BALLS & CHAINS SERIES – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
I am delighted to welcome the lovely
Amara Lebel who has written a story for the ‘Balls & Chains’ series of
which I am the series editor (and book 1 ‘To Claim a Mate’ was one of my
stories).
Welcome, Amara. Please tell us about
yourself…
"I
am not Perverted. I am a Depraved Sensualist. There is a difference!"
My name is Amara Lebel, and I am an
Erotic Romance and ManLove author. I come from a small town in Northern Ireland
called Derry, where I now live with my handsome (French) hubby and gorgeous
family. I'm a full-time mum of three, and believe me when I say they keep me
busy. I spend my days chasing after my lil darlings, my nights lost in Yaoi,
and thanks to my amazing husband I spend my weekends writing up a storm.
A huge fan of all things male, I can
honestly raise both hands and say that I have an unhealthy addiction to all
things M/M. I watch, read and drool over everything to do with gay couples.
Yes, I am a little perverted, yet in a good way. It’s where I get my
inspiration from, and I am not ashamed to say it. I also have a vast Yaoi
collection which I devour religiously - for those of you not in the know Yaoi,
and/or Shounen-ai, is MM anime and manga, ranging from Light to Hard core.
There are so many genres within this genre alone that there will be something
for everyone to enjoy.
I have always had a love for erotica,
gay romance in particular. Kallysten is my favourite author of MM erotic
romance. I adore her characters, the worlds she created, and the relationships
she built within them. She was a huge influence in my decision to write, and of
course the genre I chose. Kally was the one who opened my eyes to world of MM
romance, and now I am truly obsessed.
With a little encouragement I
eventually put pen to paper and wrote my first ever MM romance, Denial (The
Unrequited Trilogy #1), which was published in Sept 2014. Now I take great
pride in sharing my erotic stories of forbidden lust and enchanted romance with
all of you, my fellow depraved sensualists.
If you would like to know more about
myself, or my books, please feel free to get in touch. I will happily answer
your questions!
…….
Your Writing
The ‘Balls & Chains’ series has a specific genre and setting – gay shifter stories set in a BDSM club. How did you find these themes easy (or hard) to work with?
The ‘Balls & Chains’ series has a specific genre and setting – gay shifter stories set in a BDSM club. How did you find these themes easy (or hard) to work with?
When I heard about the Balls & Chains series I
thought that it would be a great opportunity to write something new. I have
always written gay romance, so I had no issue from this perspective. Yet, to
date, my stories have only ever been Contemporary Romance. With ‘Taming the
Alpha’, I could branch out and try my hand at not only Paranormal Romance, but
with BDSM in greater detail. It was a challenge for me, but one I accepted
gladly. Being a fan of PNR it was easy enough to get into the groove of
plotting a storyline and writing the wolves, the BDSM, however, I found more
difficult. I have some experience with the Lifestyle in real life, so I had
very little research to do, I could work from experience. My problems stemmed
from writing the BDSM scenes in a way which made them exciting and believable
for the readers, yet worded in a way which didn’t offend those in the Lifestyle
who may happen to lift my book and give it a read. I think I managed to succeed
with Cade and Blake’s story, fingers crossed, huh.
(And
you did extremely well! I had no idea reading it that it was your first time
writing a paranormal story! JD)
This is Luminosity’s second book in
the ‘Balls & Chains’ series. Have
you had any stories accepted in an anthology before?
Yes, back in 2014 I participated in an anthology
for Breast Cancer Awareness called Shades of Pink. An author friend of mine, Kallysten,
set it up, and is in fact looking for authors to participate in the 2018
anthology as we speak.
The stories included in the anthology were a
variety of genre and hotness levels. Yet they all had the same theme – Pink.
The anthology sold for a limited time only, and all proceeds went to a cancer
research charity.
You can find my short story, Gabriel’s Rose, here
on my website as a Free Read:
I also participated in an anthology with my fellow
ManLove authors called, Gypsy’s Wolf, a M/M Paranormal Romance. There were 25
of us involved, and we all wrote a chapter each, building the storyline and
characters. All proceeds go to charities which tackle homelessness in young
LGBTQ people. You can find the book here - http://www.bookstrand.com/gypsys-wolf
‘Balls
& Chains’ are MM stories. What other sexual orientations do you
normally write or are you solely an MM writer?
To date most my stories have been M/M, although, as
mentioned above, I do have a Free short read which is M/F and I am currently
working on a Paranormal Romance which is also M/F. I don’t really know why, but
I find it easier to write love between two men than I do with a straight couple
or two women. I have a feeling that a majority of my future releases will also
be M/M, but at least I will have some variety in there.
(It’s
interesting how we are drawn to a particular sexual orientation. I have written
MM myself but prefer to include a woman in my stories. JD)
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).
Cadeon Rosseau is tall, dark and dangerous.
Originally from the French Alps, he has a gorgeous French accent. He is tan
skinned, with brown hair and black eyes. With his strong jaw and regal nose,
the guy is handsome, sinfully so. Alpha of a pack which disowned him, not only
is Cade dominant, but he’s also jaded and scarred. At 150 years old, he’s been
through a lot, but from the looks of him you wouldn’t think he’s any older than
his early thirties. Cade refuses to work, instead living off the fortune he
inherited from his now deceased family.
Blake Copeland is Cade’s polar opposite. Fair
haired, he has blue eyes, smooth skin, and a light aura. He is kind-hearted and
reserved, a true English gentleman. At 300 years old, he is the only remaining
wolf of his pack, which was forced into extinction at the hands of the humans.
Having no choice but to live among them, Blake forged a career in the medical
trade, and is a fully qualified apothecary – or doctor to you and I. Blake is a
submissive male, yet get on his wrong side and he will surely bite back.
All in all, these two males are sexy as hell. . .
Please give us the blurb for your
story ‘Taming the Alpha’:
Welcome to
Balls & Chains, a BDSM Club for gay men. Cross the threshold and see the
worlds of humans and shifters collide as these alphas dominate, and betas
submit.
Past sins have forced Cadeon Rosseau into
isolation, his pack turning against him and casting him out. Self-hatred and
mutilation made him the male he is today. An alpha in his own right, he prowls
the rooms at Balls & Chains in search of the one who will either save him
from himself or break him completely. Jaded and alone, he finds it difficult to
pull away from the self-made hell which has become his life, until a new
submissive garners his attention…
Curiosity and a need for adventure lured Blake
Copeland to the doors of the famous gay BDSM club. He craved distraction from
his monotonous life and had been assured that he would find it there. Little
did he know exactly how true that statement would be. Not only did Blake find
what he was looking for, but he also left with a slightly unhinged mate in tow…
Will these two lone wolves find the strength to
battle the obstacles in their path and build a future?
Although Luminosity Publishing is
based in the UK, they have published stories from authors from several
different countries. Your story is set in the US but has French and English
main characters. Can you tell us which country are you from and why choose
those countries for your characters?
Well, I am Irish, born and raised in a
small town in Northern Ireland, UK.
As for my males – It’s no secret that
my lovely husband is French. This being so, I understand the language very
well, and have always wanted to put these skills to use in one of my stories.
There was never any doubt in my mind that one of my menfolk would be a handsome
French man. Hence, Cadeon Rosseau was born!
When I had originally thought up Cadeon,
the stubborn fool had been bisexual, and his lover American. Yet over time, as
his story unfolded, I finally settled on him being gay with an English lover.
Cade demanded it, and no matter what way I tried to change his story, I just
couldn’t seem to change that fact.
(Ah!
That explains how Cadeon ended up being French. But I love how it was Cade that
demanded an English lover! LOL. JD)
About You
When was your first book published
and with whom?
My first book, Denial, The Unrequited Trilogy #1,
was released in September 2014, and was published by Siren Publishing, Ltd.
Give one thing about yourself that
you would like to change?
Hmm. . . there isn’t really much about myself I
would like to change, nor my lifestyle. If I were to want anything, it would
simply be more hours in the day so I can write more.
Name three people you would like to
be shipwrecked with (and why)?
Kallysten – Fangirl #1 here! I would love to meet
this lady, and squeee loads, and pick her saucy M/M legend brain!
Chris Hemsworth (as Thor) – Rawwwwwwwr need I say
more?
Maria Bilak – I need to spend some time with
girlfriend, why not get stranded together on a desert island where we can
fangirl over Kally and drool over Thor!
What’s the strangest (bravest,
funniest etc) thing you’ve ever done?
It’s a secret. . .
No, I’m kidding. There have been a few milestones
in my life that I’ll always remember, for different reasons, some good and
others bad. To give you a few examples; I have had several girlfriends. I
survived something horrific. I am a qualified Mental Health nurse. I married
the one and only man I have ever been with. I am friends with a very famous
idol in the book world. I enjoy Role Play. I dabble in the BDSM Lifestyle. I
adore Latex. I have been to Australia, Thailand and the Middle East. I have
released several M/M books. . .
The most awesome thing I have done, is create my
family. My little demons are amazing, and I wouldn’t change them for the world.
They are a piece of me, and a piece of their papa. . . our mark on the world.
The bravest thing I have done to date, is win my
battle against skin cancer. I was given the all clear in October, and I am
beyond pleased. From the time I found the strange mole, right up until the
consultant told me the melanoma was all removed, had been the hardest few
months of my life. Stress, worry, doubts, body image issues, more stress. . .
but I won. So, yay me!! #warriorswearblack
(Well
done, you! Getting past cancer is a nightmare but you’ve come out the other
side. JD)
Please give links of how fans can
find you on the internet/buy your books.
Are you Stalkin’ Me? ‘Cause that would be Awesome!
I have had a great time, thank you so much for
having me, Jennifer, and thanks to those who have stopped by. ❤
You are very welcome. It was fabulous
interviewing you. Good look with your book and thank you so much for writing
for the ‘Balls & Chains’ series.
NB: This series is open to anyone –
it is a gay shifter series set in a BDSM club. Full details can be found on
Luminosity’s website. http://luminositypublishing.com/submission-calls/
