GIVEAWAY #3: S. L. DANIELSON (CLOSED)

The Blog of Sid Love is hosting a giveaway event for the readers and fans. This is your chance to win some ebooks for FREE – written by some well known M/M authors! The event began on 15th April, 2013 featuring our first two authors on each day after, “Lee Brazil”, “Sue Brown” and their books and this will go on till 30th April. The blog will feature not one, not two but 11 authors ready to make the month of April, quite amazing for you!

LEE BRAZIL’s giveaway contest is still on: GIVEAWAY #1
And so is SUE BROWN’s giveaway: GIVEAWAY #2

Our featured author today is the prolific S. L. Danielson! I used this event as an opportunity to get her talking for our blog.

Here is an exclusive interview with her, where she talks of her books, collaborations and RFP. Also, she reveals the treasure box for the readers that is filled with her amazing books! She is being generous today and is gonna let one of you have a copy of a few for free…

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Welcome to The Blog of Sid Love, Ms. Danielson. It is an honor to have you here

Thanks, Sid! Great to be here! Hey, great place you have. 🙂 Love the decor.

Thank you, Steph. I designed it all myself. So, let’s start shall we?

Fire away.

Steph, you have been writing for so long, some of your works are solo, some in collaboration with other authors. Which one has been more fun to you?

Up until recently I’d have said that the solo works were the most enjoyable; I worked at my own pace, my own time, etc. But of late, especially the past year, when I met Nephylim and we discussed a possible collaboration of our own.  I’d done them before and it was fine, but you do have another person’s ideas, timelines, etc to consider. But when Nephy and I began; it was like a flood wall had broken loose and we went with every whim, desire, plot twist, etc we could imagine. It has been wonderful! So much so, we have written 11 books together so far in a year’s time. 🙂 So definitely, collaboration; but I do want to do solo works again as well.

Of course, it is all about the rapport you build with the other author. A kind of chemistry that just gets linked in, don’t you think?

Absolutely. I had a good relationship with my other co-author as well; but Nephy and I just cut loose and didn’t adhere to too many rules. Naturally we cleaned it up later; but it was like gifts being opened by children Christmas morning; no holds barred. We picked it up later on and tightened the tales.

That’s great, Steph. But not getting too much into your collaborations, I would like to know how S. L. Danielson functions on her own.

I haven’t written a solo book in over two years; but when I did, it was usually driven by a basic idea, then an outline, adding some ‘meat’ to it. Then the characters would be formed, and then I’d start writing, trying to follow the outline; but it would often stray from what I had planned. I’ve written stories in anywhere from two weeks, to months, to years, sometimes decades. (giving away my age here).

You haven’t written a solo in two year, you say? WOW! Is there a reason why you didn’t venture into a solo book for that long?

The main reason was lack of time and inspiration. I work a demanding day job, and Nephy and I hit it so hard I had no time for anything else. Otherwise; just had no other thoughts at the moment. I started stories, but they still sit idle today. I will get to them, eventually.

Rumor is, you already are working on some solo projects. Is that true?

Rumor? Who’ve you been talking to? :D. No, it is true. I have a couple on my mind and once my time is freed a little more; I will work on them.

I am sure your fans are squealing right now after hearing that.

I hope so. 🙂 I love writing with other people; but I can’t wait to do it solo again. I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to show it off.

Speaking of your solo works, you are known for writing your characters quite believable. You don’t go for the cliche – chiselled jaw, muscled body, perfect guys. May it be an overweight Scott from Love by the Numbers or a BiPolar Phillip. What inspires you to write such unique characters?

I hate cliche. I believe everybody on earth has a flaw, whether it be outside or inside or both. Overweight people are so demonized that they can never find or be loved; same for people with acne or weird hair, or mental illness. It isn’t true. I like portraying real men, in real situations and lifestyles. People identify with them the most. Hard, chiseled bodies are great, for fantasy. But I don’t write fantasy. Bernard and Phillip probably got the most attention. Bernard, for being 46, a virgin, and obese. Phillip for being bi-polar, overweight, and hated his appearance. Overall I want the reader to connect with someone like themselves or someone they know. It brings the story home.

I agree, people do relate to characters portrayed so realistic as yours. And for that, I respect you.

Thank you very much! It’s a huge compliment to me when my boys connect with the readers.

Not many people know (correct me if I am wrong with this) that you are not just a writer. S.L. Danielson is the president of a publishing house called Romance First Publishing. How did you come to make such a big decision of being a publisher?

You’re right, not many people know, not yet, but I’m working on it. I decided in late 2010 that I wanted to do my own thing and accept the stories that I saw being passed by. I was new talent; so I wanted to do the same. I bounced the idea for a while and finally, in November, 2011, we opened the doors, per se, on RFP. One of the first authors signed, was Nephylim; it was the first time I’d heard of her. Plus I’d always wanted to own my own business and run it how I saw fit. I disliked a lot of the politics and rules of the other houses; which is why I made my own. 

RFP – such an elegant name for a publishing house. Right now, I bet the authors following and reading my blog are all ears. So, on their behalf, I’d like to ask what sets RFP apart from the other publishing house out there?

I’d say what sets us apart is that we don’t want to be an author mill. I’ve made friends with most of the authors that have signed and want that bond. Once a story is accepted, there’s a new relationship possible; that story is their child. That’s how I feel about mine and guaranteed most authors do. We want to foster that child, with both parents’ help, to make it the best it can be. We are small, but growing. We have great new authors coming, and I’ve added my non-contracted works to show that I’m not just the owner, I am a prolific author as well who knows the score and cares. We’ve also just opened a website that has a forum and all of the current books by all authors (and my own) for sale. Future plans include perhaps a newsletter.

What about the supporting team that RFP has?

We have a great team in place. We have a brand new editor in chief, Tucker McCallahan, who’s 20 years of experience as an editor and an author both are a very welcome addition. We also have a talented cover artist (and another being considered). Plus two editors (with a third being added soon). Our team is small, but very capable. I keep close tabs on all of the goings on and deadlines, etc.

Cool. So do you have an open call for submissions as of now?

Yes we do. We accept only m/m material too (at one time we did take m/f as well, but they have not moved). We do accept m/m/m as well also. It’s new territory for me; but I am expanding my horizons and going with some of the ebb and flow of consumer tastes in the market. Visit http://rfppublishing.com/ for more information.

Coming back to your books, is it only the Romance genre you write in?

Mostly, yes. Some of it isn’t so much romance, but relationships and drama. My absolute favorite sub-genre is YA. I love teenagers, and college-aged kids who are so drama-filled and their lover is their entire world to them. I had always thought I’d write sci-fi or something else; but romance just seemed to be natural to write for me. Even gay fiction seems natural to write for a straight woman. The point is, I love writing about men, young men, sometimes ‘older’ men, but they’re so guarded emotionally. My boys are real, they cry (some a LOT) but they are real. I like to show being gay is normal, nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, you are how you are. Emotional men are very sexy.

That they definitely are. So, Steph, what are you offering today in your prize vault?

I am offering one of my (uncommitted) backlist. That could be either “For the Heart of Phillip” “Refugees”, “Love by the Numbers” “Bernard” or “Ranch Hands”. I could extend it to both books if you want a series though, too. They are best read together. Also, Bernard: Diary of a 46-yr-old Bellhop and Ranch Hands 2: Jerry’s Season.

That is very kind of you, Steph. And what do the readers will have to do to win one of those?

To be in the drawing, I will ask you a question and you have to answer.

And the question is?

What do you enjoy most about reading gay romance and why?

And a message to your readers and fans?

Thank you for interviewing me, Sid! I’ve truly enjoyed it. I hope everyone stays tuned for not only the rest of the Upstaged series, but new solo works from myself, and new, wonderful stories coming to RFP soon! I thank everybody for their advice, support, kind words, and even the critiques. You are all terrific!

The pleasure was mine. Thank you, Steph

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Steph’s Treasure Box includes…

(Click the images to read more about the books)

The question to be answered for this contest is:

What do enjoy most about reading Gay Romance and Why?

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To win this contest and take home a free copy of Steph’s books, reply to this post in the following format:

Name*:
Email ID*:
Your Answer*:
Message to the author:

Feilds marked * are necessary

Please note that all the comments for this contest will be under moderation and hidden from public view till 20th April, 2013.

Contest deadline: SATURDAY – 4/20/2013 – 11:59 PM Central Time

So HURRY!

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