We are very happy to welcome L.B, Gregg to the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. L.B.’s latest novel There’s Something About Ari is available on Riptide Publishing. There’s Something About Ari is the second book in the Bluewater Bay universe.
When
not working from her home in the rolling hills of Northwestern Connecticut,
author L.B. Gregg can be spotted in coffee shops from Berlin to Singapore to
Panama--sipping lattes and writing sweet, hot, often funny, stories about men
who love men. www.lbgregg.com
Connect
with L.B.:
Jodi: Thank you L.B. for taking the time to
answer some questions for our readers. Tell us a little about what inspires you
to write in the m/m genre.
L.B: I’ve been
writing gay romance for years now, and I guess, this has always been where my
voice lives. I love men. What can I say?
Jodi: Many of your
books are part of series. What are some of the benefits of writing in a series
instead of just writing standalone books? Which do you prefer?
L.B: Overall, readers
seem to prefer series and they sell well. My two best selling books to date are
the stand alone, How I Met Your
Father from Riptide, and the first Men of Smithfield book, Mark
and Tony (formerly Gobsmacked)
from Carina. But I don’t have a preference. I just want to be inspired when I’m
writing and not feel like deadline outweighs quality.
Jodi: The Bluewater
Bay universe is different than your other universes. Was it a challenge to
write for a collaborative universe?
L.B: Initially, I
didn’t know what to expect, or which direction to go. Then I started writing
and I realized I just needed to be true to my own voice. People buy my books
because they like my voice. There are some truly gifted authors in our series,
and I think people will enjoy touring the town with all these different guides.
Jodi: This novella has
a lot of depth, and the characters are intriguing. Are the characters created
collaboratively or are Ari and Buck your own creations?
L.B: Ari and Buck are
100% L.B. Gregg. We each added our own characters and I wanted to write a New
Adult. I felt a teen wolf would be a great addition to cast of Wolf’s Landing,
although we experience the town through Buck’s point of view.
Jodi: Is this your
first experience collaborating with other authors? How much of the stories are
collaborative?
L.B: I’ve worked on
anthologies, where thematically we hoped to achieve something special. For
Bluewater Bay, I wrote alone in a word created by others. It was a challenge,
but the guidelines were clear, and we all share an editor, so her job is to
make sure the vision is cohesive. All mistakes are hers. Please don’t tell her
I said that.
Jodi: Tell us a little
about Ari and what makes him tick?
L.B: Ari is that kid
in grade school who couldn’t sit in his chair. The one who dropped pencils and
made weird noises. Hyperactive, but sensitive. He struggled academically and
came from a troubled home, so he relied on his charming personality to get by.
His friendship with Buck and Buck’s family provided stability. As he got older,
charm couldn’t get Ari through high school and he and Buck drifted. He hit rock
bottom at eighteen and managed to turn himself around.
Some of his more challenging traits as a
youngster became his best assets as a professional actor.
Jodi: Buck is forced
to become a responsible adult when his parents die and he needs to take care of
his younger brother. His reaction to Ari returning to town seems to be a
combination of hurt, anger and unresolved love. Is he also resentful of Ari?
L.B: I don’t think
he’s resentful. He’s embarrassed. Buck’s decision to raise his brother was the
right one, but it’s still difficult for Buck to see Ari’s Hollywood success
story when Buck had to give up every opportunity and is still serving coffee at
Stomping Grounds. He’s not resentful— he’s human.
Jodi: It is
interesting that neither Buck nor Ari tell the other he is gay when they are
teens, although, they both make that self-discovery. Why do they not
communicate with each other when they are supposed to be best friends?
L.B: They’re very
different people. Buck isn’t a talker. As high school progressed, Buck focused
on being a good kid to get his scholarship. And, like most teenagers, he was
uncomfortable in his own skin. He was afraid that if he told Ari he was gay, it
would change their friendship. Of course, not telling Ari meant they drifted
apart.
Ari went wild. He dated and had sexual
experiences with girls, and when he finally came out, his life was in the
crapper.
Jodi: Both Ari and
Buck are so wrapped up in their own teenage angst and issues that they never
see what is happening to the other person. What essentially causes them to grow
apart?
L.B: Buck’s
awkwardness was debilitating. And Ari’s shame over his home life and his
mother’s mental illness issues put a wedge between them.
Jodi: Why is Buck so
oblivious to what is happening to Ari? How does Buck not realize Ari is
homeless and why does Ari not confide in him?
L.B: High
school. I have been through myself, and later
with three children, and most of the time, teenagers are wrapped up in their
own drama. Yes, they care about others, putting social concerns ahead of
school, but not Buck. Buck received a full ride to go to college, and Ari was
scraping the bottom of the barrel. They’re on different trajectories in their
last year of school.
Jodi: Why does Ari
return to Bluewater Bay?
L.B: Well, the Teen
Wolf gig is a dream come true!
Jodi: Was it difficult
for you as a writer to develop Buck’s character? He seems so angry throughout
most of the book.
L.B: He’s not. He’s
cautious because he’s been deeply hurt. He’s frazzled. He’s embarrassed. Buck’s
not willing to suffer another loss—and because of Ari’s checkered past, Buck’s
not willing to allow someone into their lives who could jeopardize custody of
his brother Charlie.
Jodi: Why is Ari so
patient?
L.B: Ari has always
had a sunny disposition. He’s a survivor. He’s clean and sober because he
reconnected with his father. He’s loved. Ari understands how difficult things
have been for Buck.
Jodi: I have to say
that I loved the prologue for this story. It is descriptive and endearing, and
you do a great job painting the scene. Did the prologue set the scene for this
story in your creative process or was it the other way around?
L.B: It set the scene.
I have always been a sucker for romances that begin when the couple meets as
children. I love the idea that some people are meant to be together. Ari was a
ray of sunshine for Buck, and Buck is a rock. They balance each other.
Jodi: What is your
next project?
L.B: I’m working on
the short story, “Waiting for Winter,” which is part of the Comfort and Joy anthology with Josh
Lanyon, Harper Fox, and Joanna Chambers. My story is set in Vermont where ex
lovers get stuck, alone, for Christmas. I’m shooting for hot, funny, and sweet.
There’s Something About Ari
Buck Ellis’s future seems pretty damn bright. With a
full college scholarship in hand, he’s going to ditch Bluewater Bay and pave
the way for his kid brother Charlie to do the same. The only fly in Buck’s
ointment is his ten-year addiction to his best friend since second grade, his
true love, and his Achilles heel: Ari Valentine, Mr. Least Likely to Succeed.
But then Buck’s mother dies, changing everything, and
five years later, his future is still on hold. It’s a struggle to keep food on
the table, a roof over their heads, and Charlie on the straight and narrow.
Buck can’t afford any temptation, especially in the form of the newly returned,
super hot, super confident, super successful television star Ari Valentine.
ADHD poster-child Ari Valentine left for Hollywood and
lost everything, including his bad reputation. Then the breakthrough role of
his career lands him back in Bluewater Bay, to the stunned disbelief of, well,
everyone. But there’s only one person Ari longs to impress—the only person who
ever really mattered to him, the person he left behind: Buck Ellis.
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Thanks so much for having me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm eager to read this!
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