Author Spotlight: Tara Lain

Tara Lain was so delightful last month, I just had to have her back to celebrate her new release, Volley Balls, part of Etopia Press's Beach Bums series. Sounds like a perfect beach read, Tara!

Blurb: David Underwood needs to go to AA – Alpha-lovers Anonymous, but his ogling of two Australian volleyball players on Laguna Beach gets him harassed and terrified he might be in for a repeat of his previous abusive relationship. Australian, Gareth Marshall needs to come out. A lifetime of hiding his orientation from his best friend and volleyball partner, Edge, as well as everyone else around him, has left him hurt and frustrated. When Gareth gets a load of David posing nude as the Michelangelo statue in the famous Laguna Pageant of the Masters, he knows his hiding days are numbered. But Edge has his own secrets, and may just take them out on the two lovers. And David's ex-lover has some nasty plans of his own. With everything stacked against them, can a gay Laguna guy find happiness with an Aussie alpha male – or two?

Don't miss the excerpt from Volley Balls at the bottom of the post, but first, let's shine the spotlight on Tara:

Tell us about your recent publication.

My new novella, Volley Balls, is an M/M/M ménage that answers the question, “Can a gay guy from Laguna Beach find happiness with an Aussie alpha male … or two?” It started out to be a total froth of a summer romance, but I tend to get pretty deep into my characters so I found out that they had a lot of pain. One of them had been in an abusive relationship and the other had been hiding in the closet for his whole life. Consequently, some serious themes crept in. But the story is still fast-moving and fun, I think.

What gave you the idea for this story?

My friend, Selena Illyria, invited me to submit a story for the Beach Bums Anthology from Etopia Press. To lure me, she sent a drool-worthy video advertising Aussie Bum swim trunks. After watching it, I was no longer of sound mind and agreed to write this book in 30 days! My ace in the hole is I live at the beach and that was the theme that ties all the stories together. So I borrowed from my town. Laguna is an art colony, so my hero, David, owns a gallery and poses nude in the famous Pageant of the Masters art show. There’s also a great beach here where people play basketball and volleyball. I conceived of my very gay Laguna guy ogling the volleyball players and launched into Volley Balls.

Why do you write?

I was a writer, even as a young girl. Writing was the skill that got me through school and college because even when I was pulling an all-nighter (that was often, by the way) I could write well enough to express ideas clearly and get good grades. I never studied writing. It was just a part of me, like having green eyes or brown hair. After college, I started writing presentations for trade shows and industrial films, then went into advertising, all using my writing skills. But I never wrote a book because when you write all day it’s tough to write at night and on weekends too. Then, a few years ago, I started reading EROM. It lit me up. For the first time I wanted to put my long-held fantasies on paper (computer actually). I conceived an idea for a book about an older woman and a younger man, both scientists. Then I read a male/male book and I was HOOKED! I wanted to add another man to the story. Genetic Attraction was born – my first book, a M/M/F ménage that was published this past January.

Who has inspired you, and how?

I sing their praises all the time – the great writers who have inspired me. That first male/male book was by Jet Mykles. It’s called Heaven and I still adore it. From Jet I learned the kind of heroes I wanted to write—beautiful, complex and a little over the top. Then I read Lynn Lorenz and added another layer of inspiration to the emotional depth of characterization I wanted to achieve. And then there’s ZAM. ZA Maxfield writes with a sassy, conversational style. Her language choices make me drool and I love her complicated characters often wrapped in elegantly simple stories. I read these writers before I ever wrote a line and they inspired me. Today, there are so many more I can’t begin to name them. We have some pretty cool writers in erotic romance.

What do you like about m/m?

I love the lack of gender roles in male/male. Since the relationship is undefined by society, my guys can relate to each other as they want to. I love wandering around inside a man’s head and heart. People say “don’t make them chicks with dicks” but I read an interview the other day with a young male model who was talking about his boyfriend. No woman could have been more heartfelt, emotional or sentimental in expression than this guy was. I love exploring that diversity. Showing the depth of feeling men experience trying to break out of the norms of expression expected of them. And I love men! Why not have three? LOL

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

I love chai lattes from Starbucks, nice and cold at this time of year. I can drink one a day. And here’s a real blusher. When I am absolutely fried and can’t write another word (I write in my day job too) I sit in front of the TV and watch “Say Yes to the Dress” marathons. It has no redeeming social significance and it’s impossible to think while watching it.

To what/whom do you credit your success?

I have to give a huge amount of credit to publisher, Loose Id, and my wonderful editor there. I submitted my first book to them because they published all my favorite authors. I got an email back telling me the problems with the book and, disappointed, I replied to the editor who sent it thanking them so much and saying I hoped there would be a chance to work together in the future. I was too dumb and new to realize I’d gotten a revise and resubmit! She quickly emailed back saying “Wait! This is a good thing. Revise the manuscript and resubmit it.” Problem was, I had so little experience in fiction writing that I didn’t understand the notes. So I took myself back to school online in workshops on point-of-view and pacing and fiction style. The editor even slipped me a few essays on POV. I worked hard on the book and resubmitted it. Yahoo! They accepted it in a week. And I have written four more books for them since, all of which have been accepted. Without that encouragement and guidance, I would never have learned what I needed to know to be a published writer.

And here's a yummy excerpt from Volley Balls. Enjoy!

“And then I completely reorganized the accounts payable reporting system and my supervisor was ecstatic. I mean it was a whole redo of the Excel, and she said you can’t have too many Excel shortcuts to suit her, and…”

David stifled his sigh, hoping that his blind date wouldn’t hear. He liked accounting, honest, but Mark had an enthusiasm for the subject that qualified as superhuman. And Rodney, the little turd, had sent his apologies for feeling “under the weather” and unable to join them. Probably became afflicted after spending five minutes listening to Mark extol the virtues of tax records.

Since Mark was now explaining his system by drawing on the white cloth table cover, David let his eyes steal around the restaurant and bar. He caught a glimpse of a very tall man with dark hair. Shit, was that… When he tried to see where the dark man had gone, there was nobody. Hell, he was shrinking from shadows since that guy had yelled at him yesterday.

“David?”

He looked back at Mark who now gazed at him with disappointed puppy eyes.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I got distracted because, frankly, I need a men’s room and couldn’t quite remember where the facilities are in this place.”

Mark looked a little mollified. He pointed toward the entrance by the bar. “I think it’s over there. Shall I order another round while you’re gone?”

If he had the balls of a mosquito he’d say ‘no, I have to leave,’ but he was a wuss. And he’d been kicked in the teeth so many times by guys that he couldn’t bear to do it to someone who was only trying to be nice. “Sure. That’d be great.”

Since he knew exactly where the men’s room was in this place, he walked straight toward it. He could stand to pee and he could stand a break from Excel spreadsheets. He went in, used the equipment, and washed up very slowly. The men’s room door opened and the bar’s music sounded louder.

David grabbed a hand towel, dried, and turned to leave.

Leaning against the wall by the door, blocking his exit, was “the friend.” The delicious, terrifying, dark-haired beach guy, sporting an inscrutable grin.

Holy shit.

David, half-scared and half-angry, demanded, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

The grin got wider showing off white teeth that David kind of wished were the better to eat him with.

What was he thinking?

“I followed you.”

“You what? Jesus, get away from me. Let me out of here.” But David couldn’t force his leaden legs to get out the damned door. In fact, he stepped back a couple feet.

The guy pushed off from the wall and started toward him.

David put up his hands. “You’re nuts. You can’t get away with beating up gay men in Laguna. This isn’t some Neanderthal country. You’ll get arrested, do you hear me?”

The guy paused and frowned. “Who said anything about beating you up?”

“How about your fucking friend?”

The guy started toward David again. Shit, when you didn’t want them there were six guys in line at the urinal. Now? Nobody.

“Hey, he’s not me. Understand?” It sounded like understend.

The guy reached him and David pressed back against the wall. Trapped. Maybe he could slip to the side. David turned his head, but rough, callused fingers touched his cheek, then began a slow, exploratory caress over his cheekbones. “So perfect.”

David gasped. What did the guy say? “What?” He turned only his eyes toward the Aussie and saw him gazing at David’s face like some painting in his gallery.

“I saw you last night. At that art thingy. I thought you were perfect. These cheekbones. That ass. God, I wanted you so bad.”

What? What the fuck? Of all the fucking nerve… David shoved off the wall, hands firmly planted on his hips. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re gay? Running around harassing innocent people with that band of delinquents, and you’re a closet fag? Give me a break!”

“No, mate, give me a break.” And the guy’s hand slipped around David’s head and pulled him straight into strong arms.

A seeking mouth closed over his lips and the first touch robbed him of air.

David would have sputtered if he could breathe. His hands came up to push the guy away, but shit, the Aussie was strong. Those big hands held him still, not hurting him, but not letting him go, and soft, oh-so-soft lips stroked back and forth against David’s closed mouth. Then he felt a gentle tongue teasing at the tight seam of his closed mouth.

He tried to push away, honest he did, but oh my God…He moaned. This shouldn’t feel so good. The guy was a poser, an identity thief. David couldn’t want a man like this. Not again. But he was hungry and those lips were a feast, a meal of luscious, delicious sweetness he hadn’t tasted is so-o-o long.

Maybe never. The tongue teased and pressed persuasively. Resist, resist…

Total surrender. David’s lips parted and that hot tongue pressed deep into his mouth. Every dormant cell flamed to life with heat and feeling, his cock leading the way. He couldn’t think. Too much smoke from the fire.

His hands slipped into that dark, silky mane as David fit his mouth more perfectly to the Aussie’s. That marauding tongue explored until it caressed David’s completely, teasing and dominating. A rough hand grabbed his butt and pulled him onto his tiptoes until his cock could fit beside the bigger man’s. Hard. Hot. They both went nuts, rubbing their cocks together. Oh shit, it felt good. He tasted so good. Pictures formed in David’s mind. Him dropping to his knees and sucking until the man’s eyes rolled up in his head. His body draped over the sink with the Aussie’s hot cock buried in his ass. Oh God, he wanted…

What the hell? What was he doing? Crap. No. No.

He ripped his mouth from the guy’s. The sheer unexpectedness of it gave David momentum to break away and take a few quick steps toward the door. “No, asshole. Get away from me. I do not do this. I don’t go with men who aren’t proud of who and what they are. Not anymore. Never again. Go back to your closet and play with your volleyballs.”

8 Comments

'Hi' Tara. Enjoyed the NOR chat last night, but it moves so quickly that following up with this blog is greatly appreciated. I do find authors description of the writing/publishing process very interesting. We readers probably take it for granted.

Posted by: Diane Sallans | July 12, 2011 at 12:54 PM

Thanks for being my guest today, Tara. Great interview and I love how you take a seemingly lightweight premise with Volleyballs and delve into the angst. Nice excerpt.

Hi Diane and welcome! Missed last night's chat but I'm glad the timing works out.

Posted by: Jessica Freely | July 12, 2011 at 01:21 PM

Hi Di -- Thanks so much for coming by and for being on the chat! : )

Posted by: Tara Lain | July 12, 2011 at 02:14 PM

Never a disappointment, Tara! Had fun at NOR last night and another good interview here!

books4me67(at)ymail(dot)com

Posted by: books4me | July 12, 2011 at 05:23 PM

Hi Tara,

I love having new blogs to visit on your tour. I know you've mentioned, "Say Yes to the Dress" before, and now I have got to check out this series.

caity_mack at yahoo dot com

Posted by: Cathy M | July 12, 2011 at 05:24 PM

Hi bearaboo/books4me -- I didn't realize until this morning that you were the same so excuse me for thinking we just met last night. LOL Glad you enjoyed the interview. And Cathy -- I would not recommend Say Yes to the Dress to anyone! LOL It's a very dumb show but it sure is relaxing. : )

Posted by: Tara Lain | July 12, 2011 at 07:50 PM