Saturday, June 27, 2015

Author Saturday Spotlight: Susan Mac Nicol #Interview #Giveaway

Susan Mac Nicol, author of Saving Alexander, Stripped Bare, Men of London Series, and so much more is my wonderful Saturday Author Spotlight today. She's been writing in this genre for some time and has entertained us thoroughly. I'm truly excited to have her here today.

We will be looking at some of her work, doing an interview, and at the end is a wonderful giveaway.

Let's begin...


Punishing himself for a horrific past that is not his fault, bestselling author Alexander Montgomery seeks redemption and love—and perhaps he will find it.

Famous author though he may be, Alexander Montgomery is not someone you take home to meet Mother. Seriously flawed, damaged by a horrific past, he’s trying hard to claw his way back to normality. But how can anyone respect what he truly is? His therapy involves regular sessions at Study in Scarlet, an exclusive S&M club.

Then comes Sage. Tall, with black hair and blue eyes, an up-and-coming actor with impossible charm and boy-next-door good looks, he’s the perfect choice to play the leading man in a TV adaptation of Alex’s last best-seller. Even more, he is a man you introduce to your family. Which Alex would do—if he weren’t taken by another man who offers the punishments Alex prays will wipe away the past and make him the person he wants to be. Yet, perhaps there is another path to redemption. If only the solution would reach out and touch him.



The village of Stamford, the quintessential chocolate box English scene, seemed an impossible dream for foster kid Toby Prentiss. Now he’s found a home among the haystacks and village fairs as the general manager for the Duck and Drake Hotel. With the fears and demons from his youth hidden away in this bucolic oasis, he’s very protective of who he lets in. Until he stumbles across shirtless carpenter Rain Engel building the hotel’s new custom-designed bar.

Working in the countryside, Rain prepared to face his biggest fear: sheep. He didn’t expect to deal with his second biggest fear: commitment. Toby’s controlled, tough guy façade coupled with his “find happiness where you can” optimism calls to Rain like nothing before. While Rain may be an exhibitionist, his romantic history forces him to hold his emotions close. As their relationship develops, secrets from their pasts drive a wedge between them: the ex-boyfriend who tore apart Rain’s trust and Toby's history with the law. But can the secrets hiding among the quirky villagers bring them together? With missing sheep, pole dancing at the winter festival, and a crippling drought, everyone is waiting for Rain.



After two years, Matthew Langer is still getting over the death of a loved one. He's steered clear of serious relationships, but when he meets the irascible, dirty mouthed and tempestuous Shane Templar that decision has never been harder. Shane is sexy, warm and funny, and Matthew finds himself trying like hell not to care about him. Especially when Shane, with his quick wit and hacking skills, is quick to stand up for justice and avenge wrongs. Then Shane strikes at the wrong target, and Matthew realises just how far gone he already is. At the threat of losing for good yet another man who’s broken through his armour, Matthew finds his heart stripped bare. He must face the demons of his soul or a future without love.








You can see a list of all Susan's books here: Susan on Goodreads

INTERVIEW


Thank you, Susan, for being here today and for being my spotlight for this Saturday. I have a few questions for you. Just to get to know you a little better. Let’s get started.

    How old were you when you first started to write and what was the very first story you wrote?
 
I started writing when I was young, about eight. I was always scribbling something down and finally, when I was eleven I got my very first typewriter which looked like this one! (picture enclosed in case you want to use it, Mere)
I still have all the stuff I typed on this typewriter. It’s in a plastic box in my cellar. One day I might open it up and take a look and see what the heck I wrote about …I remember writing a short story called The Green Menace about some man eating plant…

    Growing up what were your favorite authors to read?
 
Favourites as a kid were Enid Blyton, Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew stories) and Charles Hamilton (Billy Bunter). I read anything mostly. As I got older, about fifteen, I read Mills and Boons until I grew tired of them. Then I went completely off romance stuff and onto detective and thriller fiction. I used to sneak into my dad’s bedroom and read his forbidden James Hadley Chase novels when I was about ten or eleven. Now apart from reading in my own MM genre, I read Jonathan Kellerman, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Joe Donnelly, Phil Rickman.

     If you could have one whole day with any 3 celebrities to hang out, have fun, what 3 would you choose? (They have to be living)
 
Well, being a complete Cumberbitch one of them would have to be Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s my ultimate fan girl hero. My very first M/F novels were written with a character inspired by him J Then I’d choose Eminem, because I think he’s an fascinating character and I’d love to find out more about the man behind the music. And no party would be complete without the sexy and totally gorgeous Hugh Jackman.

     If someone invented a drink and said you were their inspiration for it, what would that drink be called?

*Laughs* Probably something along the lines of ‘SheNeverBloodyStops’ and would include gin, tequila, schnapps and any other hard core spirit you’d need to cope with me and my never ending antics. I’m a bit OCD, driven and like things to be ‘just so’ which drives people crazy.

      What is your guilty pleasure or pleasures?
 
        *Grins* I have a couple. The best one is I hang out with sexy male pole dancers, and love to    watch them wrap themselves around poles, while I sip a cocktail. I run a male pole dancing group on Facebook

    Are there any conventions or retreats you are attending this year where your readers can see you?
 
               Yes, I’m in Munich in July at Euro Pride Con Author Meet, which coincides with the Pride festival. I’m looking forward to that. Then in September I’m in Bristol at the UK GLBTQ Meet.

    Can you tell us about your future projects?
 
Oh gosh, I have quite a few. I have another four, perhaps more, books to write in my Men Of London novella series. I’ve started a rather gritty and dark novel called ‘Living On Air’ which has a theme of child abuse and self-harm in it. And before anyone asks, it’s not the same as Worth Keeping, a book I wrote which tackled a similar subject but in a very different way. Living On Air is going to be infinitely more disturbing and darker that Nick and Owen’s story. This story is one of those I’m compelled to write and if a publisher didn’t want it because of the possibly contentious content, then I’d simply publish it myself.
I’m also Editorial Manager for an online LGBTQ magazine, www.divinemagazine.net . The publication is great fun as I get to interview and feature all sorts of people from musicians, to actors, to porn stars and US Presidential candidates! We have a fantastic team and it’s such a lot of fun to be part of.

     Are there any authors out there in this genre that you’d love to co-write with?
 
There are definitely a few. Sue Brown is one of them. We were going to co-write a completely different type of book together a while ago, an autobiography of someone who wanted their story told, but unfortunately that didn’t happen for various reasons. I’d love to write with Renae Kaye as she’s lovely and zany enough to match my own twisted and dry sense of humour. There are plenty more writers I admire and if one of them asked me, I’d seriously consider it, time permitting as with everything 

   If you could pick one of your books to become a movie, which would you pick and why?
 
I think it would be Love and Punishment. Not only is a pretty sexy and gripping story, it’s also a thriller and might appeal to those who love detective thrillers and don’t care that the two main characters are men. This book spent a long time at the top of the best seller ranks in the category of Detective and Thriller without the gay element so it obviously appealed to a wider reaching audience. Plus who wouldn’t want to see brooding Italian detective Anthony Parglietto on screen…

   How can your fans follow your career? Twitter, FB, Website…


I’m active on one helluva lot of social media platforms. The main ones are Facebook, Twitter, tsu and my blog.

My links
My publishers

Thank you, Susan, this has been a lot of fun!
 AUTHOR BIO



Susan Mac Nicol is a self-confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, geek, nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that…
She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason.  She likes to think of herself as a ‘half full’ kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested.
In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people.
Sue is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK.

 GIVEAWAY

Susan will gift a winner any 2 ebooks from her back list!  Simply enter the rafflecopter below. Contest will run until Friday, July 3rd! Winner will be notified via email, so check your spam! 
Thank you, Susan, for being here today and for all of you for reading and reviewing!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

11 comments:

  1. Hmmm, I can't say my favourite reads have a seasonal flavour. In fact, I don't think I can pin myself down to a single or a few sort of books at all. I just like a good story. Since Susan Mac Nicol is a new to me author I couldn't tell you a good book of hers to start with but I have to admit that I've been looking at The Men of London series for some time now ;)

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  2. i love the friends to lovers stories

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  3. I read all kinds of books all year round. I haven't read any of Susan Mac Nicol's books yet so I can't recommend one but I do actually have them on my wishlist.

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    1. She's wonderful and I hope this is a chance for you to win!

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  4. This is a great interview, love your choice of questions! Thanks Meredith xx

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  5. I don't really have any summer favorites. Though it is a bit weird to read about Christmas in 90 degree weather. :)

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  6. I enjoy short storied for beach reading but there's no difference what I read at home in the summer.

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  7. I like to read about the beach or the river. Something that sounds cool as I sit in the Texas heat!

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  8. I don't base my reads on the season. My mood generally dictates the books I want to read. I also have a long list of comfort reads for my moods

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