What inspired you to become an author?
Way, way back, before I learned to read, I'd get my
father to buy me Conan comics. I liked Jonah Hex too. Now that I think back on
it, both of those series inspired me to want to create my own characters and
stories. But it was some years later before I started writing in earnest.
Do you have a specific writing style?
My thing is to write it real. Meaning…the challenges
the characters are facing, their responses to those challenges, and their
interactions with each other, including the romantic parts. I just love realism
in all things.
Do you write in different genres?
Now why would I ever want to leave erotic romance?
How did you come up with the title for your latest
book?
It seemed obvious since the book is about the hero
returning to the heroine following a three year separation. It was the working
title as I wrote the story and it stuck.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
I always have a working title of some sort before I
begin writing in earnest. For example, my novella In the Age of Hysteria started out simply as Hysteria. Then, once I started getting it ready for submission, I
went to the kindle store on Amazon and typed in Hysteria. Several books came up
and I said, "Oh no, I can't have the same title as someone else. Not on
this one. It's too unique."
Is there a message in your stories that you want
readers to grasp?
I suppose the running theme in all of my stories is realism.
Nothing is more important to me in my writings because I want to introduce readers
to what is possible if they'll only trade in their fantasy heroes and heroines
for real ones. And yes, I assure you that real life heroes and heroines do
exist because I'm married to one.
What books/authors have influenced your life?
The Sea Wolf by Jack London. This book blew my mind
at seventeen years old because I'd always worked alongside roughneck men. So I readily
recognized that London provided a rare glimpse into the harsh realities working
class men face on a daily basis and the pitfalls one has to circumnavigate when
one is trapped in that kind of atmosphere for months on end.
Delta of Venus by Anais Nin. When I discovered this
book at twenty-five years old it made me want to be an erotic writer more than
anything in the world.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Kay Dee Royal. She was the first author to go out of
her way to be really nice to me. She's also a great writer. I'm extremely
fortunate to be able call her a friend.
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
Not writing anything at the moment. Too busy in
edits on stories I have coming out this spring and summer. Got a full-length
novella releasing on March 26th. It's to be published by Secret
Cravings Publishing. And I got another MuseItHOT short story coming out in the
summer. I’m in edits on both right now. On top of that, I have another blog
tour following this one that I have to prepare all the materials for and I need
to get my own blog up and running. But no worries on my end, I'm certain I'll
get back to writing my next heroine's happily ever after in a few short weeks.
Who designed the cover for A Lost Love Returns?
Celairen. And I couldn't be more pleased with it!
A Lost Love Returns
Thomas Briar
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: MuseItHOT Publishing
Date of Publication: August 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77127-572-9
Number of pages: 22
Word Count: 4793 words
Cover Artist: Celairen
Book Trailer: None
Book Description:
Three years after her boyfriend's mysterious disappearance, Clarissa has finally recovered enough to move on with her life. She's graduated from college, found a good job, and is engaged to someone else now. She is happy once again.
So why has Jake, her long lost first love, suddenly turned back up in Key West, Florida at their favorite sidewalk café? Where had he been and what had he been doing during his absence?
But most important of all, what could he possibly want from her after all this time?
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
Clarissa looked
up from her espresso to suffer a shock of disbelief. She blinked several times,
thinking her eyes must be deceiving her.
It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be.
Yet, there he
sat three tables away from her—the lost love of her life—having returned to Key
West and their favorite sidewalk café from…? She honestly couldn’t say because
she didn't know where he'd disappeared to or the reason behind his sudden
abandonment of her three years ago.
She trembled in
the warm morning air as a plethora of emotions assaulted her beleaguered mind
in quick succession: anxiety, intrigue, longing, regret, anguish, love, sorrow,
and finally…indignation.
With every
passing second that she resisted the tremendous urge to get up from her seat
and walk over to make her presence known, the more equilibrium she regained.
She could not, would not, go to him. At twenty-five years of age, with more
life experience than most women her age, she knew all about the virtues of
having patience.
To help sustain
her resolve, she looked up at the clear blue sky, the other patrons enjoying
their morning coffee, a lone car coming down the street, the group of retirees
huffing along the sidewalk for exercise, everywhere except at him.
When she
couldn't take the suspense any longer, her gaze returned to her former lover.
He remained sitting there all alone, head tilted down as he texted on his
cellphone. He looked pretty much the
same as she remembered.
In fact, he
still parted his dark, wavy hair on the left side, although it was now cut
short. He was very tan and his clean shaven, angular face still matched his
lean muscular body perfectly. The board shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers he wore
lent an impression of youthful vitality. Yeah, his early thirties looked really
good on him.
In comparison,
she hadn't changed much either, although she now colored her curly blond hair a
soft light brown. She'd also grown it out to mid-way her back but still kept it
cut around her oval face. She thought this hairdo best suited her voluptuous,
hourglass figure. And the pants suit with heels she wore today fit her better
than the tank tops, cut-off shorts, and flip-flops ever had.
As she continued
staring at him and obsessing over his reappearance, she couldn’t help
remembering how safe she'd felt within his strong embrace…how lucky she'd
believed she had been at finally having met a man to share her whole heart
with…how well their bodies had fit together…and lastly, of how much
soul-connecting lovemaking they'd indulged in. What had gone so wrong for him
to abandon her without an explanation? And why had he suddenly turned up again?
Under her
patient gaze, it became inevitable that he would eventually look up and see
her. The moment it happened, his blue eyes widened, his face went slack, and
then he mouthed her name in silent recognition. She only stared back at his
stunned expression, trying her best to hide her own inner turmoil.
He promptly got
up and came over. In a deeply masculine voice, he said, "Hello, Clarissa.
I was hoping I'd run into you here. May I sit with you?"
She stared up
into his pale blue eyes, melting a little on inside. But still, she somehow
held onto enough of her composure to say, "I don't know, Jake. You'll
probably disappear on me if I turn my back for a second. So maybe you
shouldn't."
"I have a
very good explanation for my disappearance." He pulled out the patio chair
across from her and sat without permission.
"Men always
do, don't they?" She'd looked across the street at an elderly couple
walking along holding hands. An old scar burst open inside her heart. She'd
once envisioned Jake and her growing old together.
"I went
away because—"
"Don't care
to hear it." She cut him off, wanting to hurt him like he'd hurt her. She
kept looking at the old couple while absently twisting her coffee cup around
and around. "Besides, I'm getting along just fine without you. In fact,
have you heard the news? I'm getting married in three weeks."
"Yeah, I
read about it in the paper a few weeks ago."
"So you get
the paper delivered to wherever you've been." She smiled at the old woman
giggling at something the old man had said. Underneath the terrible pain
searing her heart, she added, "And I saw you with a cellphone. You were
texting, I believe. So you're obvious up to date with the modern technology of
our times."
"I read the
local paper online. And yes, I have a cellphone. I get it—you think I should
have already contacted you."
"Yes, I
do."
"I always
thought I'd get back to you and Key West sooner."
"Oh
yeah?" She shrugged her shoulders, keeping her gaze on the old couple.
"I thought that too, right up until I decided you were either dead, or
wasn't ever coming back."
"I almost
did die, several times," he stated. Then, in exasperation, "Won't you
at least look at me? I can explain what happened."
"Why should
I let you? As I remember it, you received a mysterious phone call in the middle
of the night, and then you got really agitated before leaving without a word of
explanation."
"I—"
"Not your
turn to talk, Jake!" Clarissa cut him off again, still refusing to look at
him. "I think it's time we play a little game of who-knows-what. I'll
start it off. You can jump in whenever I ask a question."
About the Author:
Edgy and provocative in his writings, Thomas Briar strives to exalt the virtues of love and lust in every erotic story he creates. To date, he's garnered eleven publishing contracts with three different publishers and has seven published books in the marketplace.
When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, spending time with his wife, taking long walks, and people watching. Yeah, he's always wondering what makes people do the things they do. He knows it's usually something hidden in plain sight. He just has to figure out what it is, much like the motivations of the characters in his stories.
Amazon Author Page
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