Thank you so much, Michael, for having me over to visit.

I have a giveaway for your readers.

I’ll choose two winners. One random commenter will win an ebook copy of Tarnished Gold or For Men Like Us and I’m offering to send swag to anyone who’d like it. U.S. only please.

 Writing Characters Readers Can Relate To

This topic is interesting to me because it is something I’m not particularly conscious of when I read gay romance. As a woman, gay romance doesn’t offer me like characters, and while het romance does, I don’t very often read or write het. Why? I enjoy reading and writing gay romance more.

In writing all male characters, I have to dig deep and explore my knowledge of men. What appeals to me? What makes male characters real for me?

Dialogue brings a character to life, but the words have to be realistic. Most guys aren’t gushy and overly emotional. They don’t notice their surroundings in detail, they don’t cry unless something touches them deeply, and then many men are guarded.

An author must factor these traits into their portrayal. If the character is emo, make that a part of their personality. Show that to the reader. If they are stoic, demonstrate that as well, in action, not it a telling fashion.

I prefer older characters – mid to late thirties and older. Why? The answer is simple – I’m older and anything younger gives me a squicky feeling. I have a son, sons-in-law, and a grandson. I don’t relate to the romantic machinations of twenty-somethings, or college-age men. I like my guys with some silver on the roof.

In writing Tarnished Souls: Frankie and Gent, I took a risk in writing with two late-thirties gangsters. From the moment Frankie hijacked my book by telling me Tarnished Souls was his story, I dithered about the how to make Frankie and Gent sympathetic and yet maintain the integrity of their gangsterness. No small undertaking.

In the end, I chose to have them act as they will in any given situation, while they, in the more quiet times, reveal their innate selves. No, we don’t have highly romantic gangsters here.

The story takes place over a tense three days, during which things happen that force Gent and Frankie to act in not terribly flattering ways.

We can all relate to those times in our lives, when we have to fight back against that which threatens us.

I couldn’t write these two guys as touchy-feely men – they aren’t. They feel, of course, but they don’t wear their hearts anywhere close to their sleeves. They take what they want, consensually, and do it in a way that I think is sexy.

I ask readers to peel away Frankie and Gent’s mobster veneer and see them as the men they are. What would you do to survive? Are there any lengths you wouldn’t go? Would you protect yours at all costs?

Tarnished Souls: Frankie and Gent:

Hollywood’s Golden Age is not all glitz and glamour. Mob boss Frankie Monetti controls the unions and the studios, which makes him and the syndicate very rich. But after five years, Frankie runs afoul of the law and those who put him in power.

Primo hit man, and Frankie’s lifelong friend, Arvin “Gent” Vitali, goes west with orders to clean up the mess and then bring Frankie back to New York to answer for his double cross. But as the noose closes tighter around Frankie’s neck, Gent questions where his loyalty truly lies. Is business just business or is freedom worth the risk? 

Purchase Tarnished Souls: Frankie and Gent

 

 

Schedule for Tarnished Souls: Frankie and Gent Blog Tour

November 14 –The Rainbow Studio – Author Interview

November 18 – Dreamspinner Press Blog – Writing Sympathetic Gangsters, Gangster Slang, and Mobster Loyalty

November 18 –Brita Addams – excerpt from Tarnished Souls.

November 19 –Sid Love – Getting to Know Frankie and Gent

November 20 –Joyfully Jay – Research for the Tarnished series

November 21 –You Gotta Read – Author Interview

November 25 –Jacob Flores – Generla information re: Tarnished Series

November 26 –The Novel Approach – My Lifelong Love of Hollywood

I’ve issued the prizes for the above stops, but I invite you to visit those blogs and read the other posts on this tour.

December 3 – J.P. Barnaby – The Romance Novel Formula

December 4 – Lynley Wayne – Writing a Continuous Series

December 5 –Michael Rupured – Writing Characters Readers Can Relate To