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Guest author - George Loveland
Feb. 15th, 2016 12:15 pmI can think of several authors who started off great careers by appearing in an anthology. This week I'm featuring three fledgling authors all of whom have stories in the free anthology Valentine's Delights. I hope this will be the start of big things for all of them. Today I have my pal George Loveland, for whom I feel like a writing aunty!
George, what inspired you to start writing?
I have always wanted to write. I have such a vivid imagination that I wanted to get it out of my head and onto paper, but never did. A conversation with a friend prompted me to just do it, and so I sat down and gave it a go.
Do you have another job (paid or otherwise) apart from being an author? If so, how do you juggle your time?
I am an IT Project Manager which means I tell a group of software developers what to do (not how to do it) and get new software out within the business. I tend to only write at lunchtimes in the canteen or coffee shop. I have my sandwich and then focus on getting as many words out as I can before I have to be back at my desk. That can sometimes be a problem when I am at a good part and my lunch extends past the allotted hour.
What does it feel like watching your first story fledge and leave the nest?
Very scary, but there is also a sense of achievement that someone else has read it, liked it and wanted to publish it. I am looking forward to hearing what people think of it when they read it, as it's very exciting to put it out there.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
Can I be both? I have an idea for a story and then I think about the characters that I want to be in it. I have found that they then go off on their own tangent which is very frustrating as I need them to do something or be a certain way for a later part of the story. However, I usually go with the character the more I write them, the more authentic they become (I hope) and so I trust where they are going and deal with the rest of the story as I get to it.
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
From this story, it would have to be Daniel. He is a flight attendant after all, and I think that they can be diminished as trolley dollies, but they need to know a lot for their job and think on their feet, so definitely Daniel. Not saying that Darren wouldn't be any good, but Daniel is more level headed.
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
I would write my Elemental series ... four books with magic and mystery and all kinds of fun happening. I will write it; it's just a matter of making sure the world is set-up right before I do so.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
Before the films came out, I brought The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings; because I've always thought the book is better than the film. I used birthday money from my nan to buy them and took them back to Spain where I was living at the time. I dragged my way through The Hobbit, as I always like to start at the beginning. It took me ages, and when I finally finished it I couldn't look at the other books and never read them. I think they ended up in a charity shop.
What’s your favourite gay romance/other genre book? And why?
The Tigers and Devils books by Sean Kennedy. I love Sean's writing and get caught up in the world he creates. I am not a sports fan by any means, but his characters became real people to me, and I fell in love with them. They are books I can read again and again, and have done. I think that it was because Simon and Dec didn't jump into bed straight away, and as old fashioned as it may seem, it was nice to see the physical side came after a couple of dates.
What's your next project?
I am working on a story called '42 Hours in Vegas'. A guy flies in to see a concert with his friend, and he meets someone that he falls for instantly, but won't follow his heart because he is leaving the next day.
George, what inspired you to start writing?
I have always wanted to write. I have such a vivid imagination that I wanted to get it out of my head and onto paper, but never did. A conversation with a friend prompted me to just do it, and so I sat down and gave it a go.
Do you have another job (paid or otherwise) apart from being an author? If so, how do you juggle your time?
I am an IT Project Manager which means I tell a group of software developers what to do (not how to do it) and get new software out within the business. I tend to only write at lunchtimes in the canteen or coffee shop. I have my sandwich and then focus on getting as many words out as I can before I have to be back at my desk. That can sometimes be a problem when I am at a good part and my lunch extends past the allotted hour.
What does it feel like watching your first story fledge and leave the nest?
Very scary, but there is also a sense of achievement that someone else has read it, liked it and wanted to publish it. I am looking forward to hearing what people think of it when they read it, as it's very exciting to put it out there.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
Can I be both? I have an idea for a story and then I think about the characters that I want to be in it. I have found that they then go off on their own tangent which is very frustrating as I need them to do something or be a certain way for a later part of the story. However, I usually go with the character the more I write them, the more authentic they become (I hope) and so I trust where they are going and deal with the rest of the story as I get to it.
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
From this story, it would have to be Daniel. He is a flight attendant after all, and I think that they can be diminished as trolley dollies, but they need to know a lot for their job and think on their feet, so definitely Daniel. Not saying that Darren wouldn't be any good, but Daniel is more level headed.
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
I would write my Elemental series ... four books with magic and mystery and all kinds of fun happening. I will write it; it's just a matter of making sure the world is set-up right before I do so.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
Before the films came out, I brought The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings; because I've always thought the book is better than the film. I used birthday money from my nan to buy them and took them back to Spain where I was living at the time. I dragged my way through The Hobbit, as I always like to start at the beginning. It took me ages, and when I finally finished it I couldn't look at the other books and never read them. I think they ended up in a charity shop.
What’s your favourite gay romance/other genre book? And why?
The Tigers and Devils books by Sean Kennedy. I love Sean's writing and get caught up in the world he creates. I am not a sports fan by any means, but his characters became real people to me, and I fell in love with them. They are books I can read again and again, and have done. I think that it was because Simon and Dec didn't jump into bed straight away, and as old fashioned as it may seem, it was nice to see the physical side came after a couple of dates.
What's your next project?
I am working on a story called '42 Hours in Vegas'. A guy flies in to see a concert with his friend, and he meets someone that he falls for instantly, but won't follow his heart because he is leaving the next day.
