An Interview with Meredith Shayne
Hi, Meredith. I get this question a lot
from my friends and family, so I thought I'd ask you...what draws you to write
M/M stories?
I
come from a fan fiction background, so “slash” is pretty much in my blood at
this point. But that doesn’t explain why I lean towards writing about two men.
I find it a difficult question to answer, but the nearest I can get is that I
like men, and I like writing about people falling in love. I think you when
you’re writing about two men falling in love, you have more scope for exploring
different characterisations, events and themes than you do when you’re writing
about a man and a woman falling in love.
In your new story Cutting Out, you write
about sheep shearing. How much time did you spend on research for this book or
did you have some personal inside information about the subject that helped
with the story line?
I make no secret of the fact that I
love reality TV, and there just so happens to be a reality TV show that airs in
New Zealand called Shearing Gang, which follows the shearing teams hired by a
particular south island contractor to work the Otago region sheep stations (an
example of it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTwou0xTjcE).
After the show sparked the initial idea, I listened to a few radio interviews
about the show, and started investigating shearing from a (much more mundane,
admittedly) career perspective – the different roles, what you had to do to
train, when the seasons ran, how much you got paid, etc. I watched a lot of
competitions on You Tube! There are a lot of sheep in New Zealand, so
country-specific information about sheep and shearing is fairly plentiful.
I read your bio and it seems you are quite the traveler.
Where's the one place your heart keeps calling you to return to?
That’s a difficult one. It’s true that
I have travelled a lot and every place is interesting in its own way. I do love
Italy though. If I was to choose a favourite Italian city… there was one time
in my life when I visited Rome so often that I could get around it without a
map, and it’s a fascinating city, but I’d have to say Venice – a lot of people
hate it, but I think it’s beautiful. There’s no other city like it.
Do you read other M/M authors books and if so, who?
I do, although I am one of those rare
people who reads both M/M and M/F fiction. In terms of the M/M authors I read…
I tend to pick up random things that catch my eye, but if I look on my e-reader
my most frequently bought authors are Jordan Castillo Price, Josh Lanyon, KZ
Snow, Lyn Gala and Cari Z. I could rave at you regarding at least one aspect of
these authors’ backlists in a way that would make you want to poke your eyes
out, so I will resist. J
Which one of your characters would you most like to share a
drink and a chat with? And why?
I have to say Shane. Australians are as
rare as hens' teeth in New Zealand, so meeting one is like getting back in
touch with a long-lost friend. We could have a drink, talk Aussie slang at each
other and mercilessly tease the New Zealanders surrounding us (I love them,
honestly! They’re just fun to rile up).
What's the one classic book, that you just couldn't finish
reading?
Hah! It’s a funny thing to have to
admit, since I love the screen adaptations of it, but Pride and Prejudice. What
a tedious experience trying to read that book was, and yet I really can’t get
enough of both the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle and Matthew MacFadyen/Keira
Knightley adaptations. I love them to pieces.
Which would be more difficult for you to write...a stand
alone story or a series?
I’d have to say a series. I really
admire people who can keep a thread going through multiple novels, and I would
like to try it, but I’m not sure my brain works in a way that’s good for series
writing. I guess I’d have to try it to find out!
_________________________________________________
Bottom
Drawer Publications is proud to present Cutting
Out by Meredith Shayne, a contemporary mm romance based in New Zealand.
Book
Details: Novel
Genre:
Contemporary MM Romance
Release
Date: October 11, 2014
Blurb
A twenty-year veteran of the shearing shed, Aussie Shane Cooper loves
his job, and the home he’s made for himself in New Zealand. If he’s a little
lonely, he’s got good mates to keep his spirits up. When a hot, cocky young
shearer named Lachlan Moore catches his eye at a competition, he’s content to
look but not touch, knowing the young man is out of his league.
Lachie wouldn’t mind a piece of Shane, but the gorgeous gun shearer from
Australia is soon forgotten when the Christchurch earthquake hits, and tragedy
strikes Lachie’s family. Lachie deals with it the best he can, cutting himself
off from all he knows. A year later and he’s back in the shearing shed, out of
practice and lacking confidence. That Shane’s there to watch him flounder
doesn’t help his nerves.
As Lachlan struggles to re-acclimatise, Shane can’t resist giving him a
hand to get back on his feet. As they move from friends to something more,
Shane finds himself wanting to know everything he can about Lachie. But
Lachie’s got secrets he desperately wants to keep, and when things come to a
head, those secrets might just mean the end of them before they’ve truly begun.
Buy Links
The e-book is available for sale for $5.99 via the BDP
Digital Shop
and other online booksellers.
On Goodreads:
On Booklikes:
For more information:
About the Author
Meredith Shayne
A scientist in
a past life, these days Meredith Shayne mainly uses her scientific training to
poke holes in television pseudoscience. Originally from Australia, she moved to
New Zealand to start a new life a few years ago and hasn't regretted it for one
minute, even if she frequently wishes that the New Zealand weather was a little
better; if she's forced, she'll admit that the refreshing lack of animals that
can kill you in New Zealand makes up for a little rain.
Meredith
travels a lot, so much so that she has developed a shameful love of airplane
food and knows her passport number by heart. When she is at home, she enjoys
baking, horrible music from the 1980s, reality television, and gloating any
time Australia thrashes the living daylights out of New Zealand on the sporting
field.
Find Meredith at her website:
Thanks so much for having Meredith on your blog today, CJ :-) Great questions!
ReplyDelete