So, here I am on The Blog of Sid Love. When Sid contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in guest posting here every month, of course I said yes. Then I worried that I didn’t have anything interesting to say for my first post. And then I worried that I didn’t have anything interesting to say for any post at all. Ever.So I thought I’d wing it, and talk a bit about my upcoming release with J.A. Rock, Mark Cooper versus America, a bit about writing in general, and a bit about this thing a psychologist told me. As you do.

When J.A. Rock and I first started writing together, we ran into a few issues with my perfectly sensible Australian English and her completely irrational what-the-hell-are-you-thinking American so-called English.

Not that I’m biased or anything.

Anyway, we did what any two writers would do: traded insults publicly on Twitter, and then decided to write a book about it. We wrote two college boys, one Australian and one American, threw in some cultural differences and a bit of a language barrier, and then rubbed them together to see if there were sparks… and there were.

And that’s how Mark Cooper versus America came about.

I think this is something that all writers do. We dig through the detritus of our lives, and other peoples’, looking for stuff we can steal. We’re like bower birds, always hunting for something shiny to decorate our nests with.

We’re the ones who eavesdrop on public transport. When the family is having an argument, we’re the ones wanting to stop for a minute and take notes. We’re the ones who sit at coffee shops in train stations and just people watch. We’ll steal that man’s face for a character, but put it on that body over there. With that lady’s hat and scarf. And a childhood memory of that kid’s tantrum. We want it, we steal it. Look! We made a story with it! It’s ours now.

In my day job, I sometimes get sent to talks by the psychologist where I can learn about maintaining mental wellness. Or something. I tend to zone out fairly quickly. But one thing I’ve picked up is how important it is to have an outlet for stress. An outlet that isn’t alcohol, drugs or random hook-ups with strangers, apparently. Those are old school coping mechanisms, and not recommended by most mental health professionals. One thing the psychologist always tells us is that we need a place to vent. My place is called a Word doc.

Nothing says “I’ve had a bad day at work” like torturing the hell out of a character. Although, to be fair, in my case nothing says “Actually, I had a great day at work” like torturing the hell out of a character. That probably says more about me than anything, but in real life I promise I love puppies and rainbows and bubbles and unicorns. Just not all at once.

For all of that, there is very little torturing of characters in Mark Cooper versus America. I think both J.A. and I were surprised by that because we usually go dark. The narrative equivalent of a sunny day at the beach? No thanks. Give us a flashlight, a knife, and a disposable sidekick. We’re heading into the abandoned amusement parkat midnight. Either stand back and give us room, or get on in here with us. Who knows what we’ll find?

Mark Cooper versus America is out on January 28 from Loose Id. Here’s the blurb:

Mark Cooper is angry, homesick, and about to take his stepdad’s dubious advice and rush Prescott College’s biggest party fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Greek life is as foreign to Aussie transplant Mark as Pennsylvania’s snowstorms and bear sightings. So, when the fraternity extends Mark a bid, Mark vows to get himself kicked out by the end of pledge period. But then he’s drawn into Alpha Delt’s feud with a neighboring fraternity.

Studious Deacon Holt is disappointed to learn Mark’s pledging Alpha Delt, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa’s sworn enemy. Mark is too beautiful for Deacon to pass up an invitation for sex, but beyond sex, Deacon’s not sure. He wants a relationship, but a difficult family situation prevents him from pursuing anything beyond his studies.

Mark and Deacon’s affair heats up as the war between their fraternities escalates. They explore kinks they didn’t know they had while keeping their liaison a secret from their brothers. But what Romeo and Juliet didn’t teach these star-crossed lovers is how to move beyond sex and into a place where they share more than a bed. That’s something they’ll have to figure out on their own—if the friction between their houses, and between Mark and America, doesn’t tear them apart.

My bio:

I like to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters. But they’ve gotta work for it! No free lunches on my watch.

I live in tropical North Queensland, Australia. I don’t know why, because I hate the heat, but I suspect I’m too lazy to move. I spend half my time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting my escape.

You can find my website at lisahenryonline.com