Where do you hail from and what do you love most about your hometown?
KevaD H.C. Brown
A) Freeport, IL. The city is a microcosm of history.
Home of the “Freeport Doctrine” of Lincoln-Douglas debate fame, on the not-so-proud side, this is also the birthplace of Charles Guiteau, assassin of President James A. Garfield (the Guiteau stone house still stands). Jane Addams was born in our county, and this is the resting place of William Avery Rockefeller (father of John D Rockefeller) who disappeared only to turn up living in our community under the name Dr. William Levingston…and married, though he hadn’t divorced his first wife. The Capones had men and operations within and around our city. Manufactures such as Structo, Arcade, Stover, Raleigh, Furst-McNess, Henney Buggy/Hearse, and many more got their start here. Newell and Microswitch are still located in Freeport. President Grant lived in the county west of us, Reagan to the south. The final Blackhawk Indian War took place in this area. For a writer, this neighborhood is a Mecca of inspiration.
H.C. I live at the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia. Most people will recognize the name “Surfers Paradise”, the tourist Mecca. I can see the skyscrapers from my beach. I live in the middle of the thirty-mile stretch of golden sand, in a non-tourist area. My part of the beach is quiet, I rarely see more than a handful of people and they are usually Life Savers training for the Iron Man competitions.
My life here is fantastic. Here there are world-class shops, restaurants, casino, shows, and sporting events. We have football teams in every league. Its sunshine seven out of ten days and the climate is tropical.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A) Big
HC. I wanted to be a teacher.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
A) If you’re interested in writing…do it. Don’t worry about advice until you write the story that’s been buzzing in your brain. Set it free, then hunker down and start looking for help to make your story better. Advice can be found by the truckload, and a person can take all the writing courses their wallet can handle, but the fact is, if the story is never written, all the advice and education is for naught. If your story is completed, run as fast as you can to a critiquing group focused on your genre,
H.C. Writing is a learning curve. It is also an addiction. I wrote ten novels for my kids before I even thought about publication. The stories kept on coming. I knew my style needed attention so I joined RWA. The critique groups and information I gathered from published authors helped me to understand what it takes to get published. I would say keep writing, never give up, and take good advice.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
A) I send her to the store for something we probably don’t need.
H.C. I don’t suffer from writer’s block. Other things upset my flow. Waiting for submissions to be accepted/ rejected or family issues. I walk on the beach to clear my head and then read the last chapter I’ve written. To be honest, if the story isn’t demanding to be written it probably isn’t a very good story. If you’re bored no reader is going to enjoy the story.
How did you deal with rejection letters?
A) I’ve saved every one of them. They keep me grounded and provide me a list of names not to include in my will in the event I win the lottery.
H.C. Not every story is going to appeal to every Acquisitions Editor. We all have different tastes. Researching publishers and polishing your manuscript will help to avoid rejections but in truth we all get them, it’s a fact of life.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
A) A sense of humor and the ability to never take yourself too seriously, because no matter how successful you become in this business, there won’t just always be someone more successful than you, but someone who isn’t and should be.
H.C. What David said and I think you need a thick skin. Many authors let bad reviews or rejections stifle their creativity. In truth, the good reviews and the acceptances outweigh them one hundred to one. Oh, and “spell check” J
Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?
A) If I wouldn’t read it, I don’t write it.
H.C. I go along with David here too.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
A) This is out there. I stood washing my hands in a restroom for quite a while so I could watch men at the urinals for a scene I was working on. We men have an odd way of pretending not to notice who’s next to us, the whole time knowing exactly who’s next to us. The scene involved a murderer making use of a crowded restroom to dispose of evidence. I needed to know if how I saw the scene unfolding was practical or not.
H.C. I’m straight, very happily married to a very jealous husband —okay got the picture? I had discussed my plans to write BDSM with a friend of mine, which led to a very unusual invitation.
I went to a gay BDSM club with a six foot tall Dom. (Have you any idea what strings were pulled to get a woman inside that place?)
I wasn’t allowed to “sightsee” but had the opportunity to sit and talk with a group of guys. They wanted to make sure I understood the true nature of the scene and were very forthcoming. The friends I made on that night have been invaluable contacts for my BDSM stories.
Don’t forget to give us links to your website etc.
Sea Games buy link http://www.lsbooks.com/storefront.php
Blurb.
Brian Bowers is a man on a mission. Revenge weighs heavy on his mind. The need to punish the woman he once loved above all others falls into tatters the moment he sets eyes on her again. Fifteen years of walking on the fine edge between love and hate ends in an explosion of lust.
Patrice, sophisticated and wealthy, has her own agenda. She knows how to use her body to get what she wants. But Bowers knows how to play the game.
Set in a world of indulgence, Sea Games follows two hearts as they battle memories of the past. Will they win or lose a future together?
Many thanks for allowing us to visit today.
Thank you so much for having us here today