Interview Time with Keira Andrews! @keiraandrews

Hello, lovely readers! Today I want to introduce you to the fantastic Keira Andrews. She writes M/M romance (male/male, for those who aren't familiar), and she does it well. She's one of my favorite authors. 


Hi, Keira! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Can you tell everyone about yourself and how you got started writing?

Thanks so much for having me, Sarah! When I was a kid, I’d always make up elaborate stories for my favorite soap characters. I was writing fanfic and didn’t realize it! As an adult, I wrote more fic for various shows, and then branched out into publishing original novels in 2006 with Love Match, about two male pro tennis players who fall in love.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a writer?

Now that I’m able to write full time for a living, my fave part is the freedom to set my own schedule and work from anywhere I can bring my laptop. I also love bringing the stories in my head to life. The worst part is all the sitting I do. I really want to get a treadmill desk.

Ooh, that's a good idea! I have to set a timer so I make sure to get up every so often when I'm working.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other writers?

Take criticism and learn from it. Never stop learning.

Do you prefer silence or to have music on when you’re writing? What kind?

I write in silence or to the soothing drone of my white noise machine, depending on how noisy my neighbor is being.

Your books are very sexy and extremely moving, and the characters are fleshed out and relatable. How did you find such a great voice in M/M romance?

Thank you so much! I think part of it is that there’s more freedom in M/M to break gender stereotypes that are often present in M/F romance. I also really love the themes of coming out and the struggle for acceptance and freedom. Not all my characters are initially closeted, but obviously the fight for LGBT acceptance around the world is ongoing. I love giving gay characters their happy endings after all the years of tragedy in gay books and movies.

Is there any advice you’d give to M/M authors specifically?

Be respectful of the LGBT community, of course. I think just make your characters as real and relatable as possible. I suppose that goes for all genres!

Torrance Coombs as David

I have a friend who writes Amish romance, but I think yours is the first I’ve seen in the M/M subgenre. How’d you get the idea for A Forbidden Rumspringa?

I was chatting with Jay, who runs the Joyfully Jay M/M review site, and she mentioned that she got a lot of search hits for “sexy Amish men.” We joked that there was an underserved demographic out there! But then I thought about how tough it would be to be gay in the super restrictive Amish world, and Isaac and David’s story blossomed from there.

I just have to fangirl for a moment—right after I finished A Forbidden Rumspringa, I immediately bought A Clean Break and A Way Home. David and Isaac’s story kept me coming back for more, and I found myself rooting for them. Their families (both in the English and Amish worlds) make for a great supporting cast too. Okay, now a real question: Who did you picture as David and Isaac?

I’m so glad you enjoyed David and Isaac! Thank you. In my head, Dylan O’Brien from Teen Wolf and Maze Runner was Isaac, and Torrance Coombs from Reign was David. Dylan’s hair is darker than Isaac’s, but he was the inspiration. And Torrance has those killer blue eyes.

Great casting! That's part of the fun of writing, I think. 

I just finished Valor on the Move and really enjoyed it! Part of why your books (including the GAR series) are so engrossing is the amount of research that goes into them. I picture you spending hours looking up details on Amish life and what it’s like to live in the White House. What’s your research process really like?

Pretty much exactly like that! Taking out a ton of books from the library, googling, and watching documentaries and movies.

Dylan O'Brien as Isaac

What are you working on right now?

My new book, If Only in My Dreams, is out November 19. It’s a new adult Christmas romance about two former BFFs who haven’t spoken in years but are forced to drive cross country to make it home for the holidays. I just started an untitled novel about a boy bander who quits a world tour in Australia and rents a private jet to fly home. Of course it crashed on a desert island, and he and the pilot must join forces to survive. They also just find themselves strangely attracted to each other!

I can't wait to pick those up!

Where can we find you on the interwebs?

Website: http://www.keiraandrews.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2Z-G5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiraandrews

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keira.andrews.author

Where can we find your books?

Website: http://www.keiraandrews.com

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/keiraandrews

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1366040.Keira_Andrews

Here's the blurb for A Forbidden Rumspringa, the first in Keira's Gay Amish Romance series! 

When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

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Thank you so much for stopping by, Keira! Everyone, go check out her books--they're all awesome!

xoxo Sarah

Interview Time with Jennyfer Browne!

Since apparently I'm on a mission to have as many lovely ladies--and creative versions of "Jennifer"--as possible on my blog, here's another one.  Jennyfer Browne is the author in a genre not many are aware of--Amish romance.  But she doesn't play by the rules, and writes it how she wants...and it's good. 

See for yourself.

Tell everyone about yourself and how you got started in writing!

I’ve always had my head in the clouds, thinking up stories to entertain myself. My best friend and I used to play Star Wars- which can probably be considered live action fan fiction- she always got Han *SAD FACE*. I started writing early, first poetry, and then epic fantasy of a teenager soaking up Tolkien and Terry Brooks. And always with a strong, though often suffering heroine.  

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a writer?

My favorite parts are being able to share something from the heart with those that enjoy it ( yay awesome readers!). My least favorite parts? Never having enough time and having a deadline.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other writers?

Write every day- whether it is on the manuscript you are working on or simple short exercises to keep your brain and fingers trained. Even if you have a writer's block- dedicate yourself to the time- even if it is to simply write: “nothingnothingnothingnothingomgthisisterriblenothingnothing”

I've definitely had those days. And do you prefer silence or to have music on when you’re writing? What kind?

I love music while I write. And I love all kinds- I have a few playlists to help with the mood (Angry, angsty, sad, inspiring). It all depends on the mood and sometimes I will play the same song over and over for one single chapter.

How’d you get the idea for the In Your World series?

In Your World started out as an online chat session with some girlfriends over a celebrity photo shoot in which he appeared with a black hat and innocent face. Jokingly calling him Amish, the inspiration struck and I had the first four chapters written in a day. A lot of research following once I realized I knew very little about the Amish save my childhood jaunts to Lancaster.

For readers who’ve never read in this genre, what sets the IYW series apart from a lot of Amish romances? How is it similar?

IYW can better be labeled contemporary romance, with an Amish twist. I like to call it sweet and savory with a twist of tart, as it does have a little more spice to it than typical Amish fiction reads. It is more secular in its approach as it is from an English (non Amish) person’s perspective. It is still meant to be respectful of the culture and philosophies of the Amish, illustrating the meaning of love between two people in a world that would see to tarnish it.

Will there be a 3^rd IYW book? 

Most definitely! Initally I had planned on simply two, but in finding titles for the first two, the verse from 1 Corinthians 13 stuck:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So  felt it was important to round out the series with Finding Love- which is the story of the young Bishop, Benjamin Yoder. I’m very excited to give him more life and rejoin with characters we have all followed in the last two books.

Your covers are lovely! Did you do them yourself? If so, how’d you do them?

Aw, thank you so much! I did do them myself- which was a huge undertaking and provides me with so much admiration for those create covers professionally. I was a bit of a control freak for the first book, and I wanted a very particular image of Nathan (of which my friend and model, Brian helped to make a reality!). Hours and hours of learning the basics of Photoshop ( you can download it free for 30 days and get it done!)- and InDesign for the formatting of the cover. A great learning experience but my next series I am definitely hiring out!

What made you decide to self-pub?

This series was going to be a tough sell- what with the sexual situations that are not found in Inspirational Romance. I didn’t want to delete those moments, though, as I feel that love and sensuality are a beautiful thing and shouldn’t necessarily become a Fade To Black. I had an interested publisher but there was talk of shrinking it to one book, and that scared me.

Self-pubbing is a lot of work- in that you can decide to do all your own formatting cover, and even editing if you choose. My advice if you choose to go with self-pubbing and you don’t have a lot of funding- put it into editing. You can never see all the errors you make in writing!

What are you working on now?

Finishing up Finding Love, with the hope to publish in November (another boon/curse to self pubbing- you can pick your publish date!). After that I have a series of contemporary New Adults I want to start. And an alien romance. And a vampire romance. LOL

Tell us what genre(s) you write in, why, and what your experiences are like writing in them.  If you write in multiple genres, how is the experience different from one to another?

I love to write in a few genres- Paranormal, Sci fi, New Adult- but of them all, I want a strong female lead. The tone changes- paranormal has that feeling of danger or suspense, New Adult can be more comedic, and Sci Fi can be a free for all. But the heroine has to be strong, even when she is in danger of losing it all.

What was your favorite scene to write in the IYW books?  Why?

Oooh! Favorite scene had to be Kate’s first encounter with Magnus. I love that horse.

What scene gave you the most trouble in the IYW books? Why?

The sensual scenes were the most difficult. Initially they were a little more brazen- but given the audience targeted- a bridge between bodice rippers and Christian fiction, I had to really evaluate what was going too far and what was censoring. To some, I still have gone too far, but I stand by the words and their intent- that love between two people and how they show it is beautiful when they respect one another.

Where can we find you on the interwebs?

My Blog: jennyferbrowne.wordpress.com

My twitter: twitter.com/jennyferbrowne

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/jennyferbrowneauthor

Where can we find your books?

On AMAZON

On Barnes and Noble

On iTunes

Thanks for stopping by, Jennyfer! :-)

xoxo Sarah