Today the
Smoocher’s Voice Blog welcomes Draven St. James, who is celebrating the release
of Fused by Fire, book three in the Firehouse Six series.
Draven was a
born and raised in Oregon. Draven has travelled extensively in search of
mischief and mayhem to fill the pages of each new story. Draven’s ventures have been quite successful
in inspiring a wealth of tales. Of
course at the end of the day, coffee within reach, laptop at the ready is where
Draven finds peace.
Thank you for
taking the time to visit with us at the Smoocher’s Voice blog, Draven.
Jodi: Tell us a little
about yourself.
Draven: I’m a born and
raised Oregonian. I’ve traveled extensively in search of mischief and mayhem to
fill my books. My ventures have been quite successful in inspiring a
wealth of stories both sexy and humorous. It gives me a great excuse to do
some crazy stuff in the name of research. Of course at the end of the day,
coffee within reach, laptop at the ready is where I find my peace.
Jodi: How long have
you been writing in the m/m genre?
Draven: I've been writing books in the m/m
genre for the past five years, but only worked up the courage to submit one May
of last year. Prior to writing the stories I read voraciously in the genre.
Jodi: What made you
choose this genre for your stories?
Draven: I chose this
genre because I really enjoy writing about strong male characters falling in
lust and then stumbling into love.
Jodi: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Draven: That is a very
difficult question. I have a lot of favorite authors and I don't think there is
space for all of them to be listed. My most recent reads have been from Whitley
Grey, Stormy Glenn, Lynn Hagen, Gabrielle Evans, and Charlie Richards.
Jodi: The Firehouse series of books is hot (no pun intended). What
inspired you to write about firemen?
Draven: I find with
firemen I love the bravery and intensity that I see in the firefighters that I
know. I wanted to bottle that up and release it onto a page to share with
others.
Jodi: Are your characters
complete fiction or are they modeled after real people?
Draven: My characters
are not "complete" fiction, as there are bits and pieces of various
personalities that I know, which end up on the page.
Jodi: The first two
books in this series focus on Greyson Hayes and
Mica Cruz. Hayes is securely in the closet, while Cruz is a little less hidden
behind closet walls. How does this affect the tension in the book and in their
relationship?
Draven: I think that the
tension is there primarily due to the fact that Grey is trying to deny he even
has feelings for Mica because Mica is a man. Grey is confused by what he
experiences with Mica, as it is more intense than any relationship he has had
with a woman. It is that intensity that magnifies the tension because you get
to see Grey releasing control and having the truly passionate moments that he
had never experienced before. The reader
gets a front row seat to that journey.
Jodi: The
scene when Mica tells Grey about his jack-off fantasy is very hot. It also is a
turning point in the book. Why did you choose that particular method to let
Mica know Greyson wasn’t as straight as he thought he was?
Draven: I chose to
reveal it in that fashion because fantasies are so much a part of who we are.
By sharing that private moment with Grey, Mica was able to pull Grey's hidden
fantasies to the surface. It was the resurgence of those private fantasies that
sparked Grey's curiosity and opened the door to reveal the part of Grey that
Mica hadn't been allowed to see before.
Jodi: In the
new book, Fused by Fire, readers will learn more
about Simon Winters and Michael Donovan, who we are introduced to in the other
books. Is either of these men open about
their sexuality?
Draven: Both of the men
have lived their work lives under the idea that if they were asked then they
would be truthful about their sexuality, but otherwise they have
compartmentalized those aspects of their day-to-day lives. So, while they are
not completely out there about their sexuality, it isn't something they fight
to hide.
Jodi: Will
Greyson and Cruz appear in this third book?
Draven: Yes, Grey and Mica do appear in the book.
Jodi: Are Greyson and Cruz and catalyst for
Winters and Donovan?
Draven: No. While Grey and Mica do play a
small role in getting the two guys together, their relationship doesn't really
enter into it.
Jodi: Will there be
more books in this series?
Draven: Yes, there will
be more books. Right now I'm working on Taber's story.
Fused by Fire: Firehouse Six Series (Book
Three)
Published by Loose Id
M/M Contemporary
Release Date:
May 20th
Blurb
Michael prides himself on being the man
that everyone can depend on until one of his firefighters is severely wounded
on the job. Will he be allowed to process the situation alone? Not when a loud
and persistent Simon Winters shows up on his doorstep. The man hasn't met a
boundary he didn't skip across.
Simon has had the biggest crush on
Lieutenant Firefighter, Michael Donovan since the first day he saw him. Which
just happened to be at an interview for a job to work as a firefighter. Before
his desire to lick the gruff older man from head to toe affects his work, Simon
transfers over to being a paramedic. Just when he's begun to build a life that
doesn't include hot shower fantasies of Michael, the object of his angst is
thrust into his path.
All too quickly, Simon begins to barrel
through Michael's defenses and dig up the desires Michael has fought so hard to
hide. As passions flare out of control, tragedies collide from every side.
Michael's struggle to keep Simon at a distance starts to crumble beneath the
weight of the secrets that Simon is hiding.
Will Michael be able to protect Simon when he needs it the most or will
he lose Simon forever?
Excerpt
Michael bit back a groan, shocked by
the words. He’d really love to do that. Did the man know how much his offer
tortured him? When did Simon become an overt flirt?
With a
fortifying breath, he opened the door and stopped short. Simon stood directly
in front of him with a mischievous smile on his face.
“I found something.” Simon nibbled on
his lush bottom lip.
Michael racked his brain for what
Simon might have discovered that would warrant such a teasing expression.
Simon’s lips curved into a huge grin
as he produced a half-empty bottle of lube from behind his back.
“Shit,” Michael muttered.
“Yeah, I was vacuuming out the couch
cushions, and imagine my surprise.” Simon arched a brow. “Did you buy this at a
wholesale supermarket?”
Michael’s face heated. Not because
Simon had his lube, but because the last couple of times he’d used it, images
of Simon in the firehouse showers had slipped unbidden into his thoughts.
He reached out to grab it, but Simon
held it away from him.
“Tsk-tsk. Now, where do you hide
your…material?” Simon brushed past Michael and into the bedroom.
Michael watched from the doorway as
Simon rummaged through the drawers on both nightstands before coming away with
a strip of condoms.
“Oh.” Simon’s face fell. He glanced
from the bed to Michael, and his face reddened. With a loudly exhaled breath,
he moved past Michael and walked back out into the living room. Michael
followed along, only to be brought up short when Simon turned to dangle the
condoms in front of Michael. “I guess you don’t need any additional
inspiration.”
Michael finally managed to shake
himself out of his frozen state. He snatched the condoms and lube away and
tossed them on the couch. Simon just kept pushing and pushing, burrowing his
way into all the crevices of Michael’s life.
Michael stepped forward and grabbed
Simon by his shoulders. “Why are you really here?” he snarled.
“Because you’ve locked yourself away?”
Simon whispered and gazed at him with eyes filled with concern.
That look stabbed into Michael. “And
you care why?”
“Because…” Simon shrugged, dislodging
Michael’s hold, and then cupped Michael’s face with a trembling hand. “What
happened wasn’t your fault, and you needed someone to come and shove that truth
into your face.”
“You picked the short straw?” Michael
hated that Simon’s hand on his cheek brought him more comfort than anything
else had. Just like at the hospital.
Simon shook
his head, and his gaze fell to Michael’s lips. His hand came down to brush
against the edge of Michael’s bottom lip. A pink flush rose along Simon’s
cheeks.
Michael
felt that innocent touch like a jolt through his body. He tilted Simon’s face
up, and the sensual invitation in his eyes shocked and inflamed him.
He didn’t have the energy to fight
against what he wanted, and right now that was Simon. With a groan of defeat,
he smashed his lips to Simon’s and took the sweet oblivion that Simon offered.
Simon melted into him, and a shudder worked its way through Michael’s body.
Michael grasped the backs of Simon’s thighs and jerked until Simon jumped up
and wrapped his legs around Michael’s waist.
Brief astonishment that they were
really kissing filtered through Michael’s head as he stumbled back to sit on
the couch. He traced his tongue along Simon’s bottom lip and thrust inside.
Buy Links:
Grey's Hidden
Fire/Amazon
Find Draven St. James online links
