Today I have the honor of interviewing fellow Loose Id author Kay Berrisford. She has a new brand book out this week!
Thanks so much for being here today, Kay!
Congratulations on your new release Simon,
Sex and the Solstice Stone. And thanks for letting me ask you five nosy
questions today. Let's get started!
1. Your
latest erotic romance sounds fascinating. Can you tell us more about it?
Well, for a start, it features a lot of al fresco
sex—which, given English weather at this time of year, is a bit of a risky
activity. Nothing kills passion like the wet and the cold. But don’t worry, there’s
plenty of sizzling passion to counteract that.
The story is about a lonely, geeky history student,
Simon, who meets the man of his dreams in the middle of a stone circle that
he’s studying. One problem – the amazing
guy, Aubrey, claims to be a time traveler from 1647, and despite their mutual
attraction, Aubrey’s desperate to get home before Christmas. What’s more, Aubrey’s method of shifting
through time involves outdoor sexual rituals at the stone circle, and shy
Simon’s not entirely sure he’s up for it—particularly as he’s trying to resist
falling in love with this man who seems desperate just to shag and then leave
him. So there’s all sorts of trouble ahead for my guys, particularly when Simon
realizes Aubrey’s getting home might just be a matter of life and death.
2. What
is it about M/M romance that appeals to you as an author?
I know a lot of people have long and complex
answers to this question, but m/m romance is just where my imagination wants to
go. Simple as that. I’ve always
fantasized about two guys together. I love sharing those fantasies and will do so
as long as people want to read. That said, I love reading m/f romance and all
combinations of ménage, so I’m sure I’ll branch out one of these days.
3. Besides
fantasy and paranormal elements, your romances also contain quite a bit of
folklore and history. Is there a lot of research involved?
Oh yes! I
love research—my background is as a historical researcher. When I choose a
setting or a theme for a book, I always immerse myself in the relevant
literature, and if possible, make time for some little field trips. My Greenwood novels (Bound to the Beast and Bound
for the Forest) are set in a fantasy version of The New Forest, which is an
ancient royal hunting ground about fifteen minutes drive from where I live in
Hampshire, England. There’s many wonderful and often gory legends associated
with the New Forest, including the murder of several kings and princes who imposed
the strict hunting laws on the folk of the forest. There are plenty of
supernatural theories behind the killings—maybe they were murdered by the fair
folk, or even the forest itself? I’ve included some of the tales in my stories,
and I like to brainstorm my plots while I’m among the trees.
For Simon,
Sex, and the Solstice Stone, I drew on another wonderful body of myths—those
surrounding the many stone circles in the south of England, including
Stonehenge. Relatively few made it into
the final novella, but it was fun refreshing my memory. In medieval times, locals often believed that
the stones were raucous revelers turned to stone by the devil for having too
much fun on a Sunday. I hate to think
what the devil might have done if he’d caught my lads in Sex, Simon, and the Solstice Stone having al fresco sex on a Sunday
in the middle of the circle!
4. On
a personal note, your blog mentions that you've brought a new kitty, Siena,
into your home (and includes a very cute picture of her, as well). I'm an
animal lover, too. Have pets always been a part of your life?
Yay for animal lovers! Funnily enough,
Siena, who was a rescue kitty, is the first pet we’ve ever actually gone out
and collected. However, yes, pets have always been a part of my life, but
they’ve always before come to us. My
first pet—who lives on today—is Archibald, a tortoise. He turned up in my parent’s garden before I
was born. Nobody claimed him, and he’s
been roaming our grass, munching lettuce and cucumber, ever since.
Our second arrival was Florence, our fiercely
intelligent black and white cat. Fifteen years ago, homeless Florence laid
siege to our house and converted us into lifelong cat lovers. She sadly passed
on earlier this year and left us bereft with an empty home, till Siena came to
fill the gap. Having been in a small run
at the rescue center for five months, Siena loves her new garden with a passion.
She’s learned how to batter her cat-flap open when it’s shut at night—like
Florence, she’s one determined moggy, and she loves cuddles.
5. Please
tell us what the future holds for Kay Berrisford! Are you working on anything
at present that you can share with us?
Right now, I’m working on the third novel in my
m/m paranormal Greenwood series—the
ones inspired by the myths and legends of the New Forest. The first book in the
series, Bound for the Forest, is set
in the nineteenth century in the spring; the second, Bound to the Beast, is set in the sixteenth century in the
summer. Number three, provisionally
titled Lord of the Forest, is set in
the twelfth century in the autumn—so I’m going back in time, but forward
through the seasons.
The books can also be read in any order, though
certain themes unite them. Now I think of it, one of those themes is al fresco
lovemaking, so maybe that is a common theme to all of my books! Anyway, I’m having great fun writing the
medieval period, and while Bound to the
Beast was the tale of the brooding, mythical alpha male, Herne the Hunter, Lord of the Forest features another
famous Greenwood legend, Robin Hood.
Thank you for letting me drop by, Nona. Answering these questions has been lots of
fun :-)
Thanks again Kay, and much continued success to
you!
Simon, Sex, and the Solstice Stone (published by
Loose Id, m/m paranormal/time travel, 45k).
Blurb: Simon’s holiday season is looking grim. His
boyfriend’s dumped him, and his self-esteem is rock bottom. Stuck in the UK
where nobody celebrates Thanksgiving, the shy, geeky student drowns his sorrows
at an ancient stone circle. When a gorgeous stranger, Aubrey, shows up and
attempts to seduce him, Simon is flattered but also freaked—especially when
Aubrey claims to be from an historic sex cult who’d uncovered the true powers
of the circle. It’s a time machine. Aubrey intended to travel back three
hundred and sixty-five days, but an error propelled him forward three hundred
and sixty-five years into a world alien to him.
Simon reluctantly takes the lost time traveler
under his wing, and Aubrey teaches Simon the ways of sex, love, and magic.
Simon’s never felt so alive, but as their bond grows, Aubrey remains determined
to perform a dangerous ritual and return home at the winter solstice. Fearing
he’s no more to Aubrey than a sexual sacrifice, Simon must discover the dark
secrets of Aubrey’s pagan past. Only then can Simon choose between risking all
for the man he loves or a lonely Christmas without him.
Excerpt:
Simon pointed. “So what’s
your theory on this one?”
This image,” said
Aubrey, “symbolizes the relentless shift of time, the sun over the ring.” He
slid his hand over Simon’s wrist, and Simon inhaled sharply. He ought to pull
away, yet his skin tingled beneath Aubrey’s palm. The world beyond, even the
crispness of the rain, seemed to fade. He found himself scrambling closer so he
knelt on the Solstice Stone, letting the man manipulate him till Simon’s finger
pointed to a carving similar to the first. Here the sun and the stone were
bound together by what he took to be curling vines, but the sphere representing
the sun had been torn in two.
“This one,” continued
Aubrey, “shows us how the power of the Ancestors can tear the very fabric of
time and undo the injustices that rip loved ones apart. This is andaga.”
“Eh?” Simon had never
read anything about a ritual that tore the fabric of time. Then again, he
recalled the words of the naked guy looming over him on this very Solstice
Stone well enough. He’d said something about spinning back time, and that set
Simon’s nerves jangling. “What evidence supports this theory?”
Aubrey looked to the
misted horizon, clenching his jaw against a tremor that shook his body from
head to toe. “The power of the Ancients remains alive in this place.”
Simon opened his
mouth to snap that he needed a better answer than that, but his words jammed.
As Aubrey moved, the lacing that fastened his white shirt fell loose, revealing
a physique chiseled to lean perfection by either gym or hard labor, his carved
chest adorned with soggy golden curls.
Simon’s throat
tightened. So did his groin. Aubrey slid his gaze to Simon and lowered his
lashes. He seemed to be begging a silent question, but Simon could not even
start to comprehend.
“But let’s forget
time tearing,” murmured Aubrey.
He stroked Simon’s
sodden brown hair from where it had clumped across his eye, and Simon’s usually
sharp mind dissolved to mush. He could hardly remember how to breathe. The man
slid featherlight fingertips down Simon’s smoothly shaven cheek, setting his
skin aflame and doing nothing to dissipate his growing hard-on. Simon sent a
final, desperate message to his fingers to swipe the man away; he needed to say
something, anything.
Next thing he knew,
the man grabbed him and kissed him hard.
For a blissful moment
Simon surrendered, and his senses reeled under the onslaught. Aubrey plundered
deep into Simon’s mouth, and Simon slid his tongue against Aubrey’s, hot and
slick in contrast to the chill of their skin, willing him to intensify their coupling.
Aubrey worked the kiss like his life depended on it, scrubbing his coarse
stubble against Simon’s chin. Simon relished the sensation even as the man’s
hunger astounded him. Aubrey’s hands trembled as he splayed them across Simon’s
back. Then he balled fists in the fabric of Simon’s coat as if he were a
drowning mariner grasping a rope from the shore. Their bodies notched together
so naturally, and something Aubrey wore—a belt, maybe, concealed beneath his
clothes—dug into Simon’s stomach. Simon shifted, looping his arms about the
man’s neck, his knee nudging between Aubrey’s. He reveled in the hardness of
the man’s thighs, and—oh yes. The
length of Aubrey’s cock pressed against Simon’s leg, with only Simon’s tight,
wet jeans and Aubrey’s loose clothing between them.
What in heaven, hell,
or any realm in between could have possessed this cross between a god and a
soggy wolf pup to kiss him? And at a
time like this?
Aubrey’s frenzy
proved infectious; Simon grew needier by the second. Some awesome power bound
them together, as surely as the carved vines wound about that phallic stone.
His cock stiffened for this guy, his contact-starved body screaming for more,
so much more. Aubrey lowered Simon till he lay flat on the stone, and Simon
could not resist. He feared this strange man, but with fear came thrill—an
awakening of desires that, since his experience at this very spot, he’d dared
visit only in the dusky realm between nightmares and dreams.
Aubrey broke
away, both of them panted. Aubrey cupped Simon’s face and whispered in his ear.
“That’s just the start of our offering, Simon. Shall we show the Ancestors how
much we adore them?”
Simon gazed up at
him, so turned on the man’s words were hard to comprehend. With Pete sex had
been so complicated. They’d spent more time arguing about who should do what
than they had actually doing it. With
Aubrey their conjoined desires grew so stark that Simon bit his tongue against
vocalizing his darkest cravings.
I
want you to fuck me here and now. To heaven and back on the Solstice Stone.
Aubrey pulled away a
moment, raking his hair—and Simon suddenly realized what had pressed into him
as they embraced. Aubrey indeed wore a belt. It had shifted around as they’d
kissed to reveal an old-fashioned dagger sheathed in black leather.
His common sense
became deafening.
He didn’t fuck
strangers, let alone ones who carried knives. Maybe he was finally starting to
understand what he’d seen last Christmas. It had been a premonition.
The Ancestors warning
him never to lie beneath another man on the Solstice Stone.
“Shit!” he yelped.
“Get away from me!”
Buy it now links for all my books:
Fictionwise Loose Id Sony
Thanks so much for being here today, Kay, and may you have much success with your new release!
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Thanks so much for being here today, Kay, and may you have much success with your new release!
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Thank so much for having me :D :D :D
ReplyDeleteGreat having you here, Kay! Thank YOU!
ReplyDelete:D Enjoyed the post! Eeek! I really hope I can get this book soon. lol...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the blurb. :)