Guest author, Gale Stanley~Contest giveaway

Want to win one of Gale Stanley's back stories? Find out more at the end of the interview.

Who is Gale Stanley?

Born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love, Gale cut her teeth on True Story magazines and Mickey Spillane paperbacks. These were swiped from her mother and read undercover by flashlight. Her weird choices in reading material —whatever she could get her hands on— inspired a love of romance and the desire to write her own stories. Life took a detour and she raised a family while working as a surveyor and a CAD manager. Now she has the best job in the world, one she can do in her pj's. Her books may be smokin' hot, but at the heart of each story is a romance and each one is written with love.

Tasty tidbits about Gale

Do you write under a pseudonym?

Yes. My last name is long and it’s constantly mispronounced and misspelled. It would probably obliterate the beautiful artwork on my covers. LOL

What is your favorite season?

Living on the East Coast I get to experience all four seasons. Each one is special and unique. I’m a beach person and I love to watch the ocean in all kinds of weather, from nor’easters to ninety degree heat waves. But if I had to pick I’d say my favorite season is spring - and I could have done without the 17 inches of snow we had this month.  

What is your favorite junk food?

Chips – potato chips, tortilla chips, any kind of chips. I’m a saltoholic.

What is your favorite movie?

 There are so many but I really love horror and sci-fi. I love the Alien series and I’ve seen all the Saw movies. But the one I can watch over and over is Hellraiser. Pinhead is such a great character.

What kind of vehicle do you drive?

I drive a Toyota Corolla. It’s great on gas and easy to park. I’m notoriously bad at parking.

Interview with Gale

What genre/s do you write?

My first published work was three short stories for the Cup of Comfort anthologies. I guess you could call them creative non-fiction. Then I did a complete one-eighty and starting writing paranormal erotic romance and M/M romance.

What made you decide to write the genre you do?

My love of all things paranormal goes way back. I’ve been fascinated by fangs and fur since I first watched Lon Chaney Jr. transform into the Wolfman. I always sympathized with the tortured hero and I wanted to write about dark, seductive alpha males, preferably of the Lycan variety. Those sinfully good-looking, arrogant men who are capable of bestowing multiple orgasms at a moment’s notice.

Besides writing, I worked a day job that provided me with enough material for a book, a sitcom and a movie. I worked on a survey crew, staking out points on construction sites. Eventually I came inside to manage the CAD unit. There were fifty men in that office, a rowdy bunch and I had a blast working with them. I learned a lot about men and I discovered I liked reading and writing about them. 

When not writing, what hobbies/interests do you have?

Reading, reading, reading, especially at the beach. In fact that’s why I finally gave in and bought my Kindle. I always loved the feel of a print book in my hands and I used to read e-books on my laptop. Last year I went to the beach with a heavy book bag and three pdfs on my laptop. I sat by the ocean and jealously watched a woman reading on her Kindle. My pdfs had to wait until I went back inside because I wasn’t about to carry a laptop along with my chair, umbrella, and everything else I shlep around. The first thing I did when I got home was order a Kindle. I love it! It’s convenient, easy to use and easy on the eyes. I haven’t bought a print book since.

If you could pick any celebrities to play your main characters in a movie, who would they be and why?

I had a mad crush on Clive Owen when I wrote CALL OF THE WILDS. In fact, he was the inspiration for my main character before I even had a plot. No one else could play Malcolm. Becki Newton is Karin.

Does your family know about your writing career?

Absolutely. I was so thrilled to be published I couldn’t wait to tell everyone.

If so what do they say about it?

My family is very supportive. They read all my books, except my son, who won’t read the sex scenes. He just cannot image his mother writing those hot encounters. But they’re very proud of me and they’ve gotten their friends and coworkers to buy my books.

If you could go on a date with anyone (and I mean anyone) who would it be and why?

This is a no brainer. It would have to be the gorgeous Jimmy Thomas, who graces the covers of SILENT KNIGHTS, SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS, SOME LIKE IT ROUGH and I hope many more covers to come. I mean – just look at him. Of course this would be in an alternate world where I wasn’t married to my very own alpha hero.  

Why did you choose eBook publishing?

We live in an age of technology and ebooks are where it’s at. As a writer I see everything move faster from submission to publication. The editing process is easier and we have many online tools at our fingertips.

I’m also an avid reader. I buy a lot of books. When I log onto Amazon I’m like a kid in a candy shop. I love the huge selection and the cheaper prices. They always had quick shipping but now I get instant gratification. I can download whatever I want in a matter of seconds. Is it any wonder that ebook sales have increased while print-book sales have decreased?

Do you think there is a difference between making love and having sex?

Yes, absolutely. Sex is a physical act. Making love involves intimacy and emotion. My stories are all about love. An erotic romance is first and foremost a love story. There’s a good plot and well-developed characters that go through hell. The difference between traditional romance and erotic romance is the greater emphasis on the sex scenes. Now, we can open the bedroom door, and let the readers in. They can experience the culmination of all that sexual tension that’s been building up since chapter one.

Do you have any series out? If so what is it about?

Black Wolf Gorge, published by Siren, is a paranormal series about wolf-shifters. CAPTIVE took the story in a new direction. I’m currently working on a three book arc that shifts the scene from the Pennsylvania Wilds to New Mexico.

The Gentlemen’s Club, published by Silver, is a contemporary MM series that revolves around a club where romance and sex are only limited by the imagination. Men can act out their most breathtaking fantasies and make their dreams come true.  

Symbiotic Mates coming from Silver, is a paranormal MM series. The first book, HUNTER AND THE HAWK, will be released in April.

I want to thank Gale for taking the time to answer my questions. Find out more about this incredible author at the links below.

Want to win a FREE eBook copy of any story in Gale's backlist? Just comment her interview to be entered for a chance to win!

Where to find Gale Stanley at:

http://galestanley.net/

http://galestanley.blogspot.com/

Want to see what is coming out soon from Gale Stanley?

Check it out below

SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS

A contemporary M/M/M erotic romance – official release date: March 5, 2011

Blurb:

Despite being polar opposites, Andy and Paul are passionate and totally committed to each other. But when the two-year itch infects their relationship, Paul becomes distant and refuses to talk about it. Paul is the love of Andy’s life and he’ll do anything to make him happy, even if it means bringing another man into their bed. But is it really the answer? Or will it drive them further apart?

Zach flees to Los Angeles to escape his abusive father. He plans to use his good looks to get into the film industry but catching that big break is harder than he thought. He decides to try his luck in San Francisco. He has no money but if he can find someone to put a roof over his head, he’ll trade sex for security. When two smokin’ hot guys pick him up on the Pacific Coast Highway, he thinks he hit pay dirt. He never expected to actually fall for them.

SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS is available at Silver Publishing:

http://silverpublishing.info/index/book_authors_id/48/typefilter/book_authors

Excerpt:

North Beach, San Francisco

Never go to sleep angry. His mother’s words resonated in Andy’s head. Cliché? Maybe. But it worked for his parents. They'd been happily married for twenty years before they died in a car accident.

Andy understood the concept only too well. His unresolved conflicts had been festering to the point he woke angrier every morning. It was only a matter of time until he or Paul exploded over some minor offense and destroy their relationship completely.

He stood at the side of the bed and looked down at his lover feigning sleep. How do you fix something when your partner shuts you out? It had been like this for months, Paul claiming exhaustion, going to bed early and pretending to be asleep. They used to go to bed together. Now it seemed like Paul couldn't get away from him fast enough.

Andy never expected things to be easy. Relationships rarely were and he and Paul were polar opposites. He expected their personalities to clash once in awhile, and they did. But despite their totally different upbringings and outlooks they'd somehow made it work. Up until now.

They'd been together almost two years and Andy thanked his lucky stars they'd met at all. He'd been grieving his dead partner, hiding from the world in a hunting cabin in rural Pennsylvania. Paul had been visiting his estranged family after a bad breakup with his lover.

Fate stepped in and Paul, stranded in a major snowstorm, had been forced to wait it out in Andy's cabin. Just like that sparks flew. When Paul went back home to San Francisco, Andy followed, and the rest was history. They hadn't been apart since.

Too much togetherness could be part of the problem. Not wanting to come off as clingy, Andy tried giving Paul time and space for himself. After all they were a couple, not joined at the hip.

Now Andy feared he’d given him too much space. He needed to change his strategy before it was too late. Maybe he could use sex to bridge the gap between them. Their sex life had fizzled out into an occasional perfunctory fuck and he hated it. Making love had always made him feel closer to Paul. He missed the intimacy they had once shared.

Andy slipped into bed and curved his body around Paul's. Just his lover's musky male scent was enough to make his cock twitch with interest. He reached an arm around Paul and rolled a nipple between his fingers. Although it stiffened under his teasing, Paul gave no other sign he wanted more. Tonight Andy refused to turn a blind eye to Paul's icy indifference.