Author Saturday Spotlight: Anne Tenino *Interview and Giveaway*

It's easily said that Anne Tenino is one of my favorite authors. Her talent seems limitless and with every book of hers I finish I am never ever disappointed. Well, I am sad it ended. Her characters burrow their way into your mind and heart and you just have to go with it. They kind of demand your attention. Many nights have turned into early mornings when read an Anne Tenino book.

Anne has a few series out there: Theta Alpha Gamma series... Frat Boy and Toppy (book 1) Love, Hypothetically (Book 2) Sweet Young Thang (book 3) Good Boy (book 4) AND SOON TO BE AND YOUR GIVEAWAY TODAY " POSTER BOY" (book 5) you can of course read all about them on Goodreads : TAG Series

Another series is Whitetail Rock and there are 2 books in that series: Whitetail Rock (Book 1) and The Fix (Book 2) Be sure to check them out as well : Whitetail Rock Series

Task Force Iota is yet another wonderful and entertaining series 18% Gray (Book 1 ) and Turning Tricks (Book 2) with a short after that called, Happy Birthday To Me. Check those out here... TFI Series

Romancelandia Series is the newest to the bunch with Book 1, Too Stupid to Live. I have to say it's a WONDERFUL book. I laughed, sniffled and just all around adored it. I can't wait to see this series grow! Here's the blurb to that book:

It isn't true love until someone gets hurt.

Sam’s a new man. Yes, he’s still too tall, too skinny, too dorky, too gay, and has that unfortunate addiction to romance novels, but he’s wised up. His One True Love is certainly still out there, but he knows now that real life is nothing like fiction. He’s cultivated the necessary fortitude to say “no” to the next Mr. Wrong, no matter how hot, exciting, and/or erotic-novel-worthy he may be.

Until he meets Ian.

Ian’s a new man. He’s pain-free, has escaped the job he hated and the family who stifled him, and is now—possibly—ready to dip his toe into the sea of relationships. He’s going to be cautious, though, maybe start with someone who knows the score and isn’t looking for anything too complicated. Someone with experience and simple needs that largely revolve around the bedroom.

Until he meets Sam.

Sam’s convinced that Ian is no one’s Mr. Right. Ian’s sure that Sam isn’t his type. They can’t both be wrong . . . can they?

Anne was gracious to agree to an interview where we will hear maybe a bit more about the Romancelandia series, and of course with her new book Poster Boy (Part of the TAG Series) coming out she is offering one reader a chance to win a free ebook of it. Release date for that book is April 19th! SOOOOOOOOO The giveaway will run until the 19th and the winner will receive the book THAT DAY! How awesome is Anne?

Being able to conjure up questions to as an author I greatly admire was a bit nerve-wracking. Anne was SO amazing and forthcoming and I can easily say she made this experience a wonderful memory.  Let's get to that interview shall we?

***INTERVIEW***

1. Theta Alpha Gamma is such a wonderfully entertaining and amazingly written series. Sebastian is O-M-G! My favorite character in the series. Do you have a favorite as the writer, or do you just have a special place in your heart for all of them?

I definitely have a special place in my heart for all the guys, but at the moment, my favorite is Toby. My favorite character changes depending on which guys I've been working on. I love Jock, too, but he has all these personality traits that I just don't have, and I can't quite relate. He's so type-A, and I'm so not. LOL

Overall, my favorite couple will probably always be Brad and Sebastian, though. I can't imagine having a book in the series where they didn't have a hand in the outcome.

2. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

Names a very, very important. I spend a ton of time looking for the right name. Like, with Brad, I remember searching for a while, and I kept thinking the guy's name needed to be something like Ryan, but not actually be Ryan. And by "something like" I mean it has to have the same feel for me. I thought about it for a few days, then one afternoon I sat in the backyard with my husband and went through this long, detailed description of what qualities the name should have (during which my husband valiantly didn't look at me like I was nuts), and then we went through  a bunch of names, and I ended up trying to decide between Brad and another name I can't even remember, and finally the husband (probably bored out of his freaking mind), said, "It's gonna be Brad. Accept it and move on."

So I did.

Naming resources? The internet. 

3. You have a new book coming out, Poster Boy. I am sure it will be a success and I am eager to get my hands on it. Can you maybe tell us a bit about it?

Well, technically it's the last Theta Alpha Gamma book, so I went all out. The first few chapters overlap the end of Sweet Young Thang. The first third of the book is mostly about Jock settling into Calapooya, and TAG, and getting used to being out. Toby's struggling to finishing his thesis, and it's all complicated by his inconvenient crush on the newest TAG frat boy (Jock, of course), who barely acknowledges him.

Everything changes when a small group of the crazier frat boys (plus Jock) goes to Provence for spring term. Toby is roped into "chaperoning" the trip, and not surprisingly, highjinx ensue. No spoilers, but I will say that the fratbros and EuroTAG make quite an impression on the French. Oh, and Toby and Jock end up falling in love.

4. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

Non-consensual relationships. I can't even read them. I would say I'll never touch either childhood sexual abuse or Lyme disease (since I have personal experience with both), but chances are I will at least allude to them in the future.

5. Can you tell us anything about a project you are currently working on?

I'm currently finishing up the second Romancelandia book, Billionaire with Benefits. It's the story of Dalton and Tierney, and it's a little darker than usual for me. Tierney has some serious issues, and Dalton has a bit of a past himself. But there's some humor in there, I swear, plus the guys make me all squishy inside whenever I write scenes with the two of them together. 

6. You state on your Goodreads page that Josh Lanyon, K.A. Mitchell, Laney Cairo and Jon Krakauer are your biggest influences. It's rare we get an author to admit other authors as influences. Can you maybe tell us a little bit more about how they have influenced you?

Well, let's begin with Jon Krakauer. The books he writes (generally biographies about adventurers or athletes) resonate with me for some reason I can't quite define. I always end up finishing them deeply affected, yet somehow invigorated.

As for the others? Those authors are all people I read before I started writing who showed me I could actually write what I wanted to, both stylistically and plot wise. Role models, essentially. 

7. What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?

I don't actually believe there's one must-have tool or method for all writers. The reality is everyone approaches it differently, so you have to find what works for you and develop your practice around it. That said, it helps if one actually writes. The least successful writers are the ones who talk about writing all the time but never get more than a few thousand words of anything started.

The most important element of good writing is conviction. The author has to be certain that they're telling the story the way it wants to be told. Not every second—I spend a ton of time wandering around in the middle-of-the-book doldrums—but when the book's done? If I'm not positive it's correct, that's a problem. That said, I often have it "right" overall, but have to make changes in edits, like cutting or adding scenes. 

It's also important for me to recognize that no matter how "right" I think the book is, and/or how "right" my editors and betas think it is, there will be readers out there not into it. There's an audience out there for pretty much every style of writing, but that also means there's an audience out there that won't like certain things, period.

8. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Writing. Sitting down and putting words into the document. I mean, it takes forever, and it's boring at times, especially in those parts where I have a list of things that have to happen, and I can't just let the scene take on a life of its own. Writing is much more fun when you can just see what happens (Yes, I'm a pantser, why do you ask?).

9. How can readers follow your talent? Website or other social media?

I have a website, http://annetenino.com, and there people can not only poke around, but can also sign up for my newsletter, which, if I'm particularly on top of things, might come out three times a year. Or not. Online, I'm generally easiest to find on Facebook (links for all my social media below).

I love to meet fans, so if you ever see me around please don't be shy. This year (2014), I'm going to be at the RT Convention in New Orleans, May 13-18, the GayRomance Northwest Meet-up in Seattle, September 19-20, and GayRomLit in Chicago, October 15-19. If you're in the Portland area (or will be there), check out the Oregon LGBT Romance Reader Group (our next event is April 27th, Oregon LGBT Romance Reader Group Lunch

 

Here is all of the ways you can follow Anne Tenino:

 Riptide

Dreamspinner

Twitter

Goodreads

Facebook

Amazon

We all have so many choices out there when it comes to reading, I know this. I often spin through my Kindle carousel and can't decide what book to start. Every writer has their own style. Like a fingerprint, each is unique and there are enough out there to choose from. Anne's style? Naturally breathtaking. Crisp, fun, romantic, funny and realistic. If I had to sum it up for you. 

 The giveaway I have for you today is going to run longer then usual but just by a day! NEXT SATURDAY Poster Boy releases and YOU can get yourself a free copy RIGHT HERE! Yep! Anne's awesome like that and I'm honored she is allowing me to run this giveaway for you. So let's get familiar with the ebook I have for you today... POSTER BOY, Book 5 of the TAG SERIES...

BLURB!!!

It’s all fun and games until someone puts his heart out.

When Jock meets sexy grad student Toby at a frat party, things finally start looking up. After having been outed to his hockey team and then changing schools, he figures he’s due something good—like the sex he missed out on in the closet. Toby seems like a great place to start, and their night together is an awesome introduction to the fine art of hooking up.

Toby’s heart takes a bruising after the near-perfect experience with Jock leads to . . . nothing. He’s been left on the outside as his friends pair up into blissful coupledom, and he’s in danger of never completing (or starting) his thesis. Can’t something go right?

Then Toby’s coerced into chaperoning a Theta Alpha Gamma trip to France. Not that he’s complaining. What better place to finish his thesis and get over that frat boy? Except Jock’s outing is leaked to the press, making him an unwilling gay rights martyr, and he decides France is a great escape, too. It’s a break from reality for both guys, but they soon find their connection is as real as it gets.

Before I get to the giveaway, I want to thank Anne for being so fabulous today and for sharing her talent with us! I hope you have all enjoyed this as much as I have! Now the giveaway...

***GIVEAWAY***

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