a fondness for since, oh, birth.
3: Are you currently working on anything?
I’ve just finished the sequel to Finn, under the working title Diego, in which we get to see more of the fae and how they fit into the world. With that complete, I’ve just begun the next Finn novel after that, in which a certain handsome Marine we meet in Diego will feature prominently.
My other persona, Sandra Stixrude, who writes the non-erotic, suitable for the family SF, is working on editing the first book in the Anchorage series, releasing from Red Rose March 4th.
4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?
Seriously? People have time for fun? Oh, all right, I do take some time out once in a while. I love to travel (our last trip was to China – that was exciting and surprising!) I love movies, an enormous variety of them. I’m one of those strange people who like to haunt art museums, and, of course, I read.
5: Do you have any authors that you like to read most?
I tend to go on author binges, where I’ll devour large numbers of one author’s books. Just finished a small Tanya Huff binge, and have recently been on an L.E. Bryce binge. But most of the time I love variety, from mainstream SF and Fantasy to erotic romance, the classics to pure junk food. (And, yes, though the males in my life wrinkle their noses, I do like to curl up with Jane Austen now and then.)
6: Are you currently reading anything?
I’m about to start on the next (for me) Naomi Novik book, Empire of Ivory. I’m a couple books behind on that series. Really exciting stuff – I highly recommend it (And Captain Will Laurence is to die for.)
7: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Yes. Lots. Buts let’s concentrate on this one, because it’s important: don’t just practice writing, practice revision. Too many young writers believe that once it’s down on paper, barring a few corrections here and there, it’s done. You must be able to handle criticism (so practice with critique partners) and you must be able to do rewrites in a professional, timely way both for submission and publication. Put the ego away, take a step back, and pull it apart relentlessly. Be kind to your fellow authors, be hard on yourself.
8: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you most like to visit?
Yes! I want to go everywhere! If money and time were no object, I would love to see New Zealand and the Amazon. Oh, and Norway. Fjords, you know.
9: Can you tell us a bit about Aftermath that was released from Red Rose Publishing on January 7th?
Aftermath is a Contemporary M/M Romance, a change of pace for my readers from the urban fantasy I’ve been writing lately. Victor and Cody are very much in love, living the American Dream, but violence, in the form of rape, threatens to rip them apart. This is a story that stirs strong emotions and one I felt was important to tell.
10: And what about Lioness on the Knife releasing March 11th from Red Rose?
Lioness on the Knife is a collection of eight erotic short stories centered around the unifying theme of women on top (yes, there’s a pun there for Oscar Wilde fans.) The collection has a little of everything, some humor, some paranormal, some fantasy, and, yes, a bit of gender-bending along the way, because you know I can’t resist.
Excerpt for Aftermath:
Victor dropped his briefcase on the floor, fingers numb from exhaustion and misery. He winced at the echo. He and Cody had loved the house when they bought it, with the two story entrance and the twelve foot high ceilings, but all alone the house was too damn big.
He shuffled around the corner to the kitchen to make himself a long, tall rum and coke, and jerked to a stop. Cody hung in the doorway, his wrists fastened over his head in handcuffs, the connecting chain attached far above his head to a hook screwed into the high doorframe. His auburn head lolled forward and he was completely naked.
"Cody! Oh my God!" Victor rushed to him and threw an arm around his waist to take his weight. "Sweetheart, dammit, you all right?"
Cody lifted his head to rest it on Victor's shoulder. "Hi, sugar daddy. You're finally home. I'm okay, I guess. Must've fallen asleep."
"Who did this to you?" Victor's dark brows drew together, and his anger trembled under the surface of his muscles.
A bitter laugh bubbled up from Cody. "I did this to me. I wanted to surprise you. Easy to set it up but once these cuffs lock, well, guess I put 'em on too tight. Couldn’t wriggle back out. Couldn't unhook the chain. Couldn't reach the key. " He pointed with his chin to the kitchen counter where the key was in plain sight.
He looked up at Victor with the grin that always melted his heart, half-angel, half-rogue. "Just had to stand here listening to your 'you better be home when I get there, Cody' messages. I'm here, I kept thinking. Not going anywhere."
"You idiot," Victor fumed as he retrieved the key. "What if I'd decided to go out first? What if I hadn't come home until midnight? You could have seriously hurt yourself like this, you damned fool."
Cody groaned when his arms were lowered and sat down hard on the floor. "I'll try to keep that in mind, oh lord of the manor," he muttered, rubbing his wrists and staring at the floor. "There's a pizza in the oven, just gotta heat it up."
"You ordered pizza?" Victor knew he should be trying to be a little sympathetic but he couldn't get past being angry and worried all at once. "That's your idea of cooking dinner?"
"I made the pizza, dammit, Vic. Crust and all." Cody's voice shook, a bad sign. "I'm not the one stumbling in three fucking hours late."
Victor moved calmly into the kitchen and turned on the oven and the light to see inside. Sure enough, there was a beautiful pizza in there—olives, onions, peppers, broccoli the works—with a handmade crust. A little bumpy in places, not the too-smooth perfection of commercial pizzas. Cody had obviously gone to some effort to set up this evening. But some things Victor couldn’t let slide.
"Are you cussing at me, little man," he asked in a smooth, too-calm voice. "Even after our last talk?"
Cody's head shot up. "No, Vic. I mean, yeah, but I'm sorry. I just...it wasn't real fun stuck like that so long."
"Well, whose fault is that? If you're gonna do dumb-ass things…" Victor came back to him and yanked him up by his wrists. "I should just leave you to them." Though Cody screamed in protest and tried to squirm out of his grip, Victor put him back where he'd found him, hands cuffed high over his head.
"I'm sorry, please." Cody was dangerously close to whining, or even sobbing. "Lemme down. Come on. My arms hurt so bad..."
Victor planted a soft kiss on his lips. "You'll stay there till I say you come down. For being stupid and for cussing at me."
"I just wanted to surprise you," Cody whispered.
"And no tears. You know I hate that."
Biting his lip hard and holding his breath, Cody kept it to a single teardrop trickling down his perfect, smooth cheek. He'd even shaved before getting himself into his predicament. This wasn't lost on Victor. He smacked Cody on the butt, just once and not too hard. The view was quite nice, he had to admit—Cody's lean muscles all stretched out, the dimples in his glutes standing out. Victor wandered upstairs to the bedroom to change.
He yanked off his tie and kicked his shoes across the room while he fumbled with his pants, wanting to get back to Cody as soon as possible. Then he smiled and slowed down. Let him wait and think. That was the whole problem. Cody didn't stop to think. Granted, this impetuous, mad-for-life part of him drove Cody's art and had drawn Victor so helplessly to him. But it also got him in trouble, again and again.
Victor dropped his briefcase on the floor, fingers numb from exhaustion and misery. He winced at the echo. He and Cody had loved the house when they bought it, with the two story entrance and the twelve foot high ceilings, but all alone the house was too damn big.
He shuffled around the corner to the kitchen to make himself a long, tall rum and coke, and jerked to a stop. Cody hung in the doorway, his wrists fastened over his head in handcuffs, the connecting chain attached far above his head to a hook screwed into the high doorframe. His auburn head lolled forward and he was completely naked.
"Cody! Oh my God!" Victor rushed to him and threw an arm around his waist to take his weight. "Sweetheart, dammit, you all right?"
Cody lifted his head to rest it on Victor's shoulder. "Hi, sugar daddy. You're finally home. I'm okay, I guess. Must've fallen asleep."
"Who did this to you?" Victor's dark brows drew together, and his anger trembled under the surface of his muscles.
A bitter laugh bubbled up from Cody. "I did this to me. I wanted to surprise you. Easy to set it up but once these cuffs lock, well, guess I put 'em on too tight. Couldn’t wriggle back out. Couldn't unhook the chain. Couldn't reach the key. " He pointed with his chin to the kitchen counter where the key was in plain sight.
He looked up at Victor with the grin that always melted his heart, half-angel, half-rogue. "Just had to stand here listening to your 'you better be home when I get there, Cody' messages. I'm here, I kept thinking. Not going anywhere."
"You idiot," Victor fumed as he retrieved the key. "What if I'd decided to go out first? What if I hadn't come home until midnight? You could have seriously hurt yourself like this, you damned fool."
Cody groaned when his arms were lowered and sat down hard on the floor. "I'll try to keep that in mind, oh lord of the manor," he muttered, rubbing his wrists and staring at the floor. "There's a pizza in the oven, just gotta heat it up."
"You ordered pizza?" Victor knew he should be trying to be a little sympathetic but he couldn't get past being angry and worried all at once. "That's your idea of cooking dinner?"
"I made the pizza, dammit, Vic. Crust and all." Cody's voice shook, a bad sign. "I'm not the one stumbling in three fucking hours late."
Victor moved calmly into the kitchen and turned on the oven and the light to see inside. Sure enough, there was a beautiful pizza in there—olives, onions, peppers, broccoli the works—with a handmade crust. A little bumpy in places, not the too-smooth perfection of commercial pizzas. Cody had obviously gone to some effort to set up this evening. But some things Victor couldn’t let slide.
"Are you cussing at me, little man," he asked in a smooth, too-calm voice. "Even after our last talk?"
Cody's head shot up. "No, Vic. I mean, yeah, but I'm sorry. I just...it wasn't real fun stuck like that so long."
"Well, whose fault is that? If you're gonna do dumb-ass things…" Victor came back to him and yanked him up by his wrists. "I should just leave you to them." Though Cody screamed in protest and tried to squirm out of his grip, Victor put him back where he'd found him, hands cuffed high over his head.
"I'm sorry, please." Cody was dangerously close to whining, or even sobbing. "Lemme down. Come on. My arms hurt so bad..."
Victor planted a soft kiss on his lips. "You'll stay there till I say you come down. For being stupid and for cussing at me."
"I just wanted to surprise you," Cody whispered.
"And no tears. You know I hate that."
Biting his lip hard and holding his breath, Cody kept it to a single teardrop trickling down his perfect, smooth cheek. He'd even shaved before getting himself into his predicament. This wasn't lost on Victor. He smacked Cody on the butt, just once and not too hard. The view was quite nice, he had to admit—Cody's lean muscles all stretched out, the dimples in his glutes standing out. Victor wandered upstairs to the bedroom to change.
He yanked off his tie and kicked his shoes across the room while he fumbled with his pants, wanting to get back to Cody as soon as possible. Then he smiled and slowed down. Let him wait and think. That was the whole problem. Cody didn't stop to think. Granted, this impetuous, mad-for-life part of him drove Cody's art and had drawn Victor so helplessly to him. But it also got him in trouble, again and again.
Blurb for Lioness on the Knife:
Eight stories, eight strong-willed heroines and the men who love them and learn to deal with them, willing or not.
- Meara, a young farm girl, discovers her mischievous night visitor is a handsome pooka.
- Aphrodite decides her affair with the self-centered Ares is a mistake. When she fights to save her marriage, she finds there's more to her reclusive husband, Hephaestus, than she thought.
- Vitez serves the mysterious Itsuka, guarding her back in her fight against demons and satisfying her appetites.
- Zilar, fostered by Amazons, is given in marriage to General Azeria. Intimidated by her and drawn to her, Zilar must learn to please her without angering her other spouses.
- Poor Lucifer, his mom's moved in and life in Hell will never be the same.
- Selena has a degenerative blood disorder the doctors can't diagnose. Alex has some tough decisions to make when he realizes the true nature of her condition.
- Naïve, sweet Cedric's determined to rescue the princess anyway. Too bad she has other ideas.
- Sylvia's world came apart when her husband died. When she goes to a brothel staffed by men, the one she selects turns out to be more than she bargained for.
Eight stories, eight strong-willed heroines and the men who love them and learn to deal with them, willing or not.
- Meara, a young farm girl, discovers her mischievous night visitor is a handsome pooka.
- Aphrodite decides her affair with the self-centered Ares is a mistake. When she fights to save her marriage, she finds there's more to her reclusive husband, Hephaestus, than she thought.
- Vitez serves the mysterious Itsuka, guarding her back in her fight against demons and satisfying her appetites.
- Zilar, fostered by Amazons, is given in marriage to General Azeria. Intimidated by her and drawn to her, Zilar must learn to please her without angering her other spouses.
- Poor Lucifer, his mom's moved in and life in Hell will never be the same.
- Selena has a degenerative blood disorder the doctors can't diagnose. Alex has some tough decisions to make when he realizes the true nature of her condition.
- Naïve, sweet Cedric's determined to rescue the princess anyway. Too bad she has other ideas.
- Sylvia's world came apart when her husband died. When she goes to a brothel staffed by men, the one she selects turns out to be more than she bargained for.
Giveaway time. Angel will giving away a free copy of her book Finn's Christmas to one lucky person. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog post. Angel will choose a winner tomorrow, Monday the 15th in the evening. It's that easy.
9 comments:
Angela - I got a wince, if you will, at your reason for beginning to write: your soul-sucking job. I, too, find that my writing - which is my creative rescue since I gave up performing (I did that for over 20 years here in NYC, though I worked full-time throughout, as well, since you can't live on the little I made as an actress/singer). I could not bear the empty life of just a routine job. It only took a month or so before I'd hauled out the notebooks (I wrote plays while acting) and began writing my favorite genre: romance. It's far more productive and less expensive (just) than therapy. And it has worked for me! Your prolific output is inspiring so off I go.
Be well, write hot and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Wonderful interview Kat and Angel!
Good advice from Angel as always! (You have a sci-fi coming out in March? -- Great!)
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's day. Both of these stories are calling out to me now. :)
Loved the excerpt/blurbs. Thanks for sharing.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com
Lisa - therapy, yes :) I truly believe the human soul needs a creative outlet to stay healthy.
Hi Kaye! Yep - SF under my other name 3/4 (woohoo!) Sandra Stixrude
Carol - thank you! I hope you enjoy them!
I hear the therapy as well. Writing has helped save my sanity as well.:-)
Great inteview, Kat and Angel.
And the winner is...Lise! Congratulations! Please let me know what email you would like your prize sent to!
Congrats Lise and thank you Angel for being here. Thanks also to everyone who participated.:-)
This is Lise - apparently I won, but I may have missed the deadline because you couldn't track me down! If not, here you go -
You can mail it to:
488 Madison Ave.
10th Floor
New York, NY 10022
My full name: Lise Horton
company: Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC
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