Taylor V Donovan : Six Degrees of Q&A

June 1, 2013 by Pip

Taylor, thank you sooooo much for stopping by at LYLBTB, I am beyond excited to read the next book in your By Degrees Series, “Six Degrees of Separation”…. although the title does make me a bit nervous!  Mac and Sam, well the entire ensemble cast is just wonderful!!

Thank you so much to LYLBTB for having me, and also to Whit for her fantastic review of Six Degrees of Lust. But please, relax. There’s nothing to be nervous about. I wouldn’t dare throw any curve balls. Six Degrees of Separation is just a title, you know? *g* And thank you again! I’m very fond of the By Degrees, cast, if I say so myself. 🙂

Okay.. let’s get to it..

You decided to go the self publishing route for “Six Degrees of Separation” – can you tell us why? And was that a really difficult decision? Are you excited, terrified, anxious? Or all of the above? 

 It was an extremely difficult decision that I made with my “By Degrees” readers in mind, and I am… all of the above. LOL

As some of you may already know, 2012 was a difficult year for me. I had to take time off to focus on my personal life, and the writing schedule suffered as a result. Once I was able to get back on the saddle I had to choose between working with my publisher, and acquiring freelance editors that were able to work on the manuscript at a faster speed. Making Six Degrees of Separation available to my readers sooner rather than later felt right to me. 🙂

Do you have an official date for the release of “Six Degrees of Separation”?

I will announce the exact date as we get closer, but I can tell you it’ll be late August. 🙂

I know when I started Book 1, “Six Degrees of Lust”, I saw your warning about this being an ensemble cast with a serial feel to the books, NOT a neat HEA in each book- so I was prepared. Kinda. Did it piss you off the reaction some people had to the ending? (btw I LOVED the ending to Lust, with Mac laying out his own rules!)

No, it didn’t bother me. I knew going in that I was taking a risk, and the reactions to the book would be mixed.  Six Degrees of Lust is different in many ways, and it is impossible to please everyone. I’m very happy that the book has stirred so many emotions. Readers either loved or hated Six Degrees of Lust, but no one seemed to remain indifferent to it. That’s a good thing. 

That date that Sam set up for Mac in book 1 is one of, if not, THE most romantic thing I have ever read. It was just beautiful. BUT… when does Sam have to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak? You know what I mean… the way he plans to prove he is not a wuss 😛

Sam is a romantic at heart, and more than ready to put his money where his mouth is. But Mac wasn’t. You’ll have to read Six Degrees of Separation to find out why 😉

How many books do you have planned for the series?

Six in total, plus several related novellas and shorts. Eventually, when the time is right, I’ll write a full novel again. It’ll be Nicky’s book, but he needs time to grow up.

I honestly visualize your study as having a wall covered in post-its linking all the plot lines and characters! Have you plotted out everything? Or is there still some stuff you are working on? As I have told you before…. I even kept notes while reading LOL

I usually do one-line chapter outlines. As in “Sandy has a meltdown”, or “Sam and Mac get together, Sam has to eat crow”. But if I’m writing a team session chapter or scene, then I take the time to outline it carefully, as I need to do research to back up everything they say. No posts-its all over the wall, though. It’s everything in my head 🙂

I started writing Six Degrees of Lust thinking it wouldn’t go anywhere, but three chapters into it I realized I had something, and took a step back to think carefully about it. A few days later I had everything plotted out. The serial killer arc, the relationships, the pairings… everything. Six Degrees of Lust happened according to plan, but I got a few surprises when I started working on Six Degrees of Separation. Some of the characters demanded I let them choose their own path, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. 🙂

There are sooooo many things I absolutely have to know; even though I know you can’t/won’t spill the beans… I just want to table them here… these are some of the questions I have in my notebook  :

• I want to know more about Gabi and Sam, and exactly what happened.
• I want to know what the connection with Christian and the murders is … is he the little lamb?
• When is Sam going to prove his “un-wussiness”…. yes…. I have asked this before 😛
• Is Sasha involved in the death of Landon’s wife?
• Sam calling Mac “kitten” is just too cute! I love that this big tough guy uses such a sweet endearment. OK. So that wasn’t a question, but still.

TAYLOR:

• You’ll get your answer in Six Degrees of Separation.
• Six Degrees of Separation!
• As soon as Mac is ready for it. *g*
• Six Degrees of Separation…
• Sam’s middle name should be “Denial”, right? *g*

I heard that you took some flak from some quarters about Sasha, and how young he is – was that true? I love the whole set up with Nicky and his realization about his own sexuality, and am really hoping that eventually these 2 get their own book.

It’s true. Some people particularly found Christian’s interest in Sasha troubling, and even called it paedophilic. That Christian is an artist and photographer, and his interest in Sasha is entirely professional was lost to them.

 Sasha and Nicky will get their own story, but like I said before, they have some growing up to do first. 🙂

Talking of which …  any hints for subsequent hook-ups? Gotta tell you I was ‘shipping  for Christian and Logan BIG time L not to say I don’t like Remy… but Logan needs to get some lovin’…. Braxton? Mebbe??

Logan mainly likes older guys… and some other not-so-conventional things. Christian was never the man for him.

Do you ever think – “What the heck was I thinking??” – when you started the By Degrees Series. As a reader I am amazed at the literary web you have weaved.

Thanks! I never think that, but I’m amazed I came up with it. You do know Six Degrees of Lust is the first thing I ever wrote, right? LOL

 So what is up next for you? Disasterology 101? When is that due out and can you tell us anything to whet our appetites?

Disasterology 101 will release on July 12^th, and I’ve got to say, it is a story that’s very near and dear to my heart. A work of love. Cedric, one of the mc’s, has obsessive compulsive disorder, and his condition (plus the way it limits his daily routine) is thoroughly explored throughout the story. There’s no magic cure for him. No miracles. It’s all about dealing, doing everything he can to get better, and finding a person who will love him enough to “put up” with it all. Kevin, the other mc, has his own set of issues, but he’s also the perfect guy. 🙂

I just read Heatstroke from the m/m Gooreads group  “Hot Summer Days” event – Taylor, it was simply beautiful! 5 Stars all the way!! Do you have another one coming up this year? And what is a brief synopsis of your story?

Heatstroke is such a special story to me, and I’m thrilled you liked it. Thank you so much!

I’m writing another free story for the Love Has No Boundaries event this year, but due to lack of time, it’ll be divided in two parts. “Capital Loss” is the title of the first part, an interlude about an investment banker who loses everything during the financial crisis of 2008, and I’ll release “Fixed Assets” later this year. It’ll be a novella with the same protagonist recovering, finding his way, and realizing what’s really valuable in life.

So you write m/m; but do you also read m/m? I personally am relatively new to this genre but it now totally dominates my reading – the only het series I still read is the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series – and now that Qhuay are done I may let that series slide too. Only time will tell.

I mainly read m/m romance, but tend to stay away from stories with similar characters or story arcs to the ones I work on.

In the past three years I’ve only made exceptions to read new installments on series I love, such as the BDB, Lords of the Underworld, Warriors of Poseidon, and Immortals After Dark.

Q U I C K F I R E   R O U N D :

Biggest treat – breakfast in bed or dinner out? 

Breakfast in bed.

Wine or beer? 

Wine if I must. Not a drinker at all. 🙂

Tea or Coffee? 

Coffee.

Cat person or dog person? 

Dogs!

S I X   D E G R E E S   O F   S E P A R A T I O N :

In the sequel to Six Degrees of Lust, F.B.I. team leader Samuel Shaughnessy and bar manager Machlan O’Bannon are exploring a new phase in their non-relationship. The intention is to take it slowly but power plays are still their favorite activity, and it isn’t long before lines begin blurring. After ending their friends with benefits agreement no rules are left in place to guide them, and soon enough the only thing that’s clear is that neither man is fighting hard enough to re-establish the boundaries.

Their particular situations haven’t improved in the three months since their first encounter. Sam is still focused on his immediate family issues, and everything indicates Mac will have to go to war with his own family before he can reclaim his freedom. The last thing they need is additional complications.

But when the opening of a night club brings Mac to New York City and a break in the Leviticus investigation leads Sam to Houston, they discover how closely their worlds have been connected from the very beginning. Hiding from the life-altering collision is not an option. Will they take the easier road and go their separate ways, or will they come to terms with their past and take a chance on each other?

 

Author Links:

taylordonovan.com ~ Goodreads ~ Google+ ~ Amazon ~ Facebook 

Thanks again Taylor for stopping by, best of luck with your new release – and watch out…. cos we will be stalking you at GRL! In the nicest possible way. Of course.

Thank you again for having me, and please, stalk away. I’m looking forward to meeting you all. 🙂

For a chance to win an e-copy of “Six Degrees of Lust” all you need to do is comment! and you’re in the draw!

 

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