Today we have an author interview with Mark Arbour. Many of you know his stories, but do you know anything about him and how or why he started writing them? Hopefully Marzipan’s interview will shed some light on this subject for us all.

but first... an announcement... Today is the last day for the Reader's Choice Award Nominations. Get yours in.

Now on to the interview --

I’m going to start with an easy question. You are hugely popular author in GA. What do you think appeals in your writing to your readers?
I’m not sure that I’m ‘hugely popular’, but I think a big part of the reason people read my stories is due to their historical nature. I have two series that I’m writing, and they’re both very different. “Chronicles of an Academic Predator” (CAP) is set in more recent times. It started in 1962, and I’ve written up through the year 2000 as of right now. It’s about a wealthy family and their trials and tribulations, and tends to be more of a soap opera. The emphasis in that series is on the characters themselves. The other series, Bridgemont, is about the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The focus in that series tends to be more on the environment or world the characters lived in.

You joined GA February 2005, how do you feel the writing community has changed over the years you’ve been a member? What about the mass of your readers and the correspondence with them, how has that evolved?
I’m not sure that it really has changed that much over the years, other than it’s gotten bigger. My readers communicate with me via e-mail, the forums, or reviews. Of the three, I prefer the forums for general stuff, because then readers tend to talk to each other, and I love that! Most readers are polite enough to send me criticism via e-mail or PM, which is great, since it gives me a chance to digest it without a piling on effect, or worse, having a lynch mob of readers going after the guy who dissed me in public.

How did you end up in GA? Have you posted on other sites?
I originally came to GA as a Domaholic. I've posted stories on Nifty and a few chapters on Literotica, but not all of them. About the time I was promoted to "Promising," I was offered an opportunity to post at CRVBOY, which is another great site. But I had been putting stuff up on e-fiction for a while, and had the 'most read' e-fiction story here at that point, so it seemed like the right decision to just stay here. Hosted Authors are presumed to be exclusive to GA, and I've followed that rule, so you'll only find all of my stories posted here, or at my Yahoo group.

How and when did you start writing, how you would describe the change in your writing?
I started writing almost as a fluke. I wrote an article about that for the newsletter, so I won’t repeat myself. What’s changed? That’s an interesting question. Probably my focus on character development and consistency. When I first started writing, I thought in terms of places and events. That faded really fast as my characters took over the stories. They were right. I listen to them now.

You write and post a lot. How much of your free time does it take? Is it something that is supported by the work you do for living or is it something totally different?
It takes a lot of my free time, and it has nothing to do with my work, or anything else. It’s just a hobby. Usually, it comes pretty easy to me. When I write, I absorb myself in the character, trying to visualize the scenes and to feel what he feels, so the words more or less flow naturally. Then there are times when that bonding with the character fails, and I sort of flail around in limbo trying to get back into the story.

Do your family and friends know about your writing in GA? How do they feel about it?
I’m a married bisexual guy who’s not out about my “other side.” No one that is a close personal friend or family member is aware of my writing.

Have you published a fictional story? Do you aim to do that?
That’s not on my radar screen. Based on what I just mentioned above, if I was going to publish a story, it would increase the chances of having my real identity leaked. That’s something I can’t afford to do at this point, either personally or professionally.

Ok, I understand the reasons you want to keep the anonymity with your writing, but considering how much time you put in to your writing, wouldn't it be a natural leap to pursue publishing? Have you considered writing a historical novel that is not gay themed?
I haven't really thought of that. Right now, writing is a hobby. That makes it sound like actual work.

You write mainly historical stories, sometimes from the Napoleon era, but mainly following the history and political change of the US. Why do you write historical stories?
I’ve always enjoyed history. The CAP series has been fun for me because I was born about the same time the story started, so it’s a bit like going back and tracing what happened over the years when I was growing up and too young to realize what was going on. I still have memories that flash back when I do that, especially of the Vietnam War, and later, of Watergate. The Bridgemont series can trace it’s lineage to when I was 12, and read “Beat to Quarters” by CS Forester, the first published book of his Hornblower series. I’ve read those books so many times, they’re falling apart.

In your stories you follow certain families over decades. I see it as neat way to entwine general history and personal life of the characters. How do you see it?
The same way that you do. It also gives me a chance to address generational conflict and issues, which can be fun. I try to work a theme or two into each story. The latest one, Paternity, is all about father-son relationships. The real reason that I decided to write a series in the first place, though, is that I liked all my characters, and I couldn’t really stand to just let them ‘end.’

What made the fatherhood-theme special to you?
I've got a son who's 16, so I have a lot of firsthand experience with it. file:///C:UsersSparkyAppDataLocalTempOICE_F99B9EB8-6AFB-4654-B2AC-51FE93BA7A02.0msohtmlclip11clip_image001.gifOne of the more fun parts of the story is writing about Brad (the father) and Will (the son). Will gives Brad a lot of crap, much like Brad did to his father (JP) when he was young. It's me channeling my own frustration and amusement when my son pisses me off and I remember doing similar things to my dad.

You have a lot of erotica in your stories. Is it something you get more critique or thanks for?
Some people like it, some people don’t. Personally, I think it’s kind of fun. I’m not perfect, but for the most part I’m pretty faithful to my wife. I think that a big part of that is venting my attraction for men with my writing, and a lot of that is through the erotic segments. Then there’s the ability to push the envelope with different things. I’ve hit on some pretty kinky stuff, including fisting, BDSM, and e-stim. I sometimes wonder if my readers open a new chapter with one eye closed, wondering what I’ll throw at them. There’s three places I can’t go: Bestiality, Scat, and sex with pre-pubescent kids. They can relax about those topics.

I realize this isn’t exactly a question, but I have to comment that I enjoy your boldness. Personally I think it’s your unique brand and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You bold entry ‘Ode to the Taint’ for last year’s Poem Anthology was something that made my eyes roll but it also made me snicker. I think you have guts and I see you like to shock a bit too.
Thanks. I’m no poet. I wrote that primarily to show support for Lugh and the Poetry Anthology. That’s a lot of work, and I’d teased him a lot about it, so I figured I should show that I appreciated what he was doing by trying my hand at it. I knew it wouldn’t be good, so I went with shocking humor instead.

What sort of plans do you have for year 2012 in terms of writing?
I’ll continue on with my two series. There are a lot of exciting events ahead for both of them. One era that is of particular interest to me is pre-revolutionary France. It’s highly likely that I’ll ultimately work on a series that takes place around the time of Louis XIV, but it probably won’t be this year.

Thank you Mark for taking time for this interview! Have a prosperous year 2012!