I would like to thank Andrew Grey, who has cruised through today for an interview. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew at Authors After Dark in Philly this past August.
Vanessa: Would
you like to start off by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Andrew: I live in Central Pennsylvania with my
partner of 17 years. I’ve been writing
since early 2007 and have written and published over three dozen works of gay
romantic fiction. I attend at least
three different conventions and events a year and love to meet readers. I love to garden and my partner and I
collect antiques.
Vanessa: What
is one thing about you that your readers would find surprising or never guess
about you?
Andrew: I guess that before four
years ago, I had never written a thing.
In fact I had no interest in writing until I sat down and gave it a
try. Now I can’t stop.
Vanessa: If
you were to write yourself into one of your books which one would it be and
what role would you have?
Andrew: I would love
to write myself into Love Means… No Boundaries.
Robbie is one of my favorite characters and I would love to be Joey and
have him fall in love with me. J
Vanessa: I
saw on your website that you have several series. Would you like to tell us a
bit about them?
Andrew: The Farm series takes
place around a farm in Michigan where I grew up. These stories are pastoral in nature, but
with some of the most amazing characters I’ve ever written. They also have the only Amish characters I’ve
ever written.
The Bottled Up series takes place largely around a wine store in Milwaukee. These stories started because I was inspired
by my brother’s wine store opening.
There will be at least three more stories in this series, Legal Artistry,
Artistic Appeal, and Artistic Pursuits which I recently finished. The later books have moved away from the wine
store scene, but many of the characters make an appearance.
The Workout series takes place around the gym I use outside
Harrisburg. All the stories are rather
sexy and center around really hunky men.
One of the themes I love to use in this series is the fact that beauty
is only skin deep. So it’s often the shy
quiet, mousy guy that gets the hunk.
The Satyr series is a bit of modern fantasy set in northern
Michigan around a small community of satyrs.
In the stories, they form and build the community so they can have a
small piece of the world where they can be safe. In these books, being gay is generally no big
deal. But if a satyr trusts you enough
to reveal himself, that’s the metaphor for the coming out process.
The Range series is my western series and the Love series is
set around a Belgian restaurant in Carlisle Pennsylvania. These stories were inspired by my partner who
was a pastry chef for many years.
Dominic says love with food, so I wrote these stories for him.
Vanessa: Out
of all of your writing which one of your books stands out as your favorite and
why?
Andrew: My absolute favorite is Seven Days.
That story came to me while I was writing something else and the
characters have stayed with me for almost a year. It’s like they wormed their way into my heart
and I can’t let go of them. They don’t
have more to tell me, but they always seem to be right with me.
Vanessa: Do
you have a favorite series that you enjoy reading?
Andrew: I love writing the Love Means… series. Those stories are pastoral and I go there
when I need peace and quiet. For me
they’re veru nostalgic because I set the series right near where I grew up, in
fact, the house where Joey and his mother live is the house I grew up in. Many of the places in the series are real.
Vanessa: What
inspired you to write Satyrs?
Andrew: I have a
nineteenth century bronze of a satyr in my dining room and at Thanksgiving one
year I decided to try telling his story and I really enjoyed it. Writing fantasy was very liberating because I
got to make up all the rules.
Vanessa: How
many books do you plan to include in your Satyr series?
Andrew: The satyr series is complete. There are three novels, two novellas, and
some short stories. My satyrs are happy
and I intend to leave them that way.
Vanessa: If
you could have a romantic dinner with one of your characters who would it be
and why?
Andrew: I think I would love to have a
romantic dinner with Dieter from Legal Artistry. He has so much energy and throws himself
fully into everything he does. There’s a
simple innocence and naiveté about him that makes him completely endearing and I
can see him planning the entire meal as well as a very intricate and
surprisingly passionate seduction afterwards.
Vanessa: How
did you celebrate the publishing of your first book?
Andrew: I took my partner out for a nice dinner and
then we went home to bed. Not very big,
but definitely special.
Vanessa: Can
you tell us about your current work in progress?
Andrew: Right now I’m working on a story called A Helping
of Love. It’s the follow up to A Taste
of Love and A Serving of Love and centers around the opening of a new Greek
restaurant in Carlisle PA. During the
story one of my characters finds the courage to extricate himself from an
abusive relationship while the other is working through a surprise revelation
that he has a half-sister he never knew about.
I can guarantee plenty of love, emotion, and an unexpected twist.
Vanessa: I
know you recently attended Authors After Dark Philly. Are you attending any
other conventions this year?
Andrew: Yes, I will
be at Yaoicon in San Francisco in late October.
I usually attend three or four conventions a year as well as a few pride
fests.
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