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Interview : Lillian Francis

Please welcome Lillian Francis for today’s interview! Lillian has come along to chat about writing, reading and her WW2 Submariner Romance, Under the Radar.

What started you writing?

I used to write back in my teens and early Twenties but got out of the habit as life took over. Then reading fanfiction took a hold and I only intended to write the one story. But I had trouble sticking to canon and soon my characters took on a life of their own and I found it harder and harder to stay within fandom. Time to branch out on my own.

What do you like to read?

Just about anything. Historicals. Gay romance, obviously. Non-fiction – history books mostly. And graphic novels. When everything really gets too much it’s the world of superheroes and the like that call to me.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Pokemon hunting is a great form of exercise for us exercise adverse people. I’m really missing conventions atm, I normally go to comic con at least twice a year.

Tell me a little bit about your most recent release. What gave you the idea for it? How long did it take to write? What did you enjoy about writing it? What did you hate?

RL has played havoc with my writing, so my most recent release actually from 2019, but it’s the one I want to talk about. It’s Under the Radar, a WWII submarine story with forced intimacy, spies, and derring-do.

I original got the idea for the story about ten years ago on a visit to Gosport submarine museum, but it took several rewrites, stacks of research, and some of the best beta work on any of my books for it to make it to release.

Under the Radar

It’s 1942 and after a sexual indiscretion, US Navy pilot Zachary MacKenzie is sent to serve in the Royal Navy’s submarine service—a shockingly harsh punishment for a man who loves to fly. The submarine is oppressive and frustrating for him, and he’s marked out from his peers, publicly by being American, and privately by his attraction to men.

The only bright spot is the company of his steward, sonar operator Gethin Llewelyn. Despite the differences of rank and background, they’re drawn to each other. Gethin’s integrity complements Zach’s casual joie de vivre, and soon the friendship develops into something much more.

As the threats of war increase, the submarine is plagued by potentially hostile vessels, and circumstances lead them to suspect there’s a spy amongst their own crew. Being forced even closer together as they work for the greater good reveals a new awareness, and Zach doesn’t know what is in more danger, the vessel under his charge or his heart.

Word count: ~138,500

Buy Under the Radar : Add it to Goodreads

Meet Lillian

Lillian Francis is a self-confessed geek who likes nothing more than settling down with a comic or a good book, except maybe writing. Given a notepad, pen, her Kindle, and an infinite supply of chocolate Hob Nobs and she can lose herself for weeks. Romance was never her reading matter of choice, so it came as a great surprise to all concerned, including herself, to discover a romance was exactly what she’d written, and not the rollicking spy adventure or cosy murder mystery she always assumed she’d write.

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interview: Allison Temple

Please welcome Alli Temple today. She is celebrating the release of her new FF romantic fantasy, Uncharted!

First question then! What started you writing?

Boredom? Lol. I’ve always been a writer. I have old journals full of terrible attempts at writing a “novel” from my middle school and high school years. But I started writing seriously as an adult when my husband changed jobs and was working a lot of nights and weekends. I needed something to do and since I’m an introvert I wanted a hobby that didn’t involve talking to people. Writing’s great because I only talk to the people in my head.

Where do you write?

Do you want the pre-Covid answer or the current one? Either way, I mostly write at home. In the summer, I like to spread out on the back porch. We have a big tree that gives just the right amount of shade. In the cooler months, I mostly write in the living room on the couch.

When it’s safe to go out, I love writing in Starbucks. I don’t actually care for their coffee, but the people watching is top notch. Throw on a pair of noise cancelling headphones and let the words flow!

What do you like to read?

I’m an audiobook fan and like 95% of my reading is audio. Good narrators are key for me. Recent favourite audiobooks include Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, Manners and Mannerisms by Tanya Chris, and The Last Sun by KD Edwards.

What are the three books you’d take to a desert island? Why would you choose them?

That’s so hard! I’d take The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater because it’s the kind of book I’d love to write, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier because it’s my all-time comfort read, and Honeymoon Sweet by me because it’s my sweetest happiest book to date and if I’m stuck on a desert island, I need a sweet happy escape I know I can count on.

Writing is an intrinsically solo occupation. Do you belong to any groups or associations, either online or in the ‘real’ world? How does that work for you?

Nothing formal, but I’m in a bunch of different Slack and Discord groups. There’s always someone to help you work through a plot hole, listen to you vent when your book doesn’t sell as well as you want, or sprint when you need to get words down fast. When we could go out and about, I also loved to go on writing dates with writer friends. We’d either meet up at someone’s house or at a coffee shop or bar and chat and write. It’s so important to have writer friends. No one who doesn’t have a writer brain really gets it.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’ve adopted two rescue pets in the last year. Manny is a mutt from Mexico. He’s a goofy neurotic love bug who just wants a soft place to nap. Maud is a farm cat who is learning how to be a house cat. She rules the roost and eats anything she can get her paws on.

In the before-times, my husband and I loved to travel. We took an amazing trip to Mexico City for his 40^th birthday and I can’t wait to go back and explore more!

Tell me a little bit about your most recent release. What gave you the idea for it? How long did it take to write? What did you enjoy about writing it? What did you hate?

Uncharted is my first fantasy novel. It started out as a silly tweet about changing one word in the title of your favourite movie to “lesbian” and I tweeted “The Princess Lesbian”. And then a bunch of people said they wanted to read that and it kind of took on a life of its own.

Uncharted took forever to write. I started in the summer of 2018 and now it’s 2021. Part of it was learning the conventions of a new genre, part of it was making sure George and Lou’s story was as strong as it felt in my head. While it was really time consuming, I loved writing about adventure and exploring how to redeem someone who has done very bad things, as well as about the love story at its center.

Uncharted

Amazon US : Amazon Int’l

In a world of arrogant nobles and their punishing laws, Georgina will be hung if anyone discovers she is a spy. But when the wicked prince proposes marriage, Georgina must accept. Refusing would expose the secrets she has delivered to a hidden resistance and forfeit her life. With her wedding day looming ever closer, salvation comes from an unlikely source.

Pirate Captain Cinder is a terror on the open sea, striking fear into hearts wherever she sails. Now she has a new target. The vulnerable Princess Georgina should be an easy mark in Cinder’s kidnapping plot. However the legend of Captain Cinder is more intertwined with Georgina’s own history than either of them expect.

Treacherous storms. A mysterious pirate king. The prince’s unrelenting pursuit. Georgina and Cinder can only escape by following the uncharted course of their hearts. Just as a future together is within their grasp, Cinder’s past threatens to drag them both to the deep.

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Am Reading

A bit of a catch up this week, with books by Isabelle Adler, Iona Datt Sharma, Jordan L. Hawk and Gregory Ashe.

In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler

Cover, In the Winter Woods, Isabelle Adler

This was such a lovely story. I read it in the gap between Christmas and New Year and it captures the spirit of the season perfectly. Crisp snow, cosy fires and very unpleasant murder. It’s an engaging story with a nice, complicated plot and a slow-burn love affair that’s really believable. It’s Adler’s first mystery and she’s pulled it off perfectly. If you like Josh Lanyon, try this.

Division Bells by Iona Datt Sharma

I read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It’s rich in both description and emotion and the characters, even the minor ones, leap off the page. It’s a contemporary romance set in the UK House of Lords, between a special advisor and civil servant. They get off on the wrong foot and over the cold winter and a really stressful period at work they get to know each other a great deal better and fall in love in the process. I can’t think why I missed this when it first came out and it’s definitely on my re-read list now.

Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk

Wonderful starter to a what I hope is a long new series, set in the world of Widdershins. In the library! You don’t need to have read the Wybourne and Griffin series to thoroughly enjoy this…if fact I confess I’d only read the first three and then went back and read the rest before re-reading Unhallowed. There’s magic, books and mystery. The protaganists are lovely and I particularly liked Sebastian’s confusion at Vesper’s tales of working as a librarian in Boston and his conclusion that it’s a very strange place, lacking all the things he takes for granted. I look forward to finding out more about the mysterious Mr Quinn. Five stars!

The Clockwork Heart by Gregory Ashe

This is a weird little novella that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s set in the First World War — my jam, obviously — and the MC is a young French nun. And there are men with clockwork hearts. She has a crush on one. That’s it. That’s the story. I can’t say too much more than that without spoiling the whole thing, but…it’s not a romance. Lots happens and not much happens and it’s perfectly satisfying. It’s not quite steampunk and not quite romance and not quite historical and not quite horror. I’m not sure what it is…but I’ll definitely read it again. It’s also only 99c!

That’s it for this time, thanks for reading!

interview: Rosie Jarvis

This week, Rosie Jarvis is here to talk about her new release, Cutter’s Mission! Welcome, Rosie! Thank you so much for coming to visit today, it’s lovely to see you!

Hello there! My name is Rosie Jarvis and I am very excited to be releasing my fist book on February 9^th! It’s called Cutter’s Mission.

My book, Cutter’s Mission, is the first book in the Valhalla Warriors motorcycle club series. All the Warriors are former military members who died on the battlefield while doing a heroic act. At the point of death, they are approached by a Valkyrie sent by Odin, to offer them a chance to serve in his immortal Army. In fact, each book starts with our MC’s last moments of life when the Valkyrie recruits them.

As part of their service to Odin (who goes by Adam to humans), they come to Earth and ride in a motorcycle club where they protect the innocent, participate in charity events, help vets, and fight evil. In my books, they start a mission to protect a human and, on the journey, fall in love.

In Cutter’s Mission, James Alan Cutter, a nurturer at heart, meets a young man who is on the run from an abusive man. It turns out the ex is more evil than either expected and Cutter needs the help of his brother bikers to keep his boy safe.

It’s light Daddy/boy kink (no age play or ABDL) with appearances by gods, goddesses, Amazons, Valkyrie, bikers and lots of steamy love! I think people will fall in love with Cutter and Abbott! Oh and at the end of the book, I also have a free bonus scene link on Prolific Works (although, it’s best if you read the book first because it has spoilers for Cutter’s Mission)!

Each book in the series will be stand-alone as the main characters will be in a different branch of the Valhalla Warriors Motorcycle Club. In Cutter’s Mission, the club headquarters is in Odessa, Texas. In the next book, J.T.’s Mission, they are in Nashville, Tennessee. The one consistent thread will be the appearance of Odin, his wife Lilith, the goddess Babel, Amazon Warriors and of course, Valkyrie. Several other gods and goddesses will make appearances too. But mostly the dastardly nemesis of the Valhalla Warriors, the Hell Hounds MC, will play a part too. We will learn more about them as the series goes on!

An Immortal Biker Daddy walks into a bar…

Abbott McClain is a boy on the run.

An infamous human trafficker and murderer is hot on his heels, and he has nowhere to go. When his car breaks down in a small Texas town, he has no choice but to seek help from a biker bar in the middle of nowhere. After a lifetime of rejection, he doesn’t want to trust anyone ever again. But when he meets a blue-eyed bear at the bar who promises him kindness and protection, he desperately wants to believe that this time things will be different.

James Alan Cutter is a man on a mission.

As a member of an immortal motorcycle club entrusted with protecting humanity, he shouldn’t be taking time off for romance. But something about Abbott stirs his Daddy nature.

When evil stalks the boy Cutter has fallen for, his brothers in arms come together to protect their love.

Cutter’s Mission is a 46K motorcycle club romance with an age gap, size difference, and hurt/comfort.

Buy Cutter’s Mission

Find Rosie!

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the thing with feathers

This week has been hellish. Being shut in the house with two wildly differently-abled kids, attempting to support one with Year Eight home learning and keep the other occupied and safe when she can’t be left unsupervised is just…great.

selective focus photography of white hen — Photo by Todd Trapani on Pexels.com

I’m a hundred percent certain that other families have it just as hard–the one with six children and one computer, for example. But. Talking Child is still feeling the squeeze of having to keep to her regular timetabled lessons but not see her peers in person. Littlest is still bored. Bored bored bored. She doesn’t understand why she can’t go to school. She doesn’t want to play by herself and is still lobbing things on the floor. The dog chews them if you don’t pick them up immediately. This week he’s eaten two meerkats and a doll’s house towel rail.

The cat’s been sick from a rat bite gone septic and had to go to the vet for an injection. The car failed it’s MOT and needed new tyres, which meant Mr AL had to go and collect it, take it to another garage, make an appointment to go back because they didn’t have the right kind in, then when he went back the wrong ones had come in with the order and he had to go back yet again. Then the day the re-MOT was scheduled I had a massive seizure an hour before he was due to go, so he had to cancel it and rearrange for today. Obviously we are supposed to be shielding because of Littlest, so it’s all been a bit nerve grinding.

However. My Mama had her first vaccination last weekend. Our carer is back from her break and we have a few hours off. And I’ve finished the Chicken Story! I’m now cracking on apace again with Dr Sylvia Marks. The chicken diversion was very cleansing. I’m going to rough out all three of the books–different pairings in each book but a through-arc of a main story–before the first one is released in early July, which I hope will make the series more cohesive.

I’m just so, so, tired. Yes, it’s partly the lockdown and its impact on us as a family. But I think some of it is a reaction to the end of the Trump era, too. It feels to me rather like it did here in 1997 when Labour finally got in after years out of power. An enormous weight lifted of the collective shoulders of the country.

We have hope again.