BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Hi Shannon. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to talk to us. We enjoy being able to get to know the authors we read, and we know that our visitors do as well!

Tell me a little about SJ Frost the author. How did you get started? Tell me the story about having your first story published.

I’ve been writing for years.  I had a bit of an overactive imagination as a child and used to enjoy making up and telling myself stories.  I guess not much has changed now that I’m an adult, just the types of stories!  It was in college that I got serious about writing.  I changed my major from legal assisting to English, and went at it all out.  I took some time off from school for a few years and when I finally went back, that’s when I found my author’s voice.

The first work I had published was a short story titled “No More Mirages” in the anthology Best Gay Romance edited by Tom Graham, released through Cleis Press.  When I got the acceptance, I read it three times to make sure it was what I thought it was, then once it hit, I literally squealed and jumped for joy.  It felt especially good because the story featured one of the secondary characters from my novel, Conquest, in the lead, which was written at the time.  But that story is actually a spoiler for future events, because those were plotted out at the time, too.

Has being a published author lived up to your expectations? How has it changed your life?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when the time came for being a published author, but it’s been the most amazing ride.  I’ll admit even with the short stories I had gotten published, I was naïve about the bigger game involved with a novel.  I’m very fortunate, though, in that I have a wonderful editor at MLR Press, Kris Jacen, who has helped me learn the ropes.  

The biggest change is all the new friends it’s brought into my life.  Since Conquest was published, I’ve met the most wonderful people, readers and other authors, whose friendship I’m grateful for.

Before your novel Conquest, you published quite a few short stories through a number of different publishing houses. What made you decide to write a longer work?

I actually started with longer works first.  I had written Conquest before I published anything and it was the catalyst for me to start writing short stories.  I wanted to build up a portfolio with the hopes that when the time came where I felt Conquest was ready to go out, I could show publishers I was marketable and increase its chances of being picked up.  What was great about it was with every short story, I learned more and more, and I really think each experience helped me become a little bit better in my work.

In your novel Conquest, you pair together two rock musicians – one just getting on his feet and the other at the height of his popularity.  Tell me what motivated you to pen this tale. Did you look to any particular musicians for inspiration?

The primary motivator was Jesse Alexander, the main character.  From the moment he appeared, he wouldn’t let me rest until his story was out!  The more I talked to him, the more he had to say, telling me about his relationship, his life, his problems.  But beyond that, I’ve always loved music and surrounded myself with it.  I think that interest manifested in Jesse and his partner, Evan.  And to be able to combine my love of music and my love of writing was the best thing ever!

I look to music for inspiration in general.  Listening to it always gets my mind working in a creative way.  There wasn’t any particular artist or band I used as a model for Jesse, his band Conquest, or Evan, but after it was written, I could see them in various artists.  Like there’s an early song by Queen on the Night at the Opera album titled “Love of My Life.”  The purity of Freddie Mercury’s voice, the beautiful piano, I can so hear Jesse singing and playing it, especially during a certain section of the book which I won’t give away because of spoilers.

In this novel, you made the day-to-day business side of rock music seem less than glamorous. In fact, it felt very realistic to me. What kind of research you did in order to give us a believable story – were you writing from experience at all?

Yay!  I’m so glad the story felt real to you!  I was really aiming for that and to give readers an inside look at the music business.  For a lot of musicians, once the stage lights go down and the parties are over, it’s very much just a job when it comes to recording.  And I guess I’ve sort of researched it for years, but didn’t know it.  I’ve always been fascinated by music, so I’ve read and watched lots of biographies and documentaries on musicians.  When writing Conquest, I did research out a lot of the more mundane parts, like contracts and what not, to make sure I got my facts right.

I’ve never personally worked in the music business, except on the retail side when I was managing a large multi-media store and that job did force me to stay on top of what was happening in the music world.  Since I hadn’t worked directly in music, that’s why I took such care to research things.  Whenever I write anything I don’t have personal experience in, I research and triple check all my facts. 

As I read this story, I remember wanting to hear the underlying music to Jesse’s lyrics. Were you listening to any particular music when you wrote his songs? What music style or effect you were aiming for?

For both Jesse and Evan, I wanted their music to come across with a strong rock edge.  Both are classically trained, so I wanted that influence in their music with some of the harmonies.  With Evan, his music is supposed to have a refined sound, a touch of elegance with the various traditional classical instruments he often incorporates into his songs.  With Jesse and Conquest, I wanted things to be lively, fun, music that when you listen to it, you want to smile and move to the beat, but also capable of having great beauty with his voice.

I can’t think of any specific songs I was listening to when writing the lyrics in the book, but I was listening to a lot of different music; Mozart, Bach, classical in general, Queen, Gackt (Japanese rock star), Daughtry, Josh Groban, Top 40 stuff, The Imagination Movers.  Yeah, The Imagination Movers.  I have a one-year-old, so I leave the Disney Channel on for him during the day as background noise and I get grooving to The Imagination Movers.  Er, that last part might have been something I should’ve kept to myself.  I’ll try to pretend I didn’t say it and continue with, my taste in music is very eclectic.  There aren’t many genres I can’t get some enjoyment from, so it could be that’s why I have Jesse and Evan being very diverse in their musical talent.  

I’ve seen writers referring to “needing to write” versus “wanting to write.” How about you? What motivates you to pick up the pen or pound on the keyboard?

It’s a compulsion!  If it were up to me, I’d be at the computer for hours a day, but the real world tends to get in the way of my fantasy one.  So I guess it’s a little bit of both.  I need to write, but finding the time is hard, making me always want to write!

Who or what do you consider to be your “muse”? Is he/she/it always your friend, or do you tend to argue with each other occasionally?

My muse, I’d be lost without him and I do look at him like he’s a real entity.  He’s lingered around for years, but really stepped forward when Jesse came to me.  We usually get along really well.  There are some things he doesn’t like to work with me on, but whenever I’ve needed him, he’s never let me down. 

Do you allow your characters and story to develop as you write, or do you plan everything out carefully beforehand?

I’m not the most organized person, so planning beforehand never works.  I’m a fly by the seat of my pants author.  I just sit at the computer and let things roll.  A lot of times I don’t even know what the next chapter will be until I’m nearing the end of what I’m working on, or even how the story will end.  But I find it a lot of fun.  I get surprises along the way.

How regimented a writer are you? Do you schedule time on a regular basis to write, or do you wait for your muse to strike and then write madly until you’re done?

I write whenever I have time, which most often is either when my child is napping or in bed for the night.  I’ve learned with him, schedules are made to be broken.  Luckily, my muse is patient.  He keeps the ideas close in my head until I’m able to get them out.  I do try to write a little everyday, though.  Except when I’m in the middle of revisions or edits.  I’ll go several days, or even weeks without writing anything fresh until a current project is wrapped up.

How did you become interested in writing m/m romance? This seems to be a very rapidly growing genre these days. Why do you think this is so?

It all came about with Jesse from Conquest.  Before him, I wrote strictly fantasy, and other than historical fiction, that was pretty much all I read, too.  I was working on the first book of a fantasy trilogy, which had a gay character in the secondary lead role, but I put it aside when I started Conquest and haven’t touched it in years.  Once I started writing m/m, it just clicked.  But I’ve had many gay and lesbian friends.  I saw the love they had for their partners and I wanted to write a story that presented two men loving each other with a powerful bond.  I wanted to show love is love and it transcends gender.  That continues to be my goal in all my m/m erotic romance works.

I have a hope that the growth in m/m is because the world is growing in acceptance.  I also think a lot of it is due in thanks to the gifted authors and brave publishers who broke down barriers and said, “Hey, it’s okay to read and write this.  It’s beautiful, sensual, exciting, everything and anything you want it to be.”  It’s thanks to their courage in opening the gates that the genre has become flooded with many talented authors, and where there’s talent, people will find it.

In your opinion, what makes for a great story? How do you incorporate this into your writing?

For me, it’s all about the characters and their relationships with each other, whether romantic or otherwise.  They’re the centers of emotion in a work.  I think my stories tend to be more character driven than plot driven because of that thought.  I like adding little details about them too, like middle names, birthdays, hobbies, favorite things.  It makes me feel like I’m telling the story of a real person, which probably makes me sound a little mental!

So…what’s in the works? What project are you working on at this moment, and what can your readers expect from you in the not-too-distant future? I think I’ve heard something about you continuing the story of Evan and Jesse from Conquest?

You heard right!  Jesse and Evan are coming back for an encore in Conquest’s sequel, No Fear.  It’s going to be published by MLR Press also.  Then I have a Single Shot coming out from Torquere Press with a tentative release date in February.  It’s a fun little short titled “Midnight Dalliance” and it gives a glimpse into the world of English equestrian sports, like show jumping.  Other things I have in the works, a third novel featuring the boys from Conquest with one of the secondary characters in the lead and I’ve got some vampires waiting to show their love, too.

Tell me a little bit about Shannon Frost the person. Will you tell us a little bit about your family and your multitudinous critters? Do you have an “Evil Day Job”? What do you do for fun that takes you away from the computer?

Ah, well, Shannon Frost the person tends to be a bit on the dull side.  I don’t have an EDJ any longer.  Now I’m a stay-at-home momma to my one-year-old son, who is my little prince.  He’s a child with special needs, and in just the short time since he’s been born, he’s opened my eyes to the world in ways I can’t even describe, only that it’s in ways so very much for the better.  I always thought writing brought me great happiness, and it does, but it doesn’t even compare to his smiles and laughter.

All my critters?  Well, let’s just say I’m fortunate that I have a husband who is a softy animal lover like me and doesn’t mind me trying to feed every fuzzy thing that crosses my line of sight.  We have four horses with a fifth on the way, one of the mares is in foal to my stallion.  I have two beasts that I think are dogs underneath all their hair.  And cats, there’s no shortage of those running around.  My dogs and cats are all strays or rescues, even a couple of the horses didn’t come from good situations, but with a little food, love, and patience, they’ve all turned into wonderful pets.

When I do manage to pry myself away from my high tech ball and chain, I enjoy being outside.  We live pretty much in the middle of a park, so I go for lots of walks with my son and dogs in the woods.  I spend time with our horses, pampering them more than riding them these days.  During the winter since Ohio turns into a frozen tundra, I spend more time inside, catching up on all the movies I missed during the summertime.

What is the one place in the world that you have always wanted to visit and why?

I really want to visit Japan someday.  It’s a beautiful culture, the country itself is gorgeous, the history so rich and deep.  I’d love to run around the temples, the mountains, the forests, and beaches.  And yeah, I’d have to live up the Tokyo nightlife and totally hit a host club.  

How do you want to be remembered by future generations? If there was a “Who’s Who” a hundred years from now with the entry “Shannon Frost,” what would you want it to say?

Wow, that’s a tough one.  If I did get into a Who’s Who catalogue, I’d just like a simple entry.  Something like, “Shannon Frost was an author known as S.J. Frost who used her writing with the hope of touching people’s lives, even if it was just giving the reader a smile.”

Now, what have I forgotten? Is there anything you would like to share that I’ve neglected to ask you about?

I can hardly remember what I did five minutes ago, so if you’ve forgotten anything, there’s no way I’ll remember!  But the biggest thing I’d like to share is a thank you for having me here today.  I’ve had a blast!

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

Readers are always welcomed to pay me a visit at my website.  I have my email address there and love hearing from people, so it’s an open invitation to contact me.  I can be tracked down on Facebook and MySpace too, though I’m on Facebook more these days between the two. 

For Conquest and the upcoming, No Fear, MLR Press is the best place to pick up the ebook.  Amazon has the Kindle version and the print.  The Single Shot “Midnight Dalliance” can be grabbed at Torquere Press when it’s released.  I have a page over at GLBT Bookshelf and try to keep that up-to-date also with links, as I do with my website with the newer releases.