T.C. Talks~ Let Me Introduce Myself #Giveaway

Hello everyone. My name is T.C. Orton, also known as Craig. And when I’m not a gamer, comic book reader, KFC patron or a thorn in my fiancé’s side, I’m a writer/author.

Now that you know me more intimately than most of the men I’ve slept with, let’s get to the point of this post –

Meredith politely demanded asked me to fill an opening, and while I usually prefer it the other way around, there was no way for me to pass up the opportunity to talk about whatever comes to mind, be it discussing themes within the MM genre candidly, or navigating the minefield that is life. So, that’s what I’ll be doing here every other week. However, seeing as this is my first time (haven’t said that in a while) we thought it would be best if I just stroll on in like an open-door grindr hookup and explain who I am, why I’m here, how I’m here and what I think of it here.  

*Inhales deeply*

I’m 25, live in Wales, U.K, have a pug named Drake and a wonderful guy named Pete (who isn’t at all standing next to me this very moment). We come from very different places in England, and as such, have very different backgrounds. And yet, it was our love of video games that brought us together. Honestly, no one understands that they will always come second place in my life to games the way Pete does. I’m eternally grateful.

Anyway.

A few years back I got into ghost-writing through various websites and found that there is a particularly ravenous audience surrounding the MM market. I mean it, demand is higher than a dom-top at last call. And being someone that is all for man-on-man action (just ask my browsing history) I decided that I should direct my passion for storytelling into that lane.

You see, I grew up like any self-respecting person should – watching Buffy the vampire slayer. And it was because of the Buffster and her gang of Scoobies that I started weaving tales of powerful, openly gay “chosen” ones that could save the day and get the guy without succumbing to the temperamental sensitivities that surrounds masculinity – just like Buffy.

It’s become my goal as an author to write their stories. (Not my only goal, I am currently writing a bukkake scene, but that’s another post for another time.)

So, with my ideals firmly in check and my first novella penned, I hit publish on amazon and never looked back. It’s probably been the best decision I’ve ever made (and I once ordered KFC and Dominos on the same night, so you know the bar is set high).

Now, some of you readers/aspiring-authors out there might be wondering what kind of splendors await you on the other side of that line. What might you find in the lush fields of author-ville as you merrily skip by author-lake and pick some apples from author-trees?

Anxiety. Frustration. Doom. Coffee – to name a few.

However, the one thing that I found after hitting publish; the one thing that keeps me going, that I didn’t even know existed, that I didn’t know I needed, was the community.

The MM community (as we call it) is a space of acceptance, of intense love, passion, romanticists, and support. It’s a family I’m proud to be a part of, a family in which everyone – authors, readers, bloggers, PAs, editors, cover designers – works together to keep the wheels turning, the ship afloat, the food flowing, etc.

It’s a bright spot on the internet, which can sometimes be one of the darkest, dank, defiant places we go.

It’s also a place where “Cactus-shifter meets gay billionaire airplane” exists, and if that doesn’t hook you, then nothing will.

From blog tours to author takeovers, from Facebook Q&A’s to podcasts, this community not only raises our niche genre up for all to see, but proudly, unashamedly supports LGBT rights, and takes massive strides in providing a bottom-asarus like me – as well as many others regardless of who they identify as - a place to feel safe, welcomed and loved.

And now, I’m supposed to round this post off with some sort of conclusion, but seeing as I’m the topic of this one, I don’t think I can reach a climax.

Don’t worry, I’m sure if you give me a little tug next time, I’ll get there.

T.C. Orton.

Links:

Facebook

Instagram

Amazon

Goodreads

P.S. I’m supposed to recommend a book with each post, and seeing as the theme this week is me, I’m recommending something I’m currently reading – Noah’s Song by Jaclyn Osborn 

Noah Derwin knows what it’s like to be different. Being a seventeen-year-old kid in high school with blue hair, piercings, a mostly all black wardrobe, and an obsession with zombies and video games, he doesn’t exactly blend in. But he never wanted to. His two dads raised him to always stay true to himself.

Bastian Hunter prefers structure and predictability. Suffering from a rare disease, every day is a challenge for him, and he prepares for the future by excelling academically and denying who he really is. Everything changes when he meets Noah, the unpredictable variable in the equation he’s built his life around, and feelings he's hid for so long begin to surface.

Being gay in high school isn’t exactly rainbows and butterflies, and Noah has definitely faced his fair share of bullies. Moving to Port Haven, Oregon opens up new possibilities for him, and he starts falling for the quiet, brown-eyed boy from his English class. Too bad the attraction is one-sided… or is it? 

Purchase exclusively on Amazon

Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Noah's Song by Jaclyn Osborn

Contest will end on February 12th

Thanks 

a Rafflecopter giveaway