MAX by Bey Deckard #TopReads2016 Interview

How did the idea for this book evolve?

I got the idea when my then therapist and I began regularly texting each other movie recommendations and had started saving the last 20 minutes of our sessions together to discuss the minds and motivations of movie serial killers, sociopaths, criminals... Now this therapist was a nice guy, real white-bread Anglo, fresh-out-of-school in his late thirties, who knew absolutely zero about sexual kinks but was oddly drawn to anything dark and deviant (in fiction). I sat there thinking to myself that he'd be the type who, if he wasn't careful, would get taken advantage of by some psycho with nothing better to do but fuck with him. And... that he would love it. Heh. 

Originally, it was just going to be a week-by-week therapy session to post on my site for when I needed to get away and just write something completely insane and fun. However, by session three, I was itching to just write the whole thing, so I did. And I'm glad! People seem to really dig it. I've got a sequel brewing, but no idea when that'll happen. 

Please tell a little about your releases in 2016.

I only released two books in 2016. One was the aforementioned Max and the other is Kestrel's Talon

​Max is the story of a psychologist who falls down the rabbit hole created by his charmingly sinister patient. It's a psychological thriller and not for the faint of heart but if you like things dark and twisty, it's a fun book. I loved every minute of writing it. It's now also available in audiobook format, narrated by Nick J. Russo and it's whispersynced so if you have the kindle version, the audiobook is hella cheap and I really recommend it, if only for Nick's Italian accent near the end. I loved it. Info on purchasing it (audiobook, ebook, paperback) and the soundtrack can be found here: http://geni.us/pageMax

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Kestrel's Talon is an epic fantasy about a kingdom full of rampant corruption and slavery, an ancient people wiped out, and war on the horizon.
A count with a terrible curse, a beautiful slave with a powerful secret, and an ex-soldier with a traumatic past come together in the book. It's sort of inspired by Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake), Beauty and the Beast (Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, not the Disney version heh), and you know, general quest/good vs evil type of fantasy books that fill my own personal library. It's a long book and the first in a duology. Oh! And there's a dog in it too. All the details for buying the ebook or paperback or listening to the soundtrack can be found here:http://geni.us/pageKestrel

And this is a painting I commissioned of the trio by the very talented Catherine Dair:

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What were your top reads for 2016 (or if that's too difficult, just some of recommendations from any year)?  Explain why everyone else should read them.

Want to hear something terrible? I read nine books last year. Nine! I don't think I've ever read so few books in one year in my life. Before I started writing, I easily read 250 books a year.

Let's see... of those nine I would highly recommend Xperiment by Dan Skinner. Super relevant right now with what's happening in the States. -> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28366502-xperiment
And the other would be Strength in Numbers (the sequel to Would I Lie to You? by Brad Vance. Great fun and I'm looking forward to the next. -> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29056110-strength-in-numbers

What tv shows were your favorites in 2016?  What's currently on your to be binged list?

Favourites in 2016 include The Night Manager (I also highly recommend the book!), Peaky Blinders, GoT (of course!), Misfits, Stranger Things, Black Sails, Westworld, The Fall, Mr. Robot, and The Knick. All incredible shows IMO.

Right now I'm a little obsessed with Taboo and I've been watching Frontier too which is good. I'm planning on watching the next seasons of some of the above as they come out, and I really should get caught up with Vikings. So much TV, so little time. I have books to write!

What can readers expect from you in 2017?

I'll be releasing my newest book Exposed mid March (or earlier?) 

Exposed
Novel (80,000 words)
Themes: age gap, daddy kink

With middle-age looming, Greg offsets his boring day job with what truly feeds his soul: photography. The camera is an extension of himself where he exposes his passion for the intersect of pleasure and pain. However, the lens also acts as a barrier, protecting his subjects from the shameful mistakes of his past, and Greg is left isolated and lonely.

Emyr stands on the cusp of fame, but adulation and abuse are both eroding his confidence, and one night, at the river’s edge, he seeks solace in the rain, hoping to hide his tears.
The photographer and the virgin rock star share an accidental connection on that dark, drizzly night. When Greg invites Emyr back to his hotel room, no strings attached, the young man should have bolted. Instead, an odd sense of trust allows him to follow Greg’s lead.

When the camera comes out, Emyr learns the stage isn’t the only place he loves to perform as Greg touches something inside him that rarely awakens. Faced with a beautiful, talented boy whose soul is as lonely as his own, will Greg be able to face his past and come to terms with it, or will he run from the connection he so desperately desires?

I don't have any links or anything else about it at the moment except for the Goodreads url -> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34104815-exposed

Other books that I'm planning to release this year is a vampire book called Montréal at Midnight (Midnight in Montréal?), the sequel to Kestrel's Talon, perhaps a collaboration with another author (but I can't get into details), and perhaps book #4 in the Baal's Heart series. 

Do you listen to audiobooks?  Do you have a favorite narrator if so?

I don't really, no. The first audiobook I ever listened to was when I got the files back from Nick J. Russo when he narrated Sarge. I can say that he is awesome. He nailed everything I've sent him so far.

Michael Ferraiuolo tackled the difficult cast of characters and their various accents from Caged last year and it is incredible to listen to. He's working on Sacrificed right now.

I tried listening to The Martian, one of my favourite movies/books, and the narrator was terrible and shouty. So far I haven't had much luck finding a book I want to listen to. :( 

Who is/are your biggest celebrity crush(es)?  Feel free to include a picture.

Ha! Um. Crushes? I don't really get crushes on celebrities. I do, however, get a little obsessed over acting talent. Mads Mikkelsen, Tom Hardy, Iwan Rheon are currently at the top of that list. 

I do celebrity portraits, or... rather, portraits of my favourite characters. I'm currently working on one of Jamie Dornan as Paul Spector (The Fall) but here's my newest one, completed yesterday, of Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney (Taboo). If you want to see more, I have a gallery here: 
http://geni.us/gallery

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How did you spend New Years Eve?

I have no idea. I think I might have been watching Voyager with a friend. I'm lame, but when you live in a place that's freezing cold in winter, getting stuck waiting two hours for a cab to take you home after a party... not so fun. Besides, time is just a construct. Who says I follow the Gregorian Calendar? :D

http://beydeckard.com/

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Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

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BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen Review + Interview

Farmers make the earth move.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago. 

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price. 

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way. 

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some. 

Warning: Contains sexual situations, gourmet yumminess, a steamy outdoor shower and proof that farmers don't mind getting dirty.

Bittersweet Links:

Amazon    http://geni.us/bsamz

B&N    http://geni.us/bsnook

iBooks    http://geni.us/1S3a

Kobo    http://geni.us/bskobo

Google    http://geni.us/bsgoogle

Also, the first chapter was posted here: FIRST CHAPTER

Q:  What is the wildest thing you've ever seen at a Farmer's Market? (can be something that was for sale, something someone did or whatever that stands out)

Each farmers' market has a different vibe. The Norwich VT and Woodstock VT are for purists. Everything looks as if Martha Stewart is about to do a photo shoot there. As for excitement, there was the woman who used to sell raw milk, which many people love, until she was busted by the authorities. (Vermont law says that you can only sell raw milk on the farm itself.) There is hand-dyed yarn made from sheep farmers' wool. And beeswax candles poured into shapes. They smell like honey. Popcorn in strange colors. 

The Lebanon NH farmers' market is a bit more like a street fair. You can buy samosas and home-made play dough and hula hoops...as well as veggies.

Q:  What is your #1 must buy item? (at FM)

The thick-cut bacon from On the Edge farm. It's to die for.

Q:  Do you have a garden?  If so, what's in it?

Well. Potatoes, garlic, herbs. Lettuce, kale, tomatoes (but I buy the seedlings at the farmers' market.) Zucchini, cucumbers. We have blueberry bushes, wild blackberries and apple, cherry and pear trees. That's most of it!

Q:  What is something about Vermont that many people don't know?

It's the 49th most populous state in the union. (Only Wyoming has fewer residents.) And the cell phone coverage really, really stinks. 

REVIEW

Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I adored this story a surprising amount. The male lead, Griffin, is a farmer. Farmers and cowboys usually aren’t on my list of favorite book boyfriends, but Griff was a game changer for me. He’s the perfect mix of intelligence and down home personality mixed with new age ideas. Honestly, I’m in love with practically every character. I don’t remember the last time I wanted to join right in with a group of people so much.

Griffin and Audrey hooked up casually a couple of times in college. Now years later, their jobs cause them to cross paths again. Griffin is head of a huge organic farm. Audrey is working her way up in a food corporation with an endgame of being the chief of her own restaurant. One of her current tasks is to find farm fresh produce for upscale restaurants.

Bittersweet has lots of interesting foodie information and the perfect amount of sexiness. It was a refreshing twist to most of the romance books I read. This story was a win for me, and I’ll be sure to read the upcoming books in the series.

***copy given in exchange for an honest review***

FGMAMTC 

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

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FIGHTING SILENCE by Aly Martinez #TopReads2015 Interview

Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?

I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.

You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.

They both happened anyway.

Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting for my career.

Fighting the impending silence.

Fighting for her.

Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.

I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.

Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.

INTERVIEW

Which Page brother has given you the most trouble while writing?

Oh, this is easy. Flint. That man killed me. He was so cranky and crotchety all the time. It’s funny, every book, one of the characters is difficult. In Fighting Shadows, Ash was super simple, but Flint was a huge challenge. He was a judgmental asshole in the beginning…how do you make that endearing? HAHA!

Did the plot go exactly as planned or did you make some big changes while writing this series?  Anything that would shock us readers?

Ha! Nothing ever goes as planned. When I first plotted this series, Till wasn’t deaf. And up until the end of Fighting Silence, Flint wasn’t in a wheelchair. Yep. That totally came out once I started writing. At first they were just three poor kids trying to make it in an unforgiving world.

My plots change significantly as I write. I’m not a big outliner. And because of this, sometimes the characters do and say crazy stuff. I’ve given up trying to force them to bend to my will.

This series deals with MMA and disabilities.  What type of research did you do on both?

I had to do significant research on Till’s hearing loss. Honestly, when I’m writing, I do my best not to get into too many details when it comes to the medical stuff. Why? Because I’m not a doctor. I’m a romance author, and regardless of how much research I do, it would be impossible to get it 100% accurate. I try to be mindful of that.

As for the boxing element, the research was easy. I grew up on boxing. My father is a professional boxing trainer. I called dear old dad and got all the answers I needed. He even helped create some of the storyline for Fighting Silence to make it more accurate to professional boxing.

You mentioned awhile back that you have plans to write a couple of M/M books.  Can us gives us an update? 

Mmm, M/M! I am currently working on The Spiral Down. It is a M/M spin off of The Fall Up, based on Levee’s best friend Henry Alexander. I can’t wait to dip my toes into the incredible world of gay romance. Assuming all goes well with Henry, I have a few more up my sleeve.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Names are hard for me. Most of the time, I pick the names first and then build the character’s appearance around it. For the Wrecked and Ruined series, I went pretty tame with names. However, with On The Ropes, I wanted something different and I wanted to stick with the stone theme of Slate’s name. So we got Till, Flint, and Quarry.

What projects are you working on for 2016?

Next up for me is The Spiral Down. (My first M/M!)

After that I’m working on a book called, What If She Does. The guy in this book is a very different kind of hero for me. It should be interesting HAHA!

Favorites

Food- Japanese. And I’m dieting right now so just thinking about this deliciousness is making my mouth water.

Exercise- If I exercise do I get Japanese food? HAHA!

Time of Year- Spring! I live in South Carolina so I love the warm weather before it become sweltering.

Color- It used to be orange when I was growing up. But I think that was just because it was different. I’ve always loved to stand out. Now that I’m older…I’d have to say blue.

Ice Cream flavor and topping- OMG. Of course you had to ask this question. I’m probably going to lose readers because of my answer. But I have to be honest, right?

I actually don’t like ice cream at all. HAHA! I’m more of a brownies, cake, and cookies kind of girl.

The Guys

Food

“Too easy. Twice baked cheese potatoes,” Till said with a grin.

“Yes! Mine too. Shit, now I’m starving.” Quarry said, rubbing his stomach. “You think you can get Eliza to cook some tonight?”

“Not likely. We had ‘em last night.” Till’s grin grew. 

Quarry arched his eyebrow incredulously. “Seriously? I live ten minutes away. You couldn’t even give me a heads up she was cooking them? Asshole,” he mumbled under his breath.

Flint shook his head at his brothers. “You know he’s only giving you shit because you didn’t save him any of Liv’s brownies.”

Quarry crossed his arms over his chest, “Yeah well, I won’t be saving him any of the chocolate cake she was making when I left, either.”

Till’s jaw fell open as he gasped in shock. “The one she made for Blakely’s birthday?”

“Yep. That’s the one.” Quarry shrugged.

Flint smirked. “You two should really just work out a trade—Eliza’s cheese potatoes for Liv’s chocolate cake. And while I’m at it, I’d like to offer Ash’s rainbow cupcakes into the mix. I need some damn cheese potatoes too.”

Till leaned forward to catch Flint’s gaze. “Oh, that reminds me, I bought you a case of Ramen noodles at Costco last night.”

Flint curled his lip. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Exercise

“I’ve taken up running since I retired. It’s miserable, but,” Till patted his stomach, “with all those cheese potatoes Eliza makes me, I have to do something to stay in shape.” He laughed.

Flint and Quarry glared.

“I’m more of a weights kind of guy,” Flint said. “Actually, I lifted an entire tray of Ash’s cupcakes a few days ago.” He shrugged innocently.

Till and Quarry glared.

“I hate exercise almost as much as I do both of these dickheads. But it’s a bit of a requirement for a boxer. It also means I can eat an extra piece of cake tonight so…whatever.” The corner of Quarry’s lips lifted, popping his dimple.

Till and Flint glared.

Time of Year

All three of the guys blinked blankly.

“Time of the year? Like season?” Till clarified.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need to skip this question, ya know…cause I’m not a bitch and all,” Quarry said crossing his arms over his wide chest.

Flint rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to excuse them. Summer. I love being outside.”

Quarry smirked and turned to face him. “Because it’s warm enough to get it on in the weeds with Ash?”

Flint punched him hard on the shoulder.

“Son of a bitch!”

Color

“Red,” Till answered quickly.

“Neon green,” Flint said with a wide shit-eating grin.

“Oh sweet baby Jesus,” Quarry groaned at Flint’s answer. “I’d have to say pink.”

“Pink?” Flint and Till asked in unison.

“Well, maybe it’s only my favorite color after last night. Little surprise from Liv.” Quarry flashed a mischievous grin and then winked.

“Jesus,” Till breathed, shaking his head.

Ice Cream flavor and topping  

“Funny, I had a little chocolate syrup last night, too.” Quarry barked a laugh.

“Please ignore him. And publish nothing he says. Nothing. He likes chocolate. We all do.” Flint said with a charming smile before once again punching Quarry.

Till cleared his throat. “Not me. I like vanilla. With a little whipped cream.” He waggled his eyebrows and inched toward the door. “And so does Eliza.”

“Dude, she’s like my mom!” Quarry cried.

“Oh gross.” Flint grumbled.

Till laughed loudly as he rushed from the room.

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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