MEN FOR HIRE 2 ANTHOLOGY AUTHOR
INTERVIEW
Today we have the last of
the four Men for Hire 2 anthology author interviews and I am delighted to
welcome Helen J Perry. Over to you…
Thanks for hosting me, Jen. I'm an
almost 50-year-old woman, and I live at a seaside town on the English south
coast. When I'm not reading, I like eating and daydreaming.
Your WritingThe ‘Men for Hire 2’ anthology has a specific theme. That of a firm in London run by Jennifer Archer offering ‘men for hire’ to do any job from dog walking, house sitting, DIY, chauffeuring, etc…. How did you find this theme easy (or hard) to work with?
The theme couldn't have been better for
me. I lived in London for years before moving out to Kent, and I work with men
in the construction industry, so I drew on real life experience. A man who
really does that sort of work was able to verify the finer details of my story.
Specifically, I wrote about men renovating an apartment.
(it helps enormously to
draw on your own experiences, doesn’t it! JD)
This is Luminosity’s second anthology
following the success of Men for Hire 1. Have you had any short stories
accepted in an anthology before and tell us the title of your story in the Men
for Hire 2 anthology.
Four
Days’ Work is the title of my story in Men for Hire. I've had a couple of other
stories accepted into anthologies. One was in an obscure science fiction book
that sold about two copies the other was in Who
Thrilled Cock Robin, an erotica collection inspired by folk songs. Though I
say it myself, it's an excellent set of sexy short stories.
My Cock Robin story also featured a
bisexual man. He who was in a relationship with a gay man they were seeking a
woman to join them in a threesome.
(interesting… JD)
‘Men for Hire 2’ is contemporary MM/MMM stories. What other
genres do you normally write or are you solely an MM writer?
Because there aren't enough hours in
the day to write everything I'd like to write, I am concentrating on writing
M/M romance, published under H J Perry. I've stuck with the young British
construction workers theme in my latest book, Streets Apart, which is a sexy light novella.
I like science fiction and speculative
fiction. Especially if it challenges ideas about gender roles, therefore, the
F/M romance and erotic that I write are a little strange.
The stories in the anthology are all
between 8-12,000 words. What is good (or hard) about writing a short story?
Writing this length of story, which
takes about an hour to read, you have to focus on strong sentences and not
waste words. I read fiction of all lengths. I'm currently working on short M/M
romance novels of about 60,000 words.
Even when I write a short story, I have
an elaborate back story for the character in my mind. In Men for Hire 2, my story is about two bisexual guys who get
together. I touch on the unique prejudice that bisexual people may experience
from lesbians, gay and straight people.
There is only so much back story you
can fit into a short, sexy, fun romance, so some of the blanks are left open
for the reader's imagination.
Tell us about the characters in your
story (eg, a short paragraph describing them like Matt is 30 and he works as a
plumber. He has dark hair, piercing blue eyes and is SOOO sexy).
Both as a reader and a writer, I'm less
interested in physical appearance and more interested in personality and back
story. Why do the characters behave as they do.
Craig is quiet and contemplative. He
has moved to London to get away from the negative experiences of a small town.
He is concerned that his bisexual identify will turn off prospective future
lovers.
Todd is a stunning blond with an
outgoing, carefree personality. Life is for enjoying.
Blurb for ‘Four Days’ Work’:
It’s his first
job for Jennifer Archer’s Men for Hire Agency. Carpenter Craig is new to London
and will be working alone with a gorgeous guy who sets his pulse racing. But is
Todd gay or straight? They’ve got four days renovation work together and for a sexy
female client who has the hots for at least one of these men.
After an
acrimonious breakup due to his bisexuality, Craig is hesitant about coming out
but Todd makes all the moves when a new bed is delivered.
A humorous
tale of men who aren’t afraid of getting dirty together on top of the dust
sheets.
About You
Although Luminosity Publishing is
based in the UK, we have had authors from several different countries in the
two anthologies. Which country are you from (and name of county/state). Did you
grow up there?
I'm English, I live in Kent, and have
lived in England all my life.
When was your first book published
and with whom?
My first two books were self-published
in 2015. They are speculative fiction romances set in a post-apocalyptic
dystopian future. Deviant and Arrival.
Give one thing about yourself that
you would like to change?
Only one! I wish I could take my body
back to when it was fit and 30.
(haha! Don’t I know it. JD)
Name three people you would like to
be shipwrecked with (and why)?
I have no practical skills so I'd need
someone who could build us shelter and source edible food. Someone entertaining
to while away the hours with music or stories would be good.
James Cameron is someone I admire. As a
film director, he created Terminator, The Abyss and Avatar so I think we'd have
lots to talk about, I suspect he's big on day dreaming. He also owns (or
owned?) a vegan farm and he's an expert in deep sea diving. So he just might
have useful knowledge and skills.
I loved the Percy Jackson series of
kid's books so it would be great to spend time with the author Rick Riordan and
see if some of his magic could rub off on me. And just maybe our fellow
castaway, James could be tempted to make those books into amazing films.
As a group, I'm sure we'll talk through
changing the world so my third choice would be one of the many great
politicians. I'm most tempted to say, Diane Abbott, who was a fabulous local
member of Parliament when I lived in London and the first black woman MP.
(great selection! JD)
What’s the strangest (bravest,
funniest etc) thing you’ve ever done?
Strange and funny. I performed stand up
comedy at the Edinburg Fringe Festival.
(wow! I’m impressed. JD)
Please give links of how fans can
find you on the internet/buy your books.
My blog:
On Facebook:
My amazon author page:
And my other author page: http://www.amazon.com/H-J-Perry/e/B016A9SXB2
Thank you so much, Helen. It’s been great having the four anthology
authors with me over the last few weeks.
Great post! I love Helen's wit - I wish I'd seen her stand-up routine!!!!
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