I really wanted to title this “Interview with a Vampire-Leprechaun” since it’s St. Patty’s weekend and both vampires and leprechauns come up in this interview. But, alas, I didn’t actually interview a vampire-leprechaun. Sound’s both exciting and dangerous–I’d be all trying to get his gold and he’d be all trying to suck my blood, meanwhile, there’d be the interview. It could be anyone’s game.
Okay, enough with the bloody shenanigans. I did, in fact, interview M/M erotica/erotic romance author, Max Vos. It was a good time (maybe not vampire-leprechaun good, but I don’t want that comparison to diminish the experience). Max was sweet enough to put up with my silliness, and for that, I thank him.
So, Max, I hear you wrote a vampire novel that isn’t your average blood-sucking yarn. Wanna tell us a bit about that and what makes it different?
I did. I did it on a dare actually. I wrote it during NaNoWriMo. I had a really difficult time in getting it started. The vampire thing has been so overdone and I didn’t want to do the same ol’ same ol’, ya know? So I basically wrote the whole thing in less than three weeks. Once I got started, and knew where it was going, it almost wrote itself.
This story doesn’t really focus on the vampire aspect, but on the plot of the story. It just so happens that there is an entire platoon of vampire Marines. And who doesn’t love a hot and hunky Marine? I guess that is what makes it different.
Is there a particular author or book that first turned you on to writing gay erotic romance? Who or what was it?
What got me started writing was a now dear friend, Susan. She hit me up on a social site wanting to know about M/M relationships and how a Dom/sub relationship works between men. We got to be quite close while she was writing her book in this genre. She then sent me a few M/M erotic romance books, and I was hooked. She talked me into writing a few stories. The first story I wrote got published, which shocked the hell out of me.
I had also read Josh Lanyon’s book on how to write M/M erotic books, which helped a lot. I mean, I hadn’t done any type of creative writing since I was in high school. I was pretty much forced to retire, (I was a Chef) when my feet became so bad I couldn’t stand for the hours needed, so I was really looking for something to do. Now I love it and can’t seem to stop writing.
How would you describe your writing style?
How would I know? LOL I will have to answer that by saying what others have said about my style I guess. Hard hitting, gritty, emotional, extremely graphic. I hold nothing back as to how real gay men have sex.
Are there sub-genres or themes that tend to pop up frequently in your work (paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi, horror)? If so, what are they?
Well, the only Paranormal book I’ve written is the Vamp book, “The V-Unit.” I do have a tendency to write about Marines. I have to admit, I do have a thing about them. Although a lot of my short stories have chefs or cooking in them. I have three stories in print with Ravenous Romance, and two of them have something to do with cooking.
The first was “Cooking English”, which is in “My First Threesome.” The other one, just released last month was “Hot Peppers” published in “Snowed In.” I was asked to do another ménage story, so I did a follow-up with “Hot Peppers.” Don’t have a publishing date on that one yet. The other published one was about geeks, so I put a fireman and a hot geek together. I have to admit, I kind of knew the geek in real life, and he is very true to form. LOL
Let’s say you were abducted by aliens. Why did they choose you and why did they consequently let you go?
Oh hell, what a question. Hmmm, okay…they chose me because I can cook a mean Beouf Bourguignon (French Beef Stew).
They let me go because I’m a royal pain in the ass, and stubborn as a mule.
While you’re writing/planning—music or no music? If music, what kind?
Ahhh, I get up early, because I’ve been getting up early for so many years I can’t help it. So first thing is I turn on the news, and have it going on the background. I normally turn it off at nine in the morning, and then it is music the rest of the day. Classical all the way. I have a pension for Chopin. United Kingdom radio is my go to station on the computer.
When it comes to choosing a love interest, what are your three must-haves that start with the letter S. What are your three absolute turn offs (I’ll be nice and let them start with any letter).
Oh how awfully kind of you, LOL. Let’s see…the letter S.
How about SEXY.
Smoldering eyes. For me eyes are very important. They say so much about a person.
Shapely ass. How’s that. A man should have a great ass. LOL
Now for the peeves or turn offs. The first one would have to be shaving. A real man doesn’t shave his pubes into the shape of a heart. TOTAL turn off.
Trimming of chest hair. If you have it, flaunt it. I like a furry man personally, and that is a huge turn off to be all manscaped.
Bad breath. Nothing worse than to lean into a hot man and have stank breath hit you in the face.
Oh, I hear ya there! You’re talking to the girl who brushes the enamel off her teeth. Bad oral hygiene makes me insane. Now I’ve got the old Close Up toothpaste theme song stuck in my head.
What’s the meanest thing you ever did to one of your characters?
I killed his ass. He was a sweet and innocent kid from the Midwest, but he just had to go. LOL
Sweet and innocent, huh? Sounds like he was asking for it.
You have a story in “Geek Lust.” Can you give us a quick teaser for that short story?
“Geek Lust” was fun to write. As I think I said, I knew the geek from years ago.
Kimber Vale 