Q&A with Dani Alexander (byo FBS!)

September 6, 2013 by Pip

Serious fangirl moment here – Dani Alexander must be one of the best loved authors going, so I am beyond delighted to have him stop over and chat!! Hi Dani, thanks so much for popping over to LYLBTB to answer some questions!!

Best Loved *snort* This is the part where I crawl under my hat and hide the blushing. Blushing always makes me feel like I’m starring in a YA novel. But I’m really glad to be here and, blushing or not, it makes me feel 10 feet high that you invited me!

Okay.. let’s get to it..

First up – how are you feeling? You amaze me so often with your openness and your direct approach to everything, so this …. we can call it an “inconvenience” 😛 has been no different.

The Big C thing?

Most people get weird when the word chemo/cancer is mentioned. Their first instinct is sympathy. I tend not to talk about it because of that. I’m probably different than most people in that I don’t want to talk about it, but if I have to, I just want to talk about it clinically. Just the facts. No emotion!

I’m feeling frustrated that my writing time is interfered with? I’m annoyed. Yeah, that’s it. Cancer has annoyed me.

Are you doing any writing? Or do feel too ill most of the time?

I get 10 days out of every month (between chemo sessions) where I feel 100% me(read: my brainworks properly). I try to write during those times.

Is it callous to ask if there is any idea of timescale for “Not So Innocent”? Not that timescales count one jot… as I will still be waiting patiently for whenever we do get the book ❤

NO! Not callous at all. I love it when people don’t treat me differently. I love it that people forget I have crappy stuff going on. It makes me forget that I have crappy stuff going on!

If I had to wish for a timeline, it would be released before the end of the year. I have a new chemo treatment next round, they say it’s a lot easier to deal with. I hope I’ll be writing more then. That’s my wish, but I think it’s more likely the beginning of next year.

Do you ever pinch yourself, still? At the huge amount of success you had with “Shattered Glass”? It is still one of my favourite reads, and as a first book – mind blowing!!

Thank you. I pinch myself all the time. I still reel when I get mail from people who tell me they love it. It’s not hard for me to love my characters, but I’m always surprised other people feel as strongly about them as I do. Getting validated for doing what you love is also the coolest thing in the universe.

People often go on about covers – and in all honesty ebook covers are really not all that important – but… if I had never seen your/MY cover for “Shatterproof” then it could have taken a lot longer for me to discover “Shattered Glass”. It totally grabbed me!! How is MY cover? Still THE cover for Darryl’s book? 😛

Darryl’s cover will be changing, there’s no doubt about it, but I don’t think the changes will be as drastic as you’re worried about =D. The problem with that cover is that it lies. It makes it seem like this will be a soft romance and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Darryl is by far my most violent character-and that includes the bad guys—his cover should reflect what happens with his book. But I am in love with the colors of the current one lol, so I get why you’re fretting. I hope the next one grabs you as well.  Barb – *nods head and gulps* at thought of that! YUM!

Let’s talk about chapter names – Fucking Bunny Slippers specifically – how do you come up with them? And have you been surprised at the huge amount of impact the bunny slippers have made? *cough* just wait for GRL *cough* Will the fun chapter names be a theme for all the books in this series?

The chapter names were part of Austin’s character. As he told his story, the scenes would come in giant captions in my head. They were unique to his POV and, no, they won’t be in the next story.

I am surprised by the bunny slippers. To me they were Austin’s way of avoiding his sexual attraction. It had to be the bunny slippers! Not that he was gay and looking at a guy! LOL But they are also our one clue that Peter is not the cold and mean person we meet at first, so they’re quite dear to me and I have a pair as well. I can’t wait to see GRL pics =D I’m gonna print them out and hang them on my wall! (You’ve been warned)

How is hubby coping? Last time we spoke he was going back to college (I think o.O). Can you tell us how you met? And where – USA or Sweden(?) was it love/lust/gonna-jump-him-NOW!! at first sight?

The hubby is a trooper. He’s my rock. Most people don’t know how much he helps with my writing, but he sits for hours with me discussing my obsession with plot holes. It gets very frustrating for him because I pull apart Every. Single. Detail. If I find one plot hole, I start over. It can’t be easy dealing with me. *grin*

He is going back to school. This is his last year, though \o/. We met online gaming. Way back in 2001? 2002? In a game called Everquest. I think it was love at first sight. It’s difficult to say because I’m not sure we talked much for the first 10 days we were together…

Was it an easy decision to live with him in Europe? Or do you miss the States? I married a foreigner – and whilst I love him and have been happy with the life we have lead – I do sometimes wonder if it would have all been easier had I married a local boy.

Super easy. I love Sweden and the life here, even though I complain nonstop about the cold. Having a future with a chance for marriage, should our kids be gay, free healthcare, free schooling? It was a no brainer for me.

Who wants easy? =) Easy is boring. You wouldn’t’ want easy, Barb! =D That’s why you like Shattered Glass, I’ll bet. And why you liked ICoS. Nothing is easy for those characters.

If you could pick any author out there to write a collaborative story with – who would it be?

I know everyone expects me to say someone in m/m but Jonathan Kellerman. I would love to be able to write something that included his character Milo. For those that don’t know, Milo is a major character in his books and Milo is gay. He’s the most amazing character to me.

Do you read m/m yourself? Since starting reading m/m a couple of years ago het just doesn’t feature on my kindle at all.

I haven’t read het romance since I was 15(?), but I do read some m/m. I’m not sure there’s anything by Aleksandr Voinov or Josh Lanyon that I haven’t read. I read Sara Alva, most of Kate Sherwood, Mercy Celeste, Mary Calmes and RJ Scott. Oh and all the Cut & Run series(F&C twice). I read ICoS, and I have a ton of other original slash stuff that I’ve read. Too much to count. I spent a lot of time on The Slash Pile over on Livejournal. I’ve read most of the stuff there.

My het is also limited to murder mysteries and thrillers. Jonathan Kellerman of course and Cody McFadyen are autobuys for me.

I don’t shun het romance, I just find most of the heroines too…spongy? Give me a kickass heroine and I’ll read het. I just dislike the way most women are portrayed in a lot of het stuff. I just realized I read a het book. Kate had one out last year and I read that. So one book.

Do you feel any pressure after the huge success you had with SG

YES. Omg such pressure. It terrifies me and it’s put some blocks to my writing up. I definitely have a lot of stage fright.

Are there any crazies (not me. Obviously. ) who pressure you for next book?

No hah, most people are really cool and funny about it. I’m so glad they’re patient and kind about everything. There are people who kick my butt in gear though, and that’s great. My husband is one of them. Kate from GR is another. They’re good for me because they don’t see “cancer” they see “writer”. I get limited time for excuses =D.

And this is tricky as I don’t want to be pushy or too personal but – if you want to share any of the cancer story. How did you find it? How much longer for treatment? What type of cancer?

The only thing of importance I have to say is: Men and women should both be doing shower examinations. Every day. If you find a lump, go in immediately.

As for treatment, I should be done by the end of November with everything. But I have a month of nothing in October. FREEEEEEEEDOM!

And to end with… a quick little bit of nonsense

Q U I C K F I R E   R O U N D :

Wine or Beer

Wine. Sweet wine.

Tea or coffee

Coffee.

Boxers or briefs

Both boxers and briefs.

What is the last song you listened to?

Not a song, but the Final Fantasy XXIV soundtrack lol.

What was the last movie you watched?

Star Trek Into Darkness. It was the first time I’d ever seen anything Star Trek and it was amazing. Barb – *nods head* Awesome!! I’m a Cumberbitch!

****

Thanks so much to Dani for stopping by! In lieu of hugs … (((grins’n’nods galore)))

A U T H O R   L I N K S

slashfiction.org ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook 

A male prostitute, a mangy cat, a murder and a maniacal mix-up that threatens his career, his impending marriage and his life. Nothing is going as planned for Austin Glass.

Austin — seems to have it all. At least on the surface. A loving fiancee. A future with the FBI and a healthy sized trust fund. He also has a grin and a wisecrack for every situation. But the smile he presents to everyone hides a painful past he’s buried too deeply to remember. And his quips mask bitterness and insecurity. Austin has himself and most of the whole world fooled. Until he meets someone who immediately sees him better than he sees himself.

As events unfold and Austin’s world unravels, he finds himself pushed into making quick life-changing decisions. But can he trust Peter or what’s happening between them when each meeting seems to be just a series of volatile reactions?

 

 

Post navigation

← The “L” Bomb

Cast Off →