Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit and Giveaway: Leta Blake

We have the awesome Leta Blake visiting us today! Check out what she has to say about fire breathing dragons and the 'Jake Bass Phase' (<- Ha! I love this). Plus, enter to win an ebook copy from her backlist!

BMBR: What are your favorite M/M themes?
Leta: Well, I'm not sure these themes are m/m only, but I do enjoy them in m/m books as well as m/f books. I enjoy friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, and opposites-attract. Something I really want to see more of in m/m because it is a favorite trope of mine is "arranged-marriage-to-love" scenarios. That's pretty specific, isn't it? I've found maybe one or two like that, but I'd love more.

BMBR: What books do you consider Desert Island Keepers?
Leta: Oh, wow! *rubs hands together* Where to start! Let's make a list!

1) The Rifter Series by Ginn Hale. Absolutely would need to have this one with me on my desert island. And, if given enough time alone there, I have no doubt I'd scribble fanfiction for it in the sand.

2) The Administration Series by Manna Francis. Hopefully I won't be stranded on that desert island before books eight and nine come out! *bounces* Eeeee!

3) The Ganymede Quartet by Darrah Glass. Again, I'd have to time my shipwreck on the desert island to be after her release of the final books in the series. I'd be a mess if I was on a desert island with no access to the extra stories I know she's planning!

Basically, these are three series of books that left me playing with the characters in my head after I read them. That's a desert island read for me--a book that takes me on a journey past the pages themselves.

BMBR: The Rifter series! Oh yes!

What's your go-to tasty beverage?

Leta: Non-alcoholic? Club soda and lime. Alcoholic? I'm on a big Old Fashioned kick right now.

BMBR: Do you have any secret talents? Inquiring minds want to know.

Leta: I do a pretty good astrology reading, but it takes a lot of time and effort, so I don't do it much (at all) anymore.

BMBR: That's a pretty cool secret talent. *jealous*

If you had to choose to be one magical beast, what would it be and why? (you don't have to say unicorn...but we won't say neigh either) 

Leta: A fire-breathing dragon with a heart of gold. I'd use my flame to ward off intruders (but not actually roast them!) so that I could be alone with my dragon-sized typewriter to dash off romantic stories of gallant knights and their devoted squires. That fire-breathing thing would be super handy even in human-form, I tell you.

BMBR: Who's your favorite porn star?

Leta: Oooooh. Well, I'm a bit fickle and have a new one every few months, but I'm pretty into Colby Keller at the moment. He just really seems into it in all of his scenes, and a guy being into it is the sexiest part of porn for me. I've gone through the usual Jake Bass phase, too, and there was a Falcon guy whose name I never found out that was super hot as a top, but less hot as a bottom, and, alas, he started bottoming all the time. As far as straight porn goes, I'm going to be boring and say James Deen for basically the same reason that I like Colby Keller. He always seems super into it. Though there is a newish young guy I've seen in a few het porn scenes lately and he is unf-so-great, but since I only watch the free stuff, I've never discovered his name. When I do, I'll let you know. ;) 

BMBR: Jake Bass phase! Ha! Yes, I believe we have all experienced that at some point.

Do you have author envy? Whose words do you read and think, "GAH, I wish I wrote that!"?

Leta: Hmm. I think everyone experiences some form of author envy. Interestingly, my desert island reads don't really trigger author envy for me. Mainly because I know I will never write like that. Those kinds of stories don't show up in my head. I won't be writing some epic fantasy or sci-fi tale ever, ever, ever. I experience author envy less in the form of "GAH, I wish I wrote that!" and more about other author's time for writing. I have a great deal of envy for full-time authors, and especially those who are good at time management and crank out four to six books a year. I see some of those full-time writers with new release after new release and I just feel like I'll never catch up and never be able to make a real go at this writing thing because I just don't have the time. So, that's where my author envy comes from--a sense that these other people are so crazy-lucky to have tons of writing time...and I'm not. (At the same time, I need to acknowledge that I have a ton more writing time than some other folks, so I need to STFU, yo, and just write. :) )

BMBR: Any new projects you're currently working on? 

Leta: Yes! My next book, Smoky Mountain Dreams, is hopefully on track to come out in late November or early December. I'll have more news on that front shortly, I hope.  I'm working on a sequel to Training Season that I'd like to have out this spring, and then I've got a four book Coming of Age series with three books mostly complete and the fourth book to write. I hope to have the first book in that series out in Fall of 2015.   

BMBR: Training Season sequel, you say? EXCITED! <-ME.  

    

Thanks so much for visiting & chatting with us today, Leta! 

About Leta Blake:

While Leta Blake would love to tell you that writing transports her to worlds of magic and wonder and then safely returns her to a home of sparkling cleanliness and carefully folded laundry, the reality is a bit different. For as long as Leta can recall, stories have hijacked her mind, abducting her to other lands, and forcing her to bend to the will of imaginary people. This absence from reality results in piles of laundry and forgotten appointments. In between abductions, Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

 

Author Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

To enter to win an ebook copy of your choice from Leta Blake's backlist, please leave a comment on this blog post and let us know (1) your name and a means of contacting you (e.g., email, Twitter handle, link to Goodreads account, etc.) and (2) What are your Desert Island Keepers?

The giveaway is open until 10:00PM (Pacific time) on November 9th. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner whom we will select using a highly scientific "names in a hat" method (or, you know, an internet randomizer). Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner.

Thanks for celebrating with us and GOOD LUCK!