Thursday, June 21, 2012

Interview with Sam Singer





Hey everyone! Today I have Sam Singer with me. So come on in, pull up a chair and pick out a drink, lol. We're going to have some fun!

Today I'm highlighting her book Beholding Beauty. The release date is June 27th by Dreamspinner.



Sam Singer first discovered her love of writing in grade school,and it’s an affair that has continued to grow and flourish. She dabbled in traditional romance before finding her one true love: male/male erotica and romance.

When not writing about beautiful men getting hot and sweaty, she works part time as a librarian and enjoys baseball, feeding her caffeine addiction, and watching classic movies. She lives in a small town in the Midwest and is owned by her fickle Muse and insane cat, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.




http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3048

Blurb:

Craig Ryan’s modeling dreams crashed and burned on the streets of LA. Still, a man has to eat, and the escort biz pays well, and the sex isn’t bad. Actually, Craig enjoys his new job and benefits. That is, until a client called Dee hires him. Dee is a mystery. He keeps his face hidden and prohibits touching, even when touching his mouthwatering body becomes Craig’s fantasy.

Falling for a customer was never in Craig’s plans. But wrapped inside Dee’s peculiar requirements, there’s a sense of loneliness and pain that strikes deep within Craig, awakening his own need for something more—something with a future beyond one-night stands..

Excerpt: 

The elevator stopped and opened directly into the luxurious penthouse; it was huge with an open floor plan, elegantly furnished, and smelled faintly of sandalwood and leather. The kitchen gleamed with top-of-the-line chrome appliances. There was a nicely sized, but not ostentatious, LCD television to the left of a fireplace surrounded by built-in mahogany bookcases crammed full of books. The floors were gleaming hardwood with beautiful, intricate Persian rugs here and there. On the coffee table was an array of magazines—Time, Newsweek, Men’s Health, GQ, The Advocate, and Details—along with a book of erotic male photography. The entire west wall was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a spectacular view of the city at sunset, and there standing in front of them, looking out, had to be his client.

He was big, not overweight, but tall, lean, and most likely muscular if the broad shoulders were anything to go by. His hair was to his shoulders, dark, brown probably, and thick. He looked to be impeccably dressed in dark slacks and shirt—silk, Craig guessed. Despite a couple of years in the escort business and being plenty jaded, Craig was intrigued. He wished the man would turn around. He’d love to see if the front was as appealing as the back.


“I’m Craig,” Craig said evenly.  


“I’m Dee,” his client said in a deep voice, not turning to face Craig. 


Craig took a few uncertain steps closer. “I hope I’m what you wanted.”


“You’re fine,” his client replied shortly.


Craig frowned and his brows knitted together in puzzlement. How could he think Craig was fine when he hadn’t even turned to look at him? The first tendrils of unease began to unfurl inside him. This guy was big, strong, and could easily overpower Craig. Not that Craig was a slouch, but he didn’t have the muscle mass his client seemed to under his expensive clothes, and this guy was at least three inches taller than him.


There was a low mechanical hum, and the curtains began to close over the windows, shutting out the weak light from the setting sun. A second later the television clicked on.


“Have a seat, Craig,” Dee said, motioning to the overstuffed suede sofa.


Craig swallowed and nodded even though Dee couldn’t see. He sank down into the plush sofa but kept Dee in his line of sight. The curtains closed completely, and the only light came from the glow of the television and the dim recessed lights in the kitchen. Craig didn’t like this, didn’t like not being able to see his client, not being able to judge his reactions.

“Do you have a favorite genre of film?” his client asked, moving away from the windows and over to sit beside Craig. Craig looked over at Dee but couldn’t really make out any facial features because of the dim lighting, and Dee’s hair was obscuring his face. It didn’t exactly make Craig feel better about this situation.

Drop by and say hi to Sam at : 

Now for the fun part, lol. *Rubs hands together* The questions:


~When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

As soon as I could string sentences together enough to make stories. I would always be writing in my free time in elementary school and on through high school. Other kids would look at me like I had two heads and ask “why?” I’d be like… “Because I like it”. That always got interesting looks. I guess other kids couldn’t understand why I would want to do something that resembled an assignment for class, but for me writing was fun.



~ You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have? 



I would want survivalist Bear Grylls with me on that island. With Bear I know I’m gonna eat, have shelter, and damn well survive! As for what I’d want with me? I’d have to say a copy of Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King. It is a huge short story collection and has some of my favorite stories in it. So while Bear is off fishing for food or building a raft or whatever, I’d be reading . : )



~How do you come up with a title?

I hate titles! That is usually the last thing I write. I either browse some of my favorite quote sites for sayings that relate to the overall theme of a story or I pick song lyrics that fit.



~Which character caused you most difficulty to write?

The odd thing, characters don’t really give a problem. I always know everything about my characters when I start a story. It makes it easy for me to concentrate on the overall plot because I don’t have to worry about figuring out my character’s headspace.



~When do you do your best writing… morning, afternoon, evening, night?




I would say the morning. I’m up, I’m alone and I have a fresh, well-rested mind. In the afternoons I’m busy and in the nights I’m too tired.



 


~Out of all the stories you’ve written which one are you most proud of?

I only have 2 published stories so picking between them is hard. But I’m very proud of my new novella Beholding Beauty. It was such an awesome writing experience. The whole plot idea just came to me, complete and total. I bucked my usual tradition of writing out of order and wrote the whole story from beginning to end in a little less than a week.

Writing something that fast was also a new experience for me, new and very satisfying. My previous story Reconnecting was written in an afternoon. That doesn’t mean I’m any less proud of it but it was just a little short slice of life story. Beholding Beauty has a more involved plotline. I hope people enjoy it.



~Do you plan your stories and, if so, to what extent?

Not at all. I write what pops into my head whenever it pops into my head. Most of the time it means my scenes are written out of order and I splice them together as I go. I call it “Franken-writing”.



~How many stories do you work on at any one time?

One. Only and ever one. My poor little brain can only take a limited amount of characters talking to me at the same time.




~ Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I’m gonna say, John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw from the Saw franchise. He was scary because he was human and his victims had to make horrific choices to live. To me the human villains are always more frightening than Jason or Freddy, you know? And the creepy puppet on the tricycle helped…along with his deep raspy voice. : )



Okay, lol. I haven't seen the movies from the Saw franchise. And after looking at the pics probably won't!!! I'm not a horror fan... gives me nightmares, lol.


Hope y'all enjoyed meeting Sam! I had fun interviewing her. :) Drop by and give her a yell, guys! And be on the look out for her newest book Beholding Beauty. That cover is great, isn't it?

~M