TITLE: Evasive Maneuvers
AUTHOR: Lynn Michaels
COVER ARTIST: Jay Aheer
LENGTH: 58,500 words
RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2016
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Lynn Michaels here today to talk about the characters and writing Evasive Maneuvers. Welcome, Lynn.
- How difficult is it to get into the mind of a teenager?
That’s a tough one. We remember when we were teens, but the world has changed so much. Some things never change. The same emotional and human conflict of growing up, having one foot in childhood and one in adulthood is never easy. My kids are in their 20’s now, but it wasn’t all that long ago that I watched them struggle with the same issues. Technology has changed and the world sometimes feels like an angrier place, but we still have to work through love and acceptance, being part of a group, and taking on new responsibilities in life. Those are universal things. That’s what I try to tap into, no matter what age, race, or sex the characters are.
- Are you into sports? And if not, does getting into the mindset of a high school quarterback become that much more challenging?
Great question. I’ve played my share of sports. Particularly softball. But, in this case, for Evasive Maneuvers, my quarterback is out of school and trying to find his way in the world, and that’s where I made the connection. The old things that were important before are not as important. He has to take care of himself, look out for his future. He has to decide what parts to leave behind and what to take with him. He can lead, keep people together, work as a team, but he also has to understand that the game has changed.
- How do you decide where your next themes come from?
Themes develop along side the plot for me. As my characters move through life, they deal with consequences of their decisions and mistakes. Themes develop from that. I think in that respect, the fiction imitates life. We deal with themes in our own lives as they come up, as we learn and grow, and as we deal with the results of our own decisions. I think this happens in the planning or plotting phases of a story, and as the themes develop, I can choose where to focus and what to develop. I think good fiction poses questions around themes, but leaves readers to make a lot of their own decisions. I hope whatever themes I deal with, that they pose questions for my readers to grapple with.
- Is contemporary fiction your favorite genre to write in?
No. I like paranormal, fantasy, and urban fantasy better. I like to be able to take ordinary things and make them extraordinary. I like to see how magic can twist things and shape things. How would things be different if just one thing were magical or you had one special ability that no one else has. I like to think about things like that. I like to twist genres and write across the lines. Even in my contemporary work, you won’t see too many of my stories that stay strict to a particular trope. I think life is messier than that and that’s what I reflect in my writing, even the paranormal stuff – I hope.
- How was your high school experience compared to your MCs?
Completely different than both my main characters. In Evasive Maneuvers, Campbell went to a private school and Stone went to a small town school. I was a military brat and went to high school overseas. All three of these situations are extremely different, but as I said back in the first question, we all had to deal with a lot of common themes, regardless of our background.
- Favorite book to read in HS?
The Stand by Stephen King was hands down the favorite book I read in High School. Well, any Stephen King really. I love the way he tells a story. His characters become real, they come off the pages. They face strange things and deal with them in very human ways.
- What advice would you give your teenage self now looking back on those years?
Write. Write more. Write often. Don’t stop. Focus more on that than anything else. I think I got sidetracked in my life many times and it took a long time to get back to the writing and to telling stories I want to tell.
- What’s next for Lynn Michaels?
I have a lot more stories to tell. I think you’ll see more paranormal type stories in the future. I like to write about interesting and different circumstances and twist things around, so who knows what might end up on the page. In the near term, Holeshot 2 will be the next big release after the first of the year. The Supercross world has a lot of amazing young people doing amazing things. It’s exciting and I love that world. I also will have a novella out this Christmas that has a paranormal twist to it. Hopefully, overall, I will continue to put out fun stories that people will enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing them.
Thanks, Lynn, this was outstanding. I appreciate your sharing. Now for more about Evasive Maneuvers…
BLURB:
Campbell Fain has been rebelling against his father, refusing to grow up for so long, he’s not sure what his life really means anymore. When he meets the man that makes his heart melt, he lies to impress him. Unfortunately, facing the truth may turn out to be the least of his problems when he’s forced to come face to face with the sins of his father.
He was the quarterback in high school, all American sweetheart and solid guy, but Stone Medlock is just figuring out his life. When he meets Campbell Fain, it turns his world around and he just might be falling hard for the rebellious punk, but will he still be able to support and trust Campbell when the lies come out?
Will Campbell’s lies tear them apart before they even begin? Will they find the love behind the lies?
Stone pulled his jeans all the way off, dropping them to the floor along with his sexy briefs. I couldn’t help notice how manly they were; everything about Stone was manly. If I hadn’t met him at a gay club, I never would have thought he batted for my team, but every bit of me was so happy he did. It never hurt to have out jocks on the team! He smelled masculine too. Some of that could have been his products that I could smell on myself too, but some of it was just his own natural, earthy scent that I couldn’t get enough of.
As I stared at him, waiting for more, his face shifted to something a little less sexy. His brows pressed down, making him appear unhappy or concerned.
“What?”
“Campbell. Listen. I need to know what else you lied about.”
I chuckled, nervously. “What?” Why the hell did he bring this shit up now, especially when I thought we’d gotten past it?
Lynn Michaels lives and writes in Tampa, Florida where the sun is hot and the Sangria is cold. Lynn is the newest addition to Rubicon Fiction, and she loves reading and writing about hot men in love. She writes paranormal and contemporary MM Romance
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
I haven’t read the book yet. i enjoyed the teaser and blurb. Look forward to reading . Adding to my buy list
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I love the cover of the book but have not read it yet. I have it on my wishlist though.
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