AUTHOR INTERVIEW—M.L. (MATTHEW) BUCHMAN

I had a chance to chat a bit with my guest, romance author, M.L. Buchman. While he's not an anomaly, Matt is one of the few male authors writing romance and does very it well. He writes in several genres but I've only read his Night Stalker series (something I intend to rectify) and he tells a compelling story. You get the flavor of military combat life and some seriously hot romance. What I like about his writing is it can be read and enjoyed by both men and women—not girly hearts and mush. Matt's stories have lots of action and his characters have flaws, emotional scars, and a strong sense of honor. 

I'll tell you something, when I'm in the mood for a good kick ass military based story I reach for Christine Feehan's Ghost Walkers or M.L. Buchman's Night Stalkers and while Matt's stories aren't paranormal they are equally addictive. J 

• How did you start writing?

Twenty years ago, I’d lost everything: my job, my business/career, my house that I’d spent 7 years remodeling for the family I never had time to find. So, for lack of a better idea, I set off on a solo bicycle journey around the world. Somewhere in the air from Korea on my way to ride across the Australian Outback, I started writing a little vignette. It turned into my first novel that sold to a tiny regional press after I returned. That was it, the storytelling bug had bitten me.

• And I understand you recently became a full-time writer?

January of 2013. Once again, the lack of corporate commitment to their employees sliced the ground out from beneath my feet. My wife and I talked about this dream I’d been pursuing for twenty years in stolen moments. But now, with my step-kid was almost through college, we decided to go for it. We dumped everything and moved to a small house on the Oregon Coast. I began writing like a madman. The fans have been hugely receptive and it’s really taking off. I have twenty books out now, and more coming next year.

• Twenty?

Yep. Take Over at Midnight  is my twentieth as well as being the fourth in my Night Stalkers series. I also write contemporary romance, fantasy, and I have a foodie thriller.

• What about your life do you bring to your writing?

Just about everything. The characters take a vacation on a sailboat—I rebuilt a sad old fifty-foot ketch back in my twenties and learned how to sail it by myself. They go flying—I used to have my private pilot’s license. They travel to some exotic locale—if I haven’t been there, I’ve ridden my bicycle to somewhere similar enough to fake it. I have an eclectic resume, I’m being kind there. But as a long-term computer nerd and project manager, I’ve worked in industries such as law, construction, opera, and map design. It all makes great fodder for story. Did I mention that I’m addicted to Project Runway and Top Chef? I’m a lousy seamstress, but I’m a better than average cook, that’s why I wrote my Angelo’s Hearth foodie contemporary romance series, and why I’ll be starting another soon now that Angelo’s is nearly over.

• How would we pick you out of the crowd?

You probably wouldn't. I tend to be quiet, even in a circle of friends. My favorite time of day is when my wife and I cook together or curl up on the couch with books or a movie. Well, there is one thing that stands out. Even mention kids and I’ll start bragging on my step-daughter. I’m one of “those” parents, so don’t get me started. It’s the one topic I never know when to shut up on.

• What does your day look like compared to when you were in corporate?

I used to work hard, often long hours. I’d crawl home, spend a couple of hours with the family, and when they’d gone to bed, I’d gear up to write for another hour or two. Now, I write almost as many hours as I used to work, but the crawling is gone. I've never had so much fun as this last year. It’s still stressful, starting a new career in a new town, but I just love, as my mentor says, “sitting in a corner and making shit up for a living.”

• If writing is no longer your hobby, what has taken its place?

I’m not sure yet. I spend more time walking the beach, reading, watching movies. In the past, I’ve designed and built a couple houses, I might have one more of those in me. We’re talking about taking up Italian in the next month or so which could be a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind doing some traveling again, though probably not on a fully loading touring bicycle; that’s hard work.

• Since you have done so many things, what’s the one you've liked the most?

Oh, the present one, writing. If you look at job satisfaction surveys, which I've done a number of times over the years, almost any form of art takes the top five or so spots. I love what I’m doing, it both energizes me and let’s me share that energy and excitement with others through my art. That it also pays enough to support my family, well, that’s a surprise I’m not yet used to.
    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

BUY: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters/Indigo, IndieBound, 

TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT  

Name: Lola LaRue
Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 3
Mission: Copilot deadly choppers on the world's most dangerous missions

Name: Tim Maloney
Rank: Sergeant
Mission: Man the guns and charm the ladies

The Past Doesn't Matter, When Their Future is Doomed... 

Nothing sticks to "Crazy" Tim Maloney, until he falls hard for a tall Creole beauty with a haunted past and a penchant for reckless flying. Lola LaRue never thought she'd be susceptible to a man's desire, but even with Tim igniting her deepest passions, it may be too late now...With the nation under an imminent threat of biological warfare, Tim and Lola are the only ones who can stop the madness--and to do that, they're going to have to trust each other way beyond their limits...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, law, opera, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It’s amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. His Night Stalker Series have garnered starred reviews, top picks and have even been named an NPR Best Romance of 2012 (I Own the Dawn). He lives in Lincoln City, OR, with a loving lady and the coolest kid on the planet. For more information, please visit http://www.mlbuchman.com/.

Beyond Gender—Writing Romance

I enjoying reading romantic suspense and always have. However, I haven’t read many male authors who write it. Attending the Romance Times Convention this past week introduced me to several suspense and thriller (with elements of romance) authors who were men.

Today, my guest is, Keith Thomas Walker, who isn’t at all shy about admitting he writes romantic suspense (Fixin’ Tyrone) and suspense with strong romantic elements (How To Kill Your Husband). He shares with us how he came to be writing romance and how rejections effected him.

According to my website I’m the Master of Romantic Suspense and Urban Fiction. I know that’s a mouthful. It’s also a lot to live up to considering I’ve only been a published author since November of last year. But if I don’t believe in myself, I certainly can’t ask anyone else to.

I’ve always loved to write, and I sometimes long for the good old days; back when I was in the fifth grade and it was all about the craft. That was before the deadlines and the revisions – before I had to perform well for thousands of people rather than my one English teacher who loved anything I put on paper.

I still remember when I turned in a poem one day called “Man of the House.” It was about a boy who had to attend his father’s funeral. When he got home, he discovered that he finally caught a mouse in one of the traps he set that morning. Looking back on it now, it sounds kind of cheesy, but that experience, plus the funeral, helped the boy accept his new role of man of the house.

Mrs. Hymel (my grade school teacher back then) held me after class one day to console me for what had to be a very hard chapter of my life. She was surprised when I told her I hadn’t been to any funerals, caught any mice or lost my father for that matter, and she was the first professional to seriously encourage my writing. It’s been more than two decades since “Man of the House,” and I’m still writing avidly. I still like to hear from people like Mrs. Hymel who are surprised by my insight and eager for me to produce more fiction they can get lost in for a little while.

I suppose I always knew I would publish books one day, but as any writer can tell you rejection makes you doubt your craft, your abilities and maybe even your self worth if it lingers long enough. It’s hard to sit behind a keyboard everyday when every publisher in your genre has either rejected your manuscript or they won’t consider it because you don’t have an agent.

I had to learn to think outside of the box and reevaluate what my true purpose was. Growing up, I was constantly exposed to poverty and depression. A lot of people in my circle got into gangs or drugs (both using and selling), and a lot more of them decided it was a good idea to murder one another. I wanted to use my talent to speak against these evils. I wanted to educate and promote education, but it’s hard to do that if your book never makes it past your hard drive.

To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of writing romance – initially. I saw the books in the stores with bare-chested men posing in front of mountainous backdrops and decided I would never go that route. How could I talk about how drugs have ravished my community in a book like that? How could I talk about the high percentage of incarcerated black men? But then I wrote my first romance novel titled Fixin’ Tyrone, and I realized I could get my message across regardless of the genre.

Fixin’ Tyrone is about a single mother named Mia who made a good life for herself despite the two children she had in college. Mia vowed to never again date the thuggish men she was once attracted to, but when one of her children’s father gets out of prison, Mia has to make tough decisions about love, family and the possible rehabilitation of a former drug dealer named Tyrone. Fixin’ Tyrone received excellent reviews, and I’m hoping for similar success with my second novel, How to Kill Your Husband.

The average day for me includes working a full time job and trying to find a good balance in my “free time.” It’s important that I spend time with my family, so I have to put my writing on the back burner sometimes. And then there are days when I simply must finish a book or send in revisions for a different manuscript, and I have to sacrifice an afternoon my children would like for me to take them to the park. If you want to be a successful writer, you have to make tough decisions all the time. But if you don’t take time to smell the roses, none of your success will matter in the long run.

I encourage anyone reading this to visit my website (keithwalkerboks.com) and read excerpts from my novels as well as reviews I’ve collected from various sources. I don’t have all of the answers, but I will share what I know with anyone who would like advice on the trials and tribulations of getting published. Send an email to kwalkerbooks@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your time. Much love and God bless.

Blurb for How to Kill Your Husband:

Claire is a happily married mother of three. Her life seems picture perfect until she suspects her husband of sixteen years is having an affair. With the help of her quirky friends Becky and Melanie, Claire gets to the bottom of it, but they uncover much more than she bargained for. When she believes she has sufficient proof, Claire decides on the most obvious course of action: She must kill her husband.

excerpt

####

Keith Thomas Walker is a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English. He enjoys writing and reading, poetry, and music of all genres. Keith currently works in administration at one of the city’s largest hospitals. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and two children.

You can find Keith: Website

Facebook

TO PURCHASE FIXIN' TYRONE FROM BARNES & NOBLE, CLICK HERE.

TO PURCHASE FIXIN' TYRONE FROM AMAZON.COM, CLICK HERE.