Up Close and Personal With Author Alexis Woods!
Alexis Woods has stopped by today to talk about her latest story Opening Day, baseball and writing. As part of her guest post, we are hosting a giveaway of Opening Day! For all the details, see the contest section below.
Q and A With Alexis Woods!
Q. Baseball, America’s sport, and a wonderful place for a romance. Why include it in your story?
All of my stories have a backdrop or theme, and I have always loved the use of innuendo – baseball is just perfect with all of its lovely little terms: pitching, catching, wood, and, of course, all the “bases.” It was a lot of fun writing this story and trying to work in as many of the terms as I could.
Q. What was the inspiration behind your story and characters?
Ace and Darren were easy to write as they mirrored real life. I’m a pharmacist, just like Darren, and my husband is a front-store supervisor for a well-known pharmacy chain. The proverbial “they” always say write what you know. I grew up playing softball and my husband is from New England, big Red Sox fan, and got me hooked, watching them avidly in the mid-90’s.
Q. Do you include a brownie recipe as well? What is your favorite brownie to eat?
I didn’t, but I’ll share my favorite here. I make what I call my Rocky Road Brownies: Take any box mix that you like and add an additional 1 cup each of mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips and white chocolate chips to the recipe. It’ll need an extra ten minutes baking time, but they are absolutely delicious. Super moist.
Q. Were you a voracious reader as a child?
Always. I had to read before bed, late at night, under the covers, flashlight in hand. Now I’ve got a stocked e-reader, white words on a black background and I’m golden.
Q. What childhood books and authors had the great impact on you and has that carried over into adulthood?
This is a tough question, but I’d have to say Mercedes Lackey. She is one of the few authors that I have read so many her books. I love her world-building, the Heralds of Valdemar being my favorite. She also gave me my first exposure to M/M, but it was almost another dozen years before I truly discovered the genre.
Q. Favorite genre to read and write in?
I was a hard-core fantasy reader for a long, long time, especially anything with battle and military scenes. Up until 2011, I was eating up the children’s and teen fantasy fiction. I absolutely love the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan and all of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson stories, but I got caught up in the 50 Shades phenomenon and then paranormal romance, eventually finding my way to the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. Hooked ever since, their Don’t Read in the Closet event is what finally got me writing. Haven’t looked back since.
Q Vulnerability in a character is a great way to grab onto a reader’s heart. Does that come into play when creating a character or does the character “appear” sort of fully formed?
My character’s are never fully formed until they start talking to me. Every time I sit down to write, they whisper the things they want to say and do. Putting actions (and their voice) into words takes time, but I strive to make it true-to-life.
Q. Title or story…which comes first
The story line first, but the title quickly follows. The working title usually holds through to the finale, with maybe a minor tweak. The cover comes last, although I usually get ideas from the story about what I want, they raely become reality. Not that I’m complaining, the finished product (assembled by fellow author and cover-composer, Shayla Mist) for both Opening Day, and its sequel, Evading Exodus, are stunning.
Q. What’s next for Alexis Woods?
That’s easy. Evading Exodus, as I mentioned above as the sequel to Opening Day will be available at the beginning of April.
Religion often plays a marked role in my stories, although not in an overbearing way. If you’re a member of Goodreads and kept up with Love’s Landscapes, I’ve got an unpublishable story there about two twin Jewish boys, and last winter I wrote Lion’s Hero, for the Boughs of Evergreen Anthology about an Angel and a Jewish man coming together during Chanukah. April marks the start of Passover and is the backdrop for Evading Exodus. This story is a bit longer at 16k and is told from Darren’s point of view. Darren, or Dare, as Ace comes to call him, worries about their relationship when an old friend of Ace’s arrives in town, and it just so happens that that old friend is also one of Darren’s exes. Friends and family join together, braving the plagues of Exodus, riding out the waves of miscommunication and discomfort, understanding and pleasure to brave their future together.
Following Evading Exodus, will be Ultimate Summer, book three of the series, to be released at the beginning of summer. It’s focused on two new characters, but Ace and Dare make a cameo appearance.
I’ve got at least two other short stories planned, and I am currently working on what I hope will be a novel length M/M/M romance backdropped on solving a cold-case murder.
About Alexis Woods...
Alexis Woods is the pen name of Alexis of Woods End, mundanely known as Alicia Mattson. You can find my reviews and book lists here.
I’m an: Author/Anachronist, Beta, Coffee Lover, Daughter/Dancer, Friend/Fighter, Jewish, Khazar, Lover/Leader, Mother/Medieval, Novice, Opinionated, Pharmacist, Romantic/Reenactor, Sister/Scout, Traveler, Visionary, Wife
Always an avid reader and colorful dreamer, it was only a matter of time before taking pen to paper, oftentimes literally. A firm believer in every song tells a story and every story has a song, I sing under my breath, tap my toes and swing my hips, much to the delight of my co-workers and friends. I freely admit that becoming a romance author is the best mid-life crisis a girl could ever have.
You can contact/follow Alexis Woods at:
If you’re another Author, I’d love to connect with you on Facebook.
Opening Day (Southern Jersey Shores #1) by Alexis Woods
When pharmacy manager, Aaron Lark, known to his best friends as Ace, is dumped by his latest boyfriend, he decides to step back from the dating scene. What he doesn’t expect is for the blue-eyed pharmacist, Darren Goldman, to step into, and rock, his world. Bonding over beer, brownies and baseball, Ace and Darren play a game where hopefully both end up crossing home plate as winners.
To enter to win a eBook copy of Opening Day by Alexis Woods, leave a comment below about baseball and romance, or any combination thereof. Use the link provided for all contest details. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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Sales Links: Beaten Track Publishing All Romance (ARe) Amazon 
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Book Details:
ebook, 48 pages
Expected publication: March 1st 2015 by Beaten Track Publishing
ISBN139781910635308
edition languageEnglish
series Southern Jersey Shores #1
Damion had his heart broken six months ago when his boyfriend of ten years called things off. When he is trapped at work in a college library with a cute student and his ex, Damion must decide what to do next.
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