Andrew Q. Gordon

Welcome Susan, it’s been a while since you last visited {Read it here} so start by telling everyone what you’ve been up to the last year.

*Sighs* I’ve been writing, doing tons of reading and just getting to grips with my publishing schedule. Unfortunately I also lost my day job in August last year so finding a new one has been a bit of a priority. The bright side of this is that I’ve had time at home to get all my WIP’s finished ahead of schedule. I’ve also been fortunate enough to get to meet some fans face to face and get involved with the Chipping Norton Literary Festival as a volunteer. Oh and possibly volunteering at the World Pole Dancing Championships, another passion of mine. Male Pole dancing that is, not watching the ladies. We have a group on Facebook with some of the hottest and most talented world champions as members.

You’ve been busy since last we chatted, before we get to Double Alchemy, talk briefly about what you published since Stripped Bare.

Since Shane and Matthew made their appearance in Stripped Bare, I’ve had three other M/M releases – Saving Alexander, Worth Keeping and Waiting for Rain. They are all quite different. Saving Alexander has some BDSM elements, and an adult abuse theme. Worth Keeping was very much focused on child prostitution and abuse and Waiting for Rain was a more lighthearted romp through the trials and tribulations of hotel management in the countryside.

Double Alchemy is your latest work. I’ll include the blurb at the end, but talk a little about it now.

I had a yen to write something a little different as a paranormal novel than vampires and werewolves. As I love magic and Wicca, it seemed the place to focus was on wizardry and witchcraft. I also live in Essex not far from where the actual Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, a central character in the book was supposedly buried, so it made sense to write about something close to home. I wanted a modern day fairy tale almost of one rather arrogant Alpha male meeting his match in an unusual way and coming to realise that there is place in his life for love and romance.

I’ve referred to Double Alchemy as an Urban Fantasy, you refer to it as MM Paranormal Romance, but whatever it’s called, Double Alchemy is set in present day England and there’s magic involved. How much fun was it to recreate our world to fit your vision?

It was a huge amount of fun to recreate magyckal elements into a modern day setting and hide it among the normality and actions of everyday life. The world in Double Alchemy is much the same one as today but with an added layer of mystique that only the Feys can see. It’s the tantalising secrecy of having basements filled with magyckal paraphernalia and protected by spells; it’s the secret beings that live in the Hampstead Heath ponds; it’s the knowledge that outside of the vanilla world we see as humans, there’s another darker, more powerful one lurking beneath.

How much research did you do to create the magic elements in the book?

As I’m already very much into magic and witchcraft being a Wiccan, it was easy enough to take certain elements from the book and translate them into fiction. The magyck of Matthew Hopkins, as I’ve said, is something very close to home and the kind ladies and gents at the Mistley Museum were very obliging in filling in any gaps. They were honoured that I was writing about a local legend, even if he was a real person. I took a trip out to Mistley, took photos of the area, had tea in a local café and thoroughly enjoyed my research trip. I also had to do a lot of research into Taliesin -who he was, the legends surrounding him etc. It was quite an adventure learning all about this incredibly diverse historical character.

Where did the inspiration for Quinn and Cade come from?

I wanted Quinn to be a blond, tough Alpha male personality and Cade to be a dark, lean bundle of energy to indicate the opposites – light and dark. Who better to inspire Quinn than the gorgeous Daniel Craig as James Bond with his ruthlessness and inner hardness. And as for Cade, I fell completely in love with Éric Bélanger, the Canadian ice hockey player, and modelled Cade on him. I recreated my fantasy of seeing these two men together in my own characters J

Hempstead Heath is a rather famous park in London. Are there legends that you tapped into for Double Alchemy.

No, not for this story. There is a local legend that apparently Queen Boudicca is buried there on ‘Boudicca’s Mound’, near the men’s bathing pond, but that’s all it is – a local unsubstantiated legend. I chose to make up my own rather secretive race of Fey living in the waters of the pond.

What was the hardest part about creating a sub-culture to modern day London?

Making it believable in today’s time and not going too overboard and crazy with the imaginary world. The one thing I wanted to convey in this story was that life can appear so normal and yet there’s this undercurrent to the initiated that bubbles away and only shows itself when it wants to. Other than this, everyday life carries on, and most people are oblivious to the secret world in which Quinn lives. I wanted the two worlds to be blurred as opposed to being too evidently different.

Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

Hmm. Okay Quinn is bisexual but he decided a long time ago that he preferred the company of men in his sex life. There is a very strong female character in his background and it is definitely NOT his mother. Valensia is a pretty tough and ruthless character, just like him. She is more prevalent in book 2. And Cade is not enamored of Mary, the witch helping Quinn with his quest in finding the Witchfinder General. You know that saying ‘There’s Something About Mary’?

What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

I actually read a beautiful story from TJ Klune called ‘Bear, Otter and the Kid’. It was such a heart- warming tale, with the three central characters so lovingly developed and their story so rich and emotional, that I think everyone should read TJ’s book.

Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

I’m writing a six book series called Men in London. It starts off with the story of Gideon Trent and Eddy Luca. Gideon is the manager of his own restaurant, Galileo’s, set in the heart of Soho in London. Gideon used to be a top chef until he was injured in a house fire and lost his sense of smell and taste. He’s a purist and now feels he can’t cook anymore the way he wants to. He brings Eddy on board and isn’t too thrilled when this younger man is able to do everything Gideon wishes he could do which is create delicious food for his customers. So there’s some tension there but hopefully it all works out for the best J Of course in the first book I’ll be introducing the next set of characters for Book 2. I haven’t decided who they are yet, I still have a lot of planning to do. I’m also working with fellow author Sue Brown on what I call a ‘factional’ book which is a fictional book based on fact. It’s the story of Joe Leistman, a man who was sexually abused as a teenager by his scoutmaster and whose story is part of the whole ‘Boy scouts Perversion Files’.

Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

Right. Well, most people won’t know I was once accosted in the street as someone thought I was a prostitute. I wasn’t, I promise. It was my first job in the city and I got ost and was walking the pavements trying to find my way back to work. I lived in a commune with gay men for a while, who treated me like a little sister but ate all my damn food, and I got pneumonia because I lived on pickles for a week and wasn’t taking care of myself. I’ve been on the radio talking about my personal fan crush Benedict Cumberbatch (no secret there) and I got compared to EL James in the local newspapers when my first book was released. I actually went to my local supermarket and found a huge billboard announcing such outside. I was mortified but thrilled.

Thanks for being my guest, now it’s time to plug your work –

Blurb:

Powerful yet tormented warlock Quinn Fairmont must initiate the silver-eyed Cade Mairston into the world of witchfinders, Withinners, and what can happen when two men fall truly, madly, deeply in love.

THE WORLD IN SHADOW

In modern London,, there lurks a warlock. Quinn Fairmont. Dangerous, powerful, tortured. Sharing his body with the soul of an ancient Welsh sorcerer, Quinn is never alone—and never wholly himself. He fights against all those who would exploit his kind. He also takes pleasure where he can find it.

In the forest of Hampstead Heath, Quinn’s hometown, Cade Mairston appears like a waking dream. Lithe, lean and silver-eyed, he evokes feelings in Quinn unlike any other: along with lust comes true affection, immediate and shocking. Cade is clearly more than he seems. And yet, though a man of the world, Cade knows nothing of warlocks, witchfinders or Withinners. He knows nothing of what he is, what he might be, what he might feel. For him, the story is just beginning, and magyck, peril and passion await.

Giveaway:

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Buy Links:

http://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/double-alchemy

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/421369

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

 

 

 

Excerpt:

It was around eight in the evening when Quinn finally got to the houseboat and saw Cade sitting outside on the deck, Marco Polo on his lap. The dim lights from the bridle path alongside the canal shone faintly. The cat lifted his head and purred as Quinn approached. He scratched its head fondly.

“Hello, Marco. Have you been keeping this man of mine company?” He leaned down and kissed Cade.

“You taste of whisky,” Cade murmured softly, winding his arms around Quinn’s neck and pulling him down for a deeper kiss.

Quinn laughed. “I had a quick drink with Mary before she left.” He sat down and pulled a chair up beside Cade. He’d not missed the sudden stiffening of Cade’s body and he sighed inwardly.

What had he done now? Would he ever understand this man?

“Where do witches go when they leave then?” Cade asked curiously as his hands stroked Quinn’s arm idly.

Quinn was bemused at the question. “I imagine her place in Chelsea, that’s where she lives. There isn’t a magyckal departure lounge, Cade. She doesn’t just go poof in a puff of smoke and disappear.” He grinned. “You’ve been watching too much TV.”

Cade stood, up, brushed the cat off his lap and stormed inside. Quinn gazed after him in exasperation, surprised at the violence of Cade’s reaction to his words.

What the hell have I said now? Jesus, it’s like being with a ticking time bomb.

He got to his feet and wandered inside, seeing Cade at the far window, gazing out into the dark water. “What the hell did I say? Why are you so bloody angry with me?”

Cade turned and Quinn saw the look on his face, a look of vulnerability he’d wasn’t used to seeing. He moved closer to his boyfriend, drawing him into his arms, feeling his resistance then his surrender as he folded into him like a softly spread bedsheet.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” Quinn said gently.

Cade’s voice was muffled when he replied. “I just feel so useless because I don’t know how it all works. I know nothing about who I am and how I got that way. I don’t know what I can do or what being a Sprite is all about. It’s very confusing and I really don’t know what to make it of it all. I don’t want to ask you all my questions yet because you have enough on your mind but I have so many.” He turned his head and gazed out over the water. “And here you are facing all these dangers and I can’t do anything to help you. And then you have perky little Mary being privy to stuff I don’t even know about. It just gets my goat, that’s all.”

Quinn smiled softly as he nuzzled Cade’s coconut-fragranced hair. “I want to keep you out of danger, not put you in it. And I know you have a lot of questions and I’ll answer what I can whenever you ask. And besides, you are helping me. You’re my reason, the one I want to be with when it all gets too much and the ghosts from the past come calling.” His face shadowed. “You don’t know what it means to me to be able to do that. You’re my soulmate, Cade.” He kissed the top of Cade’s head softly, holding him tighter.

Cade looked up at him, his eyes uncertain. “I am?”

Quinn nodded. “You are. And more. I knew it from the moment I met you in the woods.” He kissed him ardently, feeling Cade’s mouth give way beneath his, hearing his soft sigh of satisfaction as he kissed him back.

When finally he released him, Quinn murmured in Cade’s ear. “Perky little Mary? Do I sense a tinge of jealousy there?” He enjoyed a great sense of satisfaction in being able to provoke such a reaction in this man, to know that he felt this strongly about him to be this way. “I told you: I’m not interested in women anymore. Especially now I have you.”

“She’s very perky, in many ways,” was Cade’s muttered response. “And very beautiful. And a witch to boot. That’s a lot to compete with if you ever decided to bat for both teams again. And I don’t trust her. I don’t know why.”

Quinn lifted his face to his fiercely. “There is no competition; you’re the one I want. I could never feel this way about anyone else.”

Cade lifted his head and Quinn saw his eyes studying his face with an intensity that made him shiver in pleasurable anticipation.

“Then I guess you’d better prove that to me, hadn’t you?” Cade whispered as he pulled Quinn into the cabin. “And I can be a very hard person to convince, so you’ll have your work cut out for you.”

Quinn chuckled as Cade pulled his tee shirt over his head and began to unzip his trousers. “I’m sure I can manage that.” He slid his hands inside Cade’s shirt, touching warm skin and hearing him gasp. “And Mary’s not the only thing that’s perky tonight, I can promise you.”

Bio:

Sue Mac Nicol was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. At the age of eight, her family moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she stayed for nearly thirty years before arriving back in the UK in December 2000. The first year Sue was back in the UK, it snowed on her birthday, as it did the day she was born in 19*coughs* and she swears this was England welcoming her back.

Sue’s career has mostly been in the financial services area and she specialises in what she calls ‘boring’ compliance and regulatory work. That’s why she escapes into the world of writing and fantasy where she chats to her characters ad nauseum and is overjoyed when they reply. It beats the monotony of legalese, contracts and legislation and let’s face it, writing hot scenes between men can only be rewarding.

Sue is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK. She is also a member of a rather unique writing group called the Talliston Writers Circle, whose ‘creator’ is a man who is both a Bard and a Shaman. It makes for a really interesting evening and dinner conversation. She lives in the quaint village of Bocking in Essex, set in the countryside and not far from the sea should she get the yen to eat oysters.

Social Media Links

Susan Mac Nicol

www.susanmacnicol.com

Twitter – @SusanMacnicol7

Facebook

My Blog

Goodreads

Blog Tour Info:

Praise for Double Alchemy

“I love Paranormal stories & I’m a huge fan of Susan Mac Nicol’s M/M books. In this book, she brings both genres together & gives us this amazing story. With her master storytelling, she takes us into the mystical & magical world of Witches, Warlocks, Withinners & Feys. A world where danger lurks in the shadows.” – Maria Recchia

“I stayed up all night reading this story. Susan has a way of writing that is different than anyone else. She’s uniquely brilliant at weaving a tale that brings out my emotions. I have laughed in every one of her stories. That’s incredible for me. Not just a smile, but a laugh. I love that. This book needs to be read. You won’t be disappointed.” – Author Kindle Alexander

Praise for Susan Mac Nicol

“We have to re-iterate that this Author will always be an automatic one-click for us. Her writing is flawless and her flawed characters are completely lovable. There’s always something quirky and fun in her stories as well as drama, angst and heaps of passion! We can highly recommend!!” – Gitte & Jenny – Totally Booked Blog

“Susan has been hailed as a genius writer of male/male literature. Her Saving Alexander has been nominated for several awards and has been reviewed widely. Congrats on all your success, Susan. You have earned it.” – Gay Lit Authors

 Tour Stops:

Monday 21^st April, 2014– Virtual Writers (interview) & Serendipity Reviews (review and character interview)

Tuesday 22^nd April, 2014– Charlie Cochet (interview) & Robin Kalinich (guest post)

Wednesday 23^rd April, 2014– MM Good Book Reviews (review and guest post) & Kirsty Vizard (interview) & The Blogger Girls (interview)

Thursday 24^th April, 2014– Gay List Book Reviews (review and guest post) & Mandie Foxylutely (guest post and review) & Sarah Madison (interview)

Friday 25^th April, 2014– Mrs Condit & Friends (review and guest post) & Janet Wrenn (guest post)

Saturday 26^th April, 2014– Zipper Rippers (guest post) Kathryn Lively All Romance Café (guest post)

Sunday 27^th April, 2014– In the Pages of a Good Book (promo post) & Twitter Interview at 6pm UK time

Monday 28^th April, 2014 – Scott from Gay Guy Reading (guest post and review) & Joyfully Jay (original excerpt)

Tuesday 29^th April, 2014 – Cup o Porn (guest post) & Scuttlebutt Reviews (guest post & review)

Wednesday 30^th April, 2014 – Melanie from Fangfreakintastic (guest post) & A Reader Review (guest post and review)

Thursday 1^st May, 2014 – Tracey’s Vampy and Racey Book Blog (review and guest post) & A Novel Approach (guest post) & Smile Somebody Loves You (promo post)

Friday 2^nd May, 2014 – Susan’s Site & Lynda K Scott (guest post)

Saturday 3^rd May, 2014  – Sophie Sansregret (review and guest post) & Andrew Q Gordon (interview)

Sunday 4^th May, 2014 – Tammy Middleton (review and guest post) & I Smell Sheep (guest post and review)