It's another author in the Hot Seat! This week we have our very own Michael Bailey here. While he reviews and has a blog spot called Bailey's Beats right here on Diverse Reader, he's also an amazing author and wonderful human. He's answering some fast fire questions, showing you his work, and wrapping it up with a terrific giveaway. Stick around.
Fast Fire Questions
What is your favorite pastime?
Napping on the weekends.
I don’t sleep enough during the week.
Name three living people you’d love to spend an entire week
with on a vacation.
Rod (duh!)
Mark Hamill (cuz I think he’s kinda nerdy
like me)
President Obama. Because of his intelligence, compassion, and
ability to articulate big ideas in a way that everyone can understand.
What is the title of the first book you’ve published?
“Looking In”
What is your newest release?
My most recent is a novella called “Reunion.”
Before you begin writing what are three things you need near
you?
Earbuds (I listen to rain sounds as I write)
My phone (for said rain sounds)
Peace and quiet.
The slightest interruption threatens to quiet the voices of my characters.
Using a sentence or two, what are the biggest challenges for
you when writing?
Finding time. I
have a mentally exhausting daytime job, so I write primarily in the morning
before work or on the weekend.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Total, 100% pantser.
I’ll have specific key points in my head, but my characters have to tell
me how they got there.
If there’s a title to your current WIP, can you tell us?
Yes. In fact, I
have the titles for the next two. For
those that read “Looking In”, you’ll remember that Greg has a younger brother
named Ben. “Looking Past” tells his
story.
“Looking Beyond” has been in my head for over two
years. I knew as I was writing the first
book that I would be writing this one as well.
Can’t tell you what it’s about, though, because it would spoil too much.
If you could recommend three M/M books to someone who just
discovered M/M, what three would you recommend to them to start?
My introduction to M/M was Felice Stevens “Rescued”, so
I’d have to start there
From there, I’m going to cheat a little.
Next up would be “Him” and “Us.” Both are written by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. And I really don’t think you should read the
first without reading the second one as well.
Lastly, while it may not be considered “M/M Romance”, I
would pick “The Front Runner” by Patricia Nell Warren for a multitude of
reasons. First, I read this book when I
was 15 or 16, and it had a profound impact.
It was the first book I had ever read that centered gay MCs. It made me believe that other gay stories
could be told, and it made me want to write them. Secondly, it told the story of love and
tragedy, and heartbreak. And thirdly, I
think it’s important for us as a genre to understand how we got to where we are. We need to honor those that blazed the trail
for us. We wouldn’t be the genre we are
today were it not for those that came before us and took the risk of telling
stories about people that society didn’t want to acknowledge existed.
Are you attending any signings, conventions, or other this
year or next? If yes, where?
I’ll be at GRL in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October.
What is your least favorite chore around the house?
Only one?? Okay,
cleaning the bathroom.
What are three things about yourself that we wouldn’t find
out reading your bio?
I don’t drive.
Never have. I’m always asked,
“well what did you do that prevents you from driving?”, like I did something
illegal. The answer is, never got my
license.
I didn’t buy my first home until I was 45. So while most homeowners may have owned
multiple houses in their lifetime, the one I currently own will probably be the
only one.
Most importantly, I have been in a long distance
relationship for almost two years. It’s
one of the most loving and eye-opening experiences of my life. You don’t navigate those kinds of the
relationships the same way you do with those you have the ability to see every
day. You have to make a concerted effort
and know that absolutely nothing can be taken for granted.
What is one quote you live by?
Do what makes you happy today, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
David Barrows world fell
apart at the age of eleven after his mother died. Years of physical and emotional abuse
followed, leaving him scarred in body and mind, mired in the belief that he is
unlovable. He spends his days working in a comic shop, and his nights alone
wrestling with the ghosts of his past.
As a Marine, Adam Duncan has
sworn to protect and serve, and there is no one he is more protective of than
his brother and nephew. When tragedy
strikes, threatening the security of his family, his protective instincts kick
in. But how can he fight an enemy he
can’t see?
David and Adam feel the
connection between them, but David has built walls around his heart that no one
has bothered to break through, until Adam.
Adam can see what a special man David is, and is willing to do whatever
it takes to break down those barriers.
Can he make David see he doesn’t have to keep living his life…Looking In?
Owen Hannity was nineteen
when he lost almost everyone he thought he could trust. Each loss more painful than the last.
With the unwavering support
of his best friend, Andy, Owen put the pieces of his life back together. Now, more than two decades later, Owen owns
and operates a successful comic shop.
Despite his modicum of success, he still feels like a shell of a man, carrying
the emotional scars from his past.
Without warning, Owen’s past
returns. Secrets come to light. Secrets that could either destroy Owen or
finally give him the strength to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about
Andy, himself, and the way in which he views the world.
To see that he is truly
worthy of loving himself and finally
begin…
…Looking Forward.
Thirty years
ago, Charlie was a high school nobody, more comfortable with fading into the
background than being out and proud.
Thirty years
ago, Noah was a star high school athlete, more comfortable with running the
baseball diamond than admitting who he really was.
Thirty years
ago, Charlie and Noah had a secret relationship. No one knew they were friends, let alone
lovers. Pressures from home, from
school, and their own self-doubts ended things before they could really begin.
But that was
thirty years ago.
Now?
A lot can
change in thirty years. Noah now works
in sports medicine after an injury derailed his baseball career. And Charlie is attempting to open his second
restaurant.
A chance
encounter, a hotel screw-up, and two meddling friends may be all it takes to
bring these two back together. If they
can only deal with the past, and one huge secret. They may get their…
Reunion.
Michael Bailey is the oldest
of three, from the Glass Capital of the world, Toledo Ohio.
Don’t laugh too hard.
He’s dreamed of writing since
he was eleven years old when he wrote a truly awful Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. It sold exactly zero copies. His mother may have a copy lying around
somewhere. Mothers keep that kind of
thing.
Through junior high and high
school, he wrote a number of short stories, one actually published in the first
(and only) issue of his high school’s literary magazine.
Life took control shortly
thereafter, as it often does, and the dream of writing was put on hold. Then, in November of 2016, he took a leap of
faith, and began writing his first novel as part of the National Novel Writing
Month (NaNoWriMo) competition. The goal
of the competition is to write a 50,000-word novel in a thirty-day period.
He failed.
However, on the advice of a
friend, he “pushed through”. And so, in September of 2017, his first novel was
be published.
His second novel, “Looking
Forward” was published in August of 2018
He is hard at work on his
third, “Looking Past”
Giveaway
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Love your books!
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview!
ReplyDeleteCant wait to read them
ReplyDeleteI love your books. I'm looking forward to meeting you at GRL.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I really enjoy the fast fire questions.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the post it was great to get to know a bit about you Michael.
ReplyDeleteGreat, nice to know a little bit of this author's life.
ReplyDeleteenjoyed the interview
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interview!
ReplyDeleteI love fast fire questions as the answers are always interesting!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. I have not red anything by you and would love to.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved getting to know about you. I'm new to your writing, and I can't wait to find a new favorite author!!
ReplyDelete