I'd like to welcome Mann Ramblings to my blog for an interview and eBook feature. He's an author I met on GA and who is now getting his first eBook published! Congrats, Mann!!
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Do your
characters try to make like bunnies and create ever more convoluted plots for
you? Or do you have to coax them out of your characters?
I'm kind of
rigid when I plan a story—I typically outline from beginning to end, but they
have been known to give me some grand “Aha!” moments. You know, those sudden
inspirations of background info or details that give the story additional depth
that was missing. One time that happened it allowed me to hide the identity of
the real villain in the story. I tend to listen to those moments, they haven't
let me down yet. Name one entity that you feel supported you in your writing endeavors outside of family members.
Being on GayAuthors.org. It was such a supportive and nurturing environment, I ended up finding the nerve to write more than I ever thought I would. I might not have found the courage to submit Luxorian for publishing if I'd never found my way there. It's interesting to look back and wonder what might have happened, or not happened, if you took a different road.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? 
Finding a
way to block out the distractions of life to write! I need a lot of quiet.
Music, TV, and background conversations can be a killer for me. I'm working on
being more disciplined to set aside my writing time and being more diligent.
When you add it my writing, I officially have three jobs and a loving partner
to vie for my time. Carving out my creative blocks can be a trick at times. But
I persevere. How did
you come up with the title?
Did the
characters or the plot come to you first? The
characters came first. I wanted to do a story about a male geisha and created
Hadrian. But I didn't want to risk his character being too effeminate for this
story, so I made adjustments and blend the concept with Roman gladiators and
blended the concepts I liked about each. The story was built off of him.
What are
your future projects?
I have an
upcoming short in the Wayward Ink Anthology, Of Heaven in Hell publishing in
June called Cardinal Sins. I'm hoping to expand the short into a full length
novel as well as revise the second story in the Ship Logs of the Santa Claus,
and prepare it for submission. WIP has already expressed an interest in seeing
it. All of this is so exciting!
The debut
M/M sci-fi thriller by Mann Ramblings is available on April 17. Buy links are
below!
THE LUXORIAN FUGITIVE
Book One: Ship Logs of
the Santa Claus
Blurb:
Having been through a civil war together, Danverse and Liam are close. Maybe too close....
All that changes when mysterious stranger, Hadrian Jamison, an escaped Adonirati, books passage to Alpha Centauri. Can he be trusted? Can the stories of his past be believed?
As Liam's fascination with Hadrian grows, jealousy threatens to tear apart his friendship with Danverse.
When Hadrian's owner shows up, Liam is forced to go against orders in order to launch a rescue mission to save him.
The ensuing conflict may be more than any of them expected.
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
“Liam,
are we going to be all right?” Danverse hadn't stopped fidgeting since he
returned to the dock. The air of unease was so out of character for the
captain; Liam didn't like it. Danverse not being in charge would upset the
sense of order to his universe.
Liam
sighed. “Yeah. We'll be fine. I'm just a little embarrassed by it all. I wish I
could find a better way to bury the past.”
“You
will. And you let me know if you need help with anything.” Liam snorted.
“Pervert.” “Not just that.” Danverse laughed. “I mean with anything you need.”
“I know.” It felt like the first time he’d smiled in days.
Soon
after that the first passenger came aboard. Dr. Davis Cellus was a professor in
his fifties who had been on sabbatical and would be heading back to his regular
life. He was heavyset, with a thin goatee and shaved head, dressed in
comfortable clothing that spoke of a meager wage, but his manner indicated a
modest lifestyle. Liam was convinced his accounts were heavier than he let on.
They
turned the second passenger away. Clearly she had ignored the “No Hetero, No
Female” rule. She had to be escorted off by station security when she started
arguing.
Danverse
maintained that Mrs. Claus insisted she would be the only female on the ship.
Liam knew better.
Danverse
hadn’t always placed such restrictions on passengers, but the ship wasn't
designed with separate facilities. Privacy wasn't a focus on a military vessel
and he didn't want to spend the currency on making the changes. Voyages lasting
easily six or more weeks at a time became tedious with complaints from hetero
passengers unhappy about walking in on crew members having sex in the shower
room or other areas. Danverse had no interest in changing the men's habits.
Non-hetero passengers complained less or joined in. Since they didn't have
passengers on every trip, removing orientation and gender issues made the whole
process a lot easier. The captain liked it that way.
Marley
Keyes was next. He was a rough-looking man with a medium build heading for a new
job opportunity on Alpha Centauri. He seemed uncomfortable and maintained an
iron grip on the satchel strapped around his shoulder. Marley claimed to have
never been off planet before. Liam was suspicious of the twitchy man, but the
background check came up clean, so another passenger joined the ship.
The
boarding period was almost over before the last person on the manifest
appeared. Liam had to remind himself not to stare. It was the hooded man from
the café.
“I am
Hadrian Jamison. I should have a reservation for passage to Alpha Centauri. I
hope I am in the right place.” The man’s rich voice bore a subtle accent. Liam
checked his list and scanned the man's hand. He seemed hesitant to be
registered. Liam gave the data a cursory glance and then turned the pad off.
Danverse threw a questioning look in his direction.
“I'm
Captain Marc Danverse.” He shook Hadrian's hand. “And this is my security
chief, Sergeant Liam Jacks.” As Hadrian turned and traded greetings, Liam got
his first proper look at the hooded man. Hadrian was above average in size,
just a little shorter than Danverse. His hand was veined and strong. He sported
wild, long, dark hair and dark facial stubble over an olive complexion, and had
the most entrancing eyes Liam had ever looked into. Thick dark eyelashes
outlined the white in stark contrast to ice-blue irises ringed in sapphire. It
was otherworldly, and he was gorgeous. Liam found a heat rising in his chest as
those beautiful eyes looked up at him through the locks of hair falling haphazardly
over his face.
“Do you
have any other belongings to load?” Danverse asked, glancing at where Liam’s
and Hadrian’s hands were still touching.
“No,
thank you. The bag I am carrying is all I need,” Hadrian said, nodding to the
pack slung over his shoulder. He hesitantly removed his hand from Liam's.
“Then I
can show you to your quarters,” Liam offered. With one outstretched hand and
the other lightly at Hadrian's back, he directed the last passenger up the
steps. He noticed Danverse watching them with a cocked eyebrow as they passed.
His mouth was slightly open but he didn't say a word as they stepped on board.
What the hell was that odd look about?
Like many
gay men, when MANN RAMBLINGS grew up, there weren't any heroes he could relate
to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real person
inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found his
voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called
inappropriate joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man's head. It took a
long time to find that courage and now that it's here, he plans to use it well.
While
spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate
passion for storytelling—he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew
up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new
possibilities. Why couldn't you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M
cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like, Night Tempest, Rob
Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create.
Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night
Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive
response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers
and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born and
raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was
practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike,
if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
MANN
RAMBLINGS can be found at:
Email:
mannramblings@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mannramblings
Twitter:
@mannramblings
Very cool! And congrats, hon. :)
ReplyDelete~M
Thanks, M! And thank you, Cia for featuring me! This whole thing still seems surreal. The release date isn't far away now!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! I know you'll succeed! :)
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