Welcome to my blog. I’m really excited to have you here today, down under, with answers about your brand new book, They Come By Night. This book is out on the 16th of January. (You can pick it up here: Dreamspinners)
Tinnean: Hi Renae, and thank you for having me here! Of course I love all my books, but I’m very pleased with this one, and I can’t wait to talk about it!
Imagine an earth just a bit different from ours. It may be 2014, but in this world normals unknowingly share the planet with vampyrs. Most vampyrs rely on bagged blood, supplemented by the blood of sabors—valued individuals whose blood contains an element needed for the survival of the species.
Tyrell Small has always felt different. He doesn’t know he is a sabor, but he has the birthmark to prove it. When his father reveals that he’ll be required to feed vampyrs, Ty decides to run away. Slipping out of his bedroom window, he finds the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen sitting on his roof. Adam Dasani is a vampyr, equerry to the vampyr king, who has given Adam the task of guarding Ty, because the blood of the two most powerful saborese families in the shared history of vampyrs and sabors runs through Ty’s veins. And some vampyrs intend to use him to gain power, something Adam isn’t about to allow. Adam insists that Ty can’t escape his destiny, but they both find that destiny can take unexpected turns… and following those turns may put those Ty loves—including Adam—in danger.
Tinnean: First, thank you so much for your kind words. I hadn’t planned to write a vampire book, but a call went out for an anthology in which the vampire genre was given a slight twist. The story I wrote wasn’t accepted, but the editor suggested I flesh it out and resubmit it as a novel, which was something I’d considered doing anyway. You can’t cover much ground in 10,000 words. (Well, I can’t. I do tend to get wordy. ;-) )
Renae: I noticed that this book says it is 340 pages long. Epic effort. How long did it take you to write?
Tinnean: I started writing this in 2008, but in the intervening six years, I wrote and had published ten novels, six novellas, and a number of free stories I posted on the Net. I was certain I’d never be able to get They Come By Night to the requisite 70k. (I kept a file with the word count of each chapter.) Once I reached the 70k point, I breathed a sigh of relief. But then the word count continued to mount, along with the tension. By the time it topped 140k, I was positive I’d never find a publisher for what I called my gay vampire story. Fortunately, Dreamspinner offered me a contract for it, in spite of its length.
Renae: I’m not up on the rules of the vampire world – are you allowed to be a gay vampire? Or is it against their “rules”?
Tinnean: “Rules”? They don’t need no stinkin’ rules! *falls down laughing* Sorry. *clears throat* If we’ve got sparkly vampires, why not gay ones? As I’d mentioned, the original request was for something off the usual path, so I just took the premise and ran. I blended it with some traditional vampire lore—garlic, sacred silver, aversion to sunlight—and then made that left turn at Albuquerque. I had actually read an m/f vampire novel back in the day where the main character did dally with men on at least one occasion. They’d get jaded, wouldn’t you think, going through eternity (or as long as they lived) having just one sort of sex, so why not sample them all?
Renae: How do you become a vampyr king? Are you born to it?
Tinnean: In this universe, yes, because while there are the usual “turned” vampires, there are also those who are born, and they’re the most powerful vampires. I imagine there can be infighting within the family, and this is one of the reasons why the current king made every effort to see his grandson would be accepted as next in line, in spite of his unique heritage.
Tinnean: This is actually a tough question to answer. I enjoy writing in the real world, and not only including actual places. If I mention music or plays or even the weather, they’ll be what are current for the year in which the story is set. Having said that, even a slight shift in the timeframe can play havoc with background information, so that makes it a pain. World building is slightly easier. I wrote a short scifi a few years ago (free for the viewing on my site) where I had an amazing amount of fun. However, you do have to keep the hand waving to a minimum, because readers will only accept so much of it.
Renae: Do you think you have a trademark style to your writing, or some feature that readers can identify as “classic Tinnean”?
Tinnean: I’d like to think it’s the witty banter that indicates it’s a Tinnean story, (I love writing dialogue.) but there will always be a happy ending. Oh, and the characters, for the most part, will be comfortable financially. Even my rent boys do well.
Renae: You also write m/f? How do you find the two gel together? Do you have readers who follow you “across genre” and read both m/f and m/m?
Tinnean: I’m just along for the ride, Renae. *g* The story takes me where it wants to go. One of the odd things I’ve found is that almost all my characters are bisexual, with most leaning toward the same sex, although some don’t, so even if it’s only in passing, m/f does tend to get mentioned. I have some readers who’ve followed me from fanfiction and who are kind enough to read everything I write. The one m/f that I’ve had published, Where the Heart Chooses, is based in my Spy vs. Spook universe, and readers who know Portia Mann from that might be interested to read how she met Nigel Mann, their years together, and how it almost broke her when she lost him.
Renae: Some little birdy told me it’s your birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! **throws confetti** What special plans do you have?
Tinnean: Yes, and thank you! *grins and brushes confetti out of my hair* Since my birthday falls in the middle of the week this year, we’ll probably go to dinner at Carrabba’s. I do live a wild and crazy life. *cough*
Renae: Do you have a present in mind that you hope to get for your birthday, or is it just prayers that your book does well?
Tinnean: A spot on the best seller list? *g* Seriously, there isn’t much I need, but it would be the best birthday present if They Come By Night is well-received.
Renae: After your marathon effort on this book, what is next from you?
Tinnean: After I catch my breath, I’m hoping to finish Things Happen That Way, which is Book 2 in the Mann of My Dreams series, an offshoot of Spy vs. Spook. Then there’s a western that takes place during the Civil War era, as well as individual stories that involve a human and an alien, a wolfman, a snakeboy, and eventually a dragon. *phew* I’m exhausted just writing that!
Renae: Where can people contact you?
Tinnean:
Email: [email protected]
(You know how they ask you for your email address in stores? Well, one day I’m going to give it out, and someone is going to say OMG! You’re Tinnean! *cough*)
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/fl5/tinnssinns/Welcome1.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tinnean
Twitter: https://twitter.com/?lang=en
Live Journal: http://tinnean.livejournal.com/
Renae: Thank you ever so much for joining me on my website. Good luck with your new release and I look forward to reading it!
Tinnean: Thank you, Renae! It’s been a genuine pleasure. I really appreciate this opportunity, and I hope you and everyone who reads Ty and Adam’s story will enjoy it! *g*