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Ask An Author #31

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Author Interviews

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Wow, it's hard to believe it's already September. This year has gone by so quickly. Don't forget, tomorrow is the last day to get your anthology entries in. We already have a lot of great entries, but there's always room for more! Now, onto regular business. As most members probably know, the first Wednesday of the month is set aside for our Ask An Author feature, provided to us by Dark. For those who don't know what the Ask An Author feature is: If you've always wanted to ask your favorite author, or any author, a question, send it to Dark. Dark will ask the question for you and compile it into one of the Ask An Authors. Don't worry, Dark keeps the identities of the askers anonymous! Let's see what we have this week!

 

Ask an Author #31

 

Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!

 

In AtA #30, we had questions for authors AC Benus, ricky, and wanda walker.

 

In AtA #31, we hear from authors Andrew Todd, Headstall, and Sasha Distan.
For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). :lol: Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.

 

Today’s first author was last featured way back in AtA #2 with one of the most followed stories on GA at the time, Riding Lessons. Last year, the book became available on Amazon as a paperback with a slightly different name. The cover is hot, and it’s rated 4.8 out of 5 stars, so not just GA loves this story! Though we haven’t heard much from Andrew lately, there’s 10 other stories in his portfolio, complete and in progress. Todd often writes about young men facing life’s challenges. One of my favorites is Empath's Kiss, but it’s not for the faint of heart, dealing as it does with some tough material and ending on something of a cliffhanger.

 

To Andrew Todd: Regarding your story "The Chosen," do you plan on horses having anything to do with getting your West Coasters to meet your New Hampshire guys? and if so, how?

One of the things I love about posting my writing in forums such as this is the feedback I get from readers and seeing how they think the story is going to unfold. I've received a lot of e-mails speculating on this very thing, I think that some of it might be 'wishful thinking' that more of the 'Riding Lessons' characters will find there way into 'The Chosen'. The short answer to the question is 'no'. I've known since almost the beginning of the story how the boys will end up together, if I was writing a more 'conventional' story then having them cross paths at a show or something like that would be a good way to have them meet, but as this story has more of a 'supernatural' bent, they will be coming together in a different way. As it's still in my head (I've been taking a break for the last few months), it might change in it's specifics, but one thing for my readers to chew on...I've never said that some of them might not have already met...

 

Now meet author Headstall in his blog debut. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, he’s been with GA only a year and a half but has already racked up 6200+ likes, many from his current story Cards on the Table. In case you didn’t know, a “headstall” is an item similar to a bridle. Now, most people know that a “bridle” is the thing that goes over a horse’s head, holds the bit in the horse’s mouth, and connects to reins. It’s not really that simple, of course, and the choice of “headstall” as a user name is an interesting one. Catch up with our “poster child for success” Headstall in his forums if you want to know more!

 

To Headstall: Your writing has turned out to be awesome. Was it difficult to take that first step and post?

Thanks for the compliment. It was an extremely hard decision to make. I wrote the first chapter in around five or six, maybe seven hours, and figured I would just put it aside. It played on my mind however, because of how the words just poured out. I didn't even know the process of posting and I am not a computer person. I knew that if I didn't try to post it right away... then I never would. That scared me almost as much as posting it. My biggest concern was whether or not I could follow through on such a commitment if I did post. The bottom line is I threw caution to the wind. I have always been creative, and ever since I was a very young boy, words were my friend and my solace through some very tough times. As difficult as it was to make the decision and as scary as it was to follow through, I have absolutely no regrets. I have a new outlet for my creativity, and tremendous support and encouragement from the
GA
community. The reception has been way more than I could have ever hoped for. Thanks for asking... Cheers..

 

And our third author today is an author we’ve seen before, Sasha Distan. A member since March 2013, Sasha became one of our promising authors only a few months later, and small wonder. 2014 was an amazing year for Sasha, with a short story published through House of Erotica and a very special wedding. 2015 continues to reveal Sasha as one of our more regular writers, consistently turning out chapter after chapter, and story after story. You can catch up with this British teacher in the forums, where he frequently updates his readers on his writing schedule, and if you need more than the zillions of stories here on GA, you can find his published works on Zulu. Are those goldfish still alive, Sasha?

 

To Sasha Distan: You always talk about how crowded your head is, how do you decide which characters/stories get to go first?

The ones who shout the loudest.

 

My skull is indeed a very busy place, a bit like my classroom. and a bit like my classroom, it's the noisy boys who get my attention first, regardless of whether that attention is good or bad. When I was writing Redemption's A Bitch and A Wolf And His Man simultaneously, I switched between the two every few chapters. Kieran would be shouting the loudest, so I would write him some story to keep him happy until Oli's bark became too strong to ignore. Then I would write for him and Boris until you could hear nothing but the sound of motorbikes - and then back I'd go.

 

The problem with this system is, without careful maintenance like a classroom full of students, is that someone gets lost forever. It happens: an idea springs up and pokes me. He's small, hopeful, eager to please, but not strong enough to shout down whoever I am currently working with (at the moment, Hel, Ishca and Aki are taking up a vast majority of my time), and if there is too much still to do on the other story, then he slips away like he wasn't even there. I can't tell you if the stories that don't get written are good or bad, happy or sad, amazing or dull - because I never see them again.

I like to think that the ideas that don't make it go and find another writer to make puppy eyes at. Let me know if see them.

 

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!

 

See you next time, with authors Aditus, Cia, and Wolfwriter.

 

Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).

 

Until next time!


Dark

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Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,192

Posted

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Before Gary (Headstall) became a writer, he was one of the best and busiest reviewers on GA. In fact I sometimes looked forward reading his comments as much as I looked forward to the new chapters of a story we both followed. I'm amazed he can still get reviews done, when I think of the posting speed of his stories.

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Drew Espinosa

Drew Espinosa 143,117

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Gary is one of my favorite authors :) For me he is not just a writer, he has become a friend of mine in the months since I met him. I feel lucky to know him, and as we say in his story discussion... Gary is the God of Writing :hug::kiss:

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Aditus

Aditus 28,727

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Gary's reviews are perfect. Even when he wasn't happy with Jonah he still found kind words and trusted me to make it right. Can't wait for a cold and rainy weekend to start 'Cards on the Table' all over again.

And I really miss Sasha.

  • Like 7
Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,192

Posted

Gary's reviews are perfect.

 

And I really miss Sasha.

 

I couldn't agree more.

  • Like 2
Headstall

Headstall 306,087

Posted

Thanks for the kind words. I love writing, and I am working hard at improving my skills. The support I have received is the key to everything. It is my motivator to keep writing, and the reason I strive to get better with every chapter, song, or poem I write. I have the best group of people I could ever hope for, encouraging me every day. Thank you, all... I also think I am possibly Sasha's biggest fan, and I miss him too...

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EagleIsaac

EagleIsaac 1,941

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I haven't read anything by Andrew Todd or Sasha Distan, but I will put them on my list of "to be read" authors/

 

Headstall's stories are the first ones that I read and started to review and his was the first forum I visited.  He always tries to make sure that everyone's opinion is given a voice and makes each and every reader feel like he is interested in their opinion and feedback.  I count him a dear friend as well as a respected author.  

  • Like 6
AC Benus

AC Benus 36,631

Posted

Thank you, Dark, for another amazingly well-done Ask an Author! You are the man! And thanks Renee for posting it! 

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Reader1810

Reader1810 52,129

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I'm so glad that Headstall was included in Ask an Author!  His stories are wonderful as are his responses to reader reviews. He is very deserving of this honour. :)

  • Like 4
Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,192

Posted

I haven't read anything by Andrew Todd or Sasha Distan, but I will put them on my list of "to be read" authors/

 

Oh yes, I can recommend both of them. Andrew's stories were among the first I read on GA (this was before I began leaving reviews), and I enjoyed them a lot, both the longer series and the short stories linking them.

Sasha is one of my favorite authors, Don't shout is a good story to start with.

  • Like 1
Drew Espinosa

Drew Espinosa 143,117

Posted

I'm so glad that Headstall was included in Ask an Author!  His stories are wonderful as are his responses to reader reviews. He is very deserving of this honour. :)

His reviews and responses have left a profound influence :yes: One of the little details about them is how he ends each one with "cheers..."

 

Gary has had an impact on his readers and friends, in fact one of them just recently posted his first story and he has been responding to reviews by ending it with "cheers"

 

It turns out that he was inspired by Gary to write and post his own story :) To be emulated is a high form of praise, and Gary rightfully deserves it :hug:

  • Like 3
Bucket1

Bucket1 82,435

Posted

Gary's stories packed a punch from Chapter 1. Anyone reading the beginnings of COTT couldn't fail to be moved. And now he is flirting with poetry and song lyrics - a man of many talents.

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Lisa

Lisa 6,470

Posted

I'm with Tim; Gary's reviews are always awesome and totally spot on about the characters. He's always one of the first to review a chapter, and I'm probably the last, so basically I write: 'I ditto Gary.', and I'm done. :D I always agree with his reviews, and I certainly can't write better ones, so I just piggyback on his. :P

 

He's also a terrific author (still have tons of chapters to catch up on for COTT). His poems are simply amazing - have Kleenex handy.

 

Andrew's Riding Lessons and all the stories taken from the original are so good. Plus I've learned a lot about riding and horses! The same holds true for Sasha; I've learned much about horses and car racing and murderball (?) from all of Sasha's stories.

 

And where is Sasha, btw? And Andrew? They need to come back. :)

  • Like 4
Defiance19

Defiance19 28,484

Posted

I've only read Andrew Todd's Riding Lessons, tore through mostly everything by Sasha, and I'm just ecstatic to have been on Headstall's amazing ride from chapter 1. From COTT to his poetry, his work is deeply evocative. 

 

Great answers from three talented authors. 

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Headstall

Headstall 306,087

Posted

Thanks again everyone for all the awesome comments, and many thanks to Dark, and Renee...

Dark

Dark 1,801

Posted

I'm so glad that Headstall was included in Ask an Author!  His stories are wonderful as are his responses to reader reviews. He is very deserving of this honour. :)

 

Want to see a particular person in the Ask an Author segment?  Simply pose a question!  Easy as pie.  The hardest part for me is fitting them all in!  :D

  • Like 2
LitLover

LitLover 66,966

Posted

I haven't read anything from Andrew but I love Sasha and Gary's work. One of my all time favourite stories is Unexpected Liaisons. He is also the master at redemption and turning men you love to hate (and in the case of Lonely at the Top: a man many just plain hated) into men you are rooting for.

 

 

I knew Gary's Cards on the Table was going to be special from the first paragraph. There was so much emotion packed in to that first chapter that you just couldn't help but fall in love with the story and the characters. Gary pours so much of himself into each character and each word that you feel like you are getting to know him as you read about these wonderful men. He has now started to branch out into poetry and songs, which have made me laugh and cry.

 

Thank you Dark for this feature. We readers might pose the questions but you take the time to organize them and shine a spotlight on these talented writers.

  • Like 3
Headstall

Headstall 306,087

Posted

Thank you, LitLover. Your words were beautiful to hear. As far as Sasha, I'm not sure I can pick a favorite. Everyone of his stories is a gem. I read Andrew's 'Riding Lessons' and loved it. It's thrilling to be talked about in the same article as these two, although I certainly don't compare myself to them.  They both need to be back here... they are such amazing writers.

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