Today I welcome Mel Gough to the blog to answer a few questions
for Interview³.
Mel Gough Author Interview³
1) Tell us 3 fun facts about your writing history
I got into writing through fan fiction, and I still write it when I have time.
I was going to pitch A World Apart at the Writers’ Digest Conference in New York this year, but I had already sold it, so I had to write a new book. That one is with an editor now, and I’ll start querying soon.
A World Apart started as fan fiction, too, and there are at least three books in that story. The second one is coming out in 2018.
2) Describe your writing style in 3 words
Research, heavy on dialogue, realistic.
3) Name 3 of your literary influences
Mary Doria Russell, Annie Proulx, Stephen King
4) Share your 3 favourite books
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, The Stand by Stephen King, The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5) What are your 3 essential writing tools?
Pencil, notebook, coffee
6) Where are your 3 favourite places to write?
On my sofa when I write the scratchy draft by hand, at my desk for typing and editing, in cafes when the walls close in at home.
7) Name 3 items on your writing wish list
Right now, I want an agent. Then I would like Harlequin or Mills & Boon to start publishing LGBT romance books. And I would love for my one of my books to be in a bookstore one day.
8) What are your top 3 tips for aspiring writers?
Write as much as you can, find good, constructive beta readers, and don’t listen to the detractors. If I can do it, so can you!
9) Tell us 3 of your writing plans for the year ahead
My next novel has just gone to the editor I hired, so when that comes back I need to do revisions. Then I have the second book in the Ben and Donnie series to finish by mid-January to send it to the publisher in time. And I would like to start the next book when these two are all taken care of.
10) Tell us about your latest release
A World Apart is the story of Ben, a cop in a small town in rural Georgia, who falls in love with Donnie, a redneck with a secret. As they grow closer they find out that each of them is struggling with big challenges in their lives, and they start relying on each other for love and support.
It's a quick read, there’s a lot of angst in it but also sweetness. The love story is quick (some people find it too quick) but I like to write about what else is happening besides the feelings that develop between characters. It’s pretty gritty in parts and there’s a lot of pain and sorrow, but the ending is happy. And the story isn’t over, book 2 is coming in 2018!
A World ApartMel Gough
NineStar Press
192 pages
Adult M/M romance
Heat Rating: 5
Ben Griers is the darling of Corinth Georgia’s Police Department—intelligent, handsome, and hardworking. Thanks to his beautiful wife and clever daughter, Ben’s family is the envy of the town. Yet desperate unhappiness is hiding just below the surface.
When Donnie Saunders, a deadbeat redneck with a temper, is brought to the Corinth PD as a suspect in a hit-and-run, Ben finds himself surprisingly intrigued by the man. He quickly establishes Donnie’s innocence but can’t shake the feeling that Donnie is hiding something. When they unexpectedly encounter each other again at an AA meeting in Atlanta, sparks begin to fly.
With his marriage on the verge of collapse, Ben is grateful for the other man’s affection. But he is soon struggling to help an increasingly vulnerable Donnie, while at the same time having to deal with the upheaval in his own life. Ben eventually realizes that they cannot achieve happiness together unless they confront their darkest secrets.
Giveaway
Anyone who signs up to Mel's newsletter by 15 November will be entered into a giveaway for an eBook copy of A World Apart.
Anyone who signs up to Mel's newsletter by 15 November will be entered into a giveaway for an eBook copy of A World Apart.
Mel was born in Germany, where she spent the first twenty-six years of her life (with a one-year stint in Los Angeles). She has always been fascinated by cultures and human interaction, and got a Masters in Social Anthropology. After finishing university she moved to London, where she has now lived for ten years.
If you were to ask her parents what Mel enjoyed the most since the age of six, they would undoubtedly say “Reading!” She would take fifteen books on a three-week beach holiday, and then read all her mom’s books once she’d devoured her own midway through week two.
Back home in her mom’s attic there’s a box full of journals with stories Mel wrote when she was in her early teens. None of the stories are finished, or any good. She has told herself bedtime stories as far back as she can remember.
In her day job, Mel works for an NGO as operations manager. No other city is quite like London, and Mel loves her city. The hustle and bustle still amaze and thrill her even after all these years. When not reading, writing or going to the theater, Mel spends her time with her long-time boyfriend, discussing science or poking fun at each other.
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