Gale Stanley - Interview

Today I am joined by author, Gale Stanley. Welcome, Gale and thanks for coming across to answer some questions.

1)    Perhaps you’d like to start by telling us a bit about yourself and your writing.

Hi Nicola! Thanks for having me today. I love romance and I love to write romantic stories in different genres. They might be erotic, paranormal, wolf-shifters, vampires, contemporary, MF, MFM, MM, and MMM. But they all have one thing in common – a happy ending.

2)    When did you realise you wanted to be a writer and how did you get your first break?

I’ve always read a lot and I started writing my own stories as soon as I could pick up a pencil. But life took a detour and I became a surveyor and a CAD manager. I worked full time but I still read a lot and I wrote book reviews online and for RT Book Reviews magazine. Eventually I wrote a short story. I guess you could call it a personal memoir or creative nonfiction. I submitted it to Adams Media, they accepted it and The Power of the Purr was published in A Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers. They published two more of my stories in the Cup of Comfort anthologies and meanwhile I was working on my first novel – Call of the Wilds, a paranormal romance which was published by Siren. It turned into a series – Black Wolf Gorge.

3)    Where do you draw your inspiration from? How do you usually begin the process of starting a new story?

I always start with the characters and a rough idea for the beginning of a story. I can't outline to save my life. The characters tell me where to go.

4)    Which other authors have been most influential in your life and in your writing in particular?

I’m a big Stephen King fan. I’ve read all his books but my favorite is a work of non-fiction called On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft. It’s a combination of autobiography, instruction and inspiring advice. I think he gives the best advice possible in the following quote: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” I really took that to heart.

5)    What was your latest release and what are you working on at present? What future releases do you have lined up?

Silver Publishing will release Hunter and the Hawk on April 30. It's Book 1 in a new series called Symbiotic Mates. It's all about feuding Vampires and Lycans. Now both species are facing extinction and they discover their only hope for survival is to work together and share blood. Book 2 Peter and the Wolf will be released May 28. Book 3, Talon and the Falconer is coming in July.

One Night in Bangkok is a contemporary MM romance about an American lawyer and a young Thai he meets in Bangkok. It will be released on June 25. Right now I'm working on a sequel. I'm also working on book 4 of Symbiotic Mates and Book 3 of The Gentlemen's Club, a series of stories about an exclusive club where men can make their fantasies come true.

6)    Tell us a little known fact about yourself.

I’m teaching myself to play piano. It's something I've wanted to do since I was a kid and never got the chance.  (Nicki J: I play piano - but I'm not very good - wish I was! Good luck!)

7)    Where can readers go to find out more about you and your books?

My website url is: http://galestanley.net/
And I blog at: http://galestanley.blogspot.com/
You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gale.stanley.author and Twitter: http://twitter.com/galestanley
And I love to get email: gale@galestanley.net

8)    Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

I just want to thank everyone for their support. I feel fortunate to be able to do something I love. Books have always been a big part of my life and they helped me through some tough times. And if I can provide entertainment and escape for someone else, that makes my day.

Thank you so much for having me today. I enjoyed visiting and I'd like to share an unedited peek at Hunter and the Hawk.


HUNTER AND THE HAWK
SYMBIOTIC MATES: 1

Blurb: When Aidan walks into the Wolf Den and asks to see the Alpha, he doesn’t get a warm welcome. He’s barely through the door before he’s attacked. The Vampire’s arm is broken and he fears his totem animal, a Hawk, will never fly again.   
Hunter, a Lycan Enforcer, comes to his aid and takes him aside for questioning. Aidan claims to have information about the murder of Hunter’s mate and he’ll trade for Lycan blood. At first, Hunter thinks it's a trap, but Aidan convinces him that the answer to both species survival may lie in their blood. Hunter agrees to secretly help Aidan in exchange for the killer’s name. But he gets more than he bargained for when he finds himself falling for the seductive vampire. When the research goes awry, he’s sure he’s been used by the scheming bloodsuckers. But is Aidan the real enemy or is it someone closer to home?

Available at Silver Publishing:
http://silverpublishing.info/index/book_authors_id/48/typefilter/book_authors


Excerpt

Hunter centered his chin over the cue stick and concentrated on his aim. The game- winning ball sat just in front of his face, waiting to be dropped into the pocket. He studied it, imagining where the cue ball would need to hit in order to make his shot. Stick level, he took a few warm-up strokes.
Perfect. This wager is as good as won—  
"Dogfight!"
Fuck! A perfectly aimed shot gone to hell.
Disgusted, he threw down his cue stick and made his way toward the bar where two men were arguing over a spilled beer. As he got closer the hackles rose on the back of his neck. Only midnight and a fight brewing already?
One of the two wolves spotted him approaching and nudged the other. They both stood and moved off toward the exit, taking their argument outside.
Good enough. Why ruin the night by turning a simple beef into a real brawl? If the men were smart enough to settle things between themselves, Hunter wouldn't get involved.
The Wolf Den always drew a rough crowd on Saturday night. Rafe, the pack Alpha, encouraged the males to visit the bar, enticing them with drugs and alcohol.
A lone wolf is a frustrated wolf and frustrated wolves cause trouble.
Hunter wished he had a nickel for every time he heard Rafe utter those words. He'd be a rich man. He didn't always agree with their pack leader but he gave him the respect he deserved, and kept his mouth shut.
Their Alpha believed every wolf needed a mate. And if he didn't have a mate, then he needed a fuck buddy. With so few women available, the club had become a place where unmated Lycans could find a sex partner. Relationships had been forged in the Den, but for the most part the club remained a haven for one-night stands.
The shifters, full of randy animal spirits, behaved as well as could be expected. Dogs fight. It's the nature of the beast. Anything could trigger it — a bump in passing, jealousy over one man's attention to another, or jockeying for dominance in the pack.
Prevention was always the best policy. Two or three pack enforcers, strategically stationed around the bar, usually managed to maintain a testosterone-friendly atmosphere, their mere presence a reminder that the Lycans were being scrutinized.
But tonight the air seemed super-charged with tension. Utilizing extra enforcers had been a good call.
Hunter took one of the vacated seats at the bar and the bartender slid a bottle of mineral water in front of him. Tyler winked as he leaned over and rested his elbows on the bar. He smiled at Hunter seductively. "What are you doing later, sweetheart?"
Heat traveled up his spine. Maybe he was crazy to turn down a sexy wolf like Tyler. He knew the bartender didn't have a regular partner, preferring serial flings to monogamy. Relieving his sexual frustration with a man like Tyler wouldn't be a hardship. Coward. Are you going to hide behind your grief forever?
When he was just a pup, a few inexperienced encounters had convinced him he preferred males. Then Rafe had paired him with a female mate and he'd put those urges to bed. He could have taken lovers on the side, but he'd chosen to remain faithful. He hadn't been with a man in twenty years. Hell, he wouldn't know what to do with him. Tyler would laugh him out of bed. He reached for the bottle. "I'm on overtime."
The bartender sighed regretfully. "You know what they say about all work and no play."
"No. What do they say?"
"That it sucks." Tyler took his hand and turned it over. "You're starting to grow hair on your palms." He rubbed a thumb over Hunter's palm.
Hunter pulled his hand away and looked at it. It wouldn't surprise him.
Tyler broke up laughing. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
Tyler's trim ass held his attention as he walked away. Shit! Hunter washed a few aspirin down with a healthy swallow of water and held the cold bottle against his head. His temples throbbed along with the hot, pulsing beat of the electronic dance music. Colored lights around the dance floor winked in the mirror over the bar, intensifying the pain in his head. He'd rather be on patrol outside any day of the week.