A very warm welcome to author Alexa Land visiting us today here at Love Bytes to talk about her new release “Coming Home”, part 9 in the First and Forever series , Alexa kindly answered some of our questions and she also brought a terrific Giveaway !
Tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the Firsts and Forever series?
I lived in San Francisco in the 1990s, and the five years I spent there absolutely influenced this series. More about that in the next question. 🙂
Why San Francisco, and why the mafia tie in? Have you lived in San Francisco? If not, how did you research the city and its inhabitants?
San Francisco is my favorite city on earth. I’d move back again in a heartbeat if I could afford a house there. I lived in the city for five years in the mid-to-late 1990s and that experience changed me forever. I’m in southern Oregon now, so it’s a half day’s drive to San Francisco and I go at least a couple times a year. There’s absolutely nowhere else like it, and San Franciscans are among the friendliest, most colorful people you’ll ever meet!
As for the mafia tie-in, some people think it’s totally far-fetched, but my best friend when I was growing up actually had relatives in the Chicago mafia. When I found that out as a teenager, it really captured my imagination. So, it’s not without some basis in reality.
That said, when I wrote Way Off Plan, I had no idea I was kicking off a series that would span years and years! I just had this character, Jamie, who was a police officer, and asked myself, “Who’d be the very worst person for him to fall for?” Then in the next book, I introduced my best-loved character, mafia granny Nana Dombruso, and from that point on, the mafia storyline was woven inexorably into my series!
Tell us a little bit about Alexa Land. You describe yourself as kind of a hermit when you’re writing. Do you have a full time job as well?
I’m very fortunate, because writing is my full-time job and the way I support myself and my child. I share 50/50 custody of my eleven-year-old son with his father. So, every other week when he’s at his dad’s house, I do little except write, often as much as 12-14 hours a day. On weeks when my son is with me, I only write when he’s at school or asleep, because my child comes first.
Where do you come up with these characters? Every one of them is special in their own way, how do you keep adding to the series and how many books do you plan to have in the end?
The Firsts and Forever series is open-ended. I’ll keep writing them as long as people keep asking for more! As for where the characters come from, the answer is simply my imagination. People often ask if they’re based on people I know, and the answer is no, not even a little. If anything, I draw from bits and pieces of my own personality, my flaws, insecurities, aspirations – those things we all carry around in us. From there, I just turn the characters loose on the page and watch them come to life!
Any thoughts of writing something outside the series?
I’m the kind of writer who can only work on one project at a time. For the foreseeable future, the Firsts and Forever series has my full attention.
Tell us a little bit about your other books, Feral and The Tinder Chronicles. We hear they are vastly different from this series?
The very first book I ever wrote was a paranormal novel called Feral. It was meant to be a stand-alone, but a couple years later I revisited the characters in a supporting role in The Tinder Chronicles. While Feral was sort of an experiment, Tinder reflected my love of the TV shows Supernatural and Joss Whedon’s Buffy and Angel, but with a gay protagonist. I enjoyed dabbling in a world where the usual rules didn’t apply, and Tinder was just an incredibly fun character to write! He was funny and sarcastic and made so many mistakes. He felt more real to me than any character I’ve ever written, which is probably ironic since he lived in a paranormal world!
How do you feel about being in the Amazon top 100?
That was such a dream come true! I’d come close with previous books, topping out in the 120s, but Coming Home was my first to finally crack the top 100. Not only was this incredibly validating on a personal level, it felt like such a victory for the MM genre! It’s happened a couple times before with other MM authors, but every time one of our books breaks into the top 100, across all genres, it shows MM is becoming a force to be reckoned with!
What is the perfect way to spend a completely free day ?
Writing! It makes me sound like such a workaholic, I know, but writing is my great joy and my passion, and free time to me just means more time to write!
Do you have a favorite food and / or drink ?
I’m a coffee drinker all the way. I think I’ve crossed over into addict territory, but I have no problem with that! 🙂
What is next for the fabulous Ms. Alexa Land?
Aw, thank you for that! Right now, I’m taking a week or two to catch my breath and work on promoting Coming Home. After that, I’m going to be plunging deep into the as yet untitled tenth book in the Firsts and Forever series. This will be Nico Dombruso’s story, and a lot of it will take place in Italy, which I’m very excited to write about! Nico’s book will be out near the end of this year.
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me!
It was our pleasure 🙂
Blurb:
For twenty-six-year-old rent boy Chance Matthews, surviving day-to-day in San Francisco is difficult enough. Then an ill-fated road trip to Wyoming to search for his biological father throws his life into a tailspin. When a string of catastrophes leaves him stranded and desperate, help comes from the last person he’d expect. His knight in shining armor is everything he could want and then some, but Chance is sure a man like that would never want someone like him. That’s the stuff of fairy tales, and he stopped believing in those a long time ago.
Coming Home can be found on
Check out Dan’s review on Coming Home HERE !
Alexa Land is an independent author of gay fiction and romance. Her character-driven books include the best-selling Firsts and Forever Series, set in present-day San Francisco, which is currently at nine volumes and counting. She was born in Southern California and has been on a gradual northern migration ever since, having lived in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and now Oregon.
You can find Alexa:
On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008216261875
On twitter: @AlexaLandWrites
And on her blog: http://alexalandwrites.blogspot.com/
Alexa is giving away one $25 (USD) Amazon gift card to someone chosen at random from among those leaving comments on the interview.
I finished Coming Home last night… ok… like six hours ago.. so this morning 😉 It was so freaking good! I had read a review here of Gathering Storm not too long ago and ended up finishing the series in short order. I’ll have a newborn by the end of the year, so hopefully I’ll still be able to binge read it 😉 Cannot wait for the next book!
She is soooo addictive isn’t she? I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks for this post and interview and more importantly thanks for bringing the First and Forever serie to my attention. Alexa Land is a new author to me but after reading the blurbs of the books i know that i would love to read them, so the first book in this serie will definitely be on my next buy list 🙂
Also thanks for the great giveaway chance.
I had to bring the series to Love Bytes readers. I’m such a fan boy of Alexa’s work. I hope you love the whole series as much as I, and so many other folks, have!
I recently got the first book in this series. I can’t wait to read it now. I want to meet the Nana that I keep hearing about. 🙂 Thanks for the great interview and giveaway!
I am a big fan of the series! However, I have gotten behind in my reading. I am still reading Gathering Storm. This post just spurs me on to quickly finish the rest of the books. Thanks for the nudge!
I absolutly love this series!!! I haven read this one yet, but I’ve read all of the others. Thank you for the chance!
I love this series entirely.
Alexa Land is a new author to me, I enjoyed the interview and will be looking out for her books.
Love love First and Forever series! Alexa’s characters are very well developed and Nana is simply divine and hysterical! Coming Home was amazing and I love their story, really looking forward to Nico’s and many many more from this series! Great interview!
So glad to hear that you’ll keep writing as long as we’re reading! This series could go forever! Love the stories and the characters!
I loved Coming Home and can’t wait for Nico’s story. Her books are addicting!
Fabulous. I love this series. They honestly just keep getting better and better
There is just no words to say what a huge fan I am of Alexa! I devour every book she’s written and many I have read more then once. Please never stop writing!!!
Absolutely love this series! Thanks for the Chance!
This is a wonderful books series. I love them all so much
Great interview with my favorite author! The books keep getting better every time!
love this series….
This was a great book in a great series. I can’t wait to read more.
Thanks for the interview – San Francisco is my favorite city, too! I grew up a bit north of it.
I have not read anything by Alexa Land yet, but going to check out her books after reading this post and all the glowing comments.
I love ALL of these books so much!
Love your books
LOVE Nana – a wonderful older womyn character who is not defined by her sexuality! I hope I’m as much of a spit-fire as she is when I hit her age!
New author for me. The books sound amazing. Off to check them out. Oh, and she must live near me because I live in So Oregon now too.
One of my favorite series!
I Love this series and characters.
I discovered the series after the 3rd book was already written, but started from the beginning. I’ve been hooked ever since. I love all the books, but Jamie and Dmitri will always be my favorites…and of course Nana.
I Love all your books so much! You are an amazing writer!
Thank you for this interview. It was well done, and answered questions that I have been curious about, such as, “Where do you come up with these characters?” I’m also happy to find that Alexa Land is in no hurry to finish out the series. She appears to love her characters as much as her readership audience does.
I adore this series and all the characters!
Love her book’s “coming home” were just amazing so happy that I got to read Chance’s story!
Loved Coming Home!!! Can’t wait for the next one!!!!
Love to see the series continue, even though I need to get caught up!
Discovered this series from the reviews here. After reading the review of All In I knew I had to give this series a try. I have loved every book in it so far! Looking forward to Nico’s story.
Haven’t read any of her books yet, and will need to check them out.
I love Alexa’s books! For me it started with Way Off Plan and I was hooked!
I’m so excited for Coming Home, no idea how its been on my kindle with only a sneak peak! Come on Thursday when I fly off on my holiday and can read read read!
Thanks for this interview xxx
I haven’t read anything by this author yet but seeing all the raving comments, I need to remedy that. Great interview and I’ve added the book series to my wishlist.
I Am a new fan just discovering her at Rainbow Con and can’t wait to read the entire series!!!
After reading the first of this series, I have to buy the books as soon as they come out, I love so many of the incredible MM authors, but I’m addicted to Alexa! She is an awesome person as well as writer, and her books always come first, I hope this series never ends!
I have to say that this book is my favorite in the whole series. I just want to take Chance and wrap him up and all the bad. So Alexa I think that your books just keep getting better as they go along and make me feel like they are real people with real problems that I want’ to say Just let me help you, you deserve so much love and happiness.
Thank you all for the wonderful comments, and thank you again to Love Bytes for interviewing me!! <3
I’m posting this comment for Beth Wages Mason, who wanted to be entered in the drawing but couldn’t get her comment to post. Best of luck, Beth! 🙂
I love Alexa’s books so much! I started out reading Feral and am so glad I kept checking for more! The Firsts and Forever series keeps getting more and more wonderful with each addition! Can’t wait for Nico’s story!
I loved Coming Home – I’m such a fan of the whole series! Congrats on this breaking into the top 100 list on Amazon. That is so awesome 🙂
Fabulous interview Dan! 🙂 the first and forever series is my favorite series out of all that I’ve read. Salvation, which is Trevor and Vincent’s story is my most favorite. 🙂 thank you Alexa for writing such a fantastic series! Vicki. dale.earnhardt03@yahoo.com
This book sounds amazing! Can’t wait to read it!
Another AMAZING book from Alexa Land!! I did not expect the book to go where it did, but loved it all the more because of that!! I love the way the Firsts and Forevers series enforces that family does not always have to be blood. It is the love and caring for each other that makes a true family 🙂 Congratulations on breaking into the top 100 Alexa!! We all love you, and can’t wait for Nico!! I have some ideas, can’t wait to see if I’m right!!
Wow sounds fantastic!!! Love the cover too. Thank you for chance!
I loved this book! 🙂
I love this series and I’m loving Coming Home. Thanks for continuing to write about these great characters.
Love the interview!!! The First and Forever series is one of my favorite!!! Love Nana and all her boys. She literally cracks me up every single book!!!!! Thank you Alexa for writing amazing stories!! Thanks for the giveaway!
I adore everyone of these books. One of my greatest fears is to lose the ability to read.. But I have a plan to be the nursing home queen with all my hot sexy books, that I’m going to have the nurses reading to me! Starting with this series!! Lol
Alexa, I have this book and can’t wait to read it. Some adulting must be accomplished first…
I have loved each and every one of the Firsts & Forever books. Your characters are loveable (even some who start out a little cantankerous), with plots and conflict that keep me turning pages, and some good laughs along the way, too. Best wishes with this one and keep ’em coming! <3
another series I need to add to my wish list! 😀
I love the interview and I’m a huge fan of all of Alexa’s books! I love getting lost in the world she created and Nana just rocks!
I have this on my Kindle, can’t wait to read it! Crazy week at work & this weekend with family stuff, I’ll be reading it this week for sure. I absolutely loved the previous books in the series, and I hope to read many more additions 🙂
I just very, very recently found this author, thanks to a recommendation from a friend. She’s a great author and this series is awesome! I’m in book 5 at the moment.
Good luck with your upcoming projects!
I haven’t read any of Alexa’s books, but I have read so many good reviews (especially for Coming Home) that I really need to add some to my TBR list! Thanks for a great interview.
I love this series! Congratulations on the new release.
I always find it interesting how an author is inspired and what life experiences are included in their stories, so thank you for an informative post (I am not nosy, just inquisitive 🙂 ) Thank you for the giveaway chance