Hi Anne! Welcome to UTC! POSTER BOY, the last book in the TAG trilogy is coming out soon.
It is coming out soon, today in fact (I think . . .). Technically, this is one of the official blog tour stops for it, so Iโm going to interject some info aboutย the nitty-gritty: theย Blog Tour Giveaway.
The prize package this time includes: one lovely โTheta Alpha Gamma Beer Terrorist Response Teamโ sweatshirt (I believe I have sizes M-XXL available, choice of two styles); one paperback copy ofย Frat Boy and Toppyย with the new cover art, signed and inscribed to the winner; a bar of soap I bought in Les Baux (was going to send olives from Sainte-Remy, but we ate them . . . sorry about that) and; of course, one penis crocheted byย moi.
How does one win, you ask? By following the tour, collecting all the official โprizeโ words (posts will havethemย clearly marked), andย usingย themย as directed at the end of this post (itโs complicated).
Happy word hunting, and enjoy the tour (psssssst, this one is heavy on the cut scenes).
Could you please tell us a little about this book?
Well, hereโs the official blurb:
Itโs all fun and games until someone puts his heart out.
When Jock meets sexy grad student Toby at a frat party, things finally start looking up. After having been outed to his hockey team and then changing schools, he figures heโs due something goodโlike the sex he missed out on in the closet. Toby seems like a great place toย startย and their night together is an awesome introduction to the fine art of hooking up.
Tobyโs heart takes a bruising after the near-perfect experience with Jock leads to . . . nothing. Heโs been left on the outside as his friends pair up into blissful coupledom, and heโs in danger of never completing (or starting) his thesis. Canโt something go right?
Then Tobyโs coerced into chaperoning a Theta Alpha Gamma trip to France. Not that heโs complaining. What better place to finish his thesis and get over that frat boy? Except Jockโs outing is leaked to the press, making him an unwilling gay rights martyr, andย heย decides France is a great escape, too. Itโs a break from reality for both guys, but they soon find their connection is as real as it gets.
The only thing Iโll add to that is that there are many, manyย hijinks, compliments of the Theta Alpha Gamma frat boys.
For readers who haven’t tried your books yet, how do you think your editor or loyal readers would describe your books?
Hmmm . . . I always think of it as surrealist romantic comedy, but Iโm not sure others see itย that way.ย I often write scenes thinking of them as cheesy old sitcoms (especially with the fratbros).ย I know that my editors see me as being firmly in the โcomedyโ camp, as do my readers. I hear a lot from readers who think my writing is pretty erotically charged (or, you know, just flat out erotic). Recently, one fan told me she thoughtย Too Stupid to Liveย was โso meta.โ I still havenโt figured exactly what she meant (because I keep forgetting to look it up or ask her) but I like the way it sounds. Hopefully itโs a good thing.
Writing LGBT romance takes a specific skill, I think. What elements do you think every LGBT story should have and why do you think this is important to have in a book?
Interestingly, I think most of whatโs important in LGBT romance is the same stuff that het romance strives for, but it has a different flavor in LGBT. The most important thing is self-acceptance. Some people talk about the โheroโs journey,โ but I see this as their route to self-acceptance. This doesnโt always mean having a hero who comes outโhe might already be out, but still hasnโt accepted himself. This is important to include because everyone goes through this journey to some degree, LGBT or not.
In LGBT romance, self-acceptance (nearly always) has something to do with the heroโs sexuality, gender expression, or gender identity. Itโs a whole world of stuff we rarely see in contemporary (non-erotic) het romance. In BDSM and similar subgenres itโs necessary, but as far as Iโve seen, those books are always erotic. In LGBT romance, we have the option of writing totally โsweetโ but still dealing with sexual identity.
Another important element in writing LGBT is to always remember that the main charactersย will have issues a het couple wonโt have when it comes to dealing with the world. These can range from serious, life-threatening bigoted acts to having to put up with oneโs sister wanting to have a โspa dayโ with oneโs hairy, leather-daddy boyfriend. Stories that donโt include thisย featureย always feel incomplete to me.
When writing, how do you keep track of timelines, ideas, inspiration and such? By notes on the computer, a notebook perhaps?
I scratch small notes on tiny scraps of paper, intending to put it all into Aeon Timeline later, or at least a spreadsheet. Or just a Word doc? Anyway, about every six months, I clean out my purse/mobile office and find 20-30 tiny scraps of paper with important details written on them smashed into the bag lining. Sometimes I can actually even read them.
Mostly, though, I spend valuable time hunting through previous books and/or notebooks looking for some random detail, nearly always by using the โFindโ feature, but never the correct word to lead me to what I want.ย Itโs a complicated strategy.
We’re always looking for book recommendations. What books have you been reading? Would you recommend them?
Right now Iโm slowly working my way throughย I Probably Shouldnโt Have Done Thatย by Edmond Manning. Itโs both hilarious and tear-jerking, but itโs not a romanceโitโs actually a collection of essays detailing the weird stuff that happens around Edmond. Other than that, I havenโt read much in an embarrassingly long time.
I’ve seen your x-rated crochet projects. Would you like to share how you came about making these crochet penises?
It would be so cool if I had a great story for how that happened, wouldnโt it? Yeah. But all I have is thisโfor GRL 2012, Taylor V. Donovan, L.C. Chase, Damon Suede and I organized an event called the โKinky Craft Festโ (well, something like that), except about a month before the retreat, it hit me that we really didnโt have anything truly kinky going on. I canโt quite remember how this lead to crocheting penises, but it sounded like fun. They were a huge hit, and the rest is history. This year, Iโll have a new selection at GRL 2014 in Chicago.
Aside from writing and crocheting penises, what are some of your other hobbies?
I like to cook, but mostly only when no oneย needsย me to. Cooking for hungry childrenย is boring. Necessary but boring. I also like to garden (mostly so I can cook with the stuff I grow), but Iโm a pretty lazy gardener. My weeding strategy is to sit in a lounge chair and give them stern looks.
And lastly, what’s next for Anne Tenino?
Well, Iโll have a shortish paranormal romantic comedy coming out as part of an anthology in August, and then in October Iโll have the secondย Romancelandiabook coming out,ย Billionaire with Benefits. Itโs been very, very interesting to write. ๐
Thanks for stopping by and answering our questions!
Thanks for having me!
* * *
For those of you playing to win the blog tour prize cache, hereโs the word:ย anticipation.
The word gameโthe rules are that I provide a bunch of words, and you have to create an ode to testicles. Hey, itโs fairโI gaveย youย an ode to testicles in the book (well, part of one), you should give me one in return, using all the words from the tour.ย You may addย any other words you need to, but itย mustย include every word I gave out on the tour.
Of course, creative cheating might receive a pass from me . . .
At the end of the tour, send yourย odeย to me atย anne @ annetenino.comย and I will choose one lucky winner from all theย entriesย I receive by paying one of my children some exorbitant amount to drawย an odeย out of a hat (or other handy receptacle). All masterpiecesย must be to me by May4th, 2014ย at midnightย Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -7:00). For a schedule of all tour stops, you can goย here.
Oh, and:
*If the winner will be at GRL, GayRomance Northwest or the RT Bookloverโs Convention, Iโm also offering a lunchwith me. And yes, Iโll pay. ๐
It’s all fun and games until someone puts his heart out.
After being outed to his hockey team and then changing schools, Jock figures heโs due for something goodโlike the sex he missed out on in the closet. Toby, the hot grad student he meets at a frat party, seems like a great place to start, and their night together is an awesome introduction to the fine art of hooking up.
Tobyโs heart takes a bruising after the near-perfect experience with Jock leads to . . . nothing. Heโs been left on the outside as his friends pair up into blissful coupledom, and heโs in danger of never completing (or starting) his thesis. Canโt something go right?
Then Tobyโs coerced into chaperoning a Theta Alpha Gamma trip to France. Not that heโs complaining. What better place to finish his thesis and get over that frat boy? Except Jockโs outing is leaked to the press, turning him into an unwilling gay rights martyr, and he decides France would be a great escape, too. Itโs a break from reality for both guys, but they soon find their connection is as real as it gets.
Check out the full tour schedule
[about-author author=”Anne Tenino”]
Great interview
Thanks, Timitra. ๐
I LOVE Anne’s work, both the writing and the crocheting ๐ I am a proud owner of one of the fabulous penis creations and look forward to finally getting to meet you at GRL this year!!
Oh, Kassandra, what fun we shall have at GRL.
I’m reading the book now and loving it so far…looking forward to hearing more about the evolution of Jock (hey, I love my hockey protagonists)…
Glad to hear you’re enjoying it!
I love this series!
And it loves you, of course. ๐
This sounds good thanks….also I like your weeding strategy
It’s not the most effective weeding strategy, but it’s the easiest.