Any good book with a dramatic flare could do with a good misunderstanding at one point or another, and this one is a doozie. It leads to all kinds of bad shit - the kind it's great - fun? - to read.
Anyway, enough from me. On to the interview.
What led you to write in the genre(s) you write?
I never set out to write in the MM/LGBT genre, it just
kinda worked out that way. One day I’ll sit down to write and
a chick will come out. For now, I’m happy with my boys.
Are your books character led or plot led, or both?
I’d say character led. A book always starts with
a particular man, and the rest comes later.
What is your favourite part of the writing process?
The start of a new project when anything seems
possible.
What is your least favourite part of the writing
process
The inevitable ‘wall’ about two thirds into a book when it feels like it’ll never be finished. And the first round of professional edits when you
wonder why you bothered in the first place.
Where do you get your inspiration for your characters?
All over the place. Books. TV. Films. My own twisted
imagination.
Tell us a little about the characters in your book and
their story.
Ash is a shy tattoo artist. He’s quite sweet underneath
his reticence, and despite all he’s been through, he’s actually rather innocent.
Pete is a different man altogether, though I wouldn’t say they were polar opposites. Pete is a practical dude. He works hard…too hard, and nothing, until Ash, really fazes him.
If you could have one wish what would it be?
Ask me tomorrow.
What's your deepest fear?
The same as everyone else’s: losing the people I
love.
If I came to dinner what would you feed me?
Roast chicken.
If Ash and Pete were at the dinner table, what would
they have to say about you?
That I could cook a mean dinner, but my manner was
somewhat awkward :)
Which other fictional character(s) would you like to
be present at the dinner party?
Jed and Max from Only Love. I think Ash and Pete could
learn a lot from them.
What do you prefer writing. A one off novel, a series
or short stories?
I like the sense of achievement from producing a
novel, but in reality, a novella is far easier to write. In fact, the easiest
books to write are the ones without a target word count.
What kind of books do you read (if you have time to
read)?
All kinds, but sadly, I don’t get much time to
indulge.
Do you have any other projects in the offing we should
look out for?
Always…I have a number of novels with Dreamspinner
Press: Slide, Rare, Only Love, and a new one, Heart, due out October 27th. I’ve also got a series of novellas, Blue Boy, out with Loose Id.
Where can we find you?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
COVER ART
Author
Bio:
Garrett Leigh is a British writer
and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id and Black
Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken,
and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial
hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.
When not writing, Garrett can generally
be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her
behind doing as little as possible. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture
her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her
boys work for it.
Garrett also works as a freelance cover
artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the
pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com
Blurb(s):
Don’t look
back. Don’t you ever look back…
Shy tattoo
artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on
the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep,
unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite
understand.
Chicago paramedic
Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have,
and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a
cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their
tentatively built world comes crashing down.
Traumatic
events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize
until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies
unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight
with all he has to save the love of his life.
Excerpt:
Ash
was Texan by birth, but his southern roots only laced his speech when he was
too tired to repress them… too tired to block out all the horrible shit that
kept an invisible barrier between us.
He
was just seventeen when his friend Ellie found him drawing on the streets of
Philadelphia. He was homeless and drew comic book characters on the sidewalk
for money. The way she told it, he was one of the best street artists in the
city, but he said he just did it to survive. Ellie was in college at the time,
and she spent the next three years trying to get him to go to a shelter.
Eventually, she got her way, and when she moved back to Chicago a few months
later, she asked him to come with her. It took him a year of procrastination
and pulling his shit together, but after finishing his tattoo apprenticeship in
Philly, he did just that.
Living
together was a huge adjustment for both of us. Some days I thought we’d cracked
it, but others….
I
draped the comforter over us and tucked it around his shoulders. He settled
against me with his arm stretched out across my torso. I ran my hand absently
along his bicep and enjoyed the rare moment. Though he could be tactile when
his mood was right, he rarely cuddled up to me so freely. Most times, he
preferred our positions reversed—him on his back with his arms around me.
Curious,
I pressed a kiss to the top of his sweat-dampened head. “You okay?”
“Yeah,
I just missed you.”
I
smiled into the darkness. “I missed you too.”
A
light hum was his only answer, so I held him a bit tighter and made the most of
having him curled against me. After a while, I felt him shift. I opened my eyes
and quirked an eyebrow, too mellow to speak. He just stared at me, but his
blazing eyes told me what I knew he found so hard to articulate.
I put
my hand to his head and nudged it back down with a sad smile.
Tour Dates/Stops:
I've been eager to read this series, seen so many wonderful reviews for it. Loved the excerpt, has me even more intrigued.
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