Daily Archives: October 29, 2012
It’s Monday! If you’re looking for something a bit light and fun to get your week off to a good start you’ve come to the right place. Today’s guest author Daisy Harris has written a light, funny, romp that you’re going to want to hear about. Not only that but Daisy is giving away some goodies and you’ll want to get your name on the list for those. Leave a comment to enter to win a large-size dildo, a scented penis candle, as well as a $20 gift certificate to the winner’s choice of Barnes and Noble or Amazon to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Increase your chances of winning by leaving your questions and comments here – then going over to the Goddess Fish site where you will find a list of other stops on this tour. Be sure to follow Daisy there and leave your questions or comments on those posts as well.
My Fair Dork Cover Blurb
They say a guy can never be too hung. Well, Harold Jacobs doesn’t know who they are, but they’re wrong. Socially awkward for as long as he can remember, Harold feels his enormous package is just one more thing to be embarrassed about. Especially once hunky and popular
Owen McKenzie notices it in the showers.
Owen knows he’s bi, but he keeps that secret close to his chest. He likes Harold, and wants to help him shed his dorky image and maybe even find a boyfriend. Still, Owen can’t stop obsessing about Harold’s equipment. And much as he doesn’t want to flip-flop on his sexuality, Owen does want to test-drive what Harold has between his legs.
Their friendship erupts into full-blown lust. But can Owen accept the loss of his golden child status and be Harold’s boyfriend? And can Harold outgrow his insecurity in time to keep the man he loves?
My Interview With Daisy Harris
Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself – when did you first know you wanted to write – what was your journey to publication like – do you have a spouse or significant other – kids? Pets? Where in the world do you live? Where did you grow up? What real life events and experiences fuel your writing?
I was born in Miami, grew up in New York, and for the last fifteen years I’ve lived in Seattle. You could say I’m an urban mutt. I’ve lived all over but always in the city. Here in Seattle we have lots of boats, and rain, and coffee shops. It’s a perfect environment for someone who likes to spend all day inside reading and writing.
I have two kids, a dog and a guinea pig. Oh yeah, and a husband, but he’s out of town for work about sixty percent of the time. So I’m more likely to see him on Twitter or Facebook than around the house most days.
Though I first wanted to be a novelist when I was in fifth grade, I never tried my hand at writing fiction until I was…thirty six? I can’t remember, exactly. I only know I turn forty in January, and I will have been published for 2 years. So, I guess I started writing when I was thirty-seven, since I wrote for about six months before I sold my first book.
And yeah—six months is not long! But I was a technical/medical/science writer for about seven years before that. I wrote and/or edited for a living for ages before I decided to write anything creative, so my voice and use of language was pretty down pat.
As for experiences that fuel my writing… Well, as I said, I’ve always lived in or near cities. So my characters tend to be international, multicultural and open-minded. My background has some conservative elements, considering I was raised Catholic, but my family always prided itself in being cosmopolitan. Oh, and my parents were baby boomers. So…yeah. Nothing really shocks them.
Finally, I live in about the most liberal place on the planet. I’ve moved a bunch of times within Seattle and always had at least one couple on the block, or in the apartment complex, that were gay. My kids go to school with kids with two mommies or two daddies. My ten year old proudly informed us the other day that her school’s Principal is gay.
Liberal bubble? I live in it. But that’s okay, because I like it here.
Q: Please tell us a bit about My Fair Dork.
My Fair Dork is a story about a nerd with a giant penis.
It’s a simple premise, and one I had SO MUCH fun writing. Harold, my nerd, is discovered in the shower by his handsome freshman hall-mate, Owen. Owen is everything Harold’s not—confident, athletic, popular. But he takes a liking to Harold and decides to help Harold change his image, to make his clothed appearance match his…well, his unclothed potential.
If you love 80’s movies like Teen Wolf, Weird Science, and Can’t Buy Me Love, you will die over this story. It’s the same concept, with a decidedly over-sized twist.
Q: My Fair Dork is part of the Men of Holsum College Series. In fact, it’s book 8 in the series. Can you tell us about the overall series…maybe tell us a bit about the first seven books, this book , and what’s still ahead for the series?
Men of Holsum College is a series set in a mythical liberal arts school in Vermont. The first book was College Boys, which was about a “straight” guy and a gay guy who lived next door to each other on either side of a very thin wall.
Each of the books explored themes of self-acceptance, troubles with friends, growing up, and sexual discovery. I love writing virgin heroes, and awkward not-quite-confident guys. So Holsum College was a great chance for me to write coming of age stories, again and again.
As for the series…I’m taking a break from Holsum College for a while to work on a longer book. I’m not 100% sure that My Fair Dork will be the last book, but it probably will.
My Fair Dork was the culmination of a lot of things in the series. It’s all innocence and fun and awkwardness, and honestly, I feel like it’s my strongest work to date. I adore My Fair Dork, and I feel like it’s great to end Holsum College on a high note.
Q: One of the heroes in My Fair Dork is particularly well endowed and feels socially awkward because of this. Where did the idea to have a “too well endowed” hero come from?
I watch a lot of gay-themes TV and movies, and one of my favorite shows is One Girl Five Gays. It’s a talk show in which a hostess interviews a group of young gay men in a 20 Questions style. In one episode a really sweet and endearing, and slightly nerdy, guy mentioned that his dong was too big. And the second I saw him blush and cover his face, I was like, “That is the Best. Story idea. Ever.”
Nerd. Giant penis. The conflict is right there. And when you think about it, all great tales are about a hero learning to use his tool/weapon. Luke Skywalker had to learn to use a light saber (and in order to do this he had to use The Force.) Harry Potter was chosen by a particularly problematic wand.
In Teen Wolf, Michael J. Fox was initially scared of his power to turn into a werewolf. And in How to Train Your Dragon…
Actually, I haven’t even seen that movie, but it’s right there in the name. How to Train Your Dragon. BOOM.
All these stories are about a hero harnessing and channeling his power. Why not cut out the metaphor and make it about a hero and his penis?
Q: You write male-male romance. What is it you like most about this genre?
I like that the characters come to the story with an equal amount of power. In a male-female romance, you always have an inherent power differential. And a lot of M/F romance amps that differential even higher, making the male uber, uber, uber powerful, and the heroine totally helpless.
But in male-male romance, both characters have the ability to hold the same social status. Power can be exchanged in both directions and I can let the characters tell me how they want to distribute power between them, rather than having it pre-destined by a set of societal rules.
Q: You write about men. What is it you like most about men…the real variety and the ones you write about? How much overlap do you think there is between real men and the fictional ones you write about?
I like tall, skinny geeks. I write about tall, skinny geeks. Not always, but often enough that my readers know I have a bit of a thing for nerds.
To be honest, I think the guys I write about are fairly realistic. A lot of my readers have commented on how my Holsum College characters seem like guys they may have known in college. In real life, I’ve never much gone for untouchable, over-confident, alpha-hole types. So I don’t write about those much.
My fictional heroes are general young, though. Way younger than it would be appropriate for a woman my age to date. So, there’s that.
Q: Was there one particular scene that was your favorite in My Fair Dork? Please tell us about that scene. What happens in the scene? Why is it an important scene in the book?
I love the opening scenes, because they really illustrate Howard’s awkwardness. I love physicality in writing (which is, of course, why I write erotic romance.) But it was so much fun to describe how it felt to move, and walk and talk when you are uncomfortable in your skin.
I also loved the flip-side of that scene, when Harold walks into the cafeteria post make-over and Owen’s jaw drops. That bit was less technically awesome, in terms of my experience writing it, but it fed that part of me that adores 80’s high school movies.
Who can resist that part of the movie when the ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan?
Q: Most writers know a lot of things about their characters that never make it into the book. What can you tell us about your characters that didn’t make it into the book?
Oh gosh, this is hard because I’m on to writing a new book now and I’m immersed in my new characters. Unfortunately, I’m not one to hold on to my brainstorming notes.
The one thing that stands out the most is Harold’s upbringing. I mentioned his parents’ divorce in the story, and how he never saw his dad. But there was a lot more in my thinking about Harold than I put in the story.
His mother really hated his father and that effected how Harold felt about his own masculinity. I hinted about this in the story, but never really got into it, because My Fair Dork is a lighthearted romantic comedy, and I didn’t want to dwell on sad things in Harold’s past.
Q: What can you tell us about your book that isn’t in the blurb?
That it’s freakin’ awesome!
Q: What has been the hardest scene you’ve ever written and why?
Oh, gosh. I’m not sure. Probably something from Player and the Prude (Men of Holsum College 4). My hero, Matt, came from a very conservative, religious background, and that was hard for me to channel as I wrote him. I tried to think of how it would feel to have grown up afraid of sex, and torn over my sexual desires. It was very hard. In the end, a lot of readers loved Matt. But he was tough to write.
Q: What aspect of writing do you find the most difficult?
It’s always a challenge for me to manage my energy levels. Some people push, push, push, but I’m the kind of person who can easily switch into overdrive while I’m working on a project, and burn myself out. I drafted My Fair Dork in 12 days, in a fit of deadline-induced obsession while my kids went to sleepaway camp.
And it was fun while it was going on, like being high on some kind of speed. But when it was over, I crashed hard. It was the end of the summer and I hadn’t seen my husband in ages… I was exhausted.
Now I’m trying to write something full length, in other words twice as long as My Fair Dork, and I’m struggling very hard to pace myself. I know I CAN write 5000 words a day, but I stop myself at 4000. I take breaks to brainstorm, revise, and outline. I can’t write every story in a blind fit of inspiration.
My kids would end up eating pizza every night. And that would be bad.
Q: What kind of writing do you find the most fun?
All of it! But I love it most when I make myself laugh.
Q: Where on the spectrum from sweet to erotic does your book fit? What do you see as the dividing lines between sweet, sensual and erotic?
If we’re talking My Fair Dork—It’s extremely sweet AND extremely erotic.
I dislike the sweet/sensual/erotic breakdown because I don’t think it fits my books. A reviewer once called my stories, “sweet, funny, and definitely sexy” and I think that sums them up perfectly. My sex scenes are graphic, but my characters are nice. Whatever BDSM I slip into is always pretty light.
Basically, I write nice guys having hot sex.
Now for some just for fun:
Q: On Pinterest are you a A.) Hoarder in disguise (you collect images of everything you like) B.) Minimalist (you only collect images that fit in with some project – my next book – a home remodeling project – etc) C.) you’re not on Pinterest.
C.
Q: On Twitter are you A.) The life of the party engaging with my friends and followers B.) Mostly a promoter – I use Twitter primarily to promote my books C.) Mostly a lurker. I follow a lot of people looking for useful information – some of which finds its way into my books.
Definitely A
Q: Did you read 50 Shades of Grey? Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between?
Didn’t read. I’m not much into M/F BDSM anymore. I used to love it, but it’s just not my thing anymore.
Q: What was the last book you read that you really loved – enough that you’d recommend it to someone else?
Oh, there are a few. But one I thought was brilliant actually was Jumbo by Todd Young, which was about a boy in high school who was extremely uncomfortable about his very small penis. It was also another place where I sort of got the idea for My Fair Dork.
For what it’s worth, Jumbo is free for Amazon Prime members.
Q: If you could go backwards or forwards in time and have dinner with anyone in history who would it be and why?
I’d probably have dinner alone. With a book.
Q: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert. Mostly. Unless I’m at a conference or on twitter, and then I’m an extrovert.
Q: Describe your ideal romantic getaway?
Somewhere without children.
Q: If you were to be stranded on a desert island with one of your characters which character and why?
That’s a tough one, because all my favorite characters are gay.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers about yourself, your books, your characters?
Nope. I think that covers it.
An Excerpt From My Fair Dork
“I was born in England. But I moved here when I was nine.” It had been too late to change Harold’s name to something more normal. But his mom seemed to think the move had been a good idea. She hated her ex-husband, Harold’s dad. And, apparently, she hadn’t been happy until there was an entire ocean between them.
“Wow. So you’re foreign? You don’t have an accent.” Owen sounded impressed, or maybe hopeful. Like Harold would pull out a smooth, James Bond burr and a tuxedo to match.
“I spoke with one when I first moved. But…” He shrugged. All the kids had made fun of how he talked when he started fourth grade. They thought he sounded posh. Some even said, “gay”. Harold didn’t know how an entire country—and all its former colonies—could be gay based on an accent. How would they make little baby Brits?
Of course, maybe the gay thing had bothered him more because at that age, he’d already realized he was.
“Too bad. Girls love a guy with an accent.”
Harold coughed, spraying a couple droplets of tea across his scone. He cleared his throat, trying to recover. “Don’t think we have to worry much about that.”
Owen paused his assault on his eggs and looked up. His blue bell eyes were wide and confused. “What? Why?”
It felt surprisingly good to know something Owen didn’t. But it was silly, really. Harold figured everyone knew. “I’m gay.”
“Oh.” Owen did a double take, and raked his eyes over Harold’s clothes once again.
Harold guessed that Owen had to re-arrange his opinion of Harold’s clothes now that he had to match them up with a different sexual preference.
“Wow. It’s worse than I thought.” Owen stabbed a sausage and bit off half.
“What?” Harold looked down at his shirt, wondering if he’d managed to spatter tea on himself during his sputtering. No. It was clean.
“Aren’t gay guys supposed to be all stylish and hip?” Owen smiled as he said it—making it sound like he was flirting, or at least teasing.
Harold frowned. “Of course. And we all have lisps, and tiny dogs we spoil.”
Owen’s forehead creased in the middle, as if he wasn’t sure whether Harold was joking. “Nah.” He ate the other half of his sausage, and then picked up another. “I know that’s not true.”
Good lord. Harold closed his eyes and pinched his lips together to stop himself from laughing. Owen was so…he didn’t even know how to describe it. It was an optimistic innocence Harold had heard about but never seen in real life. Maybe it was a Midwestern thing.
“This guy I knew from the football team, Tank, he’s gay. And he isn’t like that at all.” Owen thought about it for a moment, staring past Harold’s shoulder to look off into space. “Though I could see him with a dog.”
Harold wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or joking. But since Owen was so earnest most of the time, he guessed Tank guy was the kind to pamper a Chihuahua.
About Daisy Harris
Birkenstock-wearing glamour girl and mother of two by immaculate conception, Daisy Harris still isn’t sure if she writes erotica. Her romances start out innocently enough. However, her characters behave like complete sluts. Much to Miss Harris’s dismay the sex tends to get completely out of hand.
She writes about fantastical creatures and about young men getting their freak on, and she’s never missed an episode of The Walking Dead
Links:
My website:
www.thedaisyharris.com
Twitter:
@thedaisyharris
Siren Page:
http://www.bookstrand.com/daisy-harris
Book buy link:
http://www.bookstrand.com/my-fair-dork
