I would like to give a warm welcome to a.c. Mason for stopping by A Whole Latte Romance today. I look forward to getting to know you!
Without further ado...
I want to
thank A Whole Latte Romance Reviews for having me on as a guest.
You're very welcome :-) Can you tell us a little bit about
yourself?
I was born
and chaos ensued.
This is
official info on me.
Born from the union of her
Scottish and Belgian mother and an African American and Cherokee father, a.c.
Mason’s youth was filled with dichotomies and moving from place to place. She
developed a curiosity to explore through writing the seedy side of our nature
and desires. Given her own diverse background, she writes stories that
represent the world she grew up in. She is fluent in French and English. For
the past eight years of her life, she has worked with one foot in the past
spanning such times as the 18th century, the Bering Strait theory to modern
day, and now late Victorian. Her stories are the place where darkness meets
human desire and fairytales endings are not promised but earned. In 2011 her
work was nominated for six 2012 Bookie Awards.
If you’d like to learn more about a.c. Mason, go to www.acmason.com.
What do you do when you are not
writing?
Do you also mean when I'm not doing
writing related things too? I'm working on that. I'll let you know when I come
up with something.
When did you first start writing and
when did you finish your first book?
I started
writing when I was thirteen. Then I began a gazillion stories and finished my
first when I was twenty-one which was only three years after my original goal
of eighteen.
Why eighteen?
Because Mary Shelley finished Frankenstein at
that age.
How did you choose the genre you
write in?
I write the
stories that speak to me. The genre is defined by the characters and their
journey. I'm kind of organic about the process and so books in a series don't
always end up in the same genre which I'm sure throws some people. I hope my
readers trust me to bring them the story as it's meant to be told.
Can you tell us about your challenges
in getting your first book published?
I was one of the lucky ones. My road
to publication wasn't as it is for most authors. I'm goal oriented so I decided
I wanted to be an author in 2006. I set out to join a critique group. I joined
three or four. Met a crew I really liked. I learned a lot. Spent eighteen
months in the learning phase before I sent out Aequitas I Betrayal to
publishers. I got an offer before I ever saw a rejection letter. All this told
me was that I was on the right track. In the time since I've collected a stack
of rejections like most authors. I've continued to surround myself with people
I can learn from and offer the same in return.
If you had to go back and do it all
over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would
change?
Lol. I want
to go back and change things about the most recent book I published. Rather than
focusing my energy on regret I put it into how I’m going to improve for the
next book.
Is anything in your book based on
real life experiences or purely all imagination?
A mix of both. I'm not explaining. :
D.
How do you come up with your titles?
Titles are
very important to me. If we look at my list of titled we can get a sense of
what the book is about and sometimes it's isn't always literal.
Aequitas is the Latin word for justice. The
creatures known as Aequitas, are responsible for the balance between good and
evil.
Aequitas
I Betrayal,
Aequitas II Punishment,
Given the time period of the Wolf-Spirit the
1940s I had to use language of the day. Since VanWolf comes upon her, Alexia at
a moment of her distress he notices two things about her. Her beautiful color
and sense of nobility. The first book was titled Chocolate Damsel. This also relates to a reference from a French
film "Ernest le rebelle"'s song from late 1938 called Ma créole by Fernandel
The line:
Sa belle couleur chocolat. Her beautiful chocolate color.
Chocolate Damsel, Wolf-Spirit Series Book 1,
Chocolate Temptation, Wolf-Spirit Series Book
2,
Titles
are important to me and I put a lot of thought into them. I hope that gives you
an idea of how I work on titles.
Are there certain characters you
would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I think because of the way I
structure my stories I often get to spend more time with the characters I
create in subsequent books. I get a chance to go back to them but not in their
point of view. As for theme, I always write about the themes and ideas that
fascinate me and hope that comes across to my readers.
What has been the toughest criticism
given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I see criticism as an opportunity to
learn about myself and others so I don't find it difficult. I'm happy to be
able to insight emotional responses from readers. I'm happy that readers
connect with my work.
Which character are you most like and how?
I think
many of my readers would be surprised to find out that I'm a female version of
Lordel from Night Reins. For those of you that haven't read the book I'm not
going to spoil the experience by giving you the how.
What project are you working on now?
At any
given time my taskbar has no less than three manuscripts open. I like to push
myself out of my comfort zones. I've recently been working on contemporary
stories. I hope to have exciting news for my readers soon. I'm writing the last
of a trilogy and two sequels.
Will you have a new book coming out
soon?
The next
book I have coming out is in my Undead Patriot Series titled Sins of the Undead
Patriot.
Can you tell us about your upcoming
book?
As always with me
expect something very different that will push your buttons.
October 8, 2012, SINS of THE UNDEAD
PATRIOT is an Erotic Urban Fantasy Dystopian. The protagonist is a male and
undead. Vaihan’s the Special Advisor to the President in undead relations.
The sexiest undead civil servant
you’ll ever meet.
Kayla it's been a blast!
I'm glad you've enjoyed being here :-)
Tell us about your latest book(s).
From
Lyrical Press (March 5, 2012) 17k
Can
she save his immortal soul… and help him find heaven on earth?
Touching
Sephora may cost Kieran his mortal soul…
Kieran
has always been a good Catholic, even studying for the priesthood. But there
are complications. A few weeks before his ordination into the priesthood, he
was made a vampire.
And
then there’s Sephora, the beautiful, independent American student who draws him
to her. His “blackbird”, she seems to hold all the secrets to life and
happiness, like the mythological creature of the ancient Celts. Despite his
best intentions and though he knows he can only hurt her, her hold on him
increases by the minute.
Although
Ireland promised Sephora an escape from the horrors of a brutal attack she
suffered two years ago, she has discovered that the true scars lie within. But
being with Kieran melts away the pain and his touch provides her the refuge to
reclaim her body.
WARNING:
A gorgeous Irish hero and gutsy heroine. Biblical and religious themes that
might offend. Graphic sex. The theme of survival and healing after sexual
assault.
Teaser:
This
curse of being bitten and becoming a vampire was a test of his faith. And so
was she. Kieran couldn’t let her lure him from saving his soul–from
lifting the hex. Admittedly, stalking her wasn’t helping him achieve that. Nor
did he have any intention of stopping. Father O’Brian would be disappointed,
but tonight was Kieran’s last on earth. Better he spend his time where he
wanted to be–with her.
A
well-dressed male student wrapped an arm around her and guided her away from
the hall through the exit. Inside, students wasted money and brain cells in the
name of a good time.
The
door shut behind the clift–fool–and her, muting the blaring music. The
asphalt pathway where they walked was deserted. The freckle-faced man laughed
as he stumbled. The scent of his illicit intent reached Kieran. He hadn’t
thought she was that type of woman, but lately he’d learned he was wrong about
a great many things.
The
devil and demons weren’t just the stuff of myth and legends. Evil dwelled
within the heart of every human. All that was needed was something to unlock
it.
From
Decadent Publishing (Feb 24 2012) 17k
In 1890s London, young Simone Baden is left with
responsibility of her two brothers. Being a woman of color with very little experience,
she cannot provide for them through honest means and is soon desperate. From
the women at the boarding house, she hears of a brothel that caters to the
unusual—supernaturals. With the ache of hunger growing in her brothers’ bellies
and the threat of eviction looming, she has no choice but to barter her body
and freedom.
Eravas Lilu is an ancient spirit of desire who excels at what he does—teaching
the arts of pleasure to women—but Simone is different. With a male and female
helper, decadent instruction follows to mold his charge into Magdalene.
Enthralled by her inner beauty, he finds himself at a crossroads.
Shall he let her new profession take her soul, or give up his own in exchange
for hers…?
Content: Graphic sex including m/m/f, f/f/m, and m/f.
Discipline.
Teaser:
Magdalene didn’t know
what he was thinking. His expression remained hard. Since Eravas had shown her
pleasure, her body craved for more, and more.
“I cannot allow you to
disobey my instructions without consequences.” As he lifted his gaze to hers,
he loosened his cravat and collar. He slipped off his jacket and removed a
razor strop from his pocket. The leather strip gleamed in the light of the
fire.
Pain seemed an
unavoidable part of her life. She wouldn’t cry. No matter the sting of his
punishment. She’d earned the consequence she now faced.
He unbuttoned his
shirt and pushed aside his braces. A light dusting of dark hair lined the lean
ridge of his abdomen. A man’s body had never held as much marvel as his.
“Given my failure as
your instructor to garner your obedience and respect, there must be a penalty.”
He removed the fabric, revealing defined muscular arms and flawless skin. He
walked past her, tossed the razor strop to her lap, and stopped at the post of
her bed. Between his shoulder blades were two deep craters of scarred flesh.
“Five lashings at your
hand, Magdalene.”
“No, I cannot.” There
was no way he could expect this of her. She wasn’t capable of such an act. As
her father’s wife had whipped her, she promised never to inflict the same on
another.
“And that is why you
must,” he shouted. “By doing so you’ll never dare disobey me after this.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears
formed in her eyes. “I won’t do it again.” He couldn’t ask this of her. “I’ll
take a hundred to spare you one,” she said. “Please, I beg your mercy.”
“I cannot give you
what even God failed to give me.” He lifted her from the bed and placed the
metal end of the strop in her hand. “Five, and each must count, or you will
start again. The pain you shall feel whipping me is what I suffer for you
breaching my request.”
The leather felt warm
against her fingers. Her hands trembled.
“If you do not do as I
have asked, you shall force a far greater pain on me.” He leaned his head to
the post.
Be sure to stay tuned this month as A Whole Latte Romance will be posting a review of House of Saints!
Thanks again Mason for joining me today. It has been a pleasure and I wish you the best in your future.
All My Best,
Kayla
