Author Saturday Spotlight: Scotty Cade #Interview #Giveaway

One of the first MM books I ever read was from Scotty Cade! It's shocking I haven't had him on here until now. But I am rectifying that today. Today he's here and we're talking. There's an awesome interview where we will get to know the man and the author a little better. We will take a look at his work, and finish up with a giveaway! Put your feet up and enjoy.

Tristan Moreau loves his job as chief administrative officer and personal assistant to Webber Kincaid, President, Chairman, and CEO of Kincaid International. It would be the perfect job… if only he hadn’t fallen in love with his boss as well as the work. After two years, he’s still doing everything in his power to keep his feelings hidden—mostly because he wants to protect the reputation of his famous boss but also because he wants to keep his job.

Webber Kincaid has stayed in the closet, using his best friend and confidante as his beard. Everything in his life was working out just fine until he met Tristan Moreau. Within months, Tristan stole his heart and became his lifeline. But Webber knows the rules of the workplace better than anyone, so he’s kept his distance.

But two years is too long to wonder “what if?”—especially when business takes them to a private Caribbean island. When Tristan and Webber succumb to the tropical heat, their professionalism starts to backslide. It’s a seemingly impossible relationship, making a go at it under the paparazzi’s microscope. It may be the best—or the worst—business decision they ever made.

When valuable Civil War era art is stolen from a popular New Orleans gallery, NOPD Lead Detective Montgomery "Beau" Bissonet and his partner set out to solve the crime. When the gallery’s insurance company sends Tollison Cruz to the Big Easy to conduct their own independent investigation, personalities clash and battle lines are definitely drawn.

The heist quickly becomes a politically driven high profile case, and Detective Bissonet is furious when he’s ordered to work along side Investigator Cruz to assure a timely arrest. The heat index soars to new levels when the two investigators discover they have a lot more in common then originally thought.

With the tension between them temporarily sated, Bissonet and Cruz finally start to work together, on more then just a professional level. But everything comes to a screeching halt when Beau discovers his cohort in crime has been withholding information regarding the investigation and has been concealing a very questionable past. What happens next rivals the scorching summer heat.

Father Cullen Kiley, a gay Episcopal priest on hiatus from the church, decides to take his boat, T-Time, from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to Southport, North Carolina, a place that holds an abundance of bittersweet memories for him. While on a run his first day in Southport, Cullen comes upon a man sitting on a park bench staring out over the Cape Fear River with his Bible in hand. The man’s body language reeks of defeat and desperation, and unable to ignore his compassion for his fellow man, Cullen stops to offer a helping hand.

Southport Baptist Church’s Associate Pastor, Abel Weston, has a hard time managing his demons. When they get too overwhelming, he retreats to Southport’s Historic Riverwalk with his Bible in hand and stares out over the water, praying for help and guidance that never seem to come. But Abel soon discovers that help and guidance come in many forms.

An unexpected friendship develops between the two men, and as Cullen helps Abel begin to confront his doubts and fears, he comes face-to-face with his own reality, threatening both their futures.

After six months of research, adventure seekers Bowen McAlister, Cyrus Curran, Duff Gentry, and Lockhart Dawson make their way to Boulder, Colorado, to explore the abandoned gold mine Ruby Lode. But when they arrive, Duff, a born psychic, senses something isn’t quite right—and the closer they get, the more his unease grows.

Something long buried in the deep shafts and drifts of Ruby Lode makes its presence known by exposing dark, guarded secrets. Preying on the adventurers’ weaknesses and insecurities, Ruby Lode’s own destructive secret threatens their sanity, friendship, and ultimately their lives. Bo, Cy, Duff, and Lockey must work together to unravel the century-old mystery before they become another footnote in the mine’s history.

Interview

Scotty, I can’t thank you enough for being my spotlight author today.  An Unconventional Courtship was the very first book of yours I read and I instantly knew you were going to be an author I’d love. But, I’ve never actually talked to you so I’m really looking forward to poking around your brilliant brain a bit. Hopefully it won’t be a horrible experience for you lol.

Jeez Meredith. Stop teasing me. Now you’re making me blush. Okay. All kidding aside, thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m honored to be part of Diverse Reader.

I have to say your biography almost reads like a novel. You own an Inn on Martha’s Vineyard (Side note I love going there) How many of your books were inspired from that place?

Yes! We do. Kell and I retired from Corporate America some 12 or so years ago. We got bored very quickly and decided to try our hand at Inn Keeping and being restaurateurs. How hard could it be? Right? Boy were we in for the ride of our lives.

Anyway. I digress. To answer your question, the first book inspired by the Inn was “An Unconventional Union,” which is the sequel to “An Unconventional Courtship.” Webber and Tristan are married here and I loved writing about it. The original estate was built in 1790 as a large working farmhouse and the entire property is steeped in history.

On a side note: Funny story. I got a review of “An Unconventional Union” right after it was released and the reviewer blasted me and warned other readers that I was promoting my business through my books. She called me a shameful opportunist. LOL! But to her credit, I did pick up some business from readers. So there. Blast me anytime you want!

You believe in absolutely happily ever after in your books. What is a topic you’d absolutely refuse to touch on in your books?

Okay, so six months ago I would not have hesitated and said religion and politics. Both are such a personal issues and I swore I would never tackle either of them, but since I already broke that cardinal rule and wrote about religion in my latest release, Losing Faith, I’ll have to come up with something new. J

So on one end of the spectrum I’m sort of a Pollyanna so I’d have to say BDSM is not my cup of tea. That shit scares the hell out of me. Oh Lord, can I say shit? Anyway, to be honest, I have no tolerance for pain so no BDSM for me. Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to start. I leave that STUFF to my BFF Sjd Peterson. Jo is the BDSM queen, does a great job in that department and wears her leather well.

Now on the other end of the spectrum, I hate rainbows and Unicorns so no fantasy stories for me either. I’m just your run of the mill homosexual who’s been in a monogamous relationship with the greatest guy ever for twenty-one years and I write about what I know.

As my bio says, “In the end, the boy should always get the boy.” I got mine so I believe all my characters should get theirs. On another side note. Uhhhh. I keep doing that. But here goes. A book of mine coming out in the November/December timeframe is called Only Forever and it deals with love transcending lifetimes. The idea for the book came to me when Kell I were talking one night and wondering if we would fine each other in our next lifetime. And a story was born.

What has been your best and worst experience about writing?

For me, I think the highs of people loving your stories and lows when they hate them and have no problem telling the world how horrible you are in a few simple words. Yep! That’s what has been the toughest for me. I know talking about reviews and reviewers is taboo but I still don’t understand why it’s okay for someone to say anything they want about you but you can’t challenge them without them chasing you out of the genre with torches. And incase you’re wondering. Yes! I’m sensitive.

When I write a book, its from the heart and no matter how thick skinned I am, when people criticize and rip your hard work to shreds it stays with you. I barely even look at reviews anymore because its so counter productive. As writers we are inherently sensitive people and let’s face it, some people can be very mean. It amazes me how someone will write something online hiding behind an anonymous ID…something they would never say to your face in a social setting. Its quite funny really. All of us were taught manners but online it seems that all manners go by the wayside. Once a professional reviewer who shall go unnamed gave me a two- star review and the heading was “My Very First Scotty Cade Novel May Very Well Be My Last.” The review was mean and snarky and criticized my writing style and so forth and so on. I posted that review on FaceBook because it struck such a cord with me and the reviewer was livid. Her words exactly. “How dare you post that on a public forum?” I said. “Isn’t your review blog a public forum? So let me get this right. It’s okay for you to post whatever you want about me in a public forum, but I can’t do the same?” She said I needed a thicker skin if I was going to be a writer. The odd thing is, one of my fans called her a “Hateful Hefer,” and she was crushed. Yeah I know. But it’s a southern thing. So where was her thicker skin. And why the double standard?

Now don’t get me wrong. I know not everyone will like my books. I get that completely. And readers have the right to voice their opinion. But all I’m asking is you do it in a constructive respectful way. The snarky, mean and disrespectful reviews are just a waste of energy and does no one any good except makes the reviewer feel better about themselves for tearing someone’s hard work to bits.

Do you listen to music when you write or do you need silence? What’s your writing environment like?

Silence for me. If I’m listening to music I start to sing and before you know it I’m no longer writing and suddenly singing and dancing. J Try and get that visual out of your head. But to totally answer your question, I write in a dimly lit room with just me and my computer and no outside stimulation. I need that peace and quiet to be buried in the character’s head. I try so hard not to let my ideals and opinions be the ideals and opinions of my characters. Yeah my stories are about things I know, but my character’s don’t always agree with my opinions. J But just so you’ll know. I have the keyboard. So if they piss me off, lookout. I can make stub a toe or soil their pants. I’M IN CONTROL! LOL!

What was your favorite childhood book?

The Velveteen Rabbit! No other explanation needed!

Can you tell us what you are currently working on and what we can look forward to in the future?

Next up is the third in the Bissonet & Cruz Investigations series called “A Lethal Mistake.” After that is a very novella about love eternal called “Only Forever,” which I mentioned earlier in the interview.

I’m currently writing the last in the “Unconventional” Series called “An unconventional Family,” where you can catch up with Tristan, Webber and Little Deanna six years later.

After that is the sequel to “Knobs.” And then who knows?

If there were 3 people, living, that you could spend an entire 24 hours with who would you pick?

Oh damn, “living?” you say!  You threw me with that one. I can easily tell which deceased person I would spend 24 hours with but living> That’s another answer all together. But if I tell you, then I have no excuse for not hunting them down. I’m not a political kind of guy which will probably make me come off as shallow but I’ll take a stab at being honest and allow the chips to fall where they may.

Okay here goes:

1.      Okay I know this is soooo gay, but I’d have to say Cher. I want to know the secret to her success and longevity.

2.      Michael Buble’. I’m a huge fan and I love the Great American Songbook. He’s also in “An Unconventional Union” and performs at the Inn as the wedding singer.

3.      And last but not least Robert Ballard. I want him to describe the feeling he had the first time he saw the Titanic. I love that stuff. J

What’s your motto when it comes to life?

LOL! Jump now and check your parachute later. I’m not a procrastinator and never have been. I don’t like to dwell on things too much. I just go for it and in the famous words of Doris Day, “What will be will be.”

How can your readers follow you in social media? Website, Facebook, twitter?

I love this part. Please follow me!!!

www.scottycade.com

www.facebook/scotty.cade

www.twitter.com/ScottyCade

Fast Fire Questions: 

Oh Oh Oh. I love Fast Fire Questions. Of course I have to type them very fast so they will be Fast Fire. :)

Favorite place to visit? The Caribbean- Always

Favorite color? Green

Favorite sound? Quiet

Favorite song? “What a Difference a Day Makes,” By Dinah Washington.

Biggest pet peeve? Entitled people

Red or white wine? Yes!

Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni

Dogs or cats? Dog

Winter or summer? Winter

Okay, Scotty, thank you so very much! I can’t tell you how awesome this has been and I can’t wait for more books from you.

Its truly been my pleasure. Its so fun to talk about this kind of stuff. Thanks you for such fun questions. When can we do this again?

XOXO Scotty

Giveaway

Scotty is gifting one winner with a copy of his newest release Losing Faith.

Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter!

Contest will end July 22nd!

Thank you to Scotty for talking with me today and for being awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway