VL Moon and JT Cheyanne interviewed by Lily G. Blunt
Tell us a little bit about yourselves.
V.L
I’m actually very boring in reality. I’m a homebody and a neat freak with a very limited attention span. While I love to write, I find sitting in one place long enough to do so damn near impossible. I need peace and relative calm to produce anything worthy, not always an easy task when you have a family constantly wanting your attention.
J.T.
I’m a true to the bone Southern girl who cherishes family and friends above all things. I have a wide variety of interests from cheerleading to writing. I have a serious addiction to chocolate, love everything about the beach except maybe the sand, and love to travel and see new things although lack of funds does inhibit that particular passion.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
V.L
I’m not very good around people. It takes a lot of courage for me to put on my mask and put myself out there.
J.T.
I’m not sure. I’m usually pretty open about how I feel and what I like or dislike. Maybe, I cry every time I watch Armageddon?
How do you relax?
V.L
I love the countryside, people watching while drinking copious amounts of coffee or long walks in the woods. I’d love to live by the sea, preferably in a lighthouse and daydream while watching the waves crash against the shore. But coming from the burbs, there aren’t many places to escape to where you can be on your own.
J.T.
Relax?? Ummm, that’s a foreign concept. If I get still for very long, I tend to fall asleep. My ideal relaxation is stretched out with a good book, some chocolate and a Dr. Pepper while lying on a beach somewhere with V.L. beside me people watching.
Do you have a favourite quote?
V.L
I do, too many to mention, but my favourite one comes from my father in law who claims that…
Opinions are like arseholes, everybody has one!
J.T.
Hahahahaha! Yup, that’s my dad. He’s got several outstanding one liners. My favorite movie quote and one I absolutely love is from Chronicles of Riddick… “I bow to no man.” I really shouldn’t love that as much as I do. My senior quote for the yearbook was a foretelling that I never expected when I chose it. “Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.” – Barbara Tuchman. Now, I am an author. I find that quite amazing.
What are your ambitions for your writing career and what’s your favorite part of writing?
V.L
My favourite part of writing is coming up with the ideas. Sometimes my mind is so full of voices and story lines its hard to think straight. I wish it was as easy to put them down in words.
I’d love our work to gain more recognition. Like with most of the amazing authors out there within this genre, its a hard slog with very little reward. But as I’ve always said to J.T, as long as our readers are genuine and they’re happy with what we do, then I’m happy too.
J.T.
My favorite part of writing is getting to do it with my wife. We both share a love of a good story and our discussions can get quite animated. It’s a beautiful thing to share a true passion with your partner. I love hearing the new voices and how defined they can be about who they are and what direction their story is going. Seeing the words flow onto the page is amazing to me. I go back and read what we’ve written and I’m just blown away.
Why did you choose to write GLBTQ romance? Why not another genre?
V.L
J.T and I are multi-genre, however, writing M/M appeals more to us. We’ve tried pairing some of our characters with the opposite sex, and it just never feels right. You have to write what’s in your heart and to us it’s predominantly M/M.
J.T.
Being from the Bible Belt South, I get asked this question a lot. My first published work was actually a male/female pairing. It went through a traditional small publishing house and I was and still am well pleased with the story. V.L. and I also wrote a male/female pairing that’s currently off the market as the publishing house closed. We do intend to re-release at some point.
But, like I tell most people that ask, the voices that show up in my head and in V.L.’s head are all male. I have a locker room in my skull that houses all types of impatient men waiting their turn to have their story told. V.L. and I have a huge list of ideas that need to be put to paper. If the females happened to show up or if one of the men tells me his HEA is a female, I’d be more than happy to write them.
I also have to add…I was rather annoyed that Butch and Vishous didn’t get their HEA in the BDB series because mainstream publishing wasn’t ready for a gay HEA. That ticked me off tremendously.
What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?
V.L
I’ll be honest, Shaver and Khad’s story kills me every time. It’s going to be a while before our two young wolves find their HEA. Will it be with each other? Who knows. Keep reading…
J.T.
There are so many! I get emotionally involved with my characters. They laugh and I laugh, they cry and I cry. I’ll have to agree with V.L. about Shaver. There is a part in Crimson Storm that I wrote for him back in late 2011 or early 2012. (Yes, their story has been developed for that long!) I cried the entire time I was writing it, typed through tears blind to the screen. And, every time I read it, I still get misty eyed. In Love Life and Circumstance, I cried right alone with Seth when his twin sister died. As for laughter, Laziel and Rhys kept me in stitches in Crimson Storm.
Can you give the readers a brief summary of your latest book?
As the war between good and evil draws ever closer, decisions are made that change the lives of those that Lachi holds close. While love may conquer all, it can’t save everyone. Lives are lost as the battle begins.
What genre does it fall in?
LGBT Fiction Paranormal Fiction.
Share a few words about your latest book, other than the usual blurb.
V.L
Crimson Storm is book three in the Crimson Nights Saga. It follows the lives of Malachi Denali, the vampire king and Laziel, his angel, a seraphim warrior and the son of the creator himself. Given a gift to create a life, Laziel breathes life into the soul he so adamantly loves and adores. Laziel may be a bit of a queen at times and loves to camp it up when luring in Lachi for a good hard romp. But woe betide anyone that threatens what’s his…
J.T.
In Crimson Storm, readers will meet new characters that are important to the final outcome of Malachi and Laziel’s story. Other characters reveals sides of themselves that the readers may find surprising. There is humor and heartache in this installment that will keep you involved with these characters right up to the last written word.
Will we be seeing these characters again any time soon? Is this book part of a series?
V.L
You most certainly will. Crimson Storm is book three in the Crimson Nights Saga. We’ve just started writing book four, Crimson Crown, which will be the last in the series.
J.T.
Very soon. We want to get Crimson Crown out as quickly as possible.
Which actor would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
David Gandy will always be the inspiration behind Malachi Denali. As for Laziel…A young Marcus Schenkenberg…Man is just too gorgeous for words. Jason Momoa for Arial and Shemar Moore for Bastian’s human form.
What sort of book do you enjoy reading in your free time? What was the last book you read? What did you enjoy about it?
V.L
I personally love my books dark, hard and gritty. Avril Ashton is one of my favourite authors as she grabs you by the girly bits and makes your ovaries explode. Nicholas Bella is another. I’d give anything to be that good.
While I don’t mind the occasional soft story, it’s usually the grit and angst that really draws me in.
J.T.
I read everything, non-fiction and fiction. I’ve never limited myself to just one genre thanks to my dad’s influence. He taught me to appreciate westerns, murder mysteries and biographies. Romance is usually a fail safe, but I adore a great sci-fi read that doesn’t have an ounce of romance. I think the last book I read was The Chosen by J.R. Ward. I loved it because it was the BDB, but I hated it because of the corruption of the characters.
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? Have you held any interesting jobs while you worked on your books?
V.L
No, I spent many years lost in the haze of motherhood while working full time jobs. I’ve worked in many different areas from bars and clubs to warehouses, offices and in sport and leisure. I’d love to be able to write full time. Maybe one day, when Steven Spielberg brings The Crimson Nights Saga to the big screen. Until then….It’s ten hour shifts for me.
J.T.
Not at all. Like I said above, I never expected to be a writer when I chose my senior quote for the yearbook. I chose it because of my love of reading. I used to make up stories in my head before I went to sleep every night, but never thought about writing them down. I was invited into a role-play group on Facebook and the rest, as they say, is history. And yes, Mr. Spielberg would be a definite bonus!
Like V.L., I work a full time job on top of being a mother and new grandmother. I started working in a burger joint when I was 17 and I’ve worked ever since then. Other than writing, the most interesting job I’ve had was working as a paralegal for a magnificent attorney who represented special needs children.
What does your writing process look like?
V.L
*Laughing* Coffee, chaos, lots of daydreaming and the odd light bulb moment when something fits together.
J.T.
Well, no two days are ever the same. I do have to have an idea of what I intend to write when I sit down. Usually, the voices laugh at that and go their own way which is fine. It’s usually far better than what I was thinking. Writing with V.L. helps. It’s hard to have writer’s block when there’s another brain out there to help you work through an idea or an angle of the story. I’m pretty good at tuning things out when I need to write though I do like to have NCIS or Criminal Minds on low.
Title: Crimson Storm (Book Three in The Crimson Nights Saga)
Authors: V.L. Moon and J.T. Cheyanne
Genre/s: Gay, Romance, Paranormal
Length: 658 pages
Blurb
As their allies grow and their circle of friends discovers true love, their enemies advance.
Shadows watch, waiting in the distance as an age old power threatens to reveal the secrets of a past steeped in sorrow.
War is upon them and with its advance comes a force of unity bound by love and sealed by blood.
Together, Malachi and Laziel fight to protect those they hold close.
When Rome trembles and the bowels of Hell spew forth its spawn, the wolves and the rogue Nephilim join forces with Malachi Denali and his vampires to fight against evil and tip the scales in favor of the just.
Fractions divide, lives lay in ruin. Is the call of the wild their only hope of survival?
Or will Rome finally fall under the weight of an angel’s untold grief?
Read on to assuage your thirst as the Crimson Nights Saga continues.
Buy Links:
Available on KU
Book 1
Book 2
The Crimson Nights Saga Book and Review Tour Schedule
Check out the reviews, guest posts, interviews, and exclusive excerpts from Crimson Storm
July 31st
August 1st
August 2nd
August 4th
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
August 5th/6th
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
August 7th
August 12th/13th
Multi-genre romance and fiction writing duo V.L Moon and J.T Cheyanne span a continental divide to bring together their love, support, and admiration for the LGBT communities they belong to. With their ever growing families’ support, they make the most of what little time they have to write the love, angst, and turmoil that hopefully reflects the struggle that is, modern day life.
Social Media Links:
Facebook | Website | VL Moon Twitter | JT Cheyenne Twitter
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I’ve been reading paranormal and mm books for several years and somehow missed these two authors. This sounds like a beautiful series that I’m going to have to immerse myself in. Thanks for the wonderful interview.
Absolutely love this and you both. ❤️