We are very happy to welcome S.A. McAuley
to the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. McAuley’s latest novel is Damaged Package. Please bear in mind that this post contains NSFW (Not Safe For Work Images).
Sam sleeps little, reads a lot. Happiest
in a foreign country. Twitchy when not mentally in motion. Sam describes herself as a dark/cynical/jaded
person, but she hides that darkness well behind her obsession(s) for shiny
objects.
Sam writes, “I’m the macabre wrapped in
irresistible bubble wrap and a glittery pink bow, I suppose. I have a
never-ending-abyss-like secret love for poetry. Especially Rumi, Hafiz, and
Neruda.
“You can predict (as well as change) my moods and my
writing schedule by my playlists.
Insomnia
is my greatest ally and my nemesis. I like cheese and bourbon, not necessarily
in
that
order, but I’m flexible.
“If you’re in any fandom, then I’m probably already in
love with you. I’m not joking. I like my tv shows marathoned and I have to use
internet blocking software to be productive. I have software called Producteev
that I loaded onto my laptop and proceeded to fill out in detail and now I
haven’t touched it in a year.
“I enjoy normalized chaos.”
Jodi: Thank you, Sam 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.
Sam: Thank you for having me! I was in the midst
of writing my second (unfinished) novel when I started reading m/m. At the time
I was reading a lot of paranormal het romance and found myself growing
increasingly frustrated with the damsel in distress narrative. There just
wasn’t the same skewed power dynamics in those first m/m romance novels I read,
which was refreshing. I ended up writing in the genre because of the support I
discovered here with readers and authors. And I’ve stayed because of the
community.
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?
Sam: Let’s
be blunt. A series gives an author more space to fuck up character development.
We’ve all read a series where your favorite character becomes more and more
unrecognizable with each book. My working theory is that the best way to avoid
that is by ensuring there’s a defined arc and ending, just as any author would
with a standalone novel. We’ll see how that theory pans out once The Borders
War is complete!
As
for preference, my writing tends to be concise, so I struggle with longer word
counts. Based on that alone, I could write short story after short story and
never complete another novel, let alone a series. At the same time, when you
really fall in love with a character or group of characters, there’s nothing
like the experience of being immersed in their world. In a wholly unscientific
observation, it seems like readers prefer the latter. Which means I’ll try to keep
pumping out the words in large enough serving sizes for everyone to be
satisfied.
Jodi: Your
books have been published by corporate publishers as well as being self-published.
Damaged Package is a self-published
book. Do you have a preference for your writing? Why did you decide to
self-publish Damaged Package?
Sam: Publishing
Damaged Package was a decision I made
on a whim. It was a novel I started writing two years ago and kept putting it
away because it never felt quite right. Then I picked it up again in May,
rewrote the beginning heavily and all the pieces started fitting together. With
a traditional publishing house it would have taken me about six months to see Damaged Package released, but with
self-publishing, I could release it within weeks instead. Self-pubs are a lot
of work, and a lot more pressure because the author bears much more
responsibility for the finished product (if you’re one of the unfortunates who
got the laugh out loud error of Gluck instead of Glock in the first published
edition of Damaged Package then you
know exactly what I’m talking about. Email me for an updated file!), but they
offer a different freedom. Having a mix of the two—self-pub and traditional—is
optimal for me right now since writing is still my side gig.
Jodi: Is it more difficult to
market self-published books than corporate-published books?
Sam: Marketing
is not my strong suit regardless of how I publish. I think that’s pretty common
for writers. Composing a well-executed novel and composing persuasive marketing
strategy are two distinct skill sets. I have mad respect for people who make
marketing look effortless.
Jodi: Damaged Package
focuses on two characters who seem to have one thing in common: baggage. James
Deacon is a former SWAT officer, who has lived in the same place since birth
and Trevor Barrows is a bit of a nomad returning home for the first time in a
decade. Their paths cross innocently enough, but drama and tension soon follow.
Tell us about your inspiration for this story.
Sam: Two
years ago, a friend and I were having a conversation about music and I told her
about this scene I kept seeing in my head when I listened to Nothing On You by B.o.B featuring Bruno
Mars. She sent me inspiration pics that were quirky and NSFW and it all
devolved from there.
Jodi: Deacon
is at a crossroads when we first meet him. The only thing he seems certain of
is wanting Trevor. What was your inspiration for Deacon’s character?
Sam: I
wanted to write about someone who was crazy but in a fun way. Somehow that story became about a cop who
never wanted to be a cop then had the career he’d never wanted taken away from
him.
Jodi: Deacon
has a habit of lying by omission to Trevor, but he appears to have good
intentions when he does. Trevor, however, hates lies and deception. He wants to
be with someone he can trust. Why does he keep going back to Deacon, despite
the trust issues?
Sam: Sometimes
what we think is a non-negotiable in a relationship is actually a thinly veiled
exit strategy. That may be heavily applicable to our wandering hero Trevor
Barrow.
Jodi: What was your inspiration
for Trevor’s character?
Sam: The
photo inspiration was all Mitch Hewer from the UK version of Skins. But the
character of Trevor, in the beginning of writing this book, was the closest I’d
ever come to putting myself on the page. His character evolved as the years
went on and in the final copy there’s little of me left in him.
Jodi: You
have this habit of taking a reader on a journey that often involves quite a few
plot twists, and this book is not an exception to that rule. Do you plot out
what will happen in your books in advance, or do the plot twists come to you
while you are writing?
Sam: Yes,
I plot. Deviously, with glee and copious notes. So many notes. I use three
different types of software to keep all my thoughts straight: Scrivener,
Scapple and Aeon Timeline. Then I also carry 2-3 notebooks and a stash of pens
with me everywhere. I rarely write a story from beginning to end, instead
skipping around and layering as each draft progresses. It’s a messy process,
seemingly chaotic, but it all works in the word jumble that is my brain.
Jodi: Did you have to do any
research for this book?
Sam: If
you count drinking at the real life Honest John’s in Detroit as research, then
yes. Yes, I did.
Jodi: Will
there be any more books with these characters? Perhaps Corporal Jackson will
get his happy ending (wink, nudge)?
Sam: I
had zero intention of writing anything more with these characters. But this
Jackson thing keeps popping up. It’s hard NOT to think about it now. But no
promises. I have a couple of other series and a few unfinished manuscripts for
standalone novels in need of my attention first. I’ll never say no to an idea
though. Because as soon as I say no,
I somehow end up doing it sooner rather than never. I’ve learned that lesson
the hard way.
Jodi: Like
many of your books, Damaged Package has
a law enforcement/military focus. What is it about these professions or men
that intrigues you?
Sam: ‘Cause men in uniforms are
hot.
Is that totally shallow? Eh. I’m sticking with that answer.
Jodi: Speaking
of military and law enforcement …. I have to ask about The Borders War series. This is such a great series (see my review of Powerless here)
with wonderful characters. What was your inspiration for this series?
Sam: First
of all, thank you for the Merq and Armise love! The genesis point of One Breath, One Bullet came from
watching the Summer Olympics in London two years ago. The idea of the
sonicbullet came before either of the MCs. But once I started thinking about what
a person would be like who’d been raised in a society burdened and broken by
hundreds of years of bloodless war, the character of Merq Grayson emerged. The
rest of the arc for Merq and Armise’s story (the basis of the five books)
evolved over a couple of months. While some aspects of their story have
changed, the ending for them hasn’t shifted one bit in all of the beta-testing,
plotting and writing I’ve done since then.
Jodi: Merq Grayson
and Armise Darcan are not typical men in any sense of the word. They were bred
to be soldiers. Their genetics have been modified. They have been trained to
kill and follow orders. Although Darcan and Grayson are similar in this
capacity, they have very different personalities. Tell us what makes Grayson
tick?
Sam: Merq
is a classic case of someone who is extrinsically motivated realizing that
something is missing from his life. It’s so painful to witness his
“work-in-progress” status, but it’s fascinating to watch him uncover who he
really is and what he wants out of life.
Jodi: What motivates Armise
Darcan?
Sam: You’ll get that answer in
the next Borders War book: Falling, One
By One :)
Jodi: Do
you like writing in the science fiction genre or do you prefer writing contemporary
books?
Sam: Sci-fi
is my baby. I was brought up on a steady diet of speculative fiction and
movies. My Trekkie Dad raised me right.
Jodi: Is
it difficult to mingle the mystery, violence and romance in The Borders War
series and Damaged Package?
Sam: It’s more fun than
anything else.
Jodi: Do you have a favorite character
in your books?
Sam: Arthur
Poe from Someday It Will Be. I have no issue playing favorites when it comes to him.
He and Isaac are two of the most surprising characters I’ve ever worked with.
Jodi: When will the next book in
The Borders War series be released?
Sam: Not
as soon as I thought it would be. But it won’t be a long wait. I’m actively
working through Falling, One by One
now. And it’s likely the fifth (and final book in The Borders War series) will
be written back to back with the fourth. So watch out for release dates in the
next month or so.
Jodi: What is your next project?
Sam: Finishing
Falling, One by One is my only
project at this moment. Book Five of The Borders War will likely follow on its
heels. After that series is completed, there’s a co-writing project that SJD
Peterson and I have already schemed and plotted out. You’ve been warned.
Damaged Package
If your past came with a
warning label, what would it say?
Forced into early retirement from his career as a SWAT officer
for the city of Detroit, James Deacon knew that when he failed it would be a
fall of epic proportions. He’s been living life by the tips of his fingers for
over twenty years, and his new gig organizing a group of misfit military types
into a functioning team—including his reluctant ex-fiancée—won’t return him to
stable ground anytime soon.
Trevor Barrow has been on the move for the last seven years — hitting
the road when relationships became too real or too much work. He’s home now,
working in the hazardous world of bike messengers in the Motor City, and the
only one of his eight siblings who knows he’s returned is his sister Cat. It’s
not as if reconnecting with them matters anyway, because it’s likely he’ll be
gone again soon.
Both men are lugging some heavy baggage, but when they chance
upon each other in a dive bar it’s hard to deny their flaws are more like
symbiotic quirks. Trevor’s backpedaling instincts and Deacon’s dance-dance
party past may just be intersecting at a time when things are about to get
explosive in Detroit.
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