Five Minutes with LM Brown

I’d like to welcome LM Brown to my blog today!   

 

When did you start writing?

I started writing back when I was in school, but stopped for a long time when I started work and did evening classes. My free time was non-existent for a number of years. Then I started writing again when I found myself in the realms of the Harry Potter fandom.  After that it was just a small step to find myself going back to my original fiction stories.

 

What do you love about writing?

I like telling my characters’ stories and getting the crazy voices in my head down on paper. I would go crackers if I didn’t write. Typing “The End” on a story, especially a long one, is the best feeling ever.

 

Biggest pet peeve about writing?

My memory is probably my worst pet peeve, if you could call it that. I have a dreadful memory and the constantly having to go back and check something earlier on in a story is a total pain the neck.

 

Most hated word in the English language?

Anything I can’t spell without looking up.  There are certain words that no matter how often I have to type them I just cannot spell them right the first time. Manoeuvre is definitely one of those and the one that is most likely to be used in a story. So it is really high on my list of hated words.

 

Three most played song on your iPod?

Well, I had to go and check that and was actually quite surprised by the results which are:-

Katy Perry – The One that Got Away

Christina Perry – A Thousand Years

Elton John and Leanne Rimes – Written in the Stars

Since I generally have it on shuffle, the latter two could change by the time I’m actually on the blog. Most of the tracks on it are pretty evenly matched as to number of plays, with the exception of the Katy Perry one which I had on repeat for ages while I was working on a story with that theme.

 

Last movie you watched?

Bride Wars.  Oddly I was reading at the same time and the story I was reading ended with a wedding at The Plaza, which was featured in the movie.  Kind of nice since I had a visual on the TV in front of me at the perfect moment.

 

You’re hosting a dinner party. Name the five people, alive or dead, you’d love to have at your table.

Firstly, since my cooking is diabolical at best, let’s hope those five people each have a strong stomach.

I think I would go with some people who are no longer with us this time…

Aphra Behn – A seventeenth century novelist and allegedly the first woman to make her living by writing and who led a fascinating life herself too.

Alexander the Great – hopefully language isn’t a barrier at this party.

Prince Rupert of the Rhine – another seventeenth century character, this one who had an aversion to writing, but was still an intriguing person.  Since he also spoke a dozen or more languages, he could hopefully translate too.  😉

Douglas Adams – that unfinished book needs finishing so badly.

And to make the numbers even for male and female, the final female would be Jane Austen.  One of my favourite authors from that period and I am sure it would be interesting to see how three different women from different centuries, all of whom write for publication, get along.

 

 

Best advice you’ve ever been told?

Don’t give up and don’t compare yourself to others when it comes to writing.  Now if only I could take that advice. 

 

Biggest regret?

Stopping writing for so many years. With about ten years of writing time lost to other stuff I can only imagine how many stories I might have written in that time, and how much I might have improved my story telling.

 

Craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Sending my first story into a publisher without anything resembling thought is probably one of my craziest things. It was really spur of the moment and although I can’t regret it, it probably ranks quite high on my crazy scale.  Or maybe I am just that boring. 😉

 

Place you’d love to visit?

Egypt, though I am not entirely sure I could handle the heat.  Would love to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx though.

 

Most famous person you’ve ever met?

Tony Hadley, at which point younger readers go ‘who?’  He was in Spandau Ballet a big group back in the 80s, though it was much later when I met him at a 80s Christmas Party concert where he was kind enough to sign autographs for those members of the audience who spotted him in the wings and were close enough to approach him.

 

Three random facts about you that your readers don’t know?

I am terrified of spiders and all types of insects.

I am addicted to virtual pet sites.

I love visiting historic buildings.

 

Where do you write?

I generally write on the sofa while on the laptop. Though I get lots of ‘help’ from my cats so should probably find somewhere else to write. 😉

 

From what/where do you find inspiration?

My inspiration comes from all over.  Some of my earlier stories were sparked by open calls from publishers.  Either the call speaks to me or it doesn’t.  If it does, I write the story, if it doesn’t I work on something else.

 

Other times stories simply take on a life of their own.  Between Heaven & Hell started off as a short story about a demon and an angel fighting over the same mortal man.  It was sparked by a Halloween open call.  Unfortunately it got way too long and turned into a ménage somewhere along the way.

 

More recently the characters just pop into my head without my even realising they are there, until they are demanding their story be told.

 

Favourite book of all time?

Banishment by Dinah Lampitt.  I absolutely adore this book. It got me interested in so many different subjects and is probably the most re-read book on my shelf ever.

 

What’s next for you?  Any current WIP’s we should know about?

Well, the last Heavenly Sins book is the one I am actively writing at the moment. I am hoping to finish Tristan, Mac and Alastor’s story before the end of the year. I am probably being optimistic about that timescale, but I have a break over the holidays this year so it might be doable.

 

I also have my NaNoWriMo story to polish up which is a mermen ménage story and the first in a series of stories set around the sunken city of Atlantis.  The series will have mermen, magic, ancient gods, shape-shifting dragons and a whole host of other things. Some of the stories will be m/m and others, like the first one, Forbidden Waters, will be m/m/m.  I have the pre-sub polishing to do on that one so again hope to get that sorted out pretty soon. 

 

If Between Life & Death and Forbidden Waters are submitted to the publishers by Easter then I’ll be happy.

 

Tell us about your new release?

 

My new release is available from Totally Bound on the 27^th December 2013 and is my second sci-fi novel with them.  Unlike my first which was set in the distant future, this one is set in present day and the sci-fi element comes from aliens who live amongst us.

 

My Boyfriend’s an Alien by L.M. Brown

Blurb

Can an alien with no knowledge of humans or concept of sex find lasting love with a human man?

Zak, an alien from the planet Trimmeron, is a member of a race of beings who transform into other species during their years of puberty. It’s customary for the youngsters to be fostered to the worlds native to their new forms, to study and learn about the races who will play an important part in their lives.

When Zak turns into a human, it comes as a surprise to everyone, for only one other before him has ever done so. Nevertheless he is sent to Earth, a world he views as primitive and barbaric. He arrives with a chip on his shoulder and attitude to spare. He does not believe that anyone on Earth could have anything to teach him.

When Zak meets college student Sam he soon discovers he has a lot to learn, not only about humans, but also about himself.

Trapped on an unfamiliar world and in a strange body that seems to have a mind of its own, Zak has no idea what is happening to him—only that Sam seems to be the key to the strange afflictions he is suffering from. 

But can an alien find love with a human being?
Excerpt

“I can’t believe you took one of the natives as your partner!”

“She’s what humans call my soulmate.” Darren said the words as though they explained everything. “We joined our life forces on Trimmeron. We’re also what humans call married, which makes her my wife and me her husband. You won’t know the terms, but they mean virtually the same thing as partner on our planet, just without the ritual of life sharing.”

“You share your life with one of the natives?” Zak couldn’t keep the shock from his voice. Everything from the knowledge implant indicated that humans were one of the most primitive races in the universe. How could Darren even consider spending his life with one of them?

“That’s right.”

“But why?”

“Because I didn’t want to lose her. Human lives are far shorter than our own. Humans are lucky to live one hundred of their years.”

“How long is a human year?”

“Three hundred and sixty-five revolutions of the Earth on its axis. Each revolution is called a day and takes twenty four hours to complete. Earth’s days are shorter than ours by a few hours.”

Zak nodded. “Three hundred and sixty-five days, got it.”

“Well, except every four years when there’s an extra day because it’s a leap year,” Darren amended.

“Huh?”

“Don’t ask. I never really understood the calendar myself.”

Zak sat quietly and did the calculations in his head. “Are you saying you joined with a native, knowing it would take thousands of years off of your own life?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

Darren smiled as he faced the road ahead. “Simple really. I’d rather live five thousand years with my Eleanor than ten thousand years alone.”

Zak shook his head. He’d never heard of anything so foolish.

 

Buy Link:

https://www.totallybound.com/my-boyfriends-an-alien

 

Author Bio

L.M. Brown lives in England, in a quaint little village that time doesn’t seem to have touched. No, wait a minute- that’s the retirement biography. Right now she is in England in a medium sized town that no one has ever heard of, so shewon’t bore you with the details. Keeping her company are numerous sexy men. She just wishes that they weren’t all inside her head.

L.M. Brown loves hearing from readers so don’t be shy.

 

Where to find L.M. Brown

 

Website – http://lmbrownauthor.wordpress.com/

Blog – http://lmbrownauthor.blogspot.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/L.M.Brown.author

Twitter – @LMBrownAuthor