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Always Forward! Never Straight by Charley Descoteaux @CharleyDescote #RLFblog #mmromance #biromance
Charley Descoteaux, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your book.Always Forward! Never Straight by Charley Descoteaux
Contemporary MM Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R (Four Flames, explicit scenes for mature readers only.)
Love isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Baxter Bryan is the nerdy half of BaxCo, a start-up in Portland’s Silicon Forest creating cutting-edge high-tech toys. He’s also a hermit. When BaxCo sponsors the Portland Rock and Roll Half Marathon, Bryan decides to break out of his comfort zone and do more than listen to the music with a beer in hand. The race has barely started when he bumps into a fit, handsome man, causing sparks to fly. But the long hours needed to make BaxCo a success aren’t the only reason Bryan spends most of his time alone in his apartment.
Cay Nissen runs every day to stay in shape. He would love to run away from his job in a Silicon Forest cube farm, but keeps returning to support his teenaged daughter. His true love is music. Cay writes songs for the band he helped form in high school but doesn’t see any way to turn music into a career. The half marathon seemed like a decent way to pass a Saturday, make his boss happy, and catch a performance of his old band all at the same time. When he meets a man who sparks his interest, the safety of his cubicle isn’t the only part of his life that’s in jeopardy of changing.
What is your go-to meal when you dine out?
Breakfast. I love breakfast food and am happy to eat it for any meal or even a midnight snack! My favorite breakfast when I’m out is two eggs over medium, extra crispy hash browns, bacon, and sourdough toast with real butter. Mmmmmm… Not the most inspired meal, but it’s comfort food.
What’s your favorite hashtag to watch on Twitter?
I watch a lot of writing and LGBTQIA+ related hashtags, and I think my favorite of them all is #1linewed. Every Wednesday a bunch of writers and poets in all genres drop lines based on a theme (or not, whatever they want to do) and it’s so much fun to get a tiny peek into what everyone is working on! I try to play every week—I look at my words differently when one line is all I get. Plus, it’s free and pre-registration isn’t required, so I can procrastinate!
Describe the perfect vacation.
So many vacations are on my list, but I think my overall favorite is to go to the beach. I’m lucky and will be heading to the Oregon coast over MLK weekend for a writer’s retreat. This will be the second year a group of us are renting a beach house to write, edit, share tips, and eat, drink, and laugh a lot! Writing can be such a solitary pursuit, it’s so wonderful to be able to spend time with other writers. I’m really looking forward to it!
What are your hobbies?
Besides reading I love to knit. I tend to have a few projects going at once, usually at least one I would call a “mindless knit” so I can sit and ponder a story while my hands are engaged, and one that’s more challenging. The intricate patterns are great for getting my mind off a stressful day at work, or just learning a new stitch pattern for its own sake. I’m not a huge fan of lacy things but those patterns are some of the most complex and fun so I’ve made a few.
When you read for pleasure, what kind of books do you choose?
This may sound odd, but I love YA. Especially Urban Fantasy or Contemporary Paranormal written for the upper age-range of the YA genre. I started reading it for research and have stayed for the imaginative plots and the relationships that aren’t romantic. Don’t get me wrong, I read a lot of YA UF Romances, and even those seem to pay more attention to friendships and family relationships than a lot of adult books I’ve come across.Where to buy Always Forward! Never Straight
Amazon or read free in KU
Amazon Universal Link: http://mybook.to/AlwaysForward
Charley Descoteaux Social Media
Charley Descoteaux is the author of the Buchanan House Love Stories. Book One was a USA Today Must-Read Romance.
Charley has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through a single day without stories.
Website https://cdescoteauxwrites.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/CharleyDescote
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/charley.descoteaux.3
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/charleydescote/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/aqe7g7r
Newsletter https://my.sendinblue.com/users/subscribe/js_id/2m34r/id/2 -
RLF Gems: Blog Stats for Jul 2013 #RLFblog
RLF Gems In July, Romance Lives Forever had 26 posts in a 31 day
month. Here are the top posts (judging by page views). We had a tie in third
place. Top honors went to a post about the Marketing for Romance Writers free marketing
Summer Camp.1. MFRW Summer Camp
Events2. Eva Caye3. Elaine Cantrell3. Layne Macadam4. Charley Descoteaux5. Tara LainHonorable mention: Liz AdamsAuthors who guest with us are promoted on Facebook, via
Triberr to thousands of potential readers, are featured front page in the daily
Romance Lives Forever Paper.li ezine,
and the blog has its own hashtag (#rlfblog) on Twitter. This year, we also
created the Booklover’s Guide to Romance
Lives Forever with links to guest authors’ books and social media. It is
110 pages crammed full of who to follow and what to read. The FAQ page provides
updated downloads of optional interview questions, and a guide to the blog. You
can also grab our button to promote your visit. Your cover can be featured on
the blog for a small fee. Check out our advertising
link for more information.My thanks to all who took part this month. You made Romance
Lives Forever a great place to discover new books and authors.Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
name are:Jennah Scott, Jo Anne Myers, Jana Richards, Kendall McKenna, Kimber Vale,
Kol Anderson, Melinda Dozier, Desiree Holt , MS Spencer, Patricia
Walters-Fischer, Sarah Cass, Shannyn Schroeder, Talya Andor, Tanith Davenport, Tina
Gayle -
Sunday Kind of Love @CharleyDescote #RLFblog #LGBT
Charley Descoteaux, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, A Sunday Kind of Love.Genre: M/M Contemporary Erotic RomancePublisher: Amber Allure (Amber Quill Press)Cover artist: Trace Edward ZaberLength: Extended Amber Kiss (13K words)Heat rating: 3Blurb:Jazz trumpeter Jake McKynnie is living a lonely existence in
LA, convinced that’s the best he can expect from life. He indulges in a bender to
drown thoughts of missing his estranged son’s high school graduation, but to his
shock, finds the boy on his doorstep the next morning. DJ grew up in a small Oregon town with his mom
and stepdad, but now he’s come to LA with big dreams of becoming an actor. He’s
also not above doing a little matchmaking for his lonely father while he’s at it.Jake takes DJ to a friend’s salon, where he gets a hairstyle
fit for professional headshots. As they leave the salon, however, the observant
DJ sends Jake back inside alone to see Mason, the sexy stylist who was checking
him out, which leads to a thrilling and memorable encounter.After their impromptu tryst, Jake can’t get Mason’s strong hands
and hot body out of his mind. And for the first time in years, thanks to his son
and Mason, he can actually imagine an exciting future when it comes to his personal
life. Yet Mason’s hiding something about himself, and his secret could force him
to blow town at any time. Will he stick around long enough to replace the ghost
of Jake’s past?Buy links:Amber Quill Press http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/SundayKindLove.html OR http://tinyurl.com/mpsxjzxWhat are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?Jake McKynnie is pushing
fifty, he works as a session musician by day and plays double bass and trumpet in
jazz clubs by night.Mason Hall, also pushing
fifty, is currently working as a colorist in a full-service salon.Interview
What inspired you to write this book?This story began with
a photograph and a comment by a reader on Goodreads, and took shape as a series
of “What ifs”.I don’t own the picture
so I can’t post it here, but you can see it on my Pinterest board for this book. Once
I saw that picture I knew I had to write Jake’s story (I’d known him for quite a
while by then).The 1st “What if”:
What if DJ, the boy who calls Jake “Dad”, showed up at his door the morning
after graduation?#2: What if Jake took
DJ to his friend’s salon to get an “LA appropriate” hair cut?#3: What if one of the
stylists (the hot one who ties Jake’s tongue in knots, of course) was the reason
Jake hadn’t been to the salon for a while?Jake, DJ, and Mason took
off with the story from there and I had to dance fast to keep up. They had control
as soon as Jake and DJ entered the salon, but it took me a little longer to figure
that out.A couple of readers of
my debut, Comfort and Joy, said they wanted
more information about some of the supporting cast. I’ve felt that way after reading
a story too, so I gave it serious thought and decided to fill in some of the gaps
sooner rather than later. A Sunday Kind of
Love does that in a roundabout way.Which character in your current book do you think readers
will like the most? Why?I hope they like Jake.
He’s a little dumbfounded by DJ’s arrival but does his best to rise to the occasion.
Life has knocked him around a bit but he’s a scrapper and even though he thinks
he’s given up (on a lot of things), I doubt he ever could.When you write, what things do you want close at hand? (Coffee,
water, chocolate… pictures of gorgeous hunks for inspiration…?)I usually have a large
mug of Diet Mt. Dew, too many tabs open on my browser (for “research”),
and a bunch of toys cluttering my desk. Right now I have a full cast of Star Trek
(TOS) Mini-Mates, and a headless Barbie-sized doll with magnets in her feet—she
poses like a dream but her head keeps falling off!Are you a plotter, or do you prefer to make it up on the spur
of the moment?I’d love to be a plotter!
I’m sure there would be a lot less editing in my future if I could do that. But
I just try to listen to the characters and they usually tell me what to do.Any advice for new authors?Write the stories you
want to read and work on developing your own unique voice. Voice is the best tool
a writer has, so guard yours like your favorite grandchild.What aspect of your life do you write into your books?The world-view I inherited
from being born into a low socio-economic class. When I was a kid my family was
on public assistance for many years, and I lived with a single mom in the early
1980s. I’ve been on my own since I was seventeen and spent some time homeless, so
you’ll probably never see anything too upscale in my fiction!What other jobs have you held besides writing?I’ve done a lot of different
jobs over the years—sometimes two or three at a time. I’ve been a florist assistant
and a waitress, worked in a book store and a deli, a three-person newspaper and
more than one library, and spent time on both sides of a bar (cocktail waitress!).
I also tried to pass as a corporate drone for a while and didn’t do half bad considering
I wrote sometimes when I should’ve been working!What are you currently reading for fun? Anything for research?I like a little of everything
when I’m reading for fun: Stephen King to Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Cunningham
to Holly Black. Lately I’ve been preoccupied devouring Jordan Castillo Price’s backlist
. Her PsyCop series is amazing, but I caught up too fast and now have to wait for
the next one to come out!Some of my latest research
topics have been photographing hummingbirds, trails and hikers’ camps on the Oregon coast, qualifications of a home health aide in Montana, and tattoos. Oh,
and the great Lee Lofland book Police Procedure
& Investigation: A Guide for Writers (Howdunit) has been on the table beside
my easy chair for the past six or seven months.If you could time travel what era would be your first stop?I’d stop in the mid-
to late-60s and spend as much time as I could just going to concerts: Led Zeppelin,
The Doors, Janis, Jimi, the original lineup of The Grateful Dead—if I could, I’d
keep doing that until 1991 so I could see Alice In Chains’ Facelift concert in Seattle
that was almost snowed out!What kind of music do you listen to while driving? Same question
when writing?In the car it’s usually
jazz—it keeps my road rage in check. When I write, though, I need silence (or as
close as I can get, living on a busy street!). Sometimes I’ll prime the pump by
listening to the soundtrack for a story before I start writing, though.Do you play any musical instruments?No, but I wish I did!
I’ve spent a lot of time with musicians, and even did some singing in a bar band,
but the only thing I really have the discipline to stick with is writing.What’s your favorite movie?The Wizard of Oz. It’s
delightfully subversive but wrapped in a shiny package of fairy-tale normalcy. Plus,
the flying monkeys are cool.Are you the eldest, middle, baby, or only child?I’m the elder of two
girls, which is probably why I’m so bossy.Please complete the sentence
I love pizza with salami and olives.I’m always ready for a Romance!When I’m alone, I write.You’d never be able to tell, but I spent my 40th birthday
in the pit at OzzFest.If I had a halo it would be black
leather with fringe.If I could rule the world I’d make sure everyone could
make a decent living doing something that gives them joy.I can never stop writing because my characters would
never let me sleep at all!Find Me Here
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleyDescotePinterest: http://pinterest.com/charleydescote/Blog: http://cdescoteauxwrites.com/Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/aqe7g7r -
RLF Gems: Blog Stats for Jan 2013 #RLFblog
RLF Gems January on Romance Lives Forever had two ties, one for third
place and a three-way tie in fourth. We had 1 model interview, 16 author
interviews, 4 character interviews, 3 book releases, and 2 articles, and one new
feature article for 28 posts in a 31 day month.We introduced a new feature this month: Cover Love. This is a short intro to
a book and includes only a blurb, buy links, and social media contacts for the
author. We use it if one of our scheduled authors is unable to appear, and no
other material is on hand. If you would like to submit your book for this
feature, see the FAQ page for more information.The top posts are all interviews this month. Here are the top five posts (judging
by page hits).Of special notice: In the history of the blog, only eight
other people had more hits than our first place winner, John Steiner.1. John Steiner2. Charley Descoteaux3. Patricia Yager Delagrange3. EmKay Connor4. Synithia Williams4. Gemma K Murray4. John Quinlan (fitness model)5. Tara Lain
John Quinlan Authors who guest with us are promoted on Facebook, via
Triberr to over 549k potential readers, are featured front page in the daily Romance Lives Forever Paper.li ezine,
and the blog has its own hashtag (#rlfblog) on Twitter. This year, we also
created the Booklover’s Guide to Romance
Lives Forever with links to guest authors’ books and social media. It is
110 pages crammed full of who to follow and what to read. The FAQ page provides
updated downloads of optional interview questions, and a guide to the blog. You
can also grab our button to promote your visit.My thanks to all who took part this month. You made Romance
Lives Forever a great place to discover new books and new authors.Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
name are:Angela Plowman, Cheryl
Rhodes, Ciar Cullen, Coleen Kwan, Selena Illyria, Danica Winters,
Manisha Kumar, Elisabeth Silvers, Jane Wakely, Jerome Brooke, Kate
Hill, Kissa Starling, Kristina Knight, Krystal Shannan, Lillian Grant, Rosanna
Leo, Toni Noel, Xavier Axelson -
GLBT Romance: Comfort and Joy @CharleyDescote #RLFblog
Charley Descoteaux, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, Comfort and Joy.Publisher: Etopia PressGenre: M/M Erotic RomanceCover artist: Valerie Tibbs
Comfort and Joy Length: 10,195 words
Heat rating: 4Tagline: How much love does it take to heal the wounds of hate?Blurb:Sam and Charlie have been together over a decade, and their commitment
to each other has only grown stronger through the years. But love isn’t always easy,
and eighteen months after a violent assault, their fairy-tale relationship is still
struggling. Charlie can’t shake the lingering fear of attracting more violence by
displaying affection, and he’s angry at himself for not getting past it. Sam would
do anything to help Charlie feel better–if only he knew what that was.The century-old farmhouse in Northwest Oregon
is the perfect place to spend the holidays with Sam’s family, but it was their refuge
after the attack, and it still holds painful memories of those difficult first months.
Christmas should be a joyful time, but even being surrounded by people who love
him isn’t enough to make Charlie feel safe. He could try to keep to himself, but
even if Sam agreed to give him the space he needs, Sam’s warm and loving family
might not. And even though they agreed not to exchange gifts, Sam has a surprise
up his sleeve that he hopes will make everything merry and bright. But he may end
up more surprised than Charlie before the week is out…Buy links:Amazon http://amzn.com/B00APRADZ0Amazon UK
http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B00APRADZ0Amazon CA http://amazon.ca/dp/B00APRADZ0Barnes and Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/w/comfort-and-joy-charley-descouteaux/1113992806?ean=2940016096100ARe http://allromanceebooks.com/product-comfortandjoy-1026128-145.htmlWhat are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?Sam White and Charlie Price are both 28 and professional musicians.
Interview
Tell us about your latest book, including its genre. Does
it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?Comfort and Joy, m/m erotic romance, is the story of an established
couple, Sam and Charlie, and their struggle to heal the lingering effects of an
assault and re-capture the joy of their love for each other while celebrating Christmas
with Sam’s family.How do you come up with ideas?Coming up with ideas is the easy part. I’ve gotten ideas from
things people say, music, random things I see while on public transportation. The
hard part is deciding which ones would make the best stories. I admit, I’m not always
sure about that. Take my current WIP: it’s a paranormal erotic romance with mystery
elements. I’ve never written anything like it before so I have no way to know if
it’s any good until it’s finished and I start sending it out.What is the single most important part of writing for you?It proves that I’m not insane. *lol* At least it proved that
to me, because I’ve had characters in my head all my life. When I was a kid sometimes
that worried me, but now it’s just awesome.Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline,
or…?I’m not a big plotter so I usually start with a character and
a feeling. With Comfort and Joy, I wanted to write a Christmas story that celebrates
family and love and all that good stuff. I added a couple I’d known for a while
and just started writing. It doesn’t always work out, but this time it did.If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what
would it be?Your home doesn’t have to be clean, write more!Is your muse demanding?Sometimes — usually at night when I’m trying to sleep! He gives
me a lot of wonderful material to work with, but is even more of a night owl than
I am. His sweet spot is between 11 p.m. and 2 or 3 a.m. which makes it hard when
I have to get up early.Are your stories driven by plot or character?Most often, by character. Most people have defining moments in
their lives, and so do characters. These are where good stories come from.That said, my current WIP started out very plot-driven. I knew
what I wanted the world to be like but it took a while to get to know the characters
who live there and I’m still learning! It was fun going about it in such a different
way.How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines
and writing muses?Balance? I’m not good at that. If I could, I’d spend most of
every day writing. Unfortunately, I can’t do that so I have to make lists of things
that I can’t let slide and force myself to do those first, like grocery shopping
and cooking dinner. It works more often than not, although I do have a long history
of transferring items to several lists before they get done. To paraphrase Tyler
Durden, it’s about letting the truly unimportant things slide.What is the craziest thing you did as a kid, and would it
ever end up in a book?Well, kid is a relative term. In my late teens and early twenties
I did a lot of experimenting to try and figure out my sexuality. Some of that will
definitely end up in a book, or maybe several!What are some jobs you’ve done that would end up in a book?I’ve had a lot of strange
jobs, or at least jobs that brought me in contact with strange people. I’ve been
a bartender and a waitress, worked in book stores, flower shops, and a three-person
newspaper office. Some of these have popped up in stories, and I’m sure more will
in the future!What do you hope readers take with them after reading your
work?I’m not sure, but I hope
they’ll tell me what they do take with them. I’d love to hear from any reader anytime!List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break
from your own writing.Like most writers I love to read. I read a lot of YA because
those authors are amazing at writing a tightly-plotted story. My favorites are Holly
Black, Sarah Rees Brennan and John Green. I also love reading LGBT fiction and M/M
Romance. My favorites are Tara Lain because she makes me laugh and Amy Lane because she
makes me cry.If you were a tool, what would people use you to do?I really wanted to tackle this one, but the perfect answer escapes
me. It never fails, the ideas come faster than I can write them down as long as
I’m not trying to write about myself! *lol*As a child, what was your favorite thing about school?Everything! I loved school and was a shameless apple-polisher.
Teachers and librarians are still some of my favorite people. I was one of those
nerdy kids who wanted to write reports about what I saw while playing in the back
yard!If money were not an object, where would you most like to
live?I’d love to have a cute little cottage on the Oregon Coast.
My dream house is a cozy single-story three bedroom with weathered blue-gray wood
siding, beach access and a big old tree in the back yard.Picture yourself as a store. Considering your personality
and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?I’d be one of those dusty little antique shops run by a little
old lady who has no idea what things are truly worth. Everything from ornate gilt
frames to used books to kitschy statues and vintage hats and purses would cram the
shelves, and if you really loved something it would be at a price you could afford.
Either that or the store mentioned on The Daily Show last week, “Chocolate,
Blowjobs & Beyond”.Please complete the sentence
Charley Descoteaux I love pizza with pepperoni, salami, olives and mushrooms.
I’m always ready for some smash-mouth football.When I’m alone, I blast metal or club mixes and dance around
while I clean house.You’d never be able to tell, but I have an inner-preppie who
pines for argyle and houndstooth everything.If I had a halo it would be rainbow-colored
plastic from the dollar store and a little squished.If I could be a guy for a day I’d fool around with
as many dudes as possible, and knit in public.I can never judge anyone for being strange because it’s
a safe bet I’m stranger than they are.Find Me Here
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CharleyDescotePinterest: http://pinterest.com/charleydescote/
