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Author and Book Spotlight: Up Close and Personal with G. B. Lindsey!
ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords welcomes G.B. Lindsey into the spotlight to talk about writing, inspiration and what makes a character a hero.
G.B. Lindsey has two giveaways for readers to enter. Look for the details below. Welcome, G.B.Lindsey!
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STRW: Why did you choose to write M/M stories?
G.B. Lindsey: It started out as completely unexplored territory for me as a writer, both in terms of the physical elements and the desire to portray a convincing homosexual relationship. Thank god, though: I quickly learned that it was all about writing a convincing relationship, full stop. Relationships of all kinds are the basis for most of the really interesting drama. Real people leading real lives, juggling the same things that everyone else juggles. So they have the same sexual organs as each other. Big deal. Nowadays, the gripping part is not the M/M so much as the emotional impact two people can have on each other. Since there is still a significant societal taboo involving men being emotional, especially toward each other, I also see it as a challenge: to bring forward the ways that emotion and masculinity are not mutually exclusive. In the wider frame, I really love the chance to (hopefully) introduce more readers to the fact that relationships are relationships are relationships: gay, straight, bi-, trans-, inter-, a-, omni-… We all struggle with a lot of the same questions. M/M stories started out as the gateway for me to tackle these themes as a writer, and I’ve learned a hell of a lot in the process, both about writing and about human beings. For that reason, I feel I’m always going to love writing M/M.
STRW: What was your inspiration for this particular story?
G.B. Lindsey: My agent is the one who approached me and my co-writers Libby Drew and Diana Copland with the original idea. We were all on board from minute one. The premise was just too juicy to pass up: one of those story ideas that hits you low in the gut, and you know that it could be awesome. I like to think that Libby, Diana, and I inspired each other during the creation of our separate characters. It was fantastic to play off of each other, to fill in holes and likewise find our gaps closed by what was going on in the other two novellas, to toss questions at each other and find ready observations and answers. As far as other influences, when I write I take a lot from observing what goes on around me in my day to day life. The character of Glenna Stuart specifically was influenced by several people I’ve met over the years regarding the questions she raises about sexuality and identity. She worries about some extremely intimate, important things that I feel should be explored, contemplated, better understood.
STRW: What makes a character a hero to you?
G.B. Lindsey: Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve thought about characters in terms of heroism until now! I usually think about them in terms of realism, conviction, how convincing they are, how much their motivations resonate with me as a reader/writer… It could be the most despicable character in the world, but if I am convinced, if I think it reads true, then I’m usually fascinated, anxious to pick apart how it was done from the writing standpoint. What makes a character a hero to me? Someone who isn’t afraid to be him or herself, I think. It’s been my own particular struggle as I’ve grown up. I was fairly quiet, taught myself early not to make waves, didn’t like standing out, and thus tended to let myself get pushed around or taken advantage of. It’s been a long journey, re-teaching myself that I have a voice, and that my opinions and ideas are not automatically less important than others’. I’m still learning it. I find a character heroic when he or she does what is right, what he or she believes to be best, and of course, when he or she can learn from the past and adapt, learn, keep reaching out even when burned.
STRW: How much research to you do for any particular story?
G.B. Lindsey: It depends on the story. For instance, at the moment, I’m working on a novel that requires quite a bit of delving into psychoses, firearms, law enforcement… I joke that I have probably finagled myself a nice NSA file, what with the websites I’ve been frequenting. One Door Closes didn’t require the same amount of research; we looked into property law, civil law, and the foster system, which I didn’t know that much about. But I love the research aspect. It’s one of my favorite parts of writing fiction. I used to just salivate over Michael Crichton’s novels because, wow, think of all the amazing things he got to dabble in! For fun! Because he wanted to! I would have loved to research for his books.
STRW: Is there any specific genre of writing you don’t connect with and which ones are your favorite to write?
G.B. Lindsey: Mystery is the genre I connect with the least. Not that I don’t love to watch mysteries. Sherlock Holmes and Brother Cadfael are two of my favorite characters ever, and both are amazing to read and watch. But I rarely write mystery, and I don’t read much of it unless it’s also thriller or horror. It’s just not a genre that piques my creative interest. The writing aspect of it turns me off because it’s rare that I visualize a plot so well right away that I can effectively craft the mystery and not give everything away too soon. I’ve tried, and I’ve been happy with the product, but yeah, definitely not my favorite. My favorite genre to write is Horror. It’s a heavily underappreciated genre in terms of “good literature” (and don’t even get me started on that argument because we’ll be here all night) and it’s one of the best ways to comment on societal fears. I’m pretty much addicted to horror films. It’s difficult to find good horror in Hollywood these days, so when I come across a movie or a book that really deliciously scares me, you’re probably going to hear about it. There’s a real beauty in turning a phrase in just the right way to send chills prickling over someone’s skin. My second favorite genre is Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction, and that is the best way to comment on society as a whole. Again, underrated by the Powers That Be. Again, they are wrong, wrong, wrong. What a fantastic thing, post-apocalyptic sci-fi!
STRW: Thank you so much for stopping by. That was a great interview.
For more information about G.B. Lindsey and her latest release, One Door Closes, visit the links below.
Special Note: To listen to an audio recording of G.B. Lindsey reading the first ten minutes of the book, visit here.
Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkj_prq43p4
Contest: One $10 Amazon gift card and one copy of One Door Closes. To enter, visit the Rafflecopter links provided below. Contest rules include that you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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Author Bio: G. B. Lindsey was born and raised in California, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Literature and Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. Her first love has always been writing: as a child, she cultivated such diverse goals as becoming “a cowgirl… and a writer” or “a paleontologist… and a writer.” Aside from her salacious and ongoing affair with the horror genre, she loves to write sci-fi, romance, historical fiction, and short stories. Other hobbies include playing the piano, reading voraciously, the occasional period drama movie night, and devouring scary film after scary film. She recently moved back home from Newcastle upon Tyne, where she earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing, and now lives in Sacramento.
You can follow G.B. Lindsey at:
Goodreads Author Page Website Twitter
Email at lindseywords@gmail.com
Facebook 
About One Door Closes: Blurb: Years ago, Calvin Ware found a refuge in Neverwood, a home for wayward boys. Now, following the death of his foster mother Audrey, he’s returned to fulfill her request to restore the decrepit Victorian mansion to its former purpose. Under the threat of repossession, Cal clashes with his foster brothers over restoration plans while fending off the unscrupulous developer who is breathing down his neck. Audrey’s well-meaning presence in his dreams does more harm than good as he struggles to cope with it all. What’s more, the contractor he hires to get the building up to code turns out to be Will Cabot, his high school flame. As they begin working together, Cal finds he still has feelings for his first love. But his mistakes of years ago threaten their future, just as they ruined their past, and Cal knows he can’t withstand the heartbreak a second time Three foster brothers are called home to Neverwood, the stately Pacific Northwest mansion of their youth. They have nothing in common but a promise to Audrey, the woman they all called mother…
Book Details:
Kindle Edition
Expected publication: June 30th 2014 by Carina Press
ASINB00I15VKGE
edition languageEnglish
Buy Links: Barnes & Noble Amazon
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Tour Dates: June 23 – June 28
Tour Stops: June 23: Jade Crystal, My Fiction Nook, The Hat Party June 24: Kimi-Chan, Amanda C. Stone June 25: Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words June 26: Cate Ashwood, Parker Williams June 27: MM Good Books, Crystal’s Many Reviewers June 28: The Blogger Girls
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Tour Dates: 8/5/14
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 