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RLF Gem Award: Top Bloggers Jan 2014 Romance Lives Forever #RLFblog
Last month, Romance Lives Forever had 30 posts in a 31 day month.
This was the first month
using new interviews for 2014.Top Five Bloggers for the Month
RLF Gem Award (judged by page views) There were four ties with each author
gaining the same number of views. This many ties has not occurred before on
RLF. Congratulations to each author!1. JD Faver2. Mary Marvella, Tina Donahue3. Charlie Cochrane, Danita Minnis4. Babette James, Starla Kaye5. Sydney Jane
Baily, Saloni QuinbyHonorable mention: Lucy FelthouseRomance Lives Forever features authors and new books. It has a
blogger’s FAQ page with a downloadable guide and optional interviews. Readers
can follow via Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Bloglovin’, Linky
Followers, email, an RSS feed, and there’s a blog button readers and authors
can grab.. RLF takes up to three images per article, so authors can share
previous books. The blog uses author or publisher names as SEO tags on posts,
and author Twitter handles in the titles. The site is broadcast over Triberr
with a potential reach of over a million readers via its Twitter-linked
network. Twitter mentions are also gathered in several Paper.li ezines, giving
the author an additional opportunity for promotion.The Romance Lives Forever
Paper.li ezine features guest authors on its front page every day. The Yahoo Group Romance Lives Forever has
nearly 1200 members, and is Kayelle’s private group. It is open once a month to
authors who have been guests on the blog. Guests get one day to post info,
share news, book releases, offer contests, and so on. For that day, the group
is open and members are allowed to reply and take active part. It’s like an
old-fashioned chat, where you can share and answer questions. Only authors who
have reserved the day are allowed to post, so it’s exclusive. There is no
charge. You can read more about it here: http://is.gd/rlfauthordayShare your book cover on Romance Lives Forever
Limited spots to share book covers are available. Cost is $3
per month, with discounts for covers posted for one quarter and up to one year.
Covers can be changed monthly.Sign Up for a Future Post
Sign up form http://is.gd/rlfblog_requestGuest calendar http://is.gd/rlfdatesMy 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:Angela Smith, Aria
Kane, Ashley York, Audra North, Brenda Sparks, Cassandra Carr, Chris Redding, D
Renee Bagby, Diana Green, DP Denman, Heidi Lynn Anderson, Jana Richards, Kayelle
Allen, Kent
duFault, Kristina Knight, Nicole Morgan, Pippa Jay, Sherry Gloag, Wendi Zwaduk -
Character Interview: Sam Hines from Awfully Glad @charliecochrane #RLFblog #lgbt
Awfully Glad This character interview is with Sam Hines from the gay romance historical book Awfully Glad by Charlie Cochrane.Genre Historical m/m romanceBook heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13Publisher Bold Strokes BooksWWI hero Sam Hines is used to wearing
a face that isn’t his own. When he’s not in the trenches he’s the most popular female
impersonator on the front, but a mysterious note from an anonymous admirer leaves
him worried. Everyone realises—eventually—that Sam’s not a woman, but has somebody
also worked out that he also prefers his lovers to be male?When Sam meets—and falls for—fellow officer Johnny Browne after
the war, he wonders whether he could be the man who wrote the note. If so, is he
the answer to Sam’s dreams or just another predatory blackmailer, ready to profit
from a love which dare not speak its name?Buy This Book
Publisher http://boldstrokesbooks.mivamerchant.net/9781626391642e.htmlInterview with Samuel Hines
What is it that you want,
but cannot have? Authors call this the conflict of the story.I want what any gay man of my era would want – to be able to
live my life without continually looking over my shoulder wondering if I’ll be caught
and disgraced. The lowliest chimney sweep can walk down the road with his girl on
his arm. Is it too much to be allowed to walk down the road with my man on mine?What’s your internal limitation?
Meaning, what is it about you that makes it so you cannot do what it is you need
to do during this story?I could say it’s the damn unfairness of the law, making men such
as myself prey to blackmailers, but that’s a coward’s defence. If I’m being honest
in my answer, I can’t help usually assuming the worst, and putting a pessimistic
interpretation on things.Tell us about your significant
other, that person who makes living worthwhile.That would have to be Jonny Browne, who I first met when I was
dressed up to the nines as a soubrette. I’d better explain. I was in a WWI concert
party, helping to keep up the lads’ morale. Miss Madeleine was my stage name and
I was trussed up in more feathers, silk and lace than a high class tart. Jonny had
the sort of smile to get my bloomers in a tangle.What would that person
say about you?That I’m an infuriating idiot who wouldn’t know a good thing
if it smacked him one in the gob. He’d also (I hope) say I’m handsome, witty and
have a stunning pair of legs. And that my skills in bed were worth the wait.What special skills do
you rely on?In bed or out? As I’m a gentleman I’ll refrain from commenting
on the former! I discovered a lot about myself during the war, not least that I
could sing and dance well enough to deceive plenty of people into thinking (at least
for a while) that they were watching a girl. I also found unexpected depths of courage.
They tell me I fought like a lion, but all I can remember was being bloody scared
and having to do my duty despite it.Are you happy with the
way your story ended? Why or why not?Of course I am. Happy ever after might be a pipe dream for a
man like me in the era I live in, but Happy for now is more than many of us could
have expected during the war.About You: Questions for the writer.
You have the length of
a tweet (140 characters) to describe yourself as a writer. Let’s see what you can
do.If you want nice young men, quirky humour, unusual settings and
ideas, I’m your girl! I can’t deny having written about gay weresloths…Why did you choose to
write about this character?I read a fascinating book about the songs of WWI, and was amazed
to discover how popular concert parties had been back then, out in France.
When I found out that some of them contained extremely convincing female impersonators
(at least one of whom got kidnapped by another regiment who wanted ‘her’ for their
own) I had to write a story set against that background.Was there anything you
discovered about this character that was a surprise to you?My characters continually surprise me. To the extent that I often
end up re-writing whole sections of stories to make them accord with what I’ve found
out. That may sound like hard work, but I think it gives the storyline authenticity,
rather than shoe-horning a character into a pre-arranged plot. Not that I ever have
a pre-arranged plot.As for Samuel, I knew he was a courageous fighter, so the extent
of his doubts and fears in peacetime surprised me.When you wrote about this
character, what made you the most happy? What made you the most sad?The era itself makes me very sad. Such a waste of life in that
conflict. So many young men cut down in their prime, including heroes of mine like
Wilfred Owen and Ronnie Poulton-Palmer. But I have to keep coming back to it and
exploring the notion of men at war. Awfully Glad is my fourth story set in or around
WWI.Are any sequels planned
for this book?I don’t think so. I have a long running series – the Cambridge
Fellows mysteries – and if I have a contemporary cosy mystery with gay romantic
elements which has been submitted to a publisher and that might become a series.
Possibly. One day. If I can leave WWI alone!Author Social Media
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Cochrane/e/B002CHWBWY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 -
RLF Gems: Blog Stats for Oct 2012
October on Romance Lives Forever saw eleven author
interviews, ten character interviews, and two articles.This month marks the first full month during which we used the author’s Twitter handle as part of our post titles. The impact of hits mentioning the author on Twitter help show them how valuable a visit on this site can be. Does it help bring people to the blog? Consider this: 18 of the 24 bloggers this month placed in the top 33% of overall hits on the blog.Here are the top five posts for the month of October
(judging by page hits).1. Susan Lodge — Character Interview with Hetty Avebury2. Charlie Cochrane — Character Interview with Ben Edwards3. Ally Shields — Author Interview “Awakening the Fire”4. AR Norris — Author Interview “All Female Planet?”5. Stephanie Burkhart — Character Interview with Lady KeiraOther participants this month in alphabetical order by first
name are: Adriana Kraft, Andrew Grey, Barbara
Bradley, Brenna Zinn, Casey Sheridan, Cynnara Tregarth, Dominique Eastwick, Elle
Druskin, Holley Trent, Jennifer Stevenson, Kate Hill, Kendall McKenna, Keta
Diablo, Kristina Knight, Rhea Rhodan, Sharon Kleve, Terry Spear, Tmonique
Stephens -
Character Interview Ben Edwards @charliecochrane
Charlie Cochrane, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s
talk about your book, Tumble Turn.Genre: Contemporary m/m romanceBuy links: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=CC_TMBLTPublisher: MLRCover artist: Deana C. JamrozLength: 84 pages, 28,000 wordsHeat rating: MildTagline: Winning isn’t everything…except when everything rides
on being first.Blurb: Ben Edwards is the rising star of British Paralympic swimming,
with a medal at London 2012 firmly in his sights. Love isn’t going to be allowed
to get in the way — until he meets Nick, who proves to be a big distraction from
training. With his times sliding, and a family illness, to worry him, it looks like
Ben’s Olympic dreams are in tatters. Until Nick comes up with the most outrageous
incentive for winning.What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?Ben Edwards is 21, has
just graduated with a degree in Psychology from Cardiff University,
and is a professional paralympic swimmer, on the elite funding programme.Nick Prior is 22, in
his last year studying languages at Warwick
university.Interview with Ben Edwards
Tell us about yourself.
What are you like?Ben: A bit shy (no, honestly) and a bit lacking in self confidence
at times. You might think that’s a load of rubbish, if you’ve seen me tearing up
the pool and punching the air like mad when I win. But if you’ve watched my post
race interviews and seen how tongue tied I get maybe you’d believe it.People tell me I’m good looking, but if I look at myself in the
mirror first thing of a morning or when I’ve just finished a hard training session,
I’m not so sure. My physique’s good though, even my dodgy left hand side.What do you think is your
strongest point?Ben: Determination. I’ve always believed in having dreams and
trying to make them come true. Right from when I heard that London was getting the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics,
I wanted to take part.Do you have a weakness?
(If so, what do you think it is? What does your lover think it is? What does your
enemy think it is?)Ben: I suppose most people would say my cerebral palsy was a
weakness, but I wasn’t brought up to think of it as that. Nick would agree—it just
makes me different, in the way he’s different because he can’t spell to save his
life. I’d say my Achilles’ heel is being too easily distracted, like Nick distracted
me in the run up to the Paralympics. My coach would have the same opinion. (Don’t
you make out I’m implying my coach is my enemy!)What drives you to do
the things you do? What makes you want to be the “good guy?”Ben: Because what’s the alternative? I guess my mum and dad brought
me up to think about other people and to always try to do the next right thing.
Maybe I’m naive but I can’t imagine doing anything different.What’s your favorite guilty
pleasure?Ben: Biscuits, especially custard creams or chocolate Hob Nobs.If you didn’t know how
old you were how old would you be?Ben: I don’t think I understand the question. Does it mean what
age would I ideally be? Forever 21 I suppose.A biography has been written
about you. What do you think the title would be in six words or less?Ben: Touching First. (Because I always want to be first to touch
the wall in my races.)If money were not an object,
where would you most like to live?Ben: Maybe one of the great big houses at Sandbanks, near Bournemouth, where we used to go on holidays when I was a
little boy. Or a really posh flat at Cardiff
Bay, so I could get my swimming
training in. Either would do, so long as Nick could get over easily enough to visit
me.What song would best describe
your life?Ben: It would be too much of a cliché to go with “I am What I
am”, although you can’t imagine what a buzz I got when they used that in the Paralympic
opening ceremony. “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough”, maybe, because I like overcoming
challenges. Had plenty of practice!If you were a tool, what
would people use you to do?Ben: Um, clean their cars because I’m great in the water?Picture yourself as a
store. Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be
sold there?Ben: I’d be one of those stores that sell all sorts of fun things.
Like Hawkin’s Bazaar used to. Sports stuff, games, puzzles, jokey things. That’s
me to a t.As a child, what was your
favorite thing about school?Ben: Playtime, of course. I was clever enough that lessons weren’t
that hard work, but once the bell went and we could let off some steam – playing
football or just haring around the playground – I was happy as a pig in dirt.Tell us an embarrassing
story that has to do with a pet. If you have no pets, a story about a significant
other will do. ^_^Ben: This is really
embarrassing. When I was little I tried to shave our dog, because I thought his
hair was too long. Luckily dad caught me and put a stop to things. The dog was such
a daft thing he just let me!If you came with a warning
label, what would it say?Ben: “Dangerous when wet”?Please Fill in the Blanks as Ben Edwards
I love pizza with ham and pineapple.I’m always ready for watching sport. Live or TV, bring it on!When I’m alone, I play games on my laptop. I’ve always been a
bit of a games nerd.You’d never be able to tell, but I got straight A grades at A
level.If I had a halo it would be stuck
on, so I didn’t lose it.If I could fly, I’d give up swimming.
Maybe.I can never be a boxer because my left side has a habit of going
weak on me.About the Author
As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs
of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction,
predominantly historical romances/mysteries. She lives near Romsey but has yet to
use that as a setting for her stories, choosing to write about Cambridge,
Bath, London and the
Channel Islands, all of which are places she knows
and loves well.Charlie’s a member of the Romantic
Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, with
titles published by Carina, MLR, Noble Romance and Cheyenne. Charlie’s Cambridge Fellows Series,
set in Edwardian England, was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year
2009 by the review site Speak Its Name.Find Me Here
Website: www.charliecochrane.co.ukFacebook: CharlieCochraneTwitter: CharlieCochraneOther sites: Goodreads
