My pal Nica Berry has had a couple of new books out since the last time she visited, and today she's joining us to tell us about them, as well as to share her thoughts on writing m/m. Welcome Nica!
(Note: In consideration for #Amazonfail, Loose Id, Nica's publisher, is offering 10% off all lgbt titles through the end of today.)
Thank you to all for stopping by today, and thank you to my good friend
Jessica for inviting me back to celebrate the release of my newest
novel from Loose Id, NORTHERN LOVE.
And, perhaps, to prove an exception to a prevalent belief—that M/M is
written largely by straight women for straight women. True, the
majority is; it seems a lot of ladies enjoy the idea of two hot guys
doing it. Me, I admire guys from a more artistic point of view. I
like to look at the pretty ones because, well, they’re pretty. But
beyond that? I’d rather take home a cute girl.
So why does a queer girl read and write M/M? For several of the same reasons straight ones do. I like to read to escape my world; I’d rather visit someone, somewhere else when I write, too. And writing M/M gets rid of those pesky power dynamics and all of the gender stereotypes when both sexes interact. I’m not interested in girl issues; or, at least, I haven’t read about or found a way to write women in a way that satisfies me. So I write guys, and I like them vulnerable, cracked, and hiding deep, dark secrets.
I confess to being a psychology junkie. I’ve checked out piles of books on multiple personalities, autism, PTSD, personality disorders, and whatever else I can find in the psychology aisle at the library. I like to know what makes people act the way they do, and a lot of it shows up in my books. My two most recent releases play with several sexual and psychological dynamics not limited to domination and submission, grief, regret and anger, and learning to accept and return love while being true to oneself.
Loose Id calls NORTHERN LOVE a shape-shifter fantasy paranormal. I call it M/M/M steampunk—that is, fantasy in a steam-powered Victorian-era setting—which moves to the frozen north as Jerek, reeling from his lover Emmanuel’s betrayal, sets off in search of the fabled Ice Citadel. He finds it along with mute, shape-shifting Piaktok, who teaches him more about love than he could have imagined. But when snow-blind Emmanuel tracks him down and earns Piaktok’s sympathy and intimate attentions, Jerek’s jealousy risks both his new homeland and the lives of the men he loves.
I was lucky, in that I had so much fun writing this one that it came out fairly easily.
I couldn’t have asked for better covers than the fantastic ones done by Anne Cain, who managed to capture the characters and feel of the books exactly. Feel free to visit me online at www.orossy.com/nicaberry. And as an added treat, here’s an excerpt from NORTHERN LOVE, out now!
* * * * *
The scent of fish sizzling in a pan brought Jerek out of a strange, twisted dream in which he’d been chained again and Emmanuel had laughed and laughed. Dreaming of him brought back
So why does a queer girl read and write M/M? For several of the same reasons straight ones do. I like to read to escape my world; I’d rather visit someone, somewhere else when I write, too. And writing M/M gets rid of those pesky power dynamics and all of the gender stereotypes when both sexes interact. I’m not interested in girl issues; or, at least, I haven’t read about or found a way to write women in a way that satisfies me. So I write guys, and I like them vulnerable, cracked, and hiding deep, dark secrets.
I confess to being a psychology junkie. I’ve checked out piles of books on multiple personalities, autism, PTSD, personality disorders, and whatever else I can find in the psychology aisle at the library. I like to know what makes people act the way they do, and a lot of it shows up in my books. My two most recent releases play with several sexual and psychological dynamics not limited to domination and submission, grief, regret and anger, and learning to accept and return love while being true to oneself.
Loose Id calls NORTHERN LOVE a shape-shifter fantasy paranormal. I call it M/M/M steampunk—that is, fantasy in a steam-powered Victorian-era setting—which moves to the frozen north as Jerek, reeling from his lover Emmanuel’s betrayal, sets off in search of the fabled Ice Citadel. He finds it along with mute, shape-shifting Piaktok, who teaches him more about love than he could have imagined. But when snow-blind Emmanuel tracks him down and earns Piaktok’s sympathy and intimate attentions, Jerek’s jealousy risks both his new homeland and the lives of the men he loves.
I couldn’t have asked for better covers than the fantastic ones done by Anne Cain, who managed to capture the characters and feel of the books exactly. Feel free to visit me online at www.orossy.com/nicaberry. And as an added treat, here’s an excerpt from NORTHERN LOVE, out now!
* * * * *
The scent of fish sizzling in a pan brought Jerek out of a strange, twisted dream in which he’d been chained again and Emmanuel had laughed and laughed. Dreaming of him brought back
