CONTEST HAS ENDED! SULA HAS WON! Email me at rhysford at vitaenoir dot com.

I have here today BJ Sheppard, author of The RAINBOW CONNECTION: Volume I. WOOOOT!

AND A GIVEAWAY. Leave a comment below and win a copy of BJ’s book! What is it about and who is BJ? I’ve got that for you too. Q&A and Excerpt follows the Blurb!

Contest ends August 2nd at 4 pm!

The Rainbow Connection by BJ Sheppard

Living a care-free party life-style, junior journalist and gay lifestyle reporter, Liam Adams thought he had it all; the money, the job, the endless supply of men in his bed. But when his work causes him to question the very foundation of the life he has built for himself, Liam finds certain areas are glaringly lacking. All it takes is one assignment to unravel the very fabric of his promiscuous antics, compounded by the arrival of a long-forgotten tryst. With the rusty screech of the mailroom guy’s trolley wheels, Liam lands head-first in the arms of something bigger; something more.

As the romance burgeons between Liam and the Mail-Manny of his dreams, each article he writes proves to uncover something new and never realized about himself, namely that all the one-night-stands in the world could never give him what he truly wants; love. In a slapstick commentary through the eyes of the world’s most hypersensitive journalist, watch as Liam’s story unfolds in the most ridiculous of fashions, leading him straight into the arms of love, via The Rainbow Connection.

BJ Q&A #1:

Hi, BJ, thanks so much for being here with us today. Why don’t we start out with you telling us a little bit about yourself?

Well, in all honesty, there is not much to say. I discovered post-its. Also, I am a Disney character. I was cursed by a gypsy in my younger years to never find love as penance for my dead, black heart. Luckily that ugly old crone didn’t bank on me becoming a writer. I make love in different ways.

How long did it take for your first book idea to actually become a book?

About a week, I would say. The first book I ever wrote was 78 thousand words long and my first draft was finished in a week. I subsequently re-wrote it four times and have only just pulled it out of the dusty annals where bad ideas go to die, but that was my first book.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, all the way. I give myself a vague idea of what I want to write, and then just sit down and zone out while the characters get their say. I’m pretty useless when the boys take over.

How would you describe your sense of humor? What makes you laugh?

Dark, sick and twisted. I laugh at everything. I once saw an old lady fall off a bus and I nearly pissed myself. So, I’m going to hell, but at least I’ll be laughing when I go.

And what makes you cry?

My tear ducts were surgically removed due to lack of use when I was 25. I cry no more. Except when I’m reading. That is completely the only thing that makes me spring a leak.

Do you have a favorite literary character? If so, who and why?

I have many. Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet. Who doesn’t love to hate the bad guy, right? Fanny from Mansfield Park. I loved most of Austen’s heroines actually. For the time, they were so powerfully written. And there are a few m/m romance genre one’s that I adore. Kyle and Brad, from the Foster High series by John Goode, both for different reasons. And Ben from Jay Bell’s Something Like stories.

What was the last book you read? (your own don’t count)

I have been reviewing for the last year, so I haven’t done a lot of “reading for fun” of late. The last book I willingly read however was Naked by David Sedaris. I love him very much, and think I’m going to have to try writing non-fiction someday just to see if I can.

Favorite word?

Bollocks

Least favorite word?

Normalcy – it’s not a real word. The word you are looking for is ‘normality’.

Do your characters ever up and take off without your consent and the best you can do is hang on and follow or do you keep tight control over them?

Liam is always dragging me places I don’t want to go. I had to take a three month break from writing part 4 of this series because the lot of them were writing a story I didn’t plan and didn’t want to write. But they got their way and now I have to figure out how to get them out of the supreme clusterfuck they just got themselves into.

If you could write a letter to your 18 year old self, what would you say?

Wait before you have sex. That guy has a really weird dick and it will not be a good or lengthy experience. Also I’d tell myself to get over my issues and start writing gay fiction.

What costume would you wear that would truly show your hidden personality?

Just my socks and a smile.

In no more than two sentences, can you describe yourself to a complete stranger?

No. No I’m not sure I could. I’m likely just to yell “RUN!” at them until they flee from me.

What is the most sentimental thing someone gave you that you cherish to this day?

I have this little stuffed wolf toy that an ex gave me. I used to call the guy “wolfy” because he was all hairy and had a killer smile, and so he brought me this toy as a joke at Christmas. I told him it was going to be the guardian of the books and even five years after the fact, the little guy still sits on my bookshelf.

What is the perfect writing atmosphere for you?

Silence. Total silence. Table. Comfy chair. My arm hooked up to a caffeine drip.

Would you like to tell us a little bit about your current WIP?

I’m currently trying my hand at crime writing. It’s a novel called “All About Jack” that is a crime/mystery/horror with a central gay love story. It’s going to be a bit like ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, except good. There are many more stories in the pipeline, and the back end of this year looks to be replete with releases, so keep your eyes peeled.

Where can our readers find you on the web?

X-tube mostly. Or follow the links below.

Links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bjsheppardauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/insightoutblog

Email: insightoutblog@gmail.com

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BJSheppard

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7388660.B_J_Sheppard

Continue reading “BJ Sheppard is Here! With a Tour Stop and A Giveaway!” →