Tell us a little about yourself and your writing goals.
I’m an artist, playwright, and writer. I was born in Hawaii, but as an Army brat I grew up all over, including Germany, Texas, and Augusta, Georgia. After stints in Louisiana and New York, I am back living in Honolulu with my black Labrador Retriever Brady. My goal as a writer is to make my living as a writer—I want to quit my day job and write full-time.
Congratulations on your new release. Please tell us a little bit about it. What’s your favorite aspect or part of the story? Do you have a favorite character? Who/Why?
Morrel & Morcerf and the Spear of Destiny is an LGBTQ romance/action/adventure. It tells the story of two young university students who are trying to repatriate the treasure taken by the Nazis during World War II. They’re sneaking into black market antiquities auctions looking for a missing Picasso, and in the process stumble into more than they bargained for.
Are you a planner or a pantser? How much do you know about your story before you start writing? How often does your plan change? Why does this work best for you?
Planner or a pantser? A little of both, I think. It definitely all starts with the plot, I generally know where I want to go and where I want to end up. But then the characters get involved and everything is up for grabs. The stories always go places I don’t plan.
Do deadlines motivate you or block you? How do you deal with them?
Deadlines definitely motivate me, too much free time and I get nothing done. I have too many other distractions from my job, to my dog, to reading.
Do you schedule a certain amount of time for writing each day/week, or do you just work it in when you can? Would you like to change this, or does your current method work well for you?
When I’m on a schedule with a deadline, I usually write every day, in the morning and in the evening. When I don’t have a pressing deadline it’s a lot looser, though I’m always working on a book. I consume media related to whatever topic I’m working on. When I was writing Manhattan Mistletoe Mystery I took in a lot of true crime, I watch videos, and movies, listened to audiobooks and podcasts—everything. The same with Morrel & Morcerf and the Spear of Destiny and Morcerf, as it’s related to World War II and Nazi treasure I watched a lot of documentaries on lost art. The Rape of Europa is a stellar example of that.
What was the most difficult part of writing this book? Why?
Discipline is something I struggle with, it’s so easy to put things off. Again deadlines motivate me, they’re a godsend and I feel some of my best work is done when my nose is pressed against the grindstone.
How do you develop a story idea? Do you always use the same method? Specifically, which do you develop first in your story building, the characters or the plot?
The original inspiration for Morrel & Morcerf and the Spear of Destiny and Morcerf came from an action movie called The Rundown, starring Seann William Scott and Dwayne Johnson. I wanted to create my own version of it but with a romance between the two male leads. I wanted to write a gay Romancing the Stone. I thought about it for years, worked on the plot, set it aside then picked it back up. At one point I even name-checked the Rundown in a previous book, Bring Me Edelweiss. Finally, things clicked and I found my hook, I used two characters from the previous book for this one. In Five Points Stories, I created a shared universe and all my characters make return appearances.
What are your favorite genres when it comes to your own pleasure reading? Do you prefer to read ebooks or print?
I read a lot of ebooks. When I moved from the mainland to Honolulu, I had to give away a lot of my books, shipping is so expensive. After that I started acquiring more and more digital items, to the point, it’s about fifty-fifty now. I read a bit of everything, historical fiction, true crime, action-adventure, everything.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
A little of both, when you’re in the zone you want to keep working. I sometimes resent real life intruding and having to stop, but at the end of the day, you definitely feel like you’ve spent the day working.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I would advise myself to start sooner. While it’s never too late, I wish I’d gotten a jump on things.
What is the best money you ever spent as an author?
Using a professional beta reader and a professional editor. It is so worth it. I was lucky to find two great ones, Gaby Michaelis and Bodie Dykstra.
What is your favorite underappreciated novel?
Joe Keenan’s My Blue Heaven. it’s a bit of a throwback. A contemporary romance with the style and fun of the Thin Man movies, or Bringing Up Baby. A gay man and a straight woman deiced etc get married for the wedding gifts, to bilk their wealthy families. It’s a hoot.
What do you find to be the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Nothing, I write them as people, like my male characters. But as my stories are primarily about men I try to make sure the women in them are full characters and have a voice. That they aren’t just plot devices.
What did you edit out of this book?
I can’t think of anything specific I edited out. Though I do tend to be a fade-to-black writer when it comes to love scenes. I’ve written stories with explicit sex, but that’s not what I want to do in Five Points Stories.
How do you select the names of your characters?
The plot dictates that, though because I man writing a shared universe. The characters have usually already made an appearance in previous books. There’s a character in this one that has a book coming later. And the four mains are coming back as well, this is not the end of Morrel & Morcerf.
What were your goals for this book? Did you achieve them?
I’m very happy with it. My intention was to create a gay high-adventure yarn and I’m pleased with the result. I going to have it produced as an audiobook and am already looking forward to it.
What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
Mostly worried about my dog. He’s probably the most important thing in my life. Literally my emotional support animal.
What were you like in high school?
As an Army brat so I was always the new kid. Went to three different high schools. Saying I was at all memorable past my height—I was six foot three at thirteen—would be a stretch. I hated high school, skated through, and never looked back. The best years of my life were and are all after my teenage years,
What are the three best things about you?
Devoted to my friends, punctual to a fault, and I’m a good dog dad.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Cookies and cream, ftw!
If you could time travel, where would you go and when?
No idea, I tried to think of something but I’m at a loss. I’d love to go back and meet Montgomery Clift and James Dean, they were both such singular tragic talents.
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Someone much better-looking than me. Maybe a Matt Bomer, Peter Porte, or Oliver Jackson-Cohen type. If only so I could finagle a meeting with them. Priorities: I haz them.
Gay Mystery Archaeologists Chase Nazi Gold!
Book Title: Morrel & Morcerf and the Spear of Destiny
Author and Publisher: Kyle Baxter
Cover Artist: Kyle Baxter
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Genres: LGBTQ+ Action & Adventure Fiction, MM Romance
Tropes: Race Against the Clock, ex-military, king incognito
Themes: Community, Family
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 98 449 words/ 373 pages
It is a standalone book. It is part of a connected series—shared universe—but you do not need to have read the previous books to follow it.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Alois d’Pierrepont and Marton Prawer have been attending black market antiquities events trying to recover treasure stolen by Nazis during World War II. Marton is particularly interested in a certain missing Picasso.
Following the trail to France, the two stumble into far more than they bargained for when a shady auction they’re attending in Paris’s Latin Quarter is raided by Interpol. Alois’s uncle Frederick, from Bring Me Edelweiss, is soon hot on the case along with his lover Joel McIntyre.
After recovering the journal of a Nazi general the four men race across western Europe, chased by fascists desperate to find the treasure for themselves. Gunfights and car chases ensue as the group uses a map in the journal to track down the treasure and its contents, rumored to include the fabled Spear of Destiny.
Alois d’Pierrepont knelt at the door to the study and pulled a small black pouch from his breast pocket. With a grunt, he undid the button on his Versace “Black Baroque” evening jacket. It fit a little too snugly for squatting. Opening the bag, he selected two picks, inserted them in the door lock, and went to work.
“How’s it going?” Marton Prawer asked, appearing beside him and flashing his winning smile.
Alois looked up at his boyfriend. I’d go a lot quicker if you wouldn’t hang on my shoulder, he thought. “Just bloody fine, dear,” he grumbled between gritted teeth.
They’d come to the party to find evidence that the host collected Nazi memorabilia. Marton was obsessed with returning stolen loot to the Jewish people. A noble pursuit. And being a history buff and amateur archaeologist himself, Alois found him fascinating and intense.
The owner of this house had a reputation for acquiring antiques with a sketchy provenance. But reputation was not proof, so the two young men were looking for something they could leverage for information. Something that might get them an in to the black market antiquities scene. To be fair, Alois was at a loss as to how to accomplish that, but Marton was determined. Seems a bit of a stretch.
It was a good thing he was able to use his own contacts to get an invite to this party, but . . . May wind up paying for that. That particular person, a socialite named Denis, was a pill and likely to bring it up to gain his own leverage. He let out a long, deep breath. So far, it’s worth it. After all, they’d made it here. But still, the games people play. It’s all so exhausting.
He wiped beads of perspiration off his forehead and frowned. Locks never gave him this much trouble. Then again, he wasn’t used to performing under pressure. Before, it was always a lark, a trick he picked up as a kid running around his grandfather’s drafty old home, picking the locks on all the doors for fun. Though he’d long ago gone pro and bought a professional lockpick set, this was different. They were on a mission.
“Take a breath.” Marton’s voice was easy and soothing.
Alois shook out his hand and let out a long exhalation, then went back to it. After a moment, the tumblers clicked easily like they’d been waiting for him. The lock let out a satisfying chunk.
“Sorry, just a bit nervous.” Alois chuckled as he stood. “Never done this ‘in the field,’ as they say. Before, it was always a party trick or me larking about. Never actually tried housebreaking before.”
Marton looked up at Alois and gave him a kiss on the lips. “You did great.” He ran a hand along the front of Alois’s slacks, teasing him until he hardened. “I’ll give you something special when we get back to your place.”
A deep moan escaped Alois’s chest. “I’m looking forward to it already.” Grabbing the door handle, he stepped inside the office and flicked on the light.
They stepped into a nondescript modern office.
“Oh,” Marton said in surprise.
“What, were you expecting a Nazi flag on the wall?” Alois asked, nudging the shorter man in the side. “Or an autographed photo of Hitler?”
Kyle is an artist, playwright, and writer. As a playwright, Kyle has had his plays performed in New York at the NY International Fringe Festival, and the Midtown International Theater Festival. As an artist and illustrator, he has had his art exhibited in both New Orleans and New York.
Born in Hawaii, Kyle is an Army brat and grew up in Erlangen, Germany, as well as Augusta, Georgia, and several cities in Texas. After stints in Louisiana and New York, he resides again in Honolulu with his black Labrador Retriever Brady.
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