We are very happy to welcome Cardeno C. to
the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. CC’s most recent book McFarland’s
Farm,
available at Amazon, is the
first novella in the Hope series.
Cardeno C. - CC to friends - is a
hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few
"awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life
as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's
stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short,
but they always include strong relationships and walks into the
happily-ever-after sunset.
Jodi: Thank
you, CC, for taking the time to answer some questions for our readers. I am a
fan of your stories and characters. Please tell us a little about yourself and
what inspired you to write in the m/m romance genre.
CC: I never considered
being a fiction writer until about the time I sat down and wrote my first
story, which was Where
He Ends and I Begin. I hadn’t read romance novels at that point and I had no idea
there were gay romance novels out there. What drove me to write was a sense
that so many movies and shows I saw had gay characters who were killed or hurt
or deeply miserable and after seeing this over and over again, I started
feeling like it was a punishment, like these people weren’t allowed to be happy
and healthy and strong AND gay. And I’m talking about movies where the gay
characters are the main characters, movies targeted toward a gay/welcoming
audience. That vision of life doesn’t match what I see in the world around me.
Yes,
there are tragedies and sadness and family trouble. I know. Those things are
real and true. But my life experience is that people as a whole are resilient
and strong. I see people move past the hard times and make their own happy
futures. I see people learn and grow and build lives and communities and
families around them. I see people who use their experience and wisdom to make
choices that allow them to live the kinds of lives they want on their terms and
to be satisfied and happy with those lives. That’s my reality and I wanted to
share it.
Jodi: What was the inspiration
for the new Hope series?
CC: I’ve heard readers say they want a book
they can pick up and read in one night or when they’re busy. I often want the
same thing. So my goal with the new Hope books is to create a little town by
sharing freestanding stories about the lives of various couples in the town and
to do it novella length. McFarland’s Farm is the first book in that world and
it’s a light, happy novella.
Jodi: Do you have the series
completed planned out yet?
Jodi: The
characters in this story are intriguing. Lucas and Jared are very different,
yet they share a few commonalities. What was your inspiration for each of these
men?
CC: It’s so hard to
pinpoint inspiration. When I’m ready to write a book, I think about the
characters and they’re real in my head. There are occasions when I can pinpoint
an inspiration, but that’s very rare.
For this book, I
wanted to write an opposites attract type of story. On the surface, quiet, shy,
hard-working Jared is night and day from party boy Lucas. But down deep, they
want the same
things out of life and they complement each other well.
things out of life and they complement each other well.
CC: That’s a question
every reader can decide. We definitely know Lucas’s father wants what’s best
for his son and we know how highly he thinks of Jared.
Jodi: What
was your inspiration for the setting? Will the rest of the stories in the
series take place in this rural area?
CC: Yes, every story will take place in the
fictional town of Hope. I wanted to write a town that I could create and I
wanted it to be a more remote location than I’ve written in my other
contemporaries. The location of Hope – between LA, Vegas, Phoenix – works well
for being accessible and yet remote.
Jodi: Jared
is a bit of an enigma. As a farmer he appreciates fresh vegetables, and yet, he
does not cook. Is there some hidden meaning behind his stack of frozen meals?
CC: Jared is like many
people who don’t feel like cooking makes sense when it’s being done for one. He
works hard all day and because there’s nobody there to share his table, he’s
never thought of taking the effort to make a meal.
Jodi: It
is interesting that Lucas doesn’t realize that his behavior with the chef was
inappropriate because of the location of the action. Why is he so convinced his
father does not approve of him being gay?
CC: Lucas needed to grow
up. He had an entitled, self-centered attitude that prevented him from seeing
his own mistakes and made him blame others instead. Being at McFarland’s Farm
gave him the room he needed for introspection and growth.
Jodi: Was it a challenge writing
this story as a novella? Do you prefer writing shorter works?
CC: I loved writing the
novella. As far as long or short, there are things I like about both so I’ll
keep alternating novels with novellas.
Jodi: So,
I have to ask ... You have written quite a few great books with intriguing
characters. Do you have a favorite book or character?
CC: There is no way for
me to choose. I can’t write a character unless I know him. Before I write my
books, I live with the guys in my head and learn who they are and why they do
what they do. I genuinely like my characters (even the ones with more flaws
than others) so it’s impossible to choose a favorite. There might be some who
I’d spend more time with than others in real life, but at the end of the day, I
like them all or I wouldn’t live with them in my head long enough to write
their books.
Jodi: How
does writing shifter books differ from writing contemporary books? Do you have
a preference?
CC: With shifter books,
there’s more world building and, in my opinion, the opportunity to touch on
darker subjects. Shifters are animals as well as men so they can bounce back
from rough things in a way that would be more painful in a contemporary story.
Also, in a shifter universe, there’s the ability to touch on real world
subjects without directly addressing those subjects (and instead using parallel
subjects). I love those aspects of writing shifter stories. That said, I love
writing contemporary too so, much like the length of my work, I’ll keep doing
both. J
Jodi: What is your next project?
CC: My next release is a freestanding
contemporary novel in my Family universe called The Half of Us. Here’s the description:
Short-tempered, arrogant
heart surgeon Jason Garcia grew up wanting a close-knit family, but believes he
ruined those dreams when he broke up his marriage. The benefit of divorce is
having as much random sex as he wants, and it's a benefit Jason is exploiting
when he meets a sweet, shy man at a bar and convinces him to go home for a
no-strings-attached night of fun.
Eight years living in Las
Vegas hasn't dimmed Abe Green's optimism, earnestness, or desire to find the
one. When a sexy man with lonely eyes propositions him, Abe decides to give himself
a birthday present — one night of spontaneous fun with no thoughts of the
future. But one night turns into two and then three, and Abe realizes his heart
is involved.
For the first time, Abe
feels safe enough with someone he respects and adores to let go of his
inhibitions in the bedroom. If Jason can get past his own inhibitions and open
his heart and his life to Abe, he might finally find the family he craves.
Jodi: I love the books in the
Family universe J. When will the new book be released?
CC: The Half
of Us is releasing October 10 on Dreamspinner Press.
Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats
life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at
his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a
valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an
ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere
with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar.
Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland
loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone
to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime
crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space,
Jared has to decide how much of himself he's willing to risk and figure out if
he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father's punishment is over.
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