A warm welcome to author Kate Sherwood joining us today to talk about new release “All That Glitters”.
Welcome Kate 🙂
Inspiration
I’ve written over thirty (pushing forty, I think) novels. I still have a million ideas for stuff I want to write, but I worry that I may be repeating myself, sometimes. Apparently it’s good to have a recognizable author “voice”, but whether it’s good or not, I don’t want my new books to be too heavily inspired by the old.
So I try to get my inspiration from other places.
No, that’s not right. I’m unable to not get my inspiration from other places. Stuff soaks into my brain from a million different sources and then oozes out of my fingertips onto the keyboard. Well, that sounded less nasty in my brain.
Anyway…
While I was writing my new release from Dreamspinner, All That Glitters, I was also binge-watching Please Like Me, an Australian TV show centered around a 20-ish marginally employed guy and his friends. And, no, there is no direct connection between that band of Australians and my 30-something professionals in New York (state and city). Except…
I loved the dialogue in Please Like Me. The rhythm, the style… all of it! I loved the way friends and family are shown as both a blessing and a curse. And I loved (and, while crying, hated) the way the show mixed comedy with drama. Just like real life mixes comedy and drama.
I didn’t set out to copy or even pay homage to Please Like Me while I was writing All That Glitters. But, again, brain soak, fingertip ooze…
I’m honestly not sure if anyone else will see any influence from the show in the book. I’m not sure there’s anything too see. But I know that for myself, reading back over the words I wrote, I find myself thinking of the show I was watching as I wrote it.
If this book gives anyone a fraction of the enjoyment the show gave me, I’ll consider my time well spent.
No matter what he tells himself, wealthy NYC architect Liam has never been able to forget his first love, Ben. But as he approaches midlife and realizes something is missing, can he forgive himself for the worst mistake he ever made—the one that left a hole no amount of career success can fill? Or will fear keep him from the full life he really wants? Liam and Ben were childhood sweethearts, then college boyfriends. But when Liam cheated on Ben, Ben forced himself to cut ties and move on. He’s still living in the small town where they grew up, teaching, but it’s not the life he imagined for himself as a younger man. Still, when Liam returns, he can’t risk his heart again. He certainly can’t allow himself to love Liam again after fighting so hard to get over him. Neither man wants to let go of the past and face their apprehension at starting over. They don’t want to fall in love a second time—but sometimes love happens whether it’s wanted or not.
Buy Links:
“You’re here about Liam,” Ben said, forcing a smile as he walked up the path.
Seth nodded and pulled a beer out of the portable cooler by the side of his chair. “How’re you doing with it?”
Ben shrugged and took the beer. “I’m fine, I guess.” He settled into the wooden chair next to Seth’s and kicked his feet up to rest on the porch railing. There were some kids playing a version of baseball on the lawn across the street—very calming. “I mean, it’s not a big deal. I ran into some guy I used to know. That’s all.”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day—stewing about it—and if it’s hitting me like that, it must be five times worse for you. So, no, I don’t think he was just ‘some guy you used to know.’ Your first love—your only love, if we’re being at all honest, which we absolutely are—breaks your heart and runs away, then turns up out of the blue. That’s some crazy shit, Benny boy.”
“It was surprising,” Ben admitted cautiously. He pulled his feet back down from the railing. “But it’s over with. It was strange, but it’s done. I’m fine. It was good, really,” he started, but he lost his train of thought. He’d had a theory about why it was good, hadn’t he? “Or maybe not good. But everything’s fine.”
“Okay, you’re a genteel guy, well-educated and everything. So tell me… what’s the polite way for me to say that you’re full of shit?”
“Perhaps you could use nonverbal communication. A raised eyebrow, a sigh or snort, a head shake…. No, not all at once, you just look like you’re having a seizure. You’re like a big, red, epileptic Wookie.”
Seth stilled and they sat quietly for a while. Eventually Seth said, “Uncle Calvin’s worried about it all.”
“Oh, no, I don’t think that’s possible, because of course Uncle Calvin doesn’t know about this. How could he? Liam wouldn’t have told him, and I didn’t tell him, and of course you wouldn’t go blabbing all over town about my personal business. So, no, sorry, I don’t think Uncle Calvin has any idea about any of this.”
“I was worried about you.”
“Oh my God, Seth, what did you think I was going to do? What are you, and possibly Uncle Calvin, worried about, exactly? ‘Ben had a strange run-in with Liam and now I’m worried that Ben might….’ What? What dire act do you think I’ll engage in if you don’t do whatever it is you’re doing?”
“Well….” Seth took a swig of his beer. “There was the Kevin incident.”
“Kevin wasn’t an incident, he was—I don’t know. And none of that was actually about Kevin anyway.”
“I know. It was about Liam.”
Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!
Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!
Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?
Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.
When she’s not writing as Kate Sherwood (m/m romance), there’s always Cate Cameron (m/f romance, YA romance) and Catherine Dale (everything else). There are so many stories just waiting to be discovered!
Social Media Links:
booklives.com (website and blog)
https://twitter.com/kate_sherwood
https://www.facebook.com/kate.sherwood.79