Interview with Clancy Nacht

Today, I’d like to welcome author Clancy Nacht to The Dancing Dove!

The Dancing Dove: Where/When was your first book published?
Clancy Nacht: My first book, "The Night Caller" was published April of 2009. Before that I was writing fanfiction like a fiend and sort of used to the slings and arrows of criticism. Or so I thought. Like an impatient dork, I self-published and not in the cool Smashwords way, but in the "paying someone more than is reasonable" way. I did buy some editing and con friends into helping me, but I also found out the hard way that people love taking pot shots at self-published titles. Since then I've been published with Ravenous Romance, Noble Romance, Clies Press, and Dreamspinner Press.

TDD: What was it like when your first book was published?
CN: Scary, exciting, but also a little like a drop in an ocean (pre-oil spill.) As exciting and big of a deal as it was to me, the literary world doesn't fall at your feet. But that said, the first commenter I got from someone who understood it? Magic. And even bigger rush than seeing my words in print.

TDD: Do you have a favorite book? (Of yours) If so, why is it your favorite?
CN: Such a "Sophie's Choice" question. I love them all for different reasons. Even that first, black sheep novel because it was something I really believed needed to be published. I really loved "Tricky" published by Noble Romance because those characters were so difficult, so bitter and hurt and angry over a past they each had their own flawed interpretation of. Plus the voice of the main character, a male prostitute, was so strong. But I also have a huge soft spot for a short story I wrote in "Bedknobs and Beanstalks" called "Jack and the Giant Peenstalk." Obviously, that story is much less serious.

TDD: What made you start writing fiction?
CN: It sort of spawned out of role playing, following through on plots that I thought would've been much more interesting had they gone a different way. I was working from home at the time and killing time while waiting for clients to get back to me. After my father died, it turned into a form of therapy. I could work through feelings of regret, loss, anger, poke fun at myself, my situation, the world in general, it just sort of crept up on me. Anymore these stories get in my head and won't go away. Writing's become an exorcism.

TDD: How often do you write?
CN: I try to write at least an hour every day. Usually I write for a couple. Now that I have a regular day job (speaking of therapy, "Dead End Job" sort of covers my feelings on my day job) I have to steal time over lunch or in the evenings.

TDD: Is writing your full time job or do you have another occupation?
CN: Hah! Speaking of.... Yeah, I have a sort of bureaucratic nightmare day job. I'd love to write full time. If there are any virgins to sacrifice, please point me in their direction. They're pretty scarce here in Austin.

Is there a certain place you like to write? The beach, the library, a comfy spot on the couch?
I have several desks in the house and I also write at my work desk or in the park, or on my couch, really anywhere. It changes a lot. Makes the netbook my most important asset.

What's your least favorite part of the writing process?
I have a love/hate relationship with editing. We're on an up cycle right now, but I'm sure he'll find some way to do me wrong. I love it when I'm bereft of ideas and I just want to make the ideas I have shine. I hate editing when I have other stories chomping my brain stem.

TDD: Do you have any works-in-progress you'd like to tell the readers about?
CN: Oh well I have a cyberpunk scifi story that's almost finished. The last one of those I wrote didn't go far, but I put it on Smashwords as "Stay." Someone called it innovative, which I'm so proud of. This one has more romance involved but there's a lot going on, a lot of issues involving an alternate reality where the ozone layer went away and an alien race came in that saved us, but there's more subtle politics going on there with technology and tracking and people who are Subversives, people who want to live their lives as they see fit.

The other is of a similar vein, in that it's post-apocolyptic with zombies, but this time it's magic that's the culprit. It's very cracky and fun, but it has some real human moments and some real human issues with gay rights.

Then I have a co-written May-December DILF story that I'm pretty proud of because I feel like you see a wider range of homosexual behavior that doesn't completely center around penetration. It has a lot of themes of regret, on doing what you're told to do rather than what you want to do and then experiencing life as it's meant to be. I really love it. It says a lot of things I want to say, I hope it broadens readers minds a little beyond the traditional romance trope. The December gentleman is dealing with coming to the close of his life having done everything he was supposed to do, his regret. The May man is dealing with the loss of his best friend and with how life goes on, how he finds love and finds his own way. I love how they fit together though they're opposites in some ways. But they turn out to be just what they need.

TDD: Do you have anything else you'd like to tell the readers? (Contact info, upcoming books, exclusive website content, etc.)
CN: Upcoming is "A Certain Pressure in the Pipes" on Noble Romance, which is a m/m Steampunk story set in the US in the Gilded Age. It centers around an unusual Indian and a bratty Governor's son who are both inventors and both a little different. It's pretty hot and funny. I think it's a perfect summer read. I would call this very low angst and a whole lot of fun and silly and lusting over the hot alpha Indian. It's out June 28 from Noble Romance. I love the story and the publisher, so I hope everyone else loves it as much as I do.

Please feel free to see what I'm babbling about on my website, Twitter, or Facebook.

Thank you so much for joining us, Clancy! I wish you the best of luck with your writing. =)

You can purchase The Night Caller and Bedknobs and Beanstalks on Amazon.com.

Book Giveaway - Martin and the Wolf

Author Anne Brooke was kind enough to donate a copy of her new release, Martin and the Wolf for me to giveaway!

Story Blurb:
When thirty-six-year-old lecturer Martin meets the mysterious Lucas at a neighbor’s midsummer party, the attraction is instant and hot. The two men soon start a relationship, but Martin is puzzled by Lucas’ behavior. He’s not like any man Martin has ever known—indeed, sometimes Lucas hardly seems human at all—and Martin wants to find out why.

But on one August night, when Martin tracks Lucas to the depths of the local park, he discovers eye-opening, fantastical realities about his new lover and the pack of strange wolves Lucas runs with than he had ever thought possible. Can Martin handle the truth?

You can find out more about Martin and the Wolf and read an excerpt on Amber Allure's website.

Contest Rules (Borrowed and modified from Stumbling Over Chaos <3<3):
* To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes Midnight EST on June 25.
* If you share this contest (on Facebook, Goodreads, you blog, etc.) I'll give you an extra entry for each medium you use, up to three extra entries.
* You must leave a valid email address with your comment. If you don't include an email address in your post or on your Google Profile, Chris's Blog Gnomes will turn your post into kitty litter for the Chaos Cat.
* Winners will be selected by random number.
* If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
* If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
* This contest is open worldwide!

Idaho Pride - Review

Title: Idaho Pride
Author: Sarah Black
Series: N/A
Rating:5/5 Doves
Review:

After an attempt to diffuse an explosive situation, Lee Hunter and Jeremy Sheridan end up taking the heat for the conflict and become friends. While researching a tragic local story for Jeremy’s magazine, Idaho Pride, Lee agrees to mentor Luis, a troubled young intern. But Jeremy has a problem of his own: a jealous ex-lover who threatens not only Jeremy and Lee's new romance, but also the fledgling family they're trying to create.

I loved the characters in this novel. Black was able to create two very different characters who both seemed real. They each had their own quirks and personalities and you could easily tell them apart. Even the side characters she created had a pretty good amount of depth to them.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It had mixings of a few different genres - romance (duh), suspense, and a little bit of mystery. For the most part, all of her plot ideas were fleshed out and meshed together well. Usually when I read a novel like this with multiple plots mingling, some of them aren't fleshed out, but Black managed to make all of her plots work and seem like they were straight out of real life.

The only real problem I had with this book was it wasn't long enough! There were so many things I wish she would've gone into detail about. I would've liked to have seen more about Captain McClain and his son, and the article for Idaho Pride. I also would've liked to see more about Julius - did he still try and convert BLANK or did he finally come to understand homosexuality?

Also, the blurb is very misleading. Jeremy's ex-lover wasn't that much of a threat to the relationship. In fact, there wasn't even much focus placed on him. The ex-lover is merely one of many plots instead of the main plot point like the blurb makes it out to be

The book was very well written and very much enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book for any fans of contemporary M/M romance. If you like your romance to have a good amount of plot in it, this is the book for you.

** Warning ** This novel contains sex scenes and may not be appropriate for readers under than age of 18.

You can purchase Idaho Pride at Amazon.com

Book Giveaway - Miles and the Magic Flute

The wonderful Heidi Cullinan was kind enough to donate a copy of her newest release Miles and the Magic Flute to be given away!

Here's the blurb for her book:
When the forest behind a Minnesota pawn shop turns out to be the doorway into a faerie paradise, Miles Larson doesn't see any reason to complain. He's bankrupt, single, and living in a trailer in his backwoods hometown after being laid off from his big city job: yes, he could use a little downtime in a homoerotic dreamland.

But Miles soon learns that in the faerie world nothing is quite as simple as it seems. The beautiful faerie man who has captured Miles's heart might also be after Miles's soul. The frightening beast-man who chases him through the forest is actually a noble-hearted human under a terrible curse. And at the center of it all is the deathly beautiful Lord of Dreams, a faerie so powerful that if Miles so much as looks at his face, he will be lost in dreamland forever.

The only hope for Miles's escape lies in a magic silver flute, an enchanted instrument that holds the answer to the faerie lord's defeat. But even if Miles is smart and strong enough to wield it, will he dare? All dreams must stay in dreamland, and when the cold light of truth dawns, if there is no reality beneath the love he's found in the faerie realm, Miles will have to return to his own world—alone.

You can find out more about Miles and the Magic Flute and read an excerpt on Dreamspinner's website. The novel is available in PDF format.

Contest Rules (Borrowed and modified from Stumbling Over Chaos <3<3):
* To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes Midnight EST on June 22.
* If you share this contest (on Facebook, Goodreads, you blog, etc.) I'll give you an extra entry for each medium you use, up to three extra entries.
* You must leave a valid email address with your comment. If you don't include an email address in your post or on your Google Profile, Chris's Blog Gnomes will turn your post into kitty litter for the Chaos Cat.
* Winners will be selected by random number.
* If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
* If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
* This contest is open worldwide!

Interview with Noah Bogdonoff

The Dancing Dove: Hello, Noah! Welcome to The Dancing Dove. Thank you for joining us today!
Noah Bogdonoff: Thanks for having me! It’s always nice to think that there are people reading my writing.

TDD: Where/When was your first book published? What was it about?
NB: “Number Theory”, my recently-released short story, was actually my first published work. It’s available in eBook form from Untreed Reads (more about that later). “Number Theory” is a story that I think needed telling. It’s about self-awareness – the moment in a boy’s life when he gains the knowledge that allows him to truly look at himself and see everything. Until that moment, the narrator has been strictly defined and in turn allowed himself to define everything strictly. So I guess “Number Theory” is about opening up to the world around oneself.

TDD: What was it like when your first book was published?
NB: Astounding. I’m not the best writer that I know. I have friends who write circles around me and haven’t been published yet. So that was weird. But it was also really exciting. Only a few days after having submitted “Number Theory” to Untreed, I got this incredibly complimentary email from the man who is now my editor, Jay Hartman. At the time, I was at a friend’s house and embarrassingly ran around going, “WHAT. AAHHHHHHH!” This story might be my first published work, but it’s not the first thing I’ve submitted for publication. Untreed’s positive feedback was so affirming. Jay and the CEO of Untreed Reads, K.D. Sullivan, literally walked me through everything I could possibly want to know about getting published digitally and were very cautious not to pressure or rush me. It made the experience that much better.

TDD: What’s it like being published at such a young age?
NB: In a word: confusing. At first, I was tempted to conceal my age. While I love to hear it, part of me really rejects the idea of being “good for an 18-year-old”. You know? My age is helpful in writing for young readers and young characters, but I don’t want it to directly influence my readers’ views of me.

The other thing is that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or pressured into staying “safe”, writing the same thing again. Because I’m so young and impressionable, my writing style changes easily. My interests change easily. As a young author, there’s this pressure to – I don’t know – find a comfortable place and stay there. The pressure obviously comes from myself. Jay and K.D. have been supportive of my branching out, but there’s always the fear that I’m a one-trick pony.

But it’s also awesome. Can’t pretend it isn’t!

TDD: What made you start writing fiction?
NB: Reading fiction! Pretty much as soon as I began reading, I began writing. Especially once I learned to type on my family’s old Apple II. I started off with these horribly cliché fantasy novels (and I do mean novels. I was much more prolific back then) and as my life view expanded, so did my concept of writing. It’s progressed from the need to imitate and “be like” my favorite authors to the urge to tell a story, or a feeling, or an image. There’s always something I’m trying to get at. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail, and sometimes I find something new.

TDD: How often do you write?
NB: Depends. Since getting published, I’ve done some writing every day. Before that, I would go weeks or months without touching a story and then write thousands of words in a night. Sometimes it spills out, sometimes I have to squeeze it. I’ve never felt pressured to write, so we’ll see what happens now that I’m published!

TDD: Do you plan on writing full time or will it just be a hobby of sorts for you?
NB: That’s really hard to say. Will writing be my only career path? Probably not. I’m also planning on being an actor and a research anthropologist, and maybe a linguist while I’m at it. Heh. My interests are way too varied for me to even think about a full-time career. Everything’s a hobby and everything’s my life. I’ve noticed that I start to suck when I get too serious about anything. I lose perspective, I lose that sense of fun. So writing will always be a hobby for me, because I couldn’t bear to make it un-fun. I wouldn’t mind it being a lucrative hobby, though!

TDD: Is there a certain place you like to write? The beach, the library, a comfy spot on the couch?
NB: I don’t have a laptop, and writing longhand is too slow for me in most cases, so no. I write in front of my desk. When I go off to college next fall, this all will change and I’m kind of worried about that. But I’m also not one for ritual. I love being torn away from my habits (usually that’s the only way I can kick ‘em), so college should produce some new and interesting effects on my writing.

TDD: What's your least favorite part of the writing process?
NB: A favorite English teacher of mine once said, “I don’t like writing. I like having written.” I don’t completely agree, but I will say this: writing is annoying. If the words aren’t flowing and the sentences aren’t interesting, my writing is crap. Usually I develop plots in the same way I develop sentences – spur-of-the-moment and randomly. If my sentences are lousy, so are my plots, and thus my stories. So my least favorite part would be getting in the mood. Because I don’t know how.

TDD: Do you have any works-in-progress you'd like to tell the readers about?
NB: Yes! I’ve just finished a story titled “A Shallow Warning”, which is nothing like anything I’ve ever written. It’s inspired by the author Kelly Link. It’s also probably the piece of fiction I’m most proud of, which is stupid because it’s almost incoherent. It’s magical realism and has the same basic moral center of “Number Theory”, but is much more complex. Hopefully you’ll see. I’m also co-writing a sort of supernatural novella with Andy Frankham-Allen that’s called “Through a Glass, Darkly We See”. Never co-written before, so that should be fun. And I’m tossing around a few more stories just for the heck of it. Oh, and a novel that I conceptualized with my best friend, but that’s years away from seeing the light of day. I hope you’ll check them all out when they hit!

TDD: Do you have anything else you'd like to tell the readers? (Contact info, upcoming books, exclusive website content, etc.)
NB: All I have to say is: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Getting published has been so strange and so rewarding. The responses I’ve gotten to “Number Theory” have blown my mind. I can’t express how appreciative I am for the support of Untreed Reads and, most importantly, anyone who reads my work. And thank you for having me!

If anyone would like to drop me a line, my email is lordcoweh@gmail.com (can you tell I wasn’t prepared for professional life?). I want to hear anything you have to say. No, really. I do.


Thank you so much for joining us, Noah! I wish you the best of luck with everything!


You can purchase Number Theory on Amazon.

Monday Mini Reviews - June 14

Welcome to our second Monday Mini Reviews! I've got five short stories to review this week, four of which are from my Study of Fiction course.

Stay tuned later this week for an interview with the author of Number Theory, Noah Bohdonoff.


Cathedral by Raymond Carver - 3/5 Stars
There wasn't really anything special about this one. It felt like the author was trying to portray a value or theme, but to me all I saw was a guy who likes to complain and smoke pot.





Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flanner O'Connor - 3/5 Stars
Another mediocre short story. I got the anti-racism theme for this one, but the story itself wasn't very likeable. I didn't really like either of the two main characters and if I wasn't reading this for a class, there wouldn't have been anything to keep me reading it.




The Conversion of the Jews by Philip Roth - 4/5 Stars
This was my favorite out of the three stories. It was very well written, had a clear moral and kept me interested! This is a story I'd highly recommend for those who are interested in literary fiction. Although it has a clear religious bias, it doesn't try to push the religion or smother you with it like some books do. It's a great book for younger readers as well since it teaches them to question things rather than blindly follow what others tell them and to think for themselves.



Number Theory by Noah Bogdonoff - 4/5 Stars
This was a cute piece of literary fiction. It was short and sweet with a little bit of m/m thrown in for flavor. It could've used some more details, but the author definitely has talent. I look forward to reading more from Noah.






The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie - 4/5 Stars
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was another literary fiction piece that I had to read for my Study of Fiction class. It has a clear theme (cultural identity) and is pretty easy to relate to, even for those who aren't part of an ethnic minority. It was also an interesting read that made you want to keep reading.

Amazon Links

At the bottom of some of my posts now you may see a link that says "You can purchase BOOKTITLE at Amazon.com." These are new links that are part of the "Amazon Associates" program. Each time someone buys a book through those links, I'll get a percentage of the sale. My goal for this program is to make some extra money to put into the blog for a domain name and a new, professional layout. I figured these links would be more relevant to my readers than just spamming the page with ads. (Plus, if you're not interested, you can easily ignore the link, unlike giant banner ads.)

If these links become a problem, please let me know and I'll take them down.