Today we are very happy to welcome new author Michael Kudo to Love Bytes.
He visits us to promote his new release of Red Rose ( Blood) and talks about people who have inspired ( still inspire him) .
Welcome Michael ! 🙂

Blurb:
“I don’t like to be called an Assassin, I prefer the term problem solver.”

My name’s Alex. I’m an average guy. I kill people for a living. But don’t judge me.

I don’t take jobs on just anybody though. I only kill the really annoying people, like cheaters or abusers. So if you think about it, I’m actually doing God’s work—okay, maybe that’s stretching things a bit.

Other than the whole committing murder and trying to get away with it thing, my life is simple.

Well… except for the fact I’m in love with a fellow assassin who happens to be my mentor. I also have to make sure I’m careful when I’m on the job because if I ever fail a hit, I’ll be considered a “liability” and be executed promptly. Oh, and there’s a small chance someone in the organization is trying to have me killed. But I’ll figure that out, eventually. Did I mention I’m gay?

Okay, maybe my life isn’t so simple.

Buy Links:

Wilde City Press

Amazon

“Inspiration!” Today I’m here with Love Bytes to share a bit of my writing process and I couldn’t think of a better insight into the whole creativity thing than to talk about the authors that inspire me.

I was once told that no idea is original. You name a famous movie/novel and you’ll find something it was inspired by somehow. Twilight? Romeo and Juliet. Lion King? Hamlet. You get the drill. The point is, every writer draws inspiration from somewhere and since most writers start off as readers, we have our favorite authors who inspire us.

Which authors inspire me?

J.K. Rowling – for those who have simply never heard of her or who have been living under a rock for the past several years, J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series. Much like most people my age, Harry Potter was the first real series I picked up and I was hooked from the first one. J.K. Rowling inspires me because she managed to do something most authors struggle with. She created an entire world with tons of likeable characters.

My first novel wasn’t in the M/M Romance Genre, it was YA Sci-fantasy; and I put tons of thought into creating a whole world and a large cast of characters. Whenever I thought about giving up or that it was too hard, I thought about J.K. and how if she didn’t put the work in, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Plus, she’s managed to kill off a lot of fan favorite characters without having an unruly mob at her door. I’d say that’s pretty impressive. Lemony Snicket – although his name isn’t actually Lemony Snicket, it’s Daniel Handler. For those who didn’t know, sorry for bursting that bubble. He has a brilliant mind. He manages to write about such serious/horrifying themes without them seeming too serious/horrifying. He has a subtle wit and very dry humor, which I feel is something we have in common.

Emily Rodda – I actually discovered her a few years ago and I fell in love with her Deltora Quest series. While its middle-grade/YA, it has a brilliant storyline and there was so much thought/energy put into every single detail.

She’s inspiring because I try to follow in her example. I try to make sure I hold back a bit and give subtle details of what’s going on/where the story is going, rather than over simplifying things.

Laurell K. Hamilton – author of my favorite series of all time. I fell in love because the main character and I are quite a bit alike – sarcastic, dry humor, guarded, and both Half-white, Half-Hispanic.

The series is probably one of the most gripping things I’ve ever read. Laurell practically revived the paranormal romance genre. Hell, Anita was shaking up with a vampire and werewolf before Bella was a gleam in her daddy’s eye. Laurell has been writing novels for over 20 years, won many awards, and has managed to keep two series going no matter what life has thrown at her. Truly an inspiration.

J.P. Barnaby – I’m sure a lot of people are aware that she’s a close friend of mine. But truth be told, I became a fan the moment I read Aaron, which was two days after we met. I could go on and on about how wonderful the novel was and how she was able to make you really feel what he felt. She’s inspiring because she goes against the grain.

She’s not like some writers. She writes what’s in her heart. Every novel she exercises one of her demons and shares so much with the world. Not only that, but she does so much for the LGBT community. I don’t think there’s an author I’d rather be mentored by. So out of everyone, I think she inspires me the most. Because no matter what happens, she stays true to who she is and fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. I want to be strong enough to do that one day.

Author Bio:

Michael was born and raised on the Jersey Shore – the geographical location, not the TV show. As such, he cannot boast having tanned skin, a rock-hard body, or being BFFs with Snooki. His version of GTL is gaming, Tumblr, and Lounging. He didn’t know what to do for a living until he wrote a couple of fun short stories as an English class project and made people laugh, something he’s always enjoyed doing and decided that’s what he wanted in his future.

A self-described “Otaku” (person with obsessive interests in manga, anime, and/or video games) Michael spends most of his time enjoying those things, becoming emotionally attached to fictional characters and collecting every bit of My Little Pony merchandise available.

He lives with his fiancé of five years in the heart of NJ.

Find out more about Michael on his blog (http://michaelmeeps.blogspot.com/)

on Twitter (https://twitter.com/MichaelMeeps), and

on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/michael.meeps)!