New month, new set of author interviews. Thanks go to the efforts of Dark for his GayAuthors.org News Blog series - Ask An Author. Enjoy!
Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!
In AtA #7, we had questions for authors JWolf, K.C., and Mann Ramblings.
In AtA #8, we hear from authors andy021278, Nephylim, and podga.
For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). 
Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
Today’s first author is andy021278. Aside from being English-challenged, this Brit works behind the scenes here at GA. You’ve probably seen his name on the blog a few times, but that’s not all! No indeed, for Andy’s story A Friend in Need was nominated for Best Anthology of 2012. He also likes to cook (but sadly not clean), reads horror and sci-fi, and is celebrating 15 happy years with his man Brett. Congrats for an amazing year, Andy! Is 2013 treating you well?
To andy021278:
Tell us about your first-ever story. (How old were you, name, plot, etc.)
The first story I ever wrote is one I'm actually rewriting at the moment (45k words and still going), which Wayne (Comicfan) and Rob (Yettie One) are beta reading for me and I should start posting sometime in the summer. It was never actually given a title, nor was it ever properly finished; it was only ever given the working title "The Vampire Murders" and I've never changed it.
I started writing it when I was twelve, primarily out of my love of writing but also to see if I could write a story, instead of just essays; I stopped for numerous reasons when I was about fourteen and 30k words in, then I lost the floppy disc with it on and only found it again last year. There are two basic elements to the plot; the first is that there have been a series of murders in London, which on the surface appear vampiric in nature, and the second is an eighth grade class trip to London. The story revolves around the class, the trip, and how four of the eighth graders get dragged into the "supernatural" world of the story.
Although I've rewritten large chunks of it, cut bits out, and added new scenes to it, much of the original has survived. I've always thought that it was well written for a twelve year old, but reading back over it some of it really had come from a childish over-active imagination who had seen one too many horror B-movies (hence the need for the rewrites). Since I'm going to be posting it here, I won't give any more away (just in case one or two peeps decide they want to read it).
Today’s next author is Hosted Author and fallen angel Nephylim. She is another GA alum who has made forays into the realm of the published author. These days she spends a lot of her time publicizing her work and putting herself out there through weekly flash fiction on her website. Lucky for us, she’s also posting her flash fiction here on GA and the first of those is In the Arms of an Angel, a charming story about what might happen if you -- quite accidentally -- run over an angel? Of course it was an accident! Don’t be silly.
To Nephylim:
Imagine your life without Silver, your larger than life character from Enigma. What would it be like?
A life without Silver? No way! From the moment he was born he's dominated me. He's inspired me to write four books which I've never done before, and to take up painting again. He's inspired others to paint and draw him and he's even got his own twitter identity (@SilverandRiver). Silver is so very real to me and I'm so totally in love with him I can't imagine not having him with me, in my heart. Life without Silver would be empty.
Today’s final author, podga, comes to us all the way from Greece. You should know never to play Monopoly with this fella. Podga has read romance stories from his youth. As he grew older, however, he started to realize that there weren’t many stories about guys his own age, so he wrote some! His story All that Matters. has been featured in the blog and with good reason! Try it for a little dose of love at first sight.
To podga:
The narrators in your stories often seem to have a lot of insecurities and lack of confidence - catharsis or coincidence?
Is it catharsis? Yes, in the sense that I try to write about guys and situations that readers can feel a certain familiarity and connection towards, that I hope they find the emotions born between ordinary men during mostly mundane moments absolutely convincing and that, in the end, they come away believing that falling head over heels isn't only reserved for the young (or the ancient of vampiric persuasion).
That being said, I don't see my characters as particularly insecure or lacking confidence. They hold down responsible jobs, have friends (if not always the time to spend with them), and are generally content with their lives. Still, they are in their forties. Have they accomplished everything they set out to? If not, is there time to do so? Can they still afford to make mistakes or take wrong turns? Were past decisions necessary compromises or taking the easy way out and settling for less than they could have had? And where the hell have their abs gone? These aren't issues they agonize over day in, day out, but when they, or their friends, experience a disruption or significant event in their lives, questions can, and often do, surface, even if it's only to reaffirm that they've done everything right (I guess that could happen!
) So not coincidence so much as how I think a guy in his mid- to late 40s would react to the disruption of romance and love suddenly entering his life.
That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!
Coming next time: DKstories, FleetingRainbows, and Layla.
Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
Until next time!
Dark
Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
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