Welcome to my blog! Where do you find inspiration?
Well, sometimes things just pop into my head unbidden, but there’s inspiration everywhere. Music is a big one for me, but also books and music as well. Anything that stirs my creative juices helps me get in a place to write. People-watching also sometimes helps with creating characters.
Mostly I draw on real life experiences, either my own or those of people around me. I just imagine what I would have done or said, or *wish* I had, in those situations and they eventually become plot points.
What kind of research did you have to do for Love and the Real Boy?
I did a lot of research on boat-building and repair, since the story takes place around the restoration of Nic’s sailboat (from I Survived Seattle). Oh yeah! I also had to research rugby. I only had the most basic knowledge of rugby, so I had to rely on friends, websites, and lots and lots of YouTube videos, to get me up to speed for the big rugby game scene.
What is a typical writing day like?
LOL, that would imply that I had any schedule whatsoever. :) I have a 20 month old son and I stay at home with him. While that’s good because I don’t have an EDJ eating up my writing time, I have to squeeze in a little writing when I can, usually during naps and after bedtime. There’s not much rhyme or reason to it. I jot down notes when I can. I’ve even been known to write a scene or two on my phone, and then email it to myself!
Oh, and there’s always coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Unless it’s at night. Then there’s wine.
What was your soundtrack while writing this book?
When I start a new project, I usually just listen to my iPod on full shuffle and I wait until certain songs really get my characters talking to me. Then I save them, and by the time I’m done, I have a nice inspiration playlist. You can find the links to those on each individual book page on my website http://www.jkhogan.com.
The one from Love and the Real Boy is really all over the place, but there are definitely a lot of sad, haunting tunes because of Rich’s troubled past. The artist that appears most often is Gin Wigmore.
How do you celebrate a new release?
Well part of the glamorous life of being a stay-at-home mom (or work-from-home mom, so to speak), is that regular life goes on. I tweet and facebook a lot, stalk goodreads, and then calmly make my son lunch! Maybe someday when he’s a little older, I’ll be able to have big release parties!
Publishers: Wilde City Press
Cover Artists: JK Hogan (KHDGraphics.com)
BUY LINKS: Wilde City | Amazon
Find it at Goodreads
BLURB:
How much heartache can one man take before he breaks? Rich Langston asks himself that question every day.
A Seattle advertising exec who uses his designer suit and showy car like a suit of armor, Rich refuses to let the world get to him. His traumatic childhood has ruined any faith he had in people, friendship, and love. After a meltdown that led to him alienating everyone in his life, Rich agrees to help with the restoration of an antique sailboat as a form of penance.
Roped into heading up with the boat repair by his mother, marine restorer Patrick O’Dowd finds himself having to babysit a moody, spoiled rich boy with absolutely no carpentry experience. His easy-going nature is sorely tested, but he quickly realizes that things are not always what they seem; sometimes a fancy suit is nothing but an elaborate deflection from what’s real.
Through unavoidable personality clashes and fierce attraction, both Rich and Patrick explore their hidden pain and inner demons, and they end up finding with what really matters—love.
Categories per the author: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
EXCERPT:
Rich forced himself to relax. Why shouldn’t he give his brain a little mini-vacay? He was of a stressful nature—he had to constantly stress over work, over making enough money to keep himself in suits and expensive toys to remind himself he wasn’t homeless anymore, that he wasn’t going to end up like his mother. He stressed over the wrong people finding out he was gay, while stressing that he might just go mad from lack of companionship—and that was just the tip of the crazy-berg.
Underneath it all sat his pent-up grief, anger, and guilt from his stolen childhood, cowering like a beast in the dark, a sleeping monster. That was Rich’s biggest, most constant fear—that one day he would no longer be able to contain it. What would happen then? Would he lose his mind?
So all things considered, why shouldn’t he just let it go for one night? What was wrong with letting a big, burly Irishman take him in hand—heh—and drive the boat for a while.
PRIZE GIVEAWAY:
Enter the drawing for an e-copy of the book.
TOUR STOPS:
9/17: Havan Fellows
9/18: Iyana Jenna, Cathy Brockman Romances
9/19: Amanda C. Stone
9/22: Andrew Q. Gordon, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
9/23: Prism Book Alliance,
9/24: Butterfly-O-Meter
9/25: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/26: Parker Williams
9/29: Cathy Brockman Romances, Nic Starr
9/30: My Fiction Nook
10/1: Romance the Night
10/2: Jade Crystal
10/3: The Hat Party
10/6: Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
10/7: Love Bytes, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/8: Velvet Panic
10/9: Foxylutely Book Reviews
10/10: Multitasking Mommas
10/13: Queer Town Abbey
10/14: MM Good Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit http://www.jkhogan.com.
Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJKHogan
http://officialjkhogan.tumblr.com/
