Hey everyone! Today I have Julie Lynn Hayes with me. I've pinned her down and poured a few drinks her, lol! Should be fun *wink, wink.* Pull up a chair, pick out a drink, and join us! I met Julie several months ago when Romance First signed me.
After several conversations, and EIC edits, a friendship evoled. She was a godsend, let me tell you. I had questions, and she had answers! But not only that, she opened doors and introduced me to some wonderful authors in our genre. :)
Today I'm highlighting Growing Pains, a book she co-authored in the Southern Comfort Series. This is book #2.
Excerpt: The swimming hole was almost barren at this
time of day—the interval between school and dinner. Mark and Todd wasted very
little time in stripping to their underwear and diving into the cool water.
Mark soaked up the sunlight for a moment before heading toward the shadows.
Todd followed.
”I
bet this beats waiting for your ride?”
Mark
was trying not to think about Blake or what he might think when he came out of
band practice and Mark was nowhere in sight. He tried to push away the twinge
of guilt that said he could’ve left a note. Or just found a way to let him
know. What would he have done anyway, caused a scene in front of everyone? Not
Blake. Not very likely.
Todd
chortled. “Who were you riding with?”
“Um…
Blake.”
”Should
have known that.” Todd started swimming away, leaving a startled Mark. He
stared after him for ten seconds before he followed, catching him just as he
stopped, treading water and shaking his head.
“What’s
that supposed to mean?”
“I
just meant I know you’re staying at his place, figures he’d give you a ride.
Just a shame you have to wait for him every day.”
“Yeah,
I know,” Mark murmured, his face reddening, not entirely because of the sun.
He’d read too much into the other boy’s comment and assumed the worst. That
only served to show how paranoid he was about being outed.
“Hey,
I’m glad you decided to come out here with me. It’s been too long since we hung
out together. I’ve missed that.”
Her Links:
My blog: http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com
My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527332074
Her Publishers:
Romance First Publishing: http://romancefirst
publishing.blogspot.com/
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_222
Now for some fun, lol! *Rubs hands together* I asked Julie to answer her own questions. Yes, I turned them back on her, hehe. I've answered these for her, and while fun, they can sure make you think!
The Questions
You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one
item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
Hmm, that one person is Gary Oldman, and the one item is…
let me think… a comfortable bed. Yeah,
I’m not planning on living very long, but damn, I’ll be happy!
Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and
which character in that musical are you?
That would have to be Man of La Mancha, I think, because
I’ve spent most of my life tilting at windmills and taking up the cudgel in
defense of someone else. So that makes
me Don Quixote, I do believe.
Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less
scenario using them: weeds, rain,
lawnmower
Richard Harris may have left his cake out in the rain, but
damned if I didn’t leave the lawn mower. I know, stupid thing to do. Cheap lawn
mower—stupid rain. Guess it wasn’t quite the value I thought it was when I
plunked down a whole $25 for it at Cousin Jed’s Bargain Barn, huh? Now I’m left
standing in weeds up to my ass, and people with metal detectors keep coming
come by, like they think they’re gonna find something valuable there. Where’s
Jeff Foxworthy when you need him? I think I might be a redneck!
You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with
permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Wow, what a loaded question! Who to do, who to do, who to
do. There are so many wonderful heroes out there, from the angsty Heathcliff to
Mr. Rochester, to any of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s hot men. Sherlock Holmes and
Hercule Poirot. But I’ll start with a
true Southern gentleman who always knew how to treat a lady, and appreciated
her for she is, not who society wants her to. I’ve read the book 17 times,
there has to be a reason, so I’m choosing Rhett Butler, from Gone With the
Wind.
What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your
significant other?
Sad but true, I don’t have one, I’m separated from my
husband and not dating. But just pretending, I’d probably be the sort that
likes to cook a good meal and then cuddles up to watch some TV or a movie. In
reality, I am at my computer all the time, writing and editing lol.
When you start a new story, do you begin with a character,
or a plot?
Usually character. In my experience, plot follows along once
you begin to think about your character, although sometimes they come hand in
hand. One of my current WIPS, When Will I See You Again is one such mixture,
but I won’t comment on the plot since that would be a spoiler. Sometimes
inspiration comes from a prompt, such as those from the Wednesday Briefs, or
Silver Shorts, and then it’s usually character driven as he begins to speak in
my ear and I scramble to get it down before I lose it lol.
If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who
should play you?
Wow, I’m torn between Nicole Kidman and Barry Humphries
(Dame Edna). I really don’t know, but
my husband used to say I looked like Juice Newton, so maybe her. Or Jan
Smithers – she played Bailey in WKRP in Cincinnati. Glenda Jackson – there’s another
thought. I know – Julianne Moore! Yes,
that’s it. I choose Julianne Moore. She’s a great actress and she was a
wonderful Clarice in Hannibal.
Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?
Wow, that’s a hard on, I do love me some horror films.
Dracula is too obvious because I don’t consider Dracula to be a horror film but
a romance lol So let’s look at real horror films. Then I’d have to say John
Kramer, of the Saw films. He was a man of integrity, and he had reasons for
what he did, and he wasn’t the evil guy that he’s oft depicted as being. Of
course, there’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter, but again I don’t see him as the villain,
rather I find him the hero of his books/films, so let’s just call it a tie,
okay? Both of them.
Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Oh yes, I do, for many years now. Go to my blog and it’s no
secret – Cardinal Armand Jean DuPlessis Richelieu. After him would come Napoleon, but Cardinal
Richelieu is first. I admire his intellect and his ability to handle running an
entire country from behind the throne of a foolish king. That makes me tres
sexy, in my book.
Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the
world isn’t ready to receive it?
Yes, but I already wrote it and the world is going to
receive it in February – Revelations. It’s a contemporary Biblical story that
addresses the question – what if the Second Coming has already happened? And
then some? I wrote it in a multiple POV, first person, but the protagonist
closest to my heart, the hero of the book, is Judas Isacariot.
Thanks for having me on your blog, MA! It was a blast!
Loved every minute of it Julie, lol!
A little about Julie:
Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of
nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five
children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames
her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a
world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing
in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men
finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer
in the happily ever after.
She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books
and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. Currently
unemployed, she continues to write her
books and stories and reviews which she
posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off,
but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good
thing, after all. Her published works
can be found at Romance First Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, and Silver
Publishing.
I hope you guys enjoyed the interview! I had fun doing it, lol. Please make sure to check out her blog and her links. :)
~M
