The Questions
1) You’re
marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is
that person and what item do you have?
WWE Wrestler John Cena and a bottle of whiskey.
The big son of a bitch will give in eventually. A lack of options will
eventually wear him down and the liquor can’t hurt to reduce my timeline.
(Don’t tell my hubby…)
2) Which
musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that
musical are you?
I grew up with the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Given the chance, I’d be Frank N. Furter. Sometimes you just have to let it
out: sing, seduce your guests, and be larger than life… and be more than a
little bit wrong while you’re at it.
3) Take
these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic lights
With all the slurs the Baptist pastor hurled in
my face, you’d think he believed his faith granted him some kind of perfect
armor. It failed to protect his teacup and saucer as I wielded my own righteous
hammer and dragged him into a busy intersection while I marveled at the pretty
traffic lights.
How’s that?
4) You’ve
just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you
want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Considering the main cast of my book The
Luxorian Fugitive covers a large portion of my preferences in men, I’d probably
run rampant through the crew. Some of them one at a time, some all at once… I’d
run through every inappropriate fantasy in my head and never have to worry
about being rejected, because they’d share them all.
5) What
is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
We’re very boring together actually! My
favorite nights all surround the fireplace ambience with a drink in hand,
snuggled up watching whatever program has struck our fancy this month on
Netflix. Outside of that, a nice shower together can lead to great fun!
6) When
you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
Plot almost always comes first for me. From
there, I build the cast based off of what I need, throwing in an unusual
characteristic or type to complicate the plot. I prefer my characters to be
real and flawed. How else can they be dynamic?
7) If
they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
I think it’s more of would rather than should.
I’d like to believe Vin Diesel would play a hyper-cool machismo driven
rendition of my life, but in reality it would be more of Michael Cena. And not
the coked-up, sex freak version from the movie, The End. No, it would be the
neurotic, annoying type no matter how much I try to reinvent myself. LOL
8) Who’s
your favorite horror villain and why?
Dracula. And I mean the real bloody, predatory,
sadomasochistic character,
not the misunderstood Interview With A Vampire rendition we’ve been fed under
the current genre. (I actually happen to love Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles,
by the way, but Drac doesn’t fall into that category.) As a villain he’s been
muddied down into something very different from the type I grew up with, which
saddens me a bit.
9) Do
you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Historical crush? You’re assuming I stayed
awake through those classes. All right fine. The dude who sculpted all the hot
naked dudes. He had to have to have shagged all the best models. LMAO I really
don’t know how to answer this. Next question…
10) Is
there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to
receive it?
Last year for Gay Authors.org I wrote a
Christmas story that is currently beginning featured in a group of favorite
Christmas tales, titled Rudolph’s Tijuana Christmas. Most of my 17 reviews for
the story are some form of “OMG! What The Fuck did I just read?” I’m capable of
just about anything. The only thing keeping me from writing stories is a lack
of time.
A COOK'S TALE
Book Two: Ship Logs of the Santa Claus
by Mann Ramblings
M/M Sci-fi Romance by Wayward Ink Publishing
Giveaway for Book One – The Luxorian Fugitive
below!
Buy Links:
Blurb:
The
trials and tribulations of the crew and passengers of interplanetary transport
vessel, The Santa Claus continues in A Cook’s Tale.
After
a horrific breakup, Erron Murfin is bitter, homeless, and friendless. When the
cook’s position on the Santa Claus presents itself, Erron decides to escape his
current circumstances and join the crew. On board he reconnects with family
friend Gamin Wells, whose own secrets and issues begin to surface upon Erron's
arrival. The least of which is the reason the pair haven't laid eyes on one
another in over twelve years.
As
Erron settles into his new duties, the men on board take an interest in their
newest crew member. Among those intrigued by Erron are polyamorous couple,
Barrus and James. Despite Erron's cautious nature, he’s drawn into a triad
relationship with the pair.
But
there’s something about Gamin…
Is
Erron too damaged to confront his own feelings?
Will
his past prevent him from finding what he needs?
Excerpt:
Beta Deck was
situated like a large dormitory. All the rooms ran in a loop with a central
facility containing a gymnasium, lockers, lavatories, and shower room. On a
non-hetero vessel, the layout was dubious to say the least.
Since the majority of the crew was off-ship,
Erron felt bold enough to enter the locker room. In his quarters, he'd stalled
for a bit, deciding how to proceed. What was considered normal on the Santa
Claus? Did the men walk around half-dressed? Less than half? There were a lot
of factors in fitting into an established community. Towel over his shoulder,
he stepped through the doorway into the locker room. The gymnasium could be
seen down one end and the shower room was visible down the other. He wondered
what it would be like with a dozen men all stripping down and showering
together in one room together. The likelihood for something tawdry to happen
seemed high.
Gamin's clothes lay over the bench and the
sound of water running told Erron the chef beat him here. Not surprising
really, Gamin had been on the ship for years, this was his home, and Erron
hoped he'd soon feel the same.
Stripping off, Erron dropped his garments in
the same fashion as Gamin. Peeling off his briefs, he felt a sudden surge of
awkwardness. He was about to get in the shower with Gamin. The nervous giggle
tried to rip out of his mouth, so he choked it down. He was being childish.
“Took you long enough.” Gamin said. The chef
hadn't looked in Erron's direction as he held his head under the spray.
“I had to find my towel.”
Erron hung his towel on the hook near the
doorway, and selected a shower with a buffer of one nozzle between them. The
control panel beeped as Erron touched it, but nothing happened. Over and over,
he touched the pad only to be mocked by the same tone.
“It's voice activated,” Gamin said, barely
looking over his shoulder. “Just tell it the temperature you want.” Erron's
face heated up; he couldn't bring himself to admit he couldn't muster the nerve
to use the shower last night after they turned in. The ship was too quiet, and
too new.
Ducking his head slightly, Erron leaned forward
and spoke to the black panel. “Forty- two degrees Celsius.” A torrent of heated
water rushed over Erron, the delicious heat the first step in washing away what
felt like months of grime and sad reminders of his derailed life. The cheap
inns he'd been forced to rent after being evicted had lousy facilities. This...
this was a small piece of chocolate decadence.
“Like your showers pretty hot?” Gamin continued
to face the wall as he soaked himself.
Erron angled his hips, keeping his privates out
of view. “I'd forgotten how nice it feels.”
For the first time he could remember, Erron
felt self-conscious. The fitness membership expired shortly after the breakup,
but Erron hadn't lost too much tone. He'd never be large and imposing, his
frame didn't allow it. A lean body and smooth skin could still turn heads. The
treatment responsible for his hair growing in green made all the rest on his
body the same color. Jade colored hair on his arms and legs was too odd and a
green pubic zone made him feel like a perverted clown, so it had to go. There
was nothing wrong with him, but why he felt the need to hide himself, he
couldn't say. He certainly never acted this shy in front of the troops during
the war. It was more than a bit hypocritical when he peered over his shoulder
at his showering partner.
Tall and thick, with coarse hair on his arms
and legs, Gamin's size and sturdiness were a stark contrast to Erron's smaller
stature. Wisps of fur reached around the sides of the chef's rounded belly that
matched the meaty globes of his behind. Everything about Gamin was solid and
manly. The peppering of gray on his head and beard fit him as well.
It was true, he probably shouldn't be looking,
but Erron had never seen Gamin this way in all these years. Not even shirtless
at the park when he was growing up. From what he could see, the view wasn't
half bad; Gamin had nothing to be ashamed of. What he did notice was how
deliberate Gamin was being at not looking at him.
“You're a lot bigger than I remembered.” Erron
couldn't help watching Gamin soap his body while continuing to face the wall.
It had been a long time since he'd had any opportunity to be with a man. While
it wasn't his plan to be with Gamin, as long as he didn't turn around, Erron
could enjoy the show. He prayed Gamin wouldn't turn around. That would be
mortifying.
“Yeah well, I've had time to eat a few good
meals.”
“It looks good on you.”
Gamin chuckled as lines of lazy suds followed
the contours of his back and between the crevice of his haunches. “Thanks.
You've changed a lot over the years too.”
“I'm not a kid anymore.”
“No. No, you're not,” Gamin said, drenching his
head under the spray.
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author:
Like
many gay men, when MANN RAMBLINGS grew up, there weren't any heroes he could
relate to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real
person inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found
his voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called
inappropriate joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man's head. It took a
long time to find that courage and now that it's here, he plans to use it well.
While
spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate
passion for storytelling—he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew
up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new
possibilities. Why couldn't you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M
cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like Night Tempest, Rob
Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create.
Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night
Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive
response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers
and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born
and raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was
practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike,
if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
MANN
RAMBLINGS can be found at:
Blog:
http://mannramblingsblog.wordpress.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mannramblings
Twitter:
@mannramblings
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