Tequila Mockingbird by Rhys Ford

I am a total fan of Rhys Ford's work. I mean fangirl fan. I don't know where I got the nerve to ask for an interview, but I did, and here she is. 

Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners #3)


Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the
Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.


Purchase Tequila Mockingbird at: Dreamspinner Press


Interview

First off, thank you very much for having me. I appreciate the time and space you’re allowing me so thank you!


Out of all the characters you’ve written which one has affected you most? Not necessarily which one you like most, but which one ‘got to you’?


Wow, I’d have to say Kismet from The Four. That’ll be published by Dreamspinner Press in 2015. But yeah, Kismet. Whose last name I might have to change. I think I might have made it Andrade but used that for Rafe. So…. Woot, conflict!


Which character caused you most difficulty to write?


Not so much characters as scenes. I hate writing sex scenes because I know that I’m going to repeat something. Or at least that’s a fear of mine. The dreaded…did I do this already? Sooooo frightening. It has to be interesting and unique to the characters as well as forward the story. So not so much characters as what they do in bed. Or on tables.


When do you do your best writing… morning, afternoon, evening, night?


Ah, once again. Mostly the time doesn’t matter so much as the environment. I like submerging myself into a near sensory-deprivation state with only music, headphones and the occasional cat tail across my keyboard. I get interrupted a lot when I write—which does two things… irritate me slightly and jerks me out of that state. It also takes me a few minutes to readjust realities. So it’s like I’m a drunken, grumpy garden gnome if I’m writing and have to stop mid stream.


Which story caused you the most difficulty to write?


Whiskey and Wry. I actually had to toss out 45,000 words from that book. You see, I’d started it at the wrong point and discovered I was writing towards a scene. If that happens, then yeah, out it goes. Wrong starting point. Always start at the right starting point.


Which character is most like yourself?


I’ve been told Miki—which is a hell of a lot of truth. But also Quinn. I’m kind of excited about writing for Quinn because I can use a lot of things I stumble across in my brain for him. It’ll be either great or suck donkey ass to write.


Do you have any music that you associate with a character or scene?

Wow. I have so much music I listen to. I don’t have any specific band or such earmarked for a character or scene. I do write while listening to things in the tone of what I’m writing—so that usually determines what’s playing. I’ve been listening to instrumentals of late… very thoughtful crap. A far cry from Metallica or Tool which I bust out for action scenes. VAST and Black Rebel Motorcycle sometimes for sex scenes. G-Dragon and a few others for other stuff. It really varies.


Do you plan your stories and, if so, to what extent?


Oh I plan them extensively and then it all goes to shit and hell after a few turns. So I’ve sort of sketched out books now and hope for the best. Stuff happens along the way. It’s not my fault.


Do you plan your characters?


Yes, and this I actually stay very true to. I plan out personalities and traits as well as flaws so I have a clear picture of who I’m writing. This is probably the most important thing for me while I write.


How many times have you started a story and abandoned it?

Abandon? Never. Swear and set on fire and start over or rearrange? All the time. If something isn’t working off the main idea, then the fault lies in how I constructed the story and characters. Those need fixing and then
I’m off and running.


How many stories do you work on at any one time?


One. And I write in a straight line. Chapter One, word one till Fin.


Are there any hidden messages in any of your stories?


Rarely but I do leave shout outs to other authors in them and a lot of pop culture references. Kind of a wink-wink nudge-nudge know-what-I-mean thing.


Do you have any other hobbies?


I have no hobbies. I have no life. Really. I have 2.5 full time jobs. I think I’m going to take up sleeping as a hobby.


Um, I read. Which becomes work. I do cook a lot. I enjoy cooking. Driving is also nice. Alone time is always good.


What is your most treasured possession?


I cannot even begin to answer this. Seriously. Wow. Um…shit. I’d say my car? I have a 1979 Pontiac Firebird but see, if something happened to it but everyone I knew was okay, I’m fine with that. I’d mourn things but really, they’re things.


Maybe my laptop? It’s got everything on it but see, I back that shit up. So… there you go. I don’t count my cats and dog as possessions.


What one thing in life can you not do without (coffee? Music? Sex?)


Coffee, music, books, friends and stupid things I find on the internet. Mostly coffee. I’m pretty sure if you cut me, I bleed coffee beans.


Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your stories, plans, other works in an orgy of blatant self promotion feel free.


Be excellent to each other.


Okay, let’s see. I’ve got Tequila Mockingbird coming out or is already out. It drops June 27th from Dreamspinner Press. And there’s going to be three more releases this year; Duck Duck Ghost (Hellsinger 2), Creature Feature 2 which I cowrote with Poppy Dennison and Down and Dirty which is Bobby and Ichi from the Cole McGinnis series.


I’m working on Down and Dirty right now and after I’m done with that, I’m working on a new series which I haven’t even named yet so woooot! But I’ll be starting that soon.


Thank you again for having me and please, let’s not be strangers!

Biography

Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain. Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.


www.rhysford.com