Welcome to the blog of Sid Love, Max. It’s my pleasure to have you here for an interview.

First off let me ask you this. You went to GayRomanceLit  this year, right? What was it like? Can you tell me something about your experience meeting fellow authors and fans?

MV:May I say thank you for having me first? I’m really still new to all this and very excited to have been asked. 

As for GRL, I was so nervous about going. There were so many great authors there that I admire. Of course, Rick Reed blew my socks off. Damn, that man is just sexy. I did manage to keep from sticking my foot in my mouth for the most part, but I was still as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.  

K.c. Wells was my house guest for the week during the event, and I thank my lucky stars she was with me. There were times when I thought I would either pass out or puke all over myself.  

All in all, I had a great time. The best part was meeting people that I had met online. So nice to be able to put faces to names.

You had something major happening during GRL, the release of your latest novel ‘P.O.W.’ This novel caused a lot of talk and created certain expectations. Can you tell us something about why ‘P.O.W.’ is such a special and perhaps controversial story ?

MV: My latest book, P.O.W., was due to be released on October, 18th. Kris Jacen announced that it was released on the 16th, the night of my party at Bliss, an all male, all nude strip club. I used the party to announce the release of P.O.W., so having it out on the same day was a real thrill for me. Of course I didn’t even know it until she told me. 

P.O.W. was a story that I felt needed to be told. It was very hard to write. I spent a lot of time trying to get it right. Let me start by saying that I got the idea from a news story that Anderson Cooper did about how sexual assault was used as torture. He went into very little detail, but it gave me a niggle. When I went to research the subject more, I found that there is very, very little out there. I had to really dig deep to find that kind of information. 

The US media tends to not report it at all, and there was very little from our European brethren, but I was able to dig up a few things. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to a few vets who were reluctant to talk about it, but thankfully did. What I found out was horrifying, but a lot of the scenes that I wrote about were based on true stories. 

One of the biggest taboos in the Middle East is homosexuality, and it seems they use that to break their prisoners. To get right to the point here, there are non-consensual sex scenes in this book and they are not for the faint of heart. This is a rough, gritty, in-your-face book. Not everyone is going to get it. 

I’ve already had one scathing review, that called it ‘one handed reading’. All I can say to that is, if this person got excited about it, then there is something seriously wrong with that person. This was not written to titillate, excite or arouse anyone. I wrote this to bring forward some of the horrors of war. Never would I condone rape. 

Now, with that being said, it is a love story. A story about the deep friendship that develops among our service personel. There are a lot of life-long friendships that are maintained between many military members.

As we started with your latest release, lets go back to your novels and novellas that are a little older. Before ‘P.O.W.’ we had the extremely successful ‘My Hero’, a story that you self-published. It’s a story about football and I was wondering if this came from your own interest for the game?

MV:Oh hell yeah! I love football. I also love diving. I never miss the diving during the Olympics. You can ask just about anyone from GRL how much of a diehard fan I am. I wore my team colors not only on Friday but Saturday as well.

Moving on to ‘Hawk ’n Harley’, a story that at our blog made it to book of the month. Captivating for me in that story, and I think for other readers as well, is the difference between the main characters Hawk and Dan. For me personally, I could have read a lot more of these characters, and of course Harley. Is there any chance you will give readers what they asked for and make it a full novel one day?

MV: Can I say at this point a big Thank You for making it your Book of the month? That was a real high point for me. I’m not sure if there is going to be more coming from Hawk ‘n’ Harley. I thought about. I’ve not heard from them as yet, but if they come back to me, I’d definitely give it a go. I  will say that it was a lot of fun to write. Dan, one of the MC, is a very real person. I hope he appreciated the book.

Now let’s look at ‘Sasquatch’. The cover says it all with the sexy, bulky man on the cover and makes me want to ask if it is it something you feel strongly about, writing a big, bulky, sexy strong man and then pairing him up with whatever kind of man that comes along? ( I am not complaining btw 🙂 )

MV: I first wrote about Sas in response to an open call. They liked it, but wanted me to cut it by half. I didn’t think I could do that and still leave the story intact. So I held on to it and waited until I thought they were ready to be released out into the world. 

Funny thing about Sas… he is very real. There is a lot of stuff in that book that is very real. David did exist, as did several characters in that book. I have a very vivid imagination, as you can tell. 

I like to write about real men. They are not always the best looking, or the most polished, but they are real. They have their faults, and they tend to be sexually confused at times, which is how a lot of men deal with their own sexuality. Personally, I like big, burly he-man types.  

And lastly, I wanted to touch on your free read for the M/M romance group on Goodreads ‘Anything for you, Sir’. I have to say this is the story where the comments surprised me most. The way they differ, I mean. They go from very convincing low ratings to very high praised ratings, and one way or another this story caused a lot of talk, especially for a free read. I am curious about how you deal with that? Does it affect you how your story is rated? Do you take some comments into consideration and take them with you in a new book? (Can I control myself to ask if there will be more …….*control Dani control*)

MV: Yes, Dani…l know, you want more of Eric and Cameron. Not promising, but maybe. Reviews–where do I start. When I first started writing I did look at reviews, which included ‘Anything For You Sir’. I was horrified when someone called me a racist because of Marie, one of my favorite characters. She was a compilation of several women who have been in my life at one time or another. Very strong women. After that, I really don’t go looking for reviews. If there is a review site, such as Sid Love, I will read those, good or bad. I’m all for constructive critisism.

Yup, definitely time to pull the shorties out of my hat:

Favorite food? I don’t like peaches. That’s about it. I’m a total foodie, of course being a retired chef might have something to do with that. One look at me and you know I like to eat.

Favorite color? Green

Favorite author? Too many to name. I’ve always been an avid reader and what I read depends on what mood I’m in. I also go back and re-read books.

Favorite book? Okay, this one…I’ve got to say ‘Cry to Heaven’ by Anne Rice. She made me look at men’s hands in a whole new light.

Favorite way to spend a day off? Who has days off?  

Favorite movie? ‘Night Mother’ with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft.

Favorite music or song? I’m a total sucker for Chopin. If I can find a big hairy man that can play Chopin, I’d marry him.

Favorite clothes?  None.

Favorite season? Spring

And the person Max, what should I ask about him? I know that you are a retired chef living in Atlanta and started writing when you found yourself with time on your hands. Is there more you like to share about the person behind the author?

MV: Believe it or not, I’m rather shy… a total homebody. Don’t like big crowds, unless I’m at a football game.

Do you ever regret making the leap into the M/M writing world?

MV: No. I’ve had a blast.

Is there something you would like to do, a specific story you would like to write ? Or perhaps a collaboration you would like to see happening in the writing world? One with you or without you for that matter?

MV: What I would really like to see is more real life. Not everyone has a HEA. Things are not always sweet and nice. Life is rough. Rough equals emotion. The biggest thing is that I would like to see more understanding in how men are raised, treated and then expected to react. I think women in general are clueless as to how men are taught to repress their feelings at a very early age. This makes it very difficult for men to express themselves. How many women ask a man how he feels? Well, he can’t tell you because he has been conditioned not to. THAT is what I would like to see more of in the M/M genre.

Who inspired you to write? Is there someone who really pushed you to give it a try?

MV: Susan G.inspired me to write. She pushed me and pushed me, pissed me off, and then pushed some more. Then there is Lise Horton. She was a big supporter and gave me the confidence to put the first piece out there to be picked apart. I owe them both a lot.

In all the books you have written so far do you have one favorite character or does that depend on what you are working on?

MV: Marie from ‘Anything For You Sir’ was by far my favorite character to write. It was very hard to get the dialect just right. They have a way of speaking there that is very much a part of the black cultural experience. They have a certain way of living there that is so unique.

We see you self-publishing books and also through publishers, is this a  deliberate choice to explore both sides of publishing?

MV: Yes, it is. I wanted to experience both sides of the  coin.

You are kind of known for your smoking hot characters and the way they show their sexual sides. I mean comments from readers involving fans and showers aren’t rare after having read a book you wrote. Is this heat something you need to work hard on creating or does it come naturally?

MV: Pfft…I’m a gay man. This is how sex between men are. It is hot, dirty, smelly, fun and all out, no holds barred. I’m a product of the sexual 70’s and 80’s. Just the way it was and is for many men. I was asked just this past weekend what kind of research I did for sex scenes. I think my mouth fell open. Hell, I don’t have to watch porn for research. I live it.

What’s upcoming from Max Vos? We as readers are of course dying to know the answer to that one!

MV: I have several things in the works. One piece in particular that I’m dying to get back to and several others that I want to take my time with. Another one that is going to be so controversial it is also going to have warnings plastered all over it. Yeah, I’ve always liked to push the envelope.

Is there anything you would like to share with us that you’d like your readers to know about you?

MV: I’m just me. No one really special. I write what I know. I know there are some people who don’t like what I write, but that’s okay. I’m not for everyone, and with so many other brilliant authors out there, there is something for everyone.I would mainly just like for people to be nice and kind to each other. If they don’t like something, then try something else. There is no need to trash someone just because you don’t appreciate their taste.

~ As told to Danielle

GIVEAWAY

On top of participating in this interview, Max has generously offered a giveaway of either ‘P.O.W.’ or ‘My Hero’, reader’s choice. Leave a comment including your email address and the reason why you want to win the book of your choice. Goodluck!

CONTEST ENDS 30TH OCTOBER, 2013 @ 23:59PM PACIFIC TIME