Interview & Give Away B.G Thomas

Danielle

So an official welcome to B.G Thomas author of the populair novels “The Boy who Came in from the Cold” and “Anything Could Happen”.

Hello B.G. Welcome, great to talk to you 🙂

B.g. Thomas

Hey Dani! Thank you so much for having me!

Danielle

You are here to talk to us about your newest release “Hound Dog and Bean”

B.g. Thomas

Yes, I am. I am very proud of this book, Dani

Danielle

Is there something you would like to share about that story?

B.g. Thomas

Well… In many ways it all started with a tiny little dog named Sarah Jane

But there is a lot more to it than that

Let me say first

All my life I have been told that shelter animals make the best pets

I didn’t really believe them though until I got my dog

I kept thinking, “How does a dog know if its been rescued?”

But she is the best pet I have ever had. She is my soul dog

Danielle

awwww that is such a sweet thing to say.

is that the infamous Sarah Jane?

B.g. Thomas

Yup!

Throughout that adoption, I became aware of the heroes we have in the no-kill shelters

The people who run those shelters sometimes actually put their lives on the line

As I talked to them I heard terrifying as well as heartwarming stories

and I realized I wanted to write a story about a man who runs a no-kill animal shelter

Danielle

I had the luck to read the book early and I have to say you can feel the research and love that went into it

B.g. Thomas

Thank you so much, Dani. I am so happy to hear that!

It means I succeeded–at least with you.

Did you know that the all the proceeds for pre-sales on the book through the end of last year were donated to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)?

Danielle

I saw that comment on the GR page, that is an amazing thing you did there

B.g. Thomas

Well it was Dreamspinner Press that jumped on the idea

I have to thank them for being so generous to go along with it

Elizabeth North turns out to have a house full of resque dogs herself!

Danielle

I think it tells a lot about people to go along with things like this, I am glad the idea was well recieved and turned out great 🙂

So that is how we meet one of the Main Character H.D or Hound Dog

Can you tell us something about the other Main Character Bean or Dean

B.g. Thomas

Sure! It happened because I fell in love with coffee! LOL! I didn’t use to like it but I got a job where I have to work these grueling 12-hour shifts, so I started drinking coffee to get up in the mornings

Then I discovered real coffee

I found a shop here in Kansas City called Oddly Correct

They make coffee there by the cup and roast their own beans

They make what is known in the coffee trade as “God in a cup”

As I got to know the people there and learned about this totally unseen world of coffee, I knew I wanted to write about a man who owns his own coffee cafe

Well in a romance book you need two people

so I realized I could make my two men be one who runs a no-kill animal shelter

and one who owns a coffee shop

But here is the part that excited me

I knew that both men were NOT looking for love

Hound Dog didn’t trust love or people

Bean had been a loner all his life

So it shocks even them when they fall in love

They resist it at first, especially HD

he is afraid that if he falls in love, Bean will go away

Danielle

The passion in your words is fantastic to read I have to say . You can feel how much this books means to you.

B.g. Thomas

Thank you so much. I’ve not written anything before where I was so in love with my men or the things that are important to them

And Sarah Jane sat at my feet or curled up next to me with nearly every word I wrote

That is why I was so happy that she is on the cover!

Danielle

It sounds to me like she approved with your story

B.g. Thomas

I think she did! *hee!*

Danielle

Can you tell us also something about the others characters in the book .

B.g Thomas

They were a fun little miracle

I had NO idea they existed when I started writing

and then Elaine, HD’s best friend, just showed up right on the first page

I thought he ran Four-Footed Friends all by himself!

And she let me know that if it wasn’t for her and her friendship, HD would never have found a life at all

Danielle

I got the impression that Elaine was running the shelter I have to say and the H.D was working there

B.g. Thomas

In the beginning it was just her and a few dogs

no shelter nothing they meet one day accidentally and to HD’s surprise a friendship was instantly born

very soon after that they opened FF together he was the enthusiasm

and she was the brains and know-how

She is a genius business woman

And she was in some ways inspired by Elizabeth North

My friendship with her was instantaneous as well

Then there is Poindexter

Again all I knew was that Bean had to have at least someone working for him, right?

I thought the character would have a scattering of paragraphs and that would be the end of it!

She very quickly let me know she was a lot more than that!

They are great friends like Elaine is with HD

Mara/Poindexter is also with Bean

B.g. Thomas

Right!

Who knows if HD & Bean would ever have been ready for love if they would not first have had such great friends in Elaine and Mara

Danielle

They sure made sure that they both were able to see beyond their own emotions and feelings

B.g Thomas

🙂

Now the surprise for people who like my books is that several other characters that show up first reared their heads in other books and stories

Blue, Bobby and Trish all came from other stories

All my books exist in the same universe

Danielle

That is indeed a nice surprise and I have to admit I was thinking the names sounded familiar 🙂

B.g. Thomas

Sometime soon I am going to have a concordance on my website so you can find any character place or thing that shows up in my stories

Danielle

Ooh that is a wonderful idea I have to say

If I would ask you to tell me about B.G Thomas what would you tell us here ,readers and fans?

B.g. Thomas

Dani—I used to be a very negative person and I don’t know why. I had wonderful parents, unlike a lot of the parents in my stories. As life went on I got worse and worse and worse. I was in a horribly abusive relationship for ten years. I had a heart attack amongst other things. My hair was falling out. My partner became HIV+ and through a miracle didn’t infect me.

B.g Thomas

And then something happened…

I mean it really was a miracle.

Something….God? The Universe? Myself?

B.g. Thomas

I started to believe in myself. And bit by bit by bit my whole life changed.

Danielle

Omg Ben that is something you are sharing there ….

I am kind of speechless and I don’t know how to respond to it.

I am so glad you turned your believes and you started to believe in yourself.

B.g. Thomas

I found the strength to leave my ex and WHAM I found someone new right away and we have been together over ten years

I started doing things for myself

I’ve lost over 60 pounds for instance

I started to BELIEVE that “Anything Could Happen”

and like a rose blooming, I saw miracles everywhere!

And the more I looked for the light the more I found it.

Then after years of wanting to write but being too afraid to, I took a chance and sold a story in four days!

Danielle

What a beautiful reference there and I can only say I am so happy for you that you managed to find your own light

B.g. Thomas

I’ve sold over 20 stories in less than four years including five novels

And I start every day being thankful and the Universe just keeps giving me more to be thankful for

So I put that in my books

I want people to KNOW that they can have anything they dream of

They have to believe in themselves

Danielle

I think you are giving us that message very clearly. Reading your story and hearing you talk, I have to say it inspires me

B.g. Thomas

(((HUG)))

We all need to inspire each other

Sometimes we have no idea what a simple thing it is to smile at someone

hold open a door, compliment them on their outfit

The simplest things can change lives

I told a lady at Walmart last week how nice her dress was at the check out an hour later she came up to me and thanked me

She told me her whole day had been horrible and that my simple words and turned it around

I thanked her and then told her that SHE turned her life around.

 

B.g Thomas

It is IMPORTANT for me to give back

Thank God for the people who reached out to me and helped me

I MUST do it in return

Danielle

I have to say that I feel humbled you are telling me this. It is amazing to read what you experienced and I am so thankful you got out and found yourself. I am just speechless reading the emotions in your story, in what you went through and again I feel honoured and very humble you chose this place to share it.

And what a great way of sharing love and happiness by giving something back to people around you, no matter how small it can indeed make a difference.

B.g. Thomas

Thank you Dani,

I want people to remember one thing…I want them to know they can believe in their dreams and no matter how bad life can get, it can get better… Ask. Believe. You will Recieve.

My motto is

Leap and the Net Will Appear!

Danielle

I can only agree to that

I indeed see that line in different references of you , like you mails or messages.

Is that what that saying means to you ?

 

B.g. Thomas

Yes

Danielle

That is beautiful! Rest me nothing more to say than Thank you for doing this interview and for sharing parts of your life, your emotions and your inspiration and of course let’s not forget your view of your newest release “Hound Dog and Bean”.

B.g Thomas

It was a pleasure Dani.

B.g. Thomas

I would like to GIVE AWAY two prizes to the readers of your blog!

One is an e copy of the book Hound Dog & Bean that you can win by commenting on this post.

Second prize is a bag of premium roasted coffee beans donated by Oddly Correct! This is from Finca Sinai – Alfredo Boas. It is a “Best of Huila Winner,” with bright raspberry & lime tones, along with savory cocoa and herb character and a silkier “mouthfeel.” It is not flavored. The description is coffee-language, and you will be amazed at the taste!

For this one you must email me at [email protected], and sorry, yes—you must be in the continental United States for this one, sorry. I thought I would have to take out a second mortgage on my house that last time I shipped things out of country!

 

Bio :

B.G. loves romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction  and even horror—as far as he is concerned, as long as the stories are character  driven and entertaining, it doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to literature  conventions his entire adult life where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of  his favorite writers. He has made up stories since he was child; it is where he  finds his joy. 

In the nineties, he wrote for gay magazines but stopped  because the editors wanted all sex without plot. “The sex is never as important  as the characters,” he says. “Who cares what they are doing if we don’t care  about them?” Excited about the growing male/male romance market, he began  writing again. Gay men are what he knows best, after all—since he grew out of  being a “practicing” homosexual long ago. He submitted a story and was thrilled  when it was accepted in four days.  

“Leap, and the net will appear” is his personal  philosophy and his message to all. “It is never too late,” he states. “Pursue  your dreams. They will come true!”  

Visit his website and blog at http://bthomaswriter.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at [email protected].

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