We are very happy to welcome L.C. Chase to the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. L.C.’s latest novel Pulling Leather, the third book in the Pickup Men series, is available at Riptide Publishing. Make sure you read to the end of the post and enter the GiveAway!
Cover artist by day,
author by night, L.C. Chase is a hopeless romantic and adventure seeker. After
a decade of traveling three continents, she now calls the Canadian West Coast
home. When not writing sensual tales of beautiful men falling love, she can be
found designing book covers with said beautiful men, drawing, horseback riding,
or hiking the trails with her goofy four-legged roommate.
L.C. is a 2014
Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Pickup Men; a 2013 EPIC eBook Awards
Finalist for Long Tall Drink; and a 2013-2014 Ariana eBook Cover Art Awards
Finalist. She also won an honorable mention in the 2012 Rainbow Awards for
Riding with Heaven.
Connect with L.C..
•
Website
•
Blog
•
Twitter
Jodi: Thank you, L.C., for
taking the time to answer some questions for our readers. I am a big fan of
your writing and your artwork. I especially love the cowboys in the Pickup Men
series. Tell us a little about yourself and how you decided to write
exclusively in the m/m genre.
L.C.: Thank you so much, Jodi!
I’m excited to be here. I never know what to say about myself that doesn’t end
up sounding like a dating profile though, so how about we go straight to
writing. :-) I didn’t so much deliberately decide to write
in the M/M genre, as it demanded that I write it. All the characters who come
to me, all the people who want me to tell their stories, are gay men fighting
for their other half, even when they don’t realize that’s what they’re doing.
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?
L.C.: I hadn’t actually written a
series before the Pickup Men books, and I’m not sure I have a preference for
one over the other. There are pros and cons to each. In a series, you are
somewhat limited to points that had been established in earlier books, but at
the same time, there’s something about writing familiar characters and growing
with them that definitely appeals. Standalones give more freedom to follow
where a story/the characters want to go rather than “oops, he can’t go there
because he already went here”. That said, I feel character development in both
should be strong and deep regardless. A series is fun to revisit favorite
characters though, and I have to say, I’m not sure I’m ready to let Bridge go
just yet. ;-)
Jodi: That is good news. I love
Bridge J. If
someone is not familiar with your books, which book would you recommend they
read first?
L.C: Hmm… That’s tough. I’m
kind of partial to them all. ;-) I think maybe Long Tall Drink is a good overall representation of my style.
Jodi: What was your inspiration
for the Pickup Men series?
L.C.: Cowboys! :-D I’ve always
been around horses and ranches, owned a couple of my own, and I often volunteer
at local rodeo. At a rodeo a few years ago, I just got to watching the pickup
men at work. I started wondering who they were and about their role, talked
with a few people and my intrigue grew. They’re the unsung heroes of the rodeo
scene and I just felt they deserved a story.
Jodi: Did you need to do
research about rodeos and cowboys to write the series?
L.C.: Some, yes, for rodeo
mostly — specific things unique to the sport, the various circuits, about bull
riding and pickup, rules/regulations, etc. The
majority of my research though, was just being there, being involved, and a lot
of talking/listening/observing.
Jodi: Bridge and Tripp appear to
be typical cowboys who are not “out” to their friends and fellow cowboys. What
was your inspiration for these two men and their backgrounds?
L.C.: The funny thing is, and
this probably sounds crazy, but a lot of my characters “introduce” themselves
to me, rather than any particular real life person inspiring them. No doubt
bits and pieces of people I know/have known creep in — and I have intentionally
set out to write one or two stories/characters based on people I know — but
mostly they come to me with their base personality established. It’s when I get
deeper into their stories that their personalities and motivations become
clearer and clearer. I’m just telling their story for them, is how I usually
think of it. And with all of my characters, I feel like I know them, that if
they were real they’re the kind of people I’d like in my life.
Jodi: Was it difficult for you
as a writer to develop the conflicted sides of Tripp’s character?
L.C.: I’m not sure it was hard,
per se. He did some things that were hard for me on a personal level, but I
knew who Tripp was, I knew what drove him and what he fought internally, so
everything he did was an organic extension from there. It all made sense, in his
way. I just followed where he lead me. :-)
Jodi: In Pickup Men, the first book in the series, you introduce readers to
Scott Gillard identifying him as “the biggest homophobic prick on the circuit,”
and his actions within the series have not been very endearing. Scott, of
course, is one of the main characters in Pulling
Leather. Tell us a little about Scott’s character.
L.C.: Scott is complicated. He’s
got issues — a lot of them — all stemming from his childhood when he didn't
understand things fully. He grew up angry and spread that anger without care.
Once he realizes what he’s been doing all of his life, and the harm he’s been
causing, he sets out to make amends. Despite his past, he’s a man willing to
take responsibility for his actions, and work through his issues to be a better
person.
Jodi: Did you know the depth of Scott’s character
when you wrote the first book? Was Scott a difficult character to develop?
L.C.: I didn’t know the depths
of his character until I got closer to the end of Pickup Men. About halfway through that book I started realizing
there was more to him than just the story’s bad guy. Why did he act the way he did? What motivated so much hate and aggression?
He was absolutely difficult to write, some of the places he needed to go were
hard for me to follow — which is why this story starts two years later, I
couldn’t follow him in his darkest moments — but he had to see what he’d done,
had to change ingrained negative thinking/actions so he could come out into the
light.
Jodi: We meet Cory Ackerson in
the second book, Let it Ride. He is a
rookie to the circuit. You describe him
as a young man who “had a spark that was hard to ignore.” Tell us a little
about his character and your inspiration for him.
L.C.: Cory
is the light to Scott's dark. He had to be in order to balance Scott and guide
him out into the world. He shines bright, is so much stronger than anyone thinks,
has a huge caring heart, and is one of those people you just can't help but
adore from the moment you meet him. An absolute opposite to Scott, which I
think made him the perfect man. His character was inspired more by what Scott
needed than on anyone I know, but I pictured Luke Guldan
as
I was writing.
L.C.: The book actually sparked
out of a thousand-word writing challenge in an old writing forum I used to be active
in. The prompt was a hot cowboy photo and one requirement: it had to include a
rear view mirror. Right away I saw the main character watching a cowboy
stepping out of swirling dust in the rear view. That image is forever planted
in my mind’s eye. The story just grew from there.
Jodi: Both
Ray and Travis have tortured pasts they are trying to reconcile. Tell us a
little about their characters.
L.C.: Ray buried who he was for so long, kept himself behind
a thick stoic layer—afraid of repercussion, bound by reputation, responsibility
and legacy — so there was a lot of work to bring him out into the open…with a
lot of help from Travis. I really enjoyed exploring his personality and
nuances. Same with Travis, though he was a little different in that he’d been
dealt some tough cards in life, but he kept on not only fighting, but fighting
for others as well. Through it all he just wants what most of us want — love, a
place to belong, and peace.
Jodi: Regardless of the angst taking place in
your plots, add humor seems to be one of your specialties. Is that a challenge
for you?
L.C.: That
actually comes pretty natural to me, so nope, not much of a challenge at all.
I’m one of those people who uses humor, often with a good helping of sarcasm, to
deflect things – the more intense the situation the sharper/drier the humor.
Jodi: Riding
with Heaven is very different from
these other books. It is an intriguing plot with great characters and a little
mystery thrown in. What was your inspiration for this story?
L.C.: This story was actually
inspired by true events. I was living in Colorado when the Denver International
Airport was shut down for two full days due to snowstorms. My roommate’s flight
was cancelled, so she placed an ad on Craigslist for a ride share East. The
next morning I dropped her off at the gas station…and took down the driver’s
license plate number. Just in case. ;-) All turned out well, but later I
started thinking, “what if…” and one
thing lead to another.
Jodi: Was it challenging to write a mystery?
L.C.: Somewhat, yes, but I did
have a lot of fun with it. I had to do some major rewriting in the earlier
parts to pull back how Lucas was coming across, and then when I got to the end
of the story I realized the dead killer was being escorted back to prison so he
wouldn’t escape again. Er… LOL The fun part is planting foreshadows and red
herrings and bringing things from the beginning back around to the end. I had a
lot of notes to keep track of. ;-) I’d definitely like to write another
mystery/suspense story, and actually have a couple in my plot bunny folder.
Jodi: Do you have any plans to revive these
characters in another story?
L.C.: These two, not right now,
but that doesn’t mean they’re completely ruled out. There is a possible story hinted
at in that one, which could see a revisit with Lucas and Evan, though not from
either of their POVs.
Jodi: What is your next project?
L.C.: Next up are two books that
don't have cowboys in them! ;-) First is (hopefully) a fun paranormal-ish story. No vampires of werewolves,
but a bit of a nerdy environmentally-conscious MC, a mysterious love interest,
and a car. Probably won't be until early spring when it's all done and ready
for release. After that is a holiday story that was sparked by the same
blizzard that inspired Riding with Heaven.
That should release next fall.
Pulling Leather (Pickup Men, #3)
The toughest ride of his life is all in his head.
Bull rider Scott Gillard has a reputation for quick fists and
harsh words. What no one knows is where that anger comes from. After a shocking
incident sends him into a tailspin, he knows he needs help: he’s been fighting
a battle he could never win. Now he's trying navigate a new life and embrace
his true self, but some days are easier than others.
Pickup man Cory Ackerson has suffered his share of harassment,
but his light still burns bright. He doesn’t let anything or anyone keep him
down, so when he meets the rugged cowboy with a battered chip on his shoulder
and regret in his dark eyes, all he wants to do is help.
As their unlikely friendship grows into something deeper, Scott
must overcome his past to be the man Cory deserves, or lose his best chance at
his own happily ever after.
Buy
Links
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Stops
for this tour:
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The Big Tour Contest:
In celebration and thanks,
I’m offering goodies for two lucky readers . . .
1 - COWBOYS IN PIXELS: One
ebook copy of any title in my backlist. Open to worldwide entries.
2 - COWBOYS IN PRINT: One
signed paperback copy of Long Tall Drink, the
extended edition, Pickup Men or Let It Ride. Open to worldwide
entries.
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