Welcome to my coffee and cake time with M/M Authors.
Get to know a little bit more about your fave Authors as we chat over a coffee.
Today I have the company of the Kevin Klehr.
Find out what motivates this amazing Author how he got into this genre and his plans for the future.
If you enjoy these posts please share them and let me know. Big Hugs B.J.
Hey, I have been joined for a coffee and cake by Kevin, the Author of the several books including Social Media Central & Nate's Last Tango. He has agreed to come along and chat with me to give us a little insight into his world and a mention about his latest release which is out tomorrow.
So, whilst I sort the coffee Kevin, Tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to write Gay fiction?
The odd thing is, I didn’t set out to write m/m fiction. When I got my first manuscript assessed, it was my assessor who pointed out that there was a love story lurking behind the story. She was right. I alluded to it but didn’t write it.
So, for the second draft, Staging Life was retitled Drama Queens with Love Scenes, and an unrequited love tale, a mystery and a story about the theatre district in the Afterlife, developed.
And it was only recently I realised that all my books have a love story in them, even though I think of them as other genres.
There are love stories everywhere when you look deep enough and I'm sure you have a lot to come in the future, I always find it interesting to know how writers start out in this business. What would you say is your greatest success story so far?
I can boast and say all my books have had a lot of great reviews. But as for sales, an erotic tale (or my naughty novella as I call it) is the ebook that sells the best. It was a dare from three of my friends and it was the hardest to write, as most of my novels fade to black when people undress. Not always, but most times.
Writing sex scenes is really challenging, especially when mm sex scenes have only one set of words for both characters’ body parts, unlike hetero sex scenes. In my erotic story, one character comes up with a weird word for one of his orifices in his dirty talk. The narrator has to stop himself from laughing to continue the job at hand.
Oh yes sex scenes I enjoy writing them myself but like a story to along with them. Now we all need a little help when we start out, I have met some fantastic Authors in the community who have given me good advice and helped keep me focused.
Who in the M/M community has help you on your journey?
Many. My former editor, Jason, helped me find my current publisher, NineStar Press, after my former publisher folded. Carter Seagrove who always shares my stuff to his 8000+ Twitter followers. And the many people like you, B.J, who allow me to be a guest at their site.
That's very kind of you it's great to have you, there are so many helpful people in this community it's great.
Do you still have a day job or are you a full time Author?
I purposely work part time so I can take time out to write on my days off. But my day job is part Trainer, part Resource Writer for an organisation that teaches media skills to volunteers at community radio stations. It’s a great gig. I’m very lucky to have landed there.
That must come in very handy with the book promotion.
Whats is your favourite curse word?
The C word. I don’t use it a lot, hardly ever in fact, but it just has such a neatly distinct sound.
It certainly has its place, ok, here's one that's probably not PC to ask but I like to see how people answer it. On a scale of one to ten, how weird are you?
Ten. Definitely ten!
I do love a Ten, being different is fantastic.
The M/M community has its up’s and down’s. But what are some specific things you would advise newbies to watch out for in the community?
That’s a tough one. I think it’s readers who criticise your work on the basis of what it isn’t rather than reviewing it for what it is. Many writers get tired of getting low scores on Goodreads and Amazon simply because they didn’t include sex. It’s happened to me as well.
One of my favourite bad reviews gives away a spoiler just because the reader was pissed off as it wasn’t what she was expecting. So, the major twist in my story was a big issue for her, not because she didn’t like it, but because it was there in the first place.
That sucks when people reveal the twist in reviews, but everyone has a opinion, my fave biscuit may not be yours as they say. There are as we know some bad people on Goodreads who enjoy low scoring M/M books, but they are a minority most people give honest reviews. Let me throw in a couple more quick fire questions for you.
What was the last book you read ?
Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It was brilliant and I highly recommend it. I read it in four days.
What was the last album you brought?
My partner and I have a deal. When we’ve downloaded an album that we come to like, we buy it on CD so we can have a proper uncompressed version to play. So I finally got around to getting a physical copy of Sarah Blasko’s ‘Depth of Field’. Still love playing the track ‘Phantom’ nice and loud.
Thats great you must have a good CD selection.
I have to say meeting you today has been good and you are doing an amazing job so far, Tell us what is coming up for you on the horizon?
I have a New Year’s Eve tale called ‘Midnight Angel’ coming out through NineStar Press on December 10. (tomorrow but you can pre-order now ).
Other than that, I have two works in progress that won’t be ready to submit to my publisher for a while. The first is ‘Winter Masquerade’ about thirtysomething Ferris who finds himself on the Sea Queen, a ship cruising on a chocolate sea. The liner is filled with eccentric characters including a miniature talking horse. He has no idea how he got there and has no idea how to return to his boyfriend.
The other is ‘The Midnight Man’ about a middle-aged man in an unhappy relationship who meets the man of his dreams, literally in his dreams.
Wow your keeping busy then, I will keep an eye out for those coming releases, lastly before we say goodbye, How do our visitors get in touch with you?
The best way is through the contact page on my website – www.kevinklehr.com
It has all my socials plus excerpts from my novels and sexy actors performing for you in my book trailers. And there are heaps of blogs including guest posts from authors with writing tips, and mm industry folk defining Gay Lit.
And if you’d like to sample my writing, download my free short story, Conversations with an Angel, at https://dl.bookfunnel.com/oggydjza66 or through Smashwords or Barnes and Noble.
Thanks for joining me and Kevin for Coffee & Cake. If you have enjoyed reading our chat join me soon when I meet up with more M/M Authors in the New year. Time to enjoy Christmas now.
Books from Kevin Klehr
Social Media Central - Kevin Klehr
Blurb:
In an age where everyone lives their lives through a screen, no one has more celebrity status than fashion blogger, Madeline Q. In a chance meeting, Tayler, loner and geek, is introduced to her world of parties, fan worship, and seduction. But as his own star rises, Madeline Q is arrested for murder. There’s just one problem—there is no corpse. Tayler soon learns that fiction blurs reality on Social Media Central.
Like the Blurb Amazon Buy Link
Click the Cover
Nate's Last Tango - Kevin Klehr
Blurb:
Nate’s life couldn’t be better. He’s living with his rich boyfriend, Cameron, in New York while being wined and dined all over the city. But when Nate decides to visit his friends back in Sydney, Cameron suggests they break it off for a while. Cam’s cross-dressing butler is not impressed, and with the help of his lesbian aunt, they drag Cameron down-under to sort out his relationship and take in the sights of Mardi Gras! With Nate at a loss to what went wrong, he faces the dim reality that love may have run its course.
Like the Blurb Amazon Buy Link
Click the Cover
Thank you for reading this post, please share to help the Author reach more new readers.
Come back soon for more Authors who join me for Coffee, Cake and a Chat?
Thanks B.J.
