BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with AKM Miles, author of Take it EASY, Soldier, and many other fine GLBT romances.

In your novel Take it EASY, the character the story is named after is a long-haul trucker. Will you tell us a little bit about what inspired you to create this character and to write his story?

My brother is a truck driver and a dispatcher. He’s very good at what he does. I’ve listened to him over the years and realized that there is so much to this industry that people don’t know and wouldn’t expect about these men and women who do this for a living. I think people get the idea that it’s just drive and stop to eat and then drive some more. I tried to show how intricate and involved the job is and what it takes to do it well. And, I tried to impart that knowledge without it sounding preachy or like the teacher I am…so I had Mano be very interested in anything that Easy did and full of questions about how things worked. I think it worked well in the story.

Because it’s the world I want to believe in. I want my characters to have that warmth in their lives, however they get it. It may be through a child or an LOL(Little Old Lady) or just good friends. I like HEA, obviously, but I think the characters have to work for it. I’ve said before that I prefer to write stories where the main characters realize feelings for each other, and express them early on, and then have to face conflict as a unit in order to build a life together.

I’d read a few M/M works, mainly Gordon Merrick. Then came Brokeback Mountain and I got the screenplay and read it and I was looking online for more along that line and found Torquere. I ordered a couple of books, feeling very excited. I devoured them and kept on, building a large collection. I started looking for other printing houses. I started an online relationship with Carol Lynne and…talk about a mentor. I love her writing and she is such a wonderful person. Why do I think this genre is growing? I think there is more acceptance of M/M and F/F relationships, thank heaven. People might be curious, then when they realize how wonderful the stories are , they’re hooked. To me, it’s just more exciting to read, and to write, M/M romance.

I was writing in high school. I had a friend who would read my stories. Then came college, teaching for 27 years in Special Education. Somewhere in there I wrote two hetero novels. Did nothing with them. They’re here somewhere. Eh!  In the fall of ’07 I decided to try my hand at writing M/M. I started with Smart Alex. I wrote it and sent it to Torquere Press and they accepted it. It takes a while to get published so they suggested I write a short story as that might get out faster, so I wrote Uniforms. That came out first, then Smart Alex. I was off and running. I like the longer novels best. I like to fill them with other characters. I mean, life isn’t just two people, it’s them and all the family, friends, and colleagues around them (be they positive or negative). It can all be worked in to make it a more interesting read. I think I’m working on my 17^th now.

Recognition of like desires and feelings about life and about each other. It’s not just two gorgeous people hooking up. Although, what’s not to like about that, huh?  Love makes good chemistry. When your only goal is making that person happy, finding ways to make them so, giving of yourself so that person finds fulfillment. You can’t say it’s any one thing. There are stories where the characters are a lot alike and get along and then ones where they are total opposites and find true happiness in celebrating those differences.

I start with notes. Then I add to the notes and think about it for days…or weeks, and then I start writing. Sometimes, I go off on a tangent and think, “Now how in the hell did I get here?” Then I have to just go with it and see what’s going on. I’m not being goofy and saying something takes me over in a woo woo way, but as I type I’ll find myself just following a thought and writing and then I have to stop and wonder how I’m going to continue since it’s not what was in my notes or plans.

Sure. I wonder how Smart and Alex and Tommy and Mike are doing. Should I go back and do a follow up a couple of years later?  

I love sequels, or series. I like meeting people in one book and then reading the next about their friends, but getting to go back and see how the first couple is doing and how they relate to the new ones. Carol Lynne is fabulous at that. I have a habit of writing characters into books that end up needing their own books. I get lots of letters asking for stories about …oh, say Randy from Brackets, Tommy and Gom from Soldier, and now Daniel from Take It EASY. I love it when readers want to know about them. Tommy’s Story is out now. It’s a short story in the Arcana Series at Torquere. And yes, you get to revisit Soldier and Dillon and the boys.

If there was no more to do with him, or know about him. I think I could go back to any of my books and either write more about the main characters or about others in the book.

I taught for 27 years. Then I was a sales rep for a gourmet foods company owned by friends. It was five years after I retired from teaching that I started writing. Now this is my only job and the only thing I juggle it with is taking care of Mom and just other RL(Real Life) things.

I’m a photographer. I have framed prints all over the house and make a yearly calendar using my prints, as well as making note cards for gifts.

I’d really like to make a good living at this. I want to write more and more. And I certainly haven’t reached that yet. But mostly, my goal is to have readers like my work. Getting notes or letters from readers who love a book or a character makes my day like nothing else…well, good reviews put a shine on things (no sucking up intended).

A respect for the struggles and joys of the gay life.If you had to choose one story to hold up to the world as your finest work to this point, which would it be and why? I guess Soldier, because of the depth of feelings and the wonderful caring characters. Or Brackets. There are some great moments in that one, too. Dare To is pretty heartwarming with Ryan and JC, and Dare’s job. Smart Alex is great with the whole bashing thing and how the four young men deal with that. Are you getting the idea that I can’t pick one? They’re like kids.

I have a group of friends that I usually see on Friday nights to eat dinner and play cards, laugh, joke, listen to music, talk about things. It’s a nice break.

Also, what is your favorite self-indulgence? Books. I read a review and I’m off to order it. I love to read and take my Kindle with me everywhere.

I have a whole room called the music room because that’s where the stereo used to be. Now it is all books. I’m slowly clearing off the shelves of the old stuff. Most of my reading is on the computer or Kindle these days. I can’t display my M/M print books, even my own! Some of my friends just aren’t there yet.

Any specific genres, authors, titles? Romance --  Love Norah Roberts, Tara Janzen, Suzanne Brockman, Sherilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, JR Ward, JD Robb. M/M—Carol Lynne, Sean Michael, ZA Maxfield, Zathyn Priest, TC Blue, Meg Leigh, Andrew Grey, Ethan Day, Shawn Lane, Addison Albright, BA Tortuga, Julia Talbot, JP Bowie,…I really could go on and on.

Would I notice that anything is conspicuously absent from your stash of reading material?  Yep  If so, what? Horror.  I never intentionally scare myself.

What are you working on at this moment (besides answering these nosey questions!)?

I’m working on a very short story to go in a collection of Valentine’s Stories for Torquere. This one is revisiting Brack and Austin (from Brackets) on the mountain.

Coming soon. From Total-E-Bound (TEB) on January 25th is Too Keen. It’s finished and I’ve seen the cover and I love it. I can’t wait to get people’s reactions to this one.  Hopefully the Valentine’s Story in February called The Only Thing That Matters. On April 28^th comes the sequel to Love, Jamie from TEB, called Love, Grant. In June from Torquere is Between Matt and Jason, revisiting, uh, Matt and Jason, from Between Us. That one is about a photographer, go figure.

Tommy’s Story came out on December 12^th. It is short, but I think everyone will love seeing how Tommy turns out and boy does it set us up for Gom’s book which will be sometime next year. He’s the one most people fell in love with. I freely admit that I can’t read the scene where Soldier takes him to pick out a dog at the pound without tearing up. I’m a wuss, I admit it. But, I love it when a book can make me laugh out loud or cry. If someone, through written word, can get that kind of reaction, they’ve done a good job, I think. Either way, those books make you think. Even ones that make you mad. Like, who didn’t want to go after Donnie in Love, Jamie? I mean, come on! Little MF! Oh well, sorry. You should read Love, Grant (heehee).

You know what…with the world the way it is today and with computers and internet…I’ve talked to a lot of them. I’m friends with Carol Lynne, which still gives me happy shivers. I think she’s a marvel.  I think I’ve probably scared Sean Michael I’m such a fan. I wish I could be as prolific as both of them. I talk frequently with TC Blue, whose work I admire greatly, as well as Meg Leigh. I'm crazy about ZA Maxfield; she's super cool. I’m talking about all over the US and into Australia. It’s nice with all the sites where we can keep up with each other and then chatting with the special ones. I’m pretty content. So many of these authors have helped me in so many ways, giving advice, answering questions, making suggestions, giving of their time, explaining rules and even helping me set up sites (Thanks, Meg!) It’s a pretty wonderful network of great people.

I’m addicted to the talent shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars. I love music and dance. Oh, and I really, really love to hear from readers. I even got a suggestion from one about a possible story line for Daniel from Take It EASY. That’s cool. I keep all my good reviews and letters from fans. I can’t help it. They inspire me to keep writing.

Finally, where can our readers to go learn more about you and your work?

Email me here.

LiveJournal, BlogSpot, Wordpress, GLBT Bookshelf, Facebook, Good Reads should just about tell you all you want to know about me.

And to buy your books? You can get to all my work from the GLBT Bookshelf. But, just in case, here are the links to my two pages. One at Torquere Press and one at Total-E-Bound. I am working on a book for MLR Press very soon.

~AKM~
***love is love***

Thanks so much for joining me, AKM! We at BookWenches wish you the very best for the future in your life and career.