1. What do you write and why? At this time, I’m writing m/m romance. Why? On an m/m author’s loop, a challenge was issued to write a 500 word story about two gay men involving whipped cream. (Yes, I know, I know). I participated in the challenge and—there it was—the budding of my first m/m romance. The characters sprouted into a contemporary suspense/romance, Candy G., which was accepted by Dreamspinner Press.
2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write? I read everything. You know the old ‘I-read-everything-I-can-get-my-hands-on-even-the-encyclopedia? Well, that’s me. But my favorites to read? I love noir fiction such as James Ellroy, Raymond Chandler, Mafia and gangster fiction. Why? Not sure, maybe in a past life I was a gangster’s moll? I can’t get enough bios of film stars from the Golden Age—the silents through fifties.
3. What publisher(s) do you write for? At this time, I write for Dreamspinner Press.
4. How long have you been writing? For as long as I can remember. But seriously writing? For about three years.
5. How do you world build? What a good question! My novella, Candy G, was easy. It was directly drawn from my hometown, a small suburban town just outside Houston (which I moved to San Antonio for the story). But my other work is usually 30’s-40’s-50’s New York and Hollywood. And the fiction world in which my stories are set just seem to build themselves around the characters. The eras are so alive to me, as I drink in fiction and non-fiction of the settings from reading and films.
6. Any tips for new writers hoping to write in the genre of your book? To treat the genre, or any genre, with respect. It seems to be a growing trend, and just be careful not to jump on the m/m train just because it’s popular. Take it seriously. It can be a sensitive subject, and—while hot sex is very marketable—m/m writing is not as simple as substituting men for women, emotionally or physically in the stories.
7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks? Well, for one thing, I don’t cling to Alpha/Beta guidelines. My characters just build themselves. I have a tendency, which I’m trying to break, for all my men to be big, dark-haired, bedroom-eyed Italian/Latinos. Why? Because that’s my personal fondness. But I’ve tried to break this habit by ‘birthing’ characters in my head from unconventional non-beauties from the films—Russell Crowe, for instance. What a challenge to take an ordinary man and make him extraordinary. The possibilities are endless.
And female characters? Opposites attract, or so they do for me. I love, love, love pairing the males with their polar opposites. My female characters usually spawn from the male’s personality—created to compliment his chemistry. And, to me, chemistry is all important. It’s crucial. I don’t aim for my females to be beauties, either, at least physically. I let them create their own beauty from inside, and through the hero’s eyes.
8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines: The hero in Candy G is the former attorney for a powerful drug lord. An intimidating presence on the outside, a softy Latino romantic on the inside. For my current WIP, the hero is a cool, imposing Italian businessman with underworld ties. My favorite heroine is fashioned after my idol, Katharine Hepburn. Feisty, a mix of balls and guts and femininity.
9. Are you a pantser or plotter? Both. I have a basic plot for every story, but cannot, not matter how hard I try, stay within the boundaries of an outline.
10. What's your latest release and tell me about it: Candy G is a m/m contemporary suspense romance, set in San Antonio. Candelario Gonzalez has resigned as the exclusive legal counsel for the most powerful drug lord in the area, driven by his conscience. He befriends and falls for a gorgeous street-wise young man named Carlos Alvarez. When he learns Carlos has a secret, Candy fights with everything in him not to let his dream world with Carlos fall apart.
11. What genre haven’t you tried, yet, that you would love to explore? Paranormal/shifters. I’m intrigued by shifters stores—so primal, sensual. And is seems the author can create unconventional worlds where the sky’s the limit in imagination.
12. If you could take one of your characters out on the town, which would it be and what would you do? Oh, easy. Not Candy, he’s gay. But my dream man, the character after my own heart, Salvatore Giancomo. We would eat a cozy, candle-lit Italian restaurant overlooking the city lights, then he would take me to a fancy hotel and we would make love, and make love, and make love. And…
13. Favorite naughty dessert and decadent drink. Oh, I am SO not fancy in this department. Dessert? Anything chocolate and creamy. I’m not familiar with decadent drinks, just love my margaritas.
14. If we looked on your bookshelf right now, what are some of the titles we would find? Ah! LA Confidential, Black Dahlia, and many other books by James Ellroy; tons of film star bios of the Golden Age, particularly the 1920’s; m/m novels by Z. A. Maxfield, Pat Brown; classics; scads of Laura Kinsale romances.
15. Where can we find you on the internet?
Blogsite: www.authorczampa.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.czampa.com/
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2204
Sneak Peek into Candy G
Available at Dreamspinner Press HERE
Blurb:
What kind of man drives a bulletproof Mercedes and carries a high-powered pistol in the glove compartment along with his boyhood teddy bear? Candy G does, that's who. Once the exclusive attorney for the most powerful drug lord in San Antonio, he turned his back on Teirso Flores and walked away. But at what price?
Moving on with his life despite the threat of Teirso’s revenge, Candy meets gorgeous, street-wise Carlos Alvarez, and thus begins a passionate love affair rife with secrets, danger and specters from the past that just won’t let go. When truths are revealed, will the one thing that brought their worlds together be the test that strengthens their love or the knife that severs their bond forever?
Excerpt
“I have something for you, chico.” Reaching across the table, I handed the box to him. How clumsy I felt. Romance ruled my heart but never showed itself very well in my actions. I felt I was too old-world for a contemporary man such as Carlos. Just as his fingers touched the lid to open it, I blurted, “You’ll probably laugh, Carlos. It’s… it’s…. You might think it’s silly.”
Upon opening the box, his hand shot to his chest, and he swallowed hard. “Candy….”
“It is silly, isn’t it?”
“Oh, no, no.” His mouth gaped open, and he brushed a hand through his hair. Shaking his head slowly, he whispered, “It’s… it’s… a dove. It’s the most—”
“Listen, you don’t have to—”
Carlos bounded from his chair and cornered the table so fast I didn’t have time to react. With his arms wrapped around my neck, he pulled me close, and I breathed in his spicy, earthy scent.
“You like it, then?” I wanted to cry, I was so happy that he was pleased.
Pulling back, his arms still circling my neck, he sighed. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life, Candy.” His voice, so low, caressing, whispered close to my ear, “I love you so fucking much, Candelario Gonzalez. I love you so goddamn much.”
The sidewalk was crowded with customers, and they surely gawked at us, but I didn’t care. Love for Carlos gushed from my heart, and all I wanted to do, needed to do, was hold him, touch his lips. Although the thoughts that swirled in my soul were passionate and lyrical, the words that spilled from my mouth were idiotic. “So I don’t need to take it back? Well, it was custom made, and—”
“I love it, cariño.” Oblivious to curious gazes, he pressed his lips, which tasted of salty tears, to mine. “I love it so much.” He straightened and leaned back against the table.
“Then you’ll wear it for me tonight?” I rested my hand on his waist.
“I’ll wear it for you tonight.” Hunger darkened his eyes, softened his voice. “Let’s eat fast, then, so we can—”
“Nah, chico.”
“No?” He cocked his head to the side.
“Nah. I reserved a room at Mansion Del Rio.”
Excitement sparked in his eyes. “Ah.”
My sexual juices were stirring, my cock swelling, at the vision of making love to Carlos high above the river with the nightlife pulsing below us. “Would you like that?”
Squinting, he eyed me. “Can I order a banana split from room service in the middle of the night?”
How could he turn even the word banana split into an aphrodisiac? Dios, how my dick ached.
“You can order anything you want in the middle of the night.”
“Can I order you to fuck me in the middle of the night?”
“You can.” Resisting the urge to pull him onto my lap, I growled, “But by the middle of the night, mi amor, you may be begging me to stop fucking you.”
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