QSFer J.V. Speyer has a new FF romance book out:
Rock star Jo Avery didn’t have a choice about coming out, but ever since her ex outed her as bi she’s been a proud advocate for LGBTQ+ issues. Most of her family wants nothing to do with her, but her brother has always supported her. When he gets married, he wants her in the wedding party, and she has to accept.
The only problem? Her new sister in law is the daughter of conservative pundit and anti-LGBT warrior Sarah Tremblay. Sarah has another daughter, too, the beautiful and charming Valeria.
Valeria has been in the closet since she was fourteen. She’s always envied Jo’s strength and freedom, if not her path to living her authentic life. She soon finds herself falling for the fierce, pretty rocker, but coming out could cost her everything. How many risks can she take for someone she’ll only know for two weeks?
Can Jo and Valeria turn attraction into love, or will their whirlwind romance blow out before it gets off the ground?
Released Apr 14th at JMS Books
JV Speyer is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
- What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
- Hm. I had a few intentions and goals with this book. One was to write a book that centered women, and I did that. Most of my work is in the male/male space, and I’m comfortable with that and I enjoy it. I very much wanted to write something that centered women this time around, though, and my daughter asked me to write something about women or at least “not about boys.”
Another intention was to kind of poke at the dynamic of dealing with deeply conservative family members while being someone, and something, they’re fighting against. That’s something I’m dealing with personally right now, and I guess I wanted to work it out on paper.
Of course, in romance, we’re guaranteed a happy ending and as the author there are no unforeseen complications. If someone shows up to make life difficult I can always have them unexpectedly sent to Bolivia, or have a piano fall on their car or something. Real life doesn’t work like that.
- What was the hardest part of writing this book?
- Well, I was on kind of a tight deadline, so there’s that!
There were some moments when I’d panic and think, Oh my God, my mom is going to read this and think I’m talking about her. It’s ridiculous. My mom doesn’t read my romance stories. My parents are neither diplomats nor conservative pundits. (They came within a hair of naming me Moonbeam, for crying out loud.) I have no reason to panic.
Somehow, though, writing f/f feels more personal than writing m/m. That’s where the fear comes in, I guess. They say you should write what scares you, and I guess I did that here to some extent. I’m comfortable with who I am at this point in my life, but somewhere deep inside there’s still that sixteen year old kid going, Ohmygod what if someone finds out?
- Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, why not?
I do. JV is my legal initials, and Speyer is a variant spelling of my birth name. I decided to go with a pseudonym because my Spouse’s family are deeply religious and profoundly conservative. Their surname is very uncommon in the US, and they don’t want it associated with either speculative fiction or romance fiction. We just don’t tell them about the LGBTQ+ stuff.
And I use a variant spelling of my birth name because for reasons I can’t quite fathom, Americans find it almost impossible to pronounce my birth name as written. People don’t buy a lot of books from people whose name they can’t say, so I made the name easier to pronounce.
I’m proud of my work, and I’m proud of my family. I’ll bow to practicality, though.
- Are you a plotter or a pantster?
I’m a pantser by nature, but I also have ADD. I had to teach myself to become a plotter, or else I’d never get anywhere. Scrivener is a great tool for people like me, because I can sit down and know what I’m supposed to be working on that day. If the characters take a different direction, though (because sometimes that gunfight in the middle of a scene is a surprise, even to the author) it has the flexibility to accommodate changes. I’d probably lose what’s left of my mind if I had to tab back and forth between Word files or whatever.
- Do your books spring to life from a character first or an idea?
It varies. Sometimes I’ll see a character in front of me – with Whrilwind, I had the Jo character in my head for a couple of years and the rest of the story kind of formed around her. Sometimes it will be an idea, a “what if” kind of thing.
Most often, though, my books come to life from a song – either from lyrics or from a riff. Starlit, Rites of Spring, and Midnight were all inspired by songs (“Starlight” by Muse, “Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky, and “Sometime Around Midnight” by the Airborne Toxic Event respectively.)
- What pets are currently on your keyboard, and what are their names? Pictures?
My usual writing “coaches” are Princess Kitty and Batcat. We brought them home at the same time from the same rescue group. Princess Kitty – who is the only cat I’ve ever met who named herself – likes to sit on my feet while I work. Batcat will sit by my side and purr, although if he’s feeling especially affectionate he’ll sit on my chest and watch the letters form.
This creates an issue, because he’s roughly the size of Germany and I can’t see what I’m typing when he does this. That’s what edits are for, I guess!
Simon shifted uneasily in his seat. “Should I step in?”
Jo shrugged. “Seems dangerous. You’re not being paid to break up fights between conservative media hosts.” She looked up and groaned as she saw Sarah Tremblay making her way toward her. “Just when the fight was getting good.”
Simon straightened up in his seat as Sarah swept into position beside Jo. “This is not the way people should behave at an event like this. It’s supposed to be a joyous occasion, where people give the bride the material she’ll need in her new life as a wife. Not some kind of spectacle for the enjoyment of others.” She sniffed and cast her gaze pointedly at guests who had their phones out, recording the action.
Jo hated the thought of agreeing with Sarah Tremblay about anything, but she couldn’t argue either. “It’s a little bit like watching daytime television.”
Sarah stared as hotel security swooped in and separated the fighting women. The one who’d been kneed in the face was going to need an ambulance. “This is what comes from an overly permissive culture,” she said after a moment. “This is why I fight so hard.”
Jo rolled her eyes. And of course it all comes down to this. “So we can all enjoy a live action version of the Jerry Springer Show?”
Sarah curled her lip. “Do you honestly think any of this would have happened if you hadn’t showed your face here today?”
Jo lowered her eyes and laughed. “Sarah, I don’t even know those women. Any of those women. The great part of being a pariah at things like this is that no one can say they did anything because of me.”
Sarah grabbed onto Jo’s wrist with one claw-like hand. “You come walking in here with all of those tattoos exposed. That alone lowers the tone. It tells people, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter what you do.’ And with you flaunting your sin all over the place, disobeying your mother, giving your body to anyone who wants it, wallowing in the sin of Sodom and Gomorra without shame, everyone knows who you are. They know what you do.
“They think to themselves, If she can get away with that, then I don’t have to worry about what I do. I don’t have to live a clean and wholesome life. I don’t have to behave myself in public. And then we get what we had here today.”
“Wow. You get all that from a couple of tattoos and a complete failure at reading the Bible.” Jo snorted. Her hands shook, but they were hiding under the table so it didn’t matter. “Did you miss the part about motes and beams and all that? Or the Samaritan woman? I’m, like, ninety percent sure that those people would have fought even if I’d stayed on tour.”
“You should have stayed on tour. No one wants you here.” Sarah narrowed her eyes at Jo. “If even your own mother can’t stand to look at you, why should the rest of us be troubled with your presence?”
Jo shrugged. “Take it up with Tom. Much as I love hanging out here and being harangued about my sex life, I’d rather be out there with my band mates touring.”
Sarah recoiled, nose in the air. “I can see I’m not going to get anywhere with you. Just stay away from my daughter.”
Jo blinked for a second. Was Sarah really worried about Valeria’s virtue around her? If she was, that must mean she had a reason to be. Maybe there was hope after all. As for the rest of it …
She curled her lips into a wolfish smile and stood up. As Simon stood up beside her, she dropped a hand onto Sarah’s shoulder. “Oh, Sarah. I didn’t realize. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I’m not great with subtle hints. If you wanted to ‘get somewhere’ with me, you should have been more direct. If you want, I can help you find someone who might be looking for someone a little more like you, though.” She walked out of the shower, smiling.
J. V. Speyer has lived in upstate New York and rural Catalonia before making the greater Boston, Massachusetts area her permanent home. She has worked in archaeology, security, accountancy, finance, and non-profit management. She currently lives just south of Boston in a house with more animals than people.
J. V. finds most of her inspiration from music. Her tastes run the gamut from traditional to industrial and back again. When not writing she can usually be found enjoying a baseball game. She’s learning to crochet so she can make blankets to fortify herself against the cold.
J. V. can be found on Twitter at @JVSpeyer, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JVSpeyer
Website: http://www.jessicawritesonline.com
Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/JVSpeyerAuthor/
Twitter: @jvspeyer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14108614.J_V_Speyer
QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-v-speyer/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/J.V.-Speyer/e/B074G3SMMB/
