Sam and Aaron : A Men of Smithfield Blog Stop!

June 16, 2014 by Pip

Today we are thrilled to have L.B. Gregg stop by and chat a bit about her Men of Smithfield, as well as a bit about Ce and Dan – she has also brought a great giveaway (details below) so be sure to comment!

Hi LB!! Thanks so much for stopping by! I have been wanting to chat to you for ages!! Finally I got my act together 🙂

LB: I haven’t helped by being out of touch for weeks at a time and for being down to the wire with this. I’ve been away! Actually… I’m still away. Thank you for your patience. I’m delighted to chat!

So… firstly Smithfield. Was it exciting to have all the books undergo a makeover? Did you change much or anything (apart from the LOVELY covers) by re-editing? The end of Seth & David seemed a bit different. In a good way.

LB : The ending of Seth and David definitely improved. I saw what it needed the second time round and happily took the opportunity. All four original books received a bit of a facelift – I cleaned them up and strengthened the writing. and Carina came up with a new cover concept. The new titles were also the work of the publisher. It may have initially confused some folks, but I think Smithfield has become more cohesive.

These books are such great examples of the art of a short story, were they your first published works?

LB : Mark and Tony was the first story I ever wrote and I owe a huge thank you to my pal Josh for daring me to write that book. And my friends CJ and Tumperkin offered more than encouragement – they offered their unflinching opinion. I do prefer novellas to full length books, it’s true. My style is very fast paced, with lots of dialog, and each story is told from a single POV in first person. I’m consistent. Just not in, you know, releasing books with any urgency. 😛

Your blog site “Nose in a Book” – am I right in thinking it was a forerunner in the m/m review site stakes? And was writing your own books always in your mind?

LB : In 2007, there were only a few of us reviewing m/m books — that I knew of — and I only reviewed for a short time. I kept things fun and fresh and silly. The m/m community was very small. I swear I knew everyone back then. I think Goodreads existed but I didn’t play on that swing set. There were only a handful of us in bloglandia talking about m/m really, and because I read and reviewed across all romance sub genres, I had a diverse audience. But I was a small fish. Still am.

I remember reading somewhere that it was you, actually your friend, that originally coined the term “Fanyon” …. if only you could have patented that brand name LOL Was Josh a key element in your fledgling writing career?

LB : The ever clever Carolyn Crane, now a Rita Award Nominee, is totally responsible for that name. (I called her CJ earlier). She and Joanna Chambers (aka Tumperkin) were my CP’s for Mark and Tony, Seth and David, and Max and Finn. We were blog buddies, and those two ladies provided encouragement and tough love. I adore them. Carolyn branded the new fans of Lanyon — who even then were pretty fierce — Fanyons. The name appears to have stuck.

And yes. Josh has been key. Josh, and Mr Darcy, and wine.

In the Smithfield books, as well as with the delicious Dirty Dan in “Roman and Albright”, you sure do write some steamy scenes!! HAWT!! Are they difficult to write? And do you work back from them or put them off til the end?

LB : They are difficult for me because writing is hard in general. I rewrite and rewrite, working from beginning to end. Sometimes, scenes come to me pretty quickly. The first love scene in Catch Me If You Can was inspired. I had no idea Dan would behave as he did, until halfway through. It just wasn’t working until he took control.

Following on from the previous question.. kinda… one of my abiding memories of  Mark & Tony was the fight scene. I hated reading it. Loved the book – but hate violence. Was that a difficult part to write?

LB : Not really. The hard stuff seems to flow for me, maybe because I know where I’m going to start. I prefer writing scenes with strong emotional content, even though those can be difficult for people to read.

If you absolutely had to.. could you choose a favourite individual character from Smithfield; as well as favourite couple? As the reviews showed… Seth, for me, is top dog. Totally. And yes.. there is possible a play on words there. 😛

LB : I love the way Adam and Holden balance each other. Holden’s POV came so naturally, I realized he came from a part of me. Maybe it’s the smart-ass inside me? And Adam endeared himself to me through his quiet strength. I had to revisit Adam in this new because he’s my favorite.

What can you tell us about Sam and Aaron? And will there be any appearance of characters from any of the previous books?

LB : I can tell you that there are a lot of familiar faces and places in the new Smithfield. Sam Meyers boring life as an innkeeper is about to take an exciting turn when a mysterious stranger shows up in town and rocks Sam’s world. 🙂

Will this be the final Smithfield book?

LB : Not if my editor has anything to say about it. She’s already asked for the next one. YIKES! … and a YAY from me!! 😀

Detouring out of Smithfield for a second – let’s talk the Cornwall Novellas: do you have more planned?

LB : I’m not sure. Ask me again next spring! I have plans to release a novella in November with Riptide in their new Bluewater Bay series, and I should have a little something in December. See how I lead right into your next question? …. 

It being … is Christmas your favourite holiday? Because I have to say – you are the Christmas Story Queen!! Second to none. I reckon Caleb (from “Mistletoe at Midnight”) is my favourite. As I think I have told you. Once or twice. Is there a Christmas story in the offing this year? (please say yes!!)

LB : Count on a short for Christmas this year — hopefully that will be announced in August. 😀 I have to get this other stuff done first!

The Christmas Coda you wrote for Ce and Dan was one of the busiest posts over our Advent event – it still gets hits!! So, not a question there – just a big thanks for that !

LB : Wow! And thanks for inviting me to play along with everyone last year.

Before we wind it up with a typical Quickfire Q&A, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask just one itty bitty question about Ce and Dan… how are the boys? Will be seeing them again any time soon? And do you have a set number of books set out for this awesome series?

LB : I keep promising Ce and Dan, but when I sit down to work on the story, something else always comes up!

QUICKFIRE ROUND – the LB way 😀

We put an LB twist to this….we (okay I) live vicariously through your wonderful overseas trips so I have added a little bit of an international flair … mixed in with the usual questions I want to know the name of the country whose Airport I list – and if you have been there. J

Red wine or White wine? LB : Depends! Which red? What white? Is it hot or cold out? Can I choose rose?

Schiphol Airport – LB : Holland, and yes I have been there.

Tea or coffee? LB : Oh My God. Coffee.

Tan Son Nhat Airport – LB : Vietnam. YES!!

Cats or Dogs? LB : Dogs. Beagles.

OR Tambo International Airport – LB : South Africa. Nope. I had to look that one up.

Summer or winter? LB : All. I love every season, just not in excess.

Guarulhos International Airport – LB : Brazil. Not yet. These were hard!!

Thanks so much, once more, for stopping by LB – the very best of luck with your new release and all subsequent books! And as a last question to sneak in…. Lance wants to know if he can move to Smithfield?

LB : Didn’t he just move out of Smithfield???

About the Author

L.B. Gregg (Lisabea) began writing in the spring of 2008 at the encouragement of friends and family. She never looked back.

L.B. is passionate about travel, wine, skiing, biking, visiting friends, reading, writing, and all things New England. She hates to cook; she loves to eat; and she enjoys container gardening. L.B. lives†in the rolling Connecticut hills with a lazy dog, three above-average children, and a smoking hot husband who, thank the Lord, loves to cook.

You can also find LB at :

  

LB has kindly offered up a prize to one lucky commenter – the Contemporary Male/Male Romance Box Set from Carina,  featuring storied by L.B. Gregg, Josh Lanyon, K.C. Burn and Libby Drew. All you have to do is comment. The winner will be announced next week.

Good Luck! And thanks for stopping by!

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