Deanna: Today we have Lex Chase at the cyber bar. Lex is an
action adventure gay romance writer for Dreamspinner Press who writes about men
that kiss and kick ass. She believes just like Jell-o, there is always more
room for explosions.
What we are Drinking
It’s the New Orleans tradition to down a hurricane,
or…seven…or where was I? I promise I can see straight! You gotta try this!
Deanna: First things first. Where are you, and what are you
wearing?
Lex: Where are any of us, really? Aren’t we just cells existing
in one moment in time? See, there it goes. You are now a new set of cells. And
there it goes again. And so on and so forth and…Y’know Socrates once said a man
will never step into the same river twice. Have you ever seen the Stones? I sat
there and read book one of Socrates’ Apology 3while Jagger did his thing.
Changed my fuckin’ life. (((gulps last dregs of the hurricane and smashes the
glass on the floor))) Another!
Oh and (((squints))) Oh yeah. My Aristotle as a cat tee and
skinny jeans. Aristotle and cats are like…totes my two favorite subjects.
(((Looks over the expanse of the bar))) Da fuq is taking so long?
Deanna: Oh myyyyy! (insert George Takai) You have officially
given the best answer EVER to that first question? So what’s your poison?
Vodka? Gin? Beer?
Lex: Yenno….I ain’t much of a drinker. But gaddamn these
hurricanes. Have y’had a hurricane? You should have a hurricane…
Deanna: (((pours them both a round))) Cheers! And Great hat
BTW!
Lex: (((tips her Red Sox hat))) Thanks! Da’ Sox yenno! My
boys! Big Papi all the way!
Deanna: Now that we’re comfy, tell me about your new book?
(((sips on her cocktail)))
Lex: (((comes to a moment of shocking clarity and blinks
widely))) Chasing Sunrise, the first
book of the Darkmore Saga is a tale where I take a new interpretation on
vampires and shifters. There’s war, genocide, and vampires who eat people and
don’t fucking sparkle, there’s omnisexual Ancient Roman werewolves and a
werewolf Roman legion. Because that is fucking cool, amirite? And there’s a
really pretty guy that wears dresses. And on occasion he looks like a disco
ball. It’s just a thing.
But outside of the shiny wrapping paper, at the end of the
day, it’s a story of domestic violence and one man’s escape from lifelong
abuse, to find love on his own terms and learn he’s worthy of being loved.
It’s brutal, horrific, quite gory, and also hot and passionate.
And apparently Dreamspinner let me get away with it. I’ve been told it’s
definitely outside of their usual lane of books.
Deanna: Where did the idea for this story come from?
Lex: I actually got the idea when I was a was a kid
struggling with my brand spankin’ new diagnosis of bipolar disorder. It was
Valentine’s Day 1992, and I was 13. I had stayed up all night on a severe mania
and feverishly wrote down this story that would later become the Darkmore Saga.
Back then, it was cyberpunk story with an all female cast and the one token
guy. The token guy was this vampiric creature with an epic backstory. And he
was way more interesting than the
girls.
The world of Darkmore was something I had retreated into when
my life was going wrong. When my mind was working against me. When I couldn’t
focus. Even when writing these nightmarish creatures, I worked out my thoughts
and pent up anger. There came a time in my life where things made a turn for
the better, and I put the story down for ten years. But better was relative as
the girl I had been madly in love with turned abusive. I’ve been out of that
relationship for many years, and the Darkmore Saga was my way of working
through it.
The original token guy from 1992 is no longer in the story at3
all. I had this elaborate world, and jerked all of the old cast out of it, and
shoved a new cast in there to see what would happen. That’s how we got Sevon
and Jack. And somehow I knew from the start that Sevon would be a fulltime
effeminate transvestite. I never budged on that.
Deanna: What was the hardest part of writing this story for
you?
Lex: Ripping out the mental stitches of what I had gone
through with my girlfriend. Like understanding it was okay to write about these things. Learning it was okay to bring the
memories up again. There was many, many
times I almost quit. I would actually be angry and upset at my family when they
had no idea what was going on.
One scene in particular that stopped me dead in my tracks for
weeks was Dominic, the villain, gets Sevon to dubiously consent to a bit of
fondling. We’re in Sevon’s head as he tries to justify that it’ll be okay.
He’ll get through it if he moans just right or cries out in the way Dominic
likes and then Dominic will leave him alone. He actually retreats into a place
where he fantasizes about something else entirely to take his mind off the
violation. It’s a super fucked up scene. One I had to rewrite and revisit many times to make it absolutely clear
that Sevon didn’t want to, and doesn’t like what’s going on.
Deanna: (((pours them another round))) Wow, we need a drink after that!! Now, what’s the easiest thing about writing it?
Lex: God, I needed a drink, too. (((chugs hurricane))) The easiest
part was actually the love interest Jack. He is every happy thought wrapped into
a bundle of a guy. He’s good natured, happy-go-lucky, and has the patience of a
saint. He understands love can only be kept by compassion and understanding and
not by force. And he goes through some pretty fucked up shit, and through it
all, he remains steadfast and true. He’s not just a good guy. He’s the best guy. I set out to make him the
fictional guy that real life guys should be measured. They say a man lifts
weights, but a real man lifts your heart.
I always joke about bottling him and selling “Bottles o’
Jack.” (((laughs and then pauses))) Wait… do we have some Jack Daniels around
here? This is gettin’ seriously soul searchy touchy feely.
Deanna: Um, no Jack! Please! I won’t be able to type, LOL So
what is your dream story, your opus, if you will? The one you dream about
writing but haven’t don’t it?
Lex: Darkmore Saga basically is my opus. It’s insane. I
actually have nine books already planned out, divided into three trilogies.
Each focusing on a single couple in the Saga’s timeline and how they link
together. With DSP all we’ll get to see is Sevon and Jack’s story.
But for a book that would change the world and they’d sing
odes about it long after I’m dead is some kind of statement piece. Like what is
it to be human? What is it to love? What defines us? Are we the sum of our
parts? Or are we defined by our experiences? Are we a Tabula Rasa? Or did we
come into the world preordained to meet a certain destiny at an appointed time?
And what is that? Are were destined to be hit by a bus which causes a chain
reaction? Or are we destined to be president because that guy got hit by the
bus?
……um…. Yeah… (((taps bar for another hurricane))) I’m really
into that deep thought philosophical shit… um… (((gets another hurricane and
guzzles that))) God, I’m such a metaphysical drunk…. (((laughs and leers at a girl
across the bar))) Hay, baybay~ Wanna get meta physical? I got some deep thoughts
for you, riiiiigggght heeere. (((Pats lap))
Deanna: Hahahahahaha!!!!! You are cray cray! Now before you
make me drink another hurricane, I need to get back to the interview! Now, when
did you first discover you were a writer? Were you like sitting on the toilet
and just said, “Ya know, I think I’m gonna write a book.” Or was it more
profound? J
Lex: Hmmwhat? (((slides away empty hurricane glass and
hollers over the bar))) Keep ‘em coming! Ain’t a party until the lemurs start
dancin’! (((squints))) You see the lemurs right? Oh… you had a question… right,
right… I had an art school professor—I know right, of course I’d be an art
school kid—he told his students “Have a Plan B.” Because he was trying to give
us the reality that not all of us, or hardly any of us, were going to make it
big as artists. Meanwhile, the other professors talked up the bullshit that
we’re bloody rock gods. Cha-ching! That’ll be another 40k in tuition please.
KTHNX! Let’s just say art school and I became uuuuh… better strangers. I
started writing just to see if I could do it. I did it. And I decided to keep
doing it. I say writing wasn’t my “Plan B” per se. It was more like my “Plan
F.” Fuck if I know what “Plan E” is. Maybe raising dancing lemurs.
Deanna: When you get a dancing lemur, can I have one?
Lex: You’ll be first on the list!
Deanna: LOL Okay, now what helps you when you are stumped on
a scene in a manuscript? I usually have a cocktail … or three…LOL But that’s
just me.
Lex: The Room of Wisdom! The Room of Wisdom! I’m not talkin’
like some Greek Forum or something…though I could explain it. Let’s not, okay.
The Room of Wisdom is the modern day temple known as the bathroom. I take stupid long showers and zone out. I’m also the
master of sleeping standing up in the shower. After I come to the ideas are
like “HAY, HOWZYOUDOOIN?”
Deanna: Most of my stories have a theme song, do you do that
for your characters?? If so what is it?
Lex: Oh, god. My playlists for my books are ridiculous.
Thousands of songs actually. The best one I got for Chasing Sunrise and the
Darkmore Saga as a whole is the Lorde cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The
World” by Tears for Fears. It’s super dark, dramatic, gives the impression that
shit is going the fuck down, and every character is basically screwed in one
way or another. (((Sucks out last bit of the hurricane from the glass))) Swear
to god. I feel like I’m getting away with something.
You can check it out over here. And headphones dude. Damn.
FEEL DAT BASS.
Deanna: Tell us about a scene that you have written then
afterwards, when you read it, you shocked yourself? You know I want a dirty
answer (((hint hint)))
Lex: Oh man! The sex
scene behind the vegan dive bar. I can’t give the whole thing away, but you’ll
see. Oh. Yeah. You will soooo see. There’s cute shoes. Trust me on that. It
seems my characters in books have a thing for having sex in inappropriate
places. Rook and Garth in Conventional Love have sex in a hotel stairwell
during a comic convention. It’s also a thing that’s come up recently in Chasing
Sunrise and another release I have in September called Americana Fairy Tale,
the dudes have a thing for
swallowing, or kissing right after one of them is erm…. Finished. Just… damn guys.
Chasing Sunrise: Blurb
Darkmore
Saga: Book One
On the Coastal Bend of Texas, a hidden kingdom called Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon Maraté is trapped. Using Sevon as a mouthpiece and a scapegoat, Lord Dominic rules from the shadows. Sevon copes with the unrelenting abuse by dressing in women's finery and casting an image of graceful nobility. Born of royal verkolai blood and as beautiful as he is lethal, he possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift is his chance to escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish his tool for power. Dominic forges an ambitious plan to invade the prosperous land of Priagust. Only a select few know the mythic kingdom of shifters exists. Sevon is out of options for his people’s survival, and cooperating with Dominic is his only chance.
On their foray into Priagust, Dominic's men kidnap and interrogate a shifter named Jack. Even under torture, Jack's loyalty to his kind never wavers. But as Jack’s knowledge about Darkmore’s king and its history unsettles Sevon, a curious bond begins to form. Despite Sevon’s mistrust, Jack is determined to tame Sevon’s wild heart and perhaps earn his freedom. As invasion looms, Sevon wonders if trusting Jack will lead him into another trap or if he should forget about chasing the sunrise and remain Dominic's compliant prisoner.
On the Coastal Bend of Texas, a hidden kingdom called Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon Maraté is trapped. Using Sevon as a mouthpiece and a scapegoat, Lord Dominic rules from the shadows. Sevon copes with the unrelenting abuse by dressing in women's finery and casting an image of graceful nobility. Born of royal verkolai blood and as beautiful as he is lethal, he possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift is his chance to escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish his tool for power. Dominic forges an ambitious plan to invade the prosperous land of Priagust. Only a select few know the mythic kingdom of shifters exists. Sevon is out of options for his people’s survival, and cooperating with Dominic is his only chance.
On their foray into Priagust, Dominic's men kidnap and interrogate a shifter named Jack. Even under torture, Jack's loyalty to his kind never wavers. But as Jack’s knowledge about Darkmore’s king and its history unsettles Sevon, a curious bond begins to form. Despite Sevon’s mistrust, Jack is determined to tame Sevon’s wild heart and perhaps earn his freedom. As invasion looms, Sevon wonders if trusting Jack will lead him into another trap or if he should forget about chasing the sunrise and remain Dominic's compliant prisoner.
Excerpt:
Jack shuddered
against the cold bite of his shackles. The iron cuffs held him upright, and his
arms were stretched tight over his head. Gravity pulled him sloping forward
painfully against his bonds. His umber hair swayed in sweat-slicked strands and
clung to his face. The humidity hung like milky fog visible against the gray
stones. He could smell the herbal traces of algae glazing the walls. No moans,
no cries for release, not even a rattled chain sounded throughout the dungeon.
He deduced he was the only prisoner—or the only one currently living.
It had happened so fast. He was at the shoreline of the lake
when two figures shot from the water. Shrouded in black, the demonic men yanked
him into the lake. Jack had expected his end. But he didn’t expect a dungeon,
and not just any, but Darkmore’s dungeon. He knew it as well as any ghost
story. He had teased Sevon mercilessly for crossing his fingers and turning in
a circle three times as he walked by the entrance.
Jack’s heart softened. Sevon, sweet Sevon. It had been
exciting for Jack when he was a cub to have a special friend outside of
Priagust. One who was not a shifter at all, but something different. He was
Jack’s treasure, and he would guard their memory.
But the men had taken him and tossed him in this dank cell.
It had to be a mistake. Darkmore was Priagust’s sworn protector. King Louis
would never wrongfully imprison a shifter. Jack spit a speck of grit. Was Louis
alive? Did he survive the storm? What of Anna Maria? Surely she’d know.
But Jack wasn’t sure. He had been just a child when he saw
Louis die, and all childhood memories were fallible. He could only hope it was
a misunderstanding. He squinted with the painful pull in his shoulders, and the
realization sank in. This was far more than a mere misunderstanding.
Jack’s pupils flexed into pinpricks when the sound of distant
footsteps announced someone’s approach. He jerked his chin toward the sound to
get the first look at his host.
An ethereal, earthbound spirit drifted into the dungeon. Pale
as Winter Mother’s snow and with a brilliant bloom of golden curls to rival
Father Sun’s rays, the woman captivated him. Dressed in layers of the midnight
sky and coal, her skirts swirled in a trail of goldfish fins behind her. The
unusual ladybird settled at the cell door, tossing a lock of spun gold over her
shoulder. She waited.
“What do they call you?” she coldly demanded.
A peculiar tenor tone in her voice made Jack choke on his
breath. A man. The strange, colorful
bird was a man.
By the way he glared at Jack as if he were of no consequence,
Jack decided that whatever the case, he had to be on guard. Jack sniffed and
mentally discerned a more masculine scent under the perfumed oils. But there
were two masculine scents, this beautiful man’s and someone else’s. He licked
the salt on his lip and smirked. He had nothing left to lose.
Jack lifted his head, and he panted against the searing pain
in his back. He focused on the curious little meadowlark shrouded in flimsy
frippery. He had never seen such an unusual hue of hair before, but he knew one
thing for certain.
“You’re not the king,” Jack said.
Buy from DSP:
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Bio: Lex Chase
once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, “We’re all going to die, I’m just
trying to make it a little more interesting.” She knew then she wanted to make
the world a little more interesting too.
Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventure and epic
love—and depending on how she feels that day—Lex sprinkles in high-speed
chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. She
loves tales of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. She believes if you’re
going to going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one
you love.
Lex is a pop culture diva and her DVR is constantly
backlogged. She wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of
the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind. She
is incredibly sentimental, to the point that she gets choked up at holiday
commercials. But like the lovers driven to extreme measures to get home for the
holidays, Lex believes everyone deserves a happy ending.
Lex also has a knack for sarcasm, never takes herself
seriously, and has been nicknamed “The Next Alan Moore” by her friends for all
the pain and suffering she inflicts on her characters. She is a Damned Yankee
hailing from the frozen backwoods of Maine now residing in the burbs of
Northwest Florida, where it could be 80F and she’d still be a popsicle.
She is grateful for and humbled by all the readers. She knows
very well she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and welcomes feedback.
You can find her in the Intarwebz here:
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Rafflecopter Giveaway!
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