We are very happy to welcome EM Lynley to the Smoocher’s Voice blog
today. Lynley’s latest novel Bound
for Trouble is available on
Dreamspinner Press.
EM Lynley has worked in high finance, high-tech, and the wine
industry, though she’d rather be writing sexy man-on-man romance. She spent 10
years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House
Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired
of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her
creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in
London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for
now.
EM Lynley writes gay erotic romance. She loves books where the
hero gets the guy and the loving is 11 on a scale of 10. Her Precious Gems
series is “Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone”— only gayer. The Delectable
series is Gay Romance with Taste. Her books are available in print and e-book
from Amazon & other book distributors.
Check out EM Lynley’s books and blog at http://www.emlynley.com/.
Jodi: Thank
you, EM, for taking the time to answer some questions for our readers. Tell us
a little about yourself and how you decided to write exclusively in the m/m
genre.
EM Lynley: First off, thank you so much for
having me over today and asking such fun and challenging questions!
I’ve always loved coming up with story ideas, and up until
college, I wrote quite a lot, mostly for class assignments, but a few stories I
didn’t share with anyone else. I had a few novel ideas, but never felt I could
write well enough, so I shelved that idea.
I first discovered m/m about seven years ago. A friend
introduced me to the genre and we read tons of stories on LiveJournal and
fanfiction.net. After maybe six months of reading I made up a crazy story idea
and that same friend dared me to write it. It turned into a novel-length story,
and I really haven’t looked back.
I love writing m/m because of the relationship dynamics. I
never much liked traditional romances, usually because I didn’t care for the
heroine all that much. Writing m/m gives me the chance to avoid those annoying
female leads, and work with two really hot guys. I can fall in love with both
of them, and hopefully so will you!
Jodi: You write both standalone books as well as
series. Do you have a preference? Do you feel that series give you more leeway
for character development?
EM Lynley: I used to write only standalones.
For me, getting the two guys together, whether that was into bed, or into a
relationship, had been the goal of those stories. There isn’t always a whole
story to tell afterwards. As much as readers want to read more about a couple,
for many novels, the end really is the end of what makes that pair interesting.
It’s a challenge to keep the interest and tension high in
any sequel or follow-on book. But Rarer than
Rubies lent itself well to being the first in the series because while they
all focus on Reed Acton and Trent Copeland, each of the Precious Gems books
covers a different case/mystery for them to solve. It also gives the
opportunity to delve into Trent and Reed’s character and the changing nature of
their relationship. Because it’s more a mystery/action/adventure series,
there’s less time to cover those aspects than in a contemporary.
I do love Trent and Reed more with each book, and I’m in
the planning phase for Book 4.
I go back and forth on which I like more. It always depends
on what I’m writing at the moment!
Jodi: If
someone is not familiar with your books, which book would you recommend they
read first?
EM Lynley: If you like some mystery and
adventure along with your romance, Rarer than
Rubies would be a good start. Since it’s the first in the series, it’s easy
to choose what to read next! It’s set in Thailand, where I spent a few months
and was able to incorporate many of my own experiences—especially the food!
If you want a contemporary, Out of the Gate would be a good start. It’s got a lot more romance,
and it’s set in the world of Hollywood and horseracing. Never a dull moment in
either.
Jodi: Bound for Trouble, like
many of your books, is written in third person point of view. Does writing in
third person point of view provide more opportunities to explore each
character’s personality than it would if the books were written in first
person?
EM Lynley: I’ve actually never written in
first person and don’t usually like to read it. Perhaps it is because I want to
get into both MC’s heads and learn who they are and how they think. It’s fun to
see what they hide from each other. In first person, it’s a lot harder to keep
some aspects of a story secret without cheating the audience or tricking
readers.
Jodi: Although
your books are all in the m/m genre, the style of your books is very varied. Is
this the first BDSM style book you have written?
EM Lynley: It’s the first novel-length
BDSM-themed book. I did a novella about five years ago, and did some hands-on
research: flogging classes, visits to a local dungeon and letting an
experienced friend try out a variety of whips and toys on me.
Outside of the physical aspects, I quickly understood the
psychological side of BDSM. It was just as intriguing to me. Without participating
I wouldn’t have been able to portray that accurately—or as exciting as scenes
can get.
Jodi: What
was your inspiration for this book?
EM Lynley: The first inspiration was watching
a television show where one character fell for another while watching them
during surveillance. Voyeurism really turns me on. I love reading it and
writing it. The idea that the watcher could learn enough about the subject of
the surveillance to form an attraction fascinated me. I wanted to put the
characters into situations where they had to interact, with one knowing a lot
more about the other. It’s another relationship dynamic I enjoy working with.
Jodi: In
Bound for Trouble, Deke and Ryan are very different from each other.
Both men are a bit lost though and neither has a great track record with making
wise decisions. Was it a challenge to develop their relationship?
EM Lynley: Oh absolutely. It was really tough
to extend the relationship beyond the physical and make sense. It was clear
from the minute they met there was some sexual chemistry. But how on earth does
a career FBI agent fall for a rent-boy? I had to tap into Deke’s need to
protect, and find the part of Ryan that made Deke see him for much more than a
gorgeous body and a big tease.
Putting them together in the same room was always such fun.
They rarely had the same agenda, but they still would wind up wanting the same
thing—each other.
Jodi: What
were your inspirations for these men?
EM Lynley: I didn’t have any specific
inspirations. I like to work with types based on jobs and internal character
traits. Then I’ll build a more three-dimensional person from that basis that’s
not really like anyone I’ve seen either in real life or in fiction/films.
Jodi: Did
you have a difficult time mingling the sex and violence in the story?
EM Lynley: You certainly hit on another key
challenge. It was tough to balance the non-violence of BDSM with the violent
nature of Petrov, the Dom who Deke is trying to capture. It made him an
interesting character, and he added to the tensions between Deke and Ryan. Deke
always saw him as dangerous, while Ryan finds himself wanting to be dominated
by Petrov. I can’t really say much more about the violence without spoilers, but
it was necessary to change some of those dynamics.
Jodi: Was
it difficult for you as a writer to develop the multiple sides of Ryan’s
character: the rent boy, sex-addicted extrovert versus the abused,
compassionate man?
EM Lynley: Actually, this is the fun part of
writing. Every character needs some kind of paradox within his personality.
Peeling back Ryan’s layers to who he is under that façade shows him for the
kind of man that Deke could love. As Deke learns more about who Ryan is under
that sass, he’s lost that neutrality he needs to do his job. I loved this
shifting relationship between them.
Jodi: Tell
us a little about Deke’s character.
EM Lynley: Deke grew up as a military brat and
felt a sense of duty from a young age. It permeates everything he does and how
he looks at his world. He sees black and white: what he should and shouldn’t
do. What’s right and what’s wrong. He’s thrown for a loop when he meets Ryan,
who’s all gray area. Deke doesn’t relax and he doesn’t indulge himself much. He
seems to thrive on denying himself anything until he’s earned it. Watching the
effect Ryan has on him is fun!
Jodi: The
ending of this book is intense. Will there be any more books with Deke and
Ryan?
EM Lynley: I have a few ideas, but I don’t
know for sure if there will be. I’ll only write a sequel if there is another very
powerful story to tell about them.
Jodi: The
issue of dominance and submission plays an important role in this book. Some of
the BDSM scenes are gentle and loving, while others are brutally violent. Why
did you choose to explore the lifestyle in this way?
EM Lynley: I wanted to explore how the nature
of BDSM play is completely determined by who is playing. Since trust is a huge
part of safe and enjoyable BDSM, I also wanted to look at what happens when
that trust is violated. This was also a way to differentiate Ryan’s
relationship with Petrov from his relationship with Deke.
Jodi: Abuse
and submission is not the same thing as the men in the series, especially Deke discovers.
Was there a message you wanted to impart to readers?
EM Lynley: Not specifically. For readers who
have stayed away from BDSM, I wanted to show that it’s a lot more than pain,
and there are a lot of nuances. For me, the idea of someone wanting to be
dominated was very powerful, and I hope I can show some insights into how that
feels.
When Deke is required to take some classes to join Dungeon
69, it was a way to show that the whole environment is designed to be safe for
all involved and that the community is overall very welcoming and concerned
about all participants.
Jodi: Bound for Trouble
is very different than your other recent release Out of the Gate. Do you have trouble shifting gears from one style
to another?
EM Lynley: I tend to write one project at a
time and become completely immersed in the world, the story, and the
characters. It can be tricky to switch to something completely different. Bound for Trouble was so much more
intense than anything else I’ve written, so it was even more difficult. I had
to take a break for a few weeks before I could really think about the next
book.
Jodi: What
is your next project?
Em Lynley: The next one slated for publication is Spaghetti Western, a novel in the Delectable series. This one has a
Cordon Bleu-trained chef who goes from Paris to being a chuck wagon cook at a
guest ranch (one does not call them dude ranches), and ends up falling for a
sexy cowboy. Look for that one in September from Dreamspinner.
I just finished writing a fairly smutty novel called Dirty Dining, about a grad student who
works as a serving boy at a sexy dinner club and one very special client who
makes him want to do more than serve dinner. It should be coming out early next
year.
I’m working on a rewrite of my first novel, Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells. I’ve
grown as both a writer and a storyteller, and it needs a makeover. Reading this
one again is like visiting old friends who I haven’t seen for years, but never
want to leave again.
Daniel “Deke” Kane is a broken man, facing the end of his career
in the FBI. He’s on desk duty after a botched drug raid left the suspects and
two children dead. He’s got one chance to prove himself, or the only thing
he’ll be investigating is the Help Wanted ads.
Ryan Griffiths has been on the run for ten years. Forced onto
the streets when his father kicked him out, Ryan earns his living in other
men’s beds. Finding his john dead in a hotel room drives him under the radar
until a favorite client gives him a chance at a safe, clean life. But Ryan’s
relatively stable new world shatters when Deke Kane catches up with him.
When Deke’s tasked to take down a drug dealer with terrorist
ties and a taste for the dark side of BDSM, his only chance to get close is the
suspect’s interest in Ryan, and he convinces Ryan to become a confidential
informant. In return, Deke offers Ryan immunity from his past. As Ryan falls
under the drug lord’s domination, Deke finds himself falling for Ryan.
Now Deke has to choose between Ryan’s safety and his own future.
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Hi! Thanks for the interview!
ReplyDeleteIt is a really good interview!
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