Read with Pride Northwest discussion

We’ll be interviewing GRNW Attending Authors all summer as we prepare for the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up on September 14 in Seattle.

Please feel free to join in and ask your own questions for the authors!

GRNW interviews Rick R. Reed – Part 1

Here we interview Rick R. Reed, author of Caregiver, Chaser, Raining Men, and other works.

GRNW: Congratulations on the recent release of Raining Men, which is the sequel to Chaser. For new readers, could you tell me a little bit about these two books?

Rick: Can I take the easy way out? One of the things that gets worked on really hard before a book comes out are cover blurbs and I feel the ones for Chaser and Raining Men really encapsulate the stories. So here they are:

Chaser:

Caden DeSarro is what they call a chubby chaser. He likes his guys with a few extra pounds on them. So when he meets Kevin Dodge in a bar bathroom, he can’t help but stare, even if he does make an ass of himself. As far as Caden is concerned, Kevin is physically perfect: a stocky bearded blond with a dick that’s just right. (They met in the bathroom—of course he looked!) But Caden gets tongue-tied and misses his chance.

When Caden runs into Kevin one night on the El train, he figures it’s fate offering him a second shot. Caden manages to get invited back to Kevin's place for a one-night stand that turns into the kind of relationship he’s dreamed about.

But the course of true love never did run smooth, and Kevin and Caden’s romance is no exception. When Caden returns from a few weeks away on business, Kevin surprises him with a new and “improved” body—one that fits Caden’s shallow friend Bobby’s ideal, not Caden’s. Caden doesn’t know what to do, and his hesitation is just the opportunity Bobby was looking for. This isn’t the same Kevin he fell in love with… is it?

Raining Men:

The character you loved to hate in Chaser becomes the character you will simply love in Raining Men

It’s been raining men for most of Bobby Nelson’s adult life. Normally, he wouldn’t have it any other way, but lately something’s missing. Now, he wants the deluge to slow to a single special drop. But is it even possible for Bobby to find “the one” after endless years of hooking up?

When Bobby’s father passes away, Bobby finally examines his rocky relationship with the man and how it might have contributed to his inability to find the love he yearns for. Guided by a sexy therapist, a Sex Addicts Anonymous group, a well-endowed Chihuahua named Johnny Wadd, and Bobby’s own cache of memories, Bobby takes a spiritual, sexual, and emotional journey to discover that life’s most satisfactory love connections lie in quality, not quantity. And when he’s ready to love not only himself but someone else, sex and love fit, at last, into one perfect package.

Chaser takes a look at body image and love, which is always an interesting topic in romance fiction since the genre often celebrate fantasy and ideal “perfect” bodies. What did you want to explore with this theme?

I wanted to show that, one, sexy comes in all shapes and sizes. Beauty, as they say, truly is in the eye of the beholder. If everything we read skews to some sort of imagined physical ideal, how boring is that? I wanted to create characters that were real, flesh and blood people. And yes, even ones with a little more flesh on their bones than you’d see in the average romance novel.

I also wanted to take a look at physical attraction and explore the mystery of why we’re attracted to whom we are—and what might happen when the physical aspect that ‘does it’ for us changes.

For the sequel Raining Men, you turned the spotlight on Bobby, a character from Chaser who is best described as someone who “you’d love to hate.” When you were writing Chaser, did you have Bobby’s backstory in mind? And what drew you to develop his story further?

I can’t say that when I was writing Chaser I had a book in mind for Bobby—he was just the bad guy, the catalyst that would ultimately make our two heroes, Caden and Kevin, they couldn’t live without the other. But, after I was done, I couldn’t stop thinking about Bobby. Maybe it’s something about me and bad boys—and the appeal they have. But I knew, in my heart, there was more to Bobby and I wondered what it would take to redeem him, to actually make him a sympathetic character. And thus, an idea was born.

Will there be any more stories in the Chaser universe?

I never say never, but I doubt it. If you look at my backlist (backlist I said, backlist), you’ll see that I am not big on sequels. I love creating something new almost every time around.

You also recently released the novella Family Obligations, which was coauthored with Vivien Dean. Could you tell me more about this book? How did the idea for it get started?

Family Obligations is a very touching story that harkens a bit, I like to think, to Brokeback Mountain, in that both stories chronicle a doomed love between two men that was always hidden, yet never extinguished. The relationship of one of the men in the story, the one who married, is a very strong bond with his son and it’s similar to the bond I have with my own son, Nicholas (to whom the story is dedicated). Maybe, in a way, Family Obligations imagines what life might have been like for Nick if I had never found the courage to come out and had simply stayed married all these years.

What was it like co-writing with Vivien? Was there a specific process that worked best with you both?

Vivien is a dream to work with. She’s inspired, a great writer, conscientious, and hard-working. It was a very harmonious process, one that was probably helped by the fact that we wrote most of the story in the form of letters.

Your EPIC ebook Award-wining novel Caregiver also highlights an “untraditional” romance topic—one that examines intimacy and relationships while loving someone who is suffering from AIDS. What inspired you to write this book? What was it like to write about such a powerful topic?

This one is my most autobiographical story. The character of Adam in the book (the young man suffering from AIDS and this is in the early 90s, mind you, when AIDS was truly a death sentence for most) was drawn from my own experiences as an AIDS buddy in Tampa in the early 90s. His name was Jim and he is one of my life’s most unforgettable characters. Everything that happens to Adam in the book, including his time in jail and his eventual demise there, happened to Jim in real life. Writing the book was a tribute to Jim’s memory and I am pleased that the book’s message, that love can rise out of tragedy, is ultimately redemptive and upbeat.

Check out our next post below for the concluding part of our interview with Rick R. Reed!

GRNW interviews Rick R. Reed – Part 2!

Your romances can include tough topics, sensitive topics, and sometimes scary topics. (And readers can check out your genre mix in titles like The Blue Moon Cafe, Heartrace, and Bashed.) What draws you to these themes? Is it difficult to balance horror writing with romance?

I have been writing a lot more romance than horror these days (witness almost all of my recent releases), but horror is still something that fascinates me and that I enjoy as a reader and viewer (much to my husband’s displeasure). I think I am drawn to both because they both have in common raw emotion—both horror and romance inspire faster heartbeats, quickened respiration, sweat…. The list can go on and on. I just like the emotional connection that can be gleaned from both genres.

Give a reader a hint—why do you say for your book of essays Tales From The Sexual Underground that it isn’t for the “faint of heart”?

Because the book is essentially a collection of short pieces about people who live on the sexual edge—some fictional, some very, very real—I talked to prostitutes, porn stars, and people who make sex their #1 priority. If you read Tales, you can’t be a prude.

How did you get started writing gay romance?

I think that even in my earlier, darker stuff, there was always an element of romance. When it really started coming out more explicitly for me in my own work coincides with when I found my own true love. Because I was settled, and not desperately seeking the one anymore, I think I had the required distance and experience to write love stories that had humor and heart.

I really enjoy the column that you write over at Jesswave, especially since you’re not afraid to ask tough questions to the community like the realism of “Gay for You” or the pressure against writing unsafe sex in romances. Have you ever been surprised by the responses you have received to your columns?

Not really. The thing about Wave’s site is that the people there are not afraid to say what they think. It can be both refreshing and frightening. But it’s always real. I don’t think anyone, other than Wave, is doing quite what she’s doing. We have been friends for several years now and I really admire her.

The gay romance genre has really grown over the last couple years. As someone who has been writing prior to the “boom”, what are your thought about the rise of gay romance?

It’s both scary and good. Good because we have more talented writers coming onto the scene with fresh new perspectives. I started to say why it was scary, but I think readers know what I mean. I just saw a post on Facebook from a gay romance reader who said she was afraid to try new authors because she has been disappointed too many times. Demand has created a rush of titles and all of them simply can’t be wonderful.

I have a feeling that your story I Heart Boston Terriers might have a real life inspiration. Am I right?

Of course you are. My Boston, Lily, is right now lying in her bed behind me, snoring. She’s my muse and my heart.

Lilly!



Can you talk to us about some of your upcoming works? What can readers look forward to?

Ah, let’s wrap it up with another blurb, freshly approved for my next book, HUNGRY FOR LOVE, which will be out in September from Dreamspinner Press:

Hungry For Love

Nate Tippie and Brandon Wilde are gay, single, and both hoping to meet that special man, even though fate has not yet delivered him to their doorstep. Nate's sister, Hannah, and her kooky best friend, Marilyn, are about to help fate with that task by creating a profile on the gay dating site, OpenHeartOpenMind. The two women are only exploring, but when they need a face and body for the persona they create, they use Nate as the model.

When Brandon comes across the false profile, he falls for the guy he sees online. Keeping up the charade, Hannah begins corresponding with him, posing as Nate. Real complications begin when Brandon wants to meet Nate, but Nate doesn’t even know he’s being used in the online dating ruse. Hannah and Marilyn concoct another story and send Nate out to let the guy down gently. But when Nate and Brandon meet, the two men feel an instant and powerful pull toward each other. Cupid seems to have shot his bow, but how do Nate and Brandon climb out from under a mountain of deceit without letting go of their chance at love?



Last question (from me. GRNW followers can jump in after this.) We’ll have a lot of readers at the September GRNW Meet-Up in Seattle, and it’s always interesting to hear what authors like to read and would recommend. What gay romance titles are some of your favorites?

See, this is the kind of question that could get me into trouble because it’s such a small community of writers and readers. I could mention a whole slew of writers and books, but I would invariably leave someone out, so I’m gonna stay mute on this one. Sorry.

Thank you, Rick, for sitting down with us! It was wonderful to talk with you.

September 5 - GRNW Reading Event – Seattle

And for those around Seattle, you can see more of Rick on Thursday, September 5 at the University Book Store for our next GRNW reading event, "Love is Love: Four Authors who celebrate Gay Romance," which will feature Kade Boehme, Daisy Harris, Rick R. Reed, and Lou Sylvre. Learn more at our website: http://gayromancenorthwest.wordpress....

And see even more of Rick and our other GRNW authors at the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up on September 14 at the Seattle Central Library! We hope you can join us. :D http://gayromancenorthwest.wordpress....

Special thanks again to Rick R. Reed for talking with us!

If you have questions for Rick, please feel free to ask here. This thread is open to questions. :D

Love to hear from readers! Ask me anything...

I'd like to know if you'll get freaked out if I go all fangirl on you? :) 'Cause I probably will.

Nah. I'll be thrilled. ( :

You say that now.....

I'm pretty laid back. I don't 'freak out' too easily, so no worries.

Jase told me to ask you about your leather days. So....leather days? Huh? You said anything.....

Once upon a time, I was really into that scene (many years ago, when I lived in Chicago). I regularly attended International Mr. Leather every year on Memorial Day weekend and had an extensive leather wardrobe (chaps, harnesses, armbands, latex shirts, leather vests, latex and leather codpieces, you know the usual stuff). I've since gotten away from it, but still hand on to the leather bar vest and a couple of arm bands to remind me.

Too bad I can't post a pic here. LOL. Maybe I'll wear my leather vest to the reading on Sept 5.

We'd like the ass-less chaps please! Pretty please...with whatever the hell you want on top?

Was I supposed to be asking about books? :D

Dewwww itttt!! The leather vest I mean. ;) LOL This was a really great interview. I'm so looking forward to the reading, and meeting you in person in September. - Jules

Assless is the only way to go.Shannon wrote: "We'd like the ass-less chaps please! Pretty please...with whatever the hell you want on top?

Was I supposed to be asking about books? :D"

I just might Jules wrote: "Dewwww itttt!! The leather vest I mean. ;) LOL This was a really great interview. I'm so looking forward to the reading, and meeting you in person in September. - Jules"

Squeeee!

I suspect the assless chaps would get all of us kicked out of the library, so yeah, wear the vest instead, LOL.

I rather liked Chaser, BTW, but I don't know if I want to read a whole book about that asshole who shall not be named - you can talk me into it in Seattle. Maybe.

Finn wrote: "I rather liked Chaser, BTW, but I don't know if I want to read a whole book about that asshole who shall not be named - you can talk me into it in Seattle. Maybe."

I got the chance to hear an excerpt of Raining Men at the Gay City reading earlier this month, and although I haven't felt the full asshole-ness of his nature in Chaser yet, you definitely got to see the character from another, more in-depth viewpoint. Way less assholey. It was good.

Rick wrote: "I also wanted to take a look at physical attraction and explore the mystery of why we’re attracted to whom we are—and what might happen when the physical aspect that ‘does it’ for us changes."

I've often thought about this too cause let's face it... everybody gets old someday. (lol)

It's interesting because the traditional romance line isn't necessarily based on standard physical perfection so much as physical perfection in the moment of the novel. I've often gotten the impression that the protagonists of any given novel were one car wreck or chronic illness away from divorce. What influenced this choice of storyline, if I may ask?

Nicole wrote: "Rick wrote: "I also wanted to take a look at physical attraction and explore the mystery of why we’re attracted to whom we are—and what might happen when the physical aspect that ‘does it’ for us c..."

What influenced Chaser? I think it's what I said: a desire to explore physical attraction and how it can vary and, at times, be mysterious.

Finn wrote: "I suspect the assless chaps would get all of us kicked out of the library, so yeah, wear the vest instead, LOL.

I rather liked Chaser, BTW, but I don't know if I want to read a whole book about th..."

Well, every review has raved about the book and how I made them turn around the same feelings you had for Bobby, so I hope you'll give it a chance. In my opinion, Raining Men is a better book than CHASER.

Rick wrote: "What influenced Chaser? I think it's what I said: a desire to explore physical attraction and how it can vary and, at times, be mysterious.

Yeah, but I mean: why did you want to write about that? (I'm just curious. If the answer is too personal you can totally ignore me. :) )

I'm not sure what you're looking for. There's no great personal connection--I just wanted to write a story where the characters were not typical and wanted to show how attraction can take many forms (and maybe turn the notion that 'thin is in' on its head). That's really the reason I wanted to write about that.

Rick wrote: "I'm not sure what you're looking for. There's no great personal connection--I just wanted to write a story where the characters were not typical and wanted to show how attraction can take many form..."

Oh, I see. The concept itself drew you as an interesting thing to do with a story.

Thanks! (I always wonder why people choose subjects that they do.)

Nicole wrote: "Rick wrote: "I'm not sure what you're looking for. There's no great personal connection--I just wanted to write a story where the characters were not typical and wanted to show how attraction can t..."

You're welcome!

Rick wrote: "I just might
Jules wrote: "Dewwww itttt!! The leather vest I mean. ;) LOL This was a really great interview. I'm so looking forward to the reading, and meeting you in person in September. - ..."

It IS the day after my birthday...js..so, as a little present to me...leather vest it. ;) HAHA

For you and your birthday...I will.
Jules wrote: "Rick wrote: "I just might
Jules wrote: "Dewwww itttt!! The leather vest I mean. ;) LOL This was a really great interview. I'm so looking forward to the reading, and meeting you in person in ..."

*fans self* Dayum!

Rick wrote: "For you and your birthday...I will.
Jules wrote: "Rick wrote: "I just might
Jules wrote: "Dewwww itttt!! The leather vest I mean. ;) LOL This was a really great interview. I'm so looking for..."

Yesss!!! That's gonna rock. You da best.