Full Moon Dreaming: Virtual Book Tour: Dissonance

Friday, August 22, 2014

Virtual Book Tour: Dissonance

Please welcome fellow Dreamspinner author Shira Anthony, who is here to discuss her new release, Dissonance.

INTERVIEW

*Question 1*	*Which authors do you consider to be your biggest literary influences?* I grew up on a steady diet of sci fi and fantasy stories, so I guess it’s no surprise that my biggest influences were writers in those genres. More than any other writer, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s stories (especially her Darkover Series, which featured the first gay relationship I’d ever read) have stayed with me. They’re rich in descriptions, usually include some sort of romantic plot line, but are also great adventure stories. Those books are the inspiration for my Mermen of Ea Series, as well as the soon to be published Blood Series.
*Question 2*	*Who do you consider to be the greatest literary characters of all time, and why?* The “why” is easier than the “who” for me. I could probably rattle off some names few people would know, but the names wouldn’t really matter. What does matter is the reasons I think they’re great characters: they’re complex and imperfect. Those are the characters I love to write myself. I love reading characters who grow and change. In romance, I love to read stories of growth because of love or, in some cases, in spite of it.
*Question 3*	*Where do you think the line between erotic and erotica lies, and when does erotica cross over into porn?* Labels are always problematic, because half the time people can’t agree on what a particular label means. I write what I consider to be “erotic” romance. To me, that means romance with explicit sex scenes. Erotica, to me at least, is sex with plot, but not a full-blown romance with fully-drawn characters. Porn is sex without much story. All of these labels, all of these genres, have their place. In my opinion, all of them are valid expressions of our very human need for physical intimacy.
*Question 4*	*How do you feel about fanfiction based on your books? Do you know of any?* No, I’m not aware of any fanfiction based on my work, although I’d be flattered if someone wanted to write any. I did, however, get to “meet” two of my characters from the Mermen of Ea Series on Facebook! It seems that two European fans of the series decided to do a little roleplaying and created Facebook profiles with those characters (Ian Dunaidh and Taren Laxley). I thought it was pretty damn cool!
*Question 5*	*Do you feel the world of publishing has changed since you first began writing – for better or for worse, and why do you think so?* I think it has changed, although I’m not sure if I can say it’s better or worse. There are certainly are a lot more people writing in the MM/gay romance genre, which makes it more challenging to find new readers, but at the same time, the MM genre is now breaking through some of the old “traditional romance” barriers, and people who hadn’t heard of MM before are now reading it. E-readers are now here to stay, which is great for authors, since we can now reach people we weren’t able to reach before. Change is a given and it’s a constant. I guess that’s part of change. It’s inevitable, and it usually brings both challenges and benefits.

Book Name: Dissonance

Author Name: Shira Anthony

Author Bio: In her last incarnation, Shira was a professional opera singer, performing roles in such operas as “Tosca,” “i Pagliacci,” and “La Traviata,” among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.
Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 36’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.

Author Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony

Twitter: @WriterShira

Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com

E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

Cover Artist: Catt Ford

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb(s):

British lord Cameron Sherrington has hit rock bottom. The love of his life, opera sensation Aiden Lind, is marrying another man, and Cam knows it’s his own fault for pushing Aiden away. Then someone tries to set him up and take away his family business. Facing arrest by US authorities on charges of money laundering and with no money to return to London, Cam decides to run. But with no money and no place to stay, it’s not exactly the Hollywood thriller he’d imagined.
When Cam hears Galen Rusk play in a lonely subway station, he’s intrigued. But his assumptions about Galen are all wrong, and their unusual relationship isn’t exactly what Cam bargained for. Add to that the nightmares that dog him nightly, and Cam’s world is shaken to its core. Cam figures he had it coming to him, that it’s all penance due on a life lived without honesty. He just never figured he might not be able to survive it.
Note: Blue Notes Series novels are standalone stories, and can be read in any order.

Excerpt:

Cam climbed the stairs of the Spring Street station. The wind had picked up, causing one of his curls to tumble onto his forehead. He sighed as he pushed the hair from his eyes and cursed his mother for her genes. They were too much alike, and not just in appearance. They were both wanderers. Always seeking excitement. Prone to infidelity. But whereas she seemed to revel in her freedom, he’d always sought partners. Not that he’d had any success in keeping them.

He thought of the trumpet player in the subway station. For a moment he’d felt something. He played well. Surprisingly well, really. Had it been more than that? Something beyond the music?

Of course it was more than that. He was attractive. Cam laughed and shook his head to himself. What did it matter? There were plenty of men in New York, and the last thing he needed was a downtrodden fuck.