A Walk on the Wild Side
Believe it or not, coming up with new and exciting stories isn’t easy. Romance books have been around forever, and chances are if I’m thinking of writing it, somebody else is too.
I admit, after writing in the same genre for many, MANY years, I need a new challenge. Yes, I’m a far better writer than I was when I wrote my first book years ago. I still have the manuscript, and once in a while I’ll pull it out & read through it (cringing a few dozen times). My point is….romance is romance. They meet, they fall in love, they split from some awful tragic thing, and they get back together. So I asked myself….writing male/male romance should be just as easy, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
I’ve said many times that I enjoy writing men far better than I do writing women. Don’t ask me why…maybe it’s because I’m a woman and I just don’t find myself that interesting. Maybe we’re too multi-dimensional, and men are more black and white.
Wrong. Very, very wrong.
Let me back up a sec and explain myself.
While trolling through Twitter a year or so ago, I saw all these amazing mentions of this book entitled “Him”. I went on Amazon, read all about it, and thought why the heck not…I’m going to see what a M/M romance is all about.
Oh. My.
Suffice it to say that I love that book SO much, and it’s follow-up “Us.” I loved it so much I felt inspired; like really, really, REALLY inspired….which I haven’t been in a long time.
I rolled some stuff around in my head a few thousand times. Listened to some music, which always helps my brain expand. Then one day I sat down and I started to write. My ‘boys’ came alive on the page and suddenly I was taking walk on the wild side, dipping my toe into deep waters where I’d never been before.
To clarify (and if I tick you off…sorry, not sorry)…I am a HUGE supporter of equal rights for everyone (straight, gay, bi, trans, etc.). As I’ve told my kids countless times, as long as you’re happy and safe and well-loved, I don’t care who you spend your life with. Writing about male romance would most certainly not come as surprise to either of them. It might to some folks who read my other books though.
We all like what we like, which is what makes us human and individuals. I certainly respect people’s choices in not wanting to read about two men falling in love. But I would ask that you consider it…for no other reason than to see that it’s no different than male/female love. Read “Him”, and you’ll see what I mean. As the wonderful Lin-Manuel Miranda so beautifully articulated…. "love is love is love is love…”
I’m currently working on Book 4 of my male/male romance series, and I’m loving every minute of it. I considered releasing them under another pen name – not wanting to put off any readers who might take offense to this genre of writing – and then I thought about it and decided not to. I am who I am and I love what I love. That doesn’t mean you have to love it to. You might adore my Moran family books, and never pick-up one of the many M/M romances I plan on having out there. That’s okay. I'm just grateful you take the time to read my books...ANY of my books.
I’m excited about my walk on the wild side…a walk that really isn’t so darn wild after all. As I said (or rather, what the great Lin-Manuel said), love is love…and all my ‘boys’ love really, really well. I’m thrilled to eventually share these stories with you, and anxious to see what I can come up with down the road.
-AJ
