Ten Things about Allison Temple - An Author Interview

One of the most fun things about meeting new people is finding out that there's hope that someday post COVID we might actually be able to meet up for interviews IRL, and today's guest is one person who might just be able to meet me because we're in the same general area!  Please welcome Allison Tempe to the hot seat - let's see what we learn about her today:


Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how this works for you…
My first book was traditionally published...and then it all went sideways quickly, so now I publish indie. I don’t think one is totally better than the other, but I’m not a very patient person and waiting on traditional publishing schedules is painful, so I’m happy to publish books when it works for me.

Plot or Pants? Do you pre-plot your books, use an outline, fly by the seat of your pants or some combination of things? How do you keep track of characters in a series? Do you keep a journal of your characters’ statistics, such as hair and eye color, relatives, hometown, etc.
I know how to plot...I just don’t do it. I write very linearly, and my first draft is usually finding out what the book is about and what is driving the characters. I have an amazing copy editor who makes great character and plot bibles, which helps me remember things like secondary character names and what chapter the first kiss is in.

Tell us about your first… published M/M fiction/romance
My first MM romance was The Pick Up. A goofy single dad goes back to his hometown with his six-year-old daughter in tow and winds up falling for his daughter’s hot but grumpy teacher. Definitely the start of my brand in adorkable romances.

and then your most recent one..
Up North! A movie star hiding from scandal hides out at a luxury resort in Alaska where he meets a gruff fishing guide who has never heard of him. Slow burn with a variety of bears--both human and animal!

Do you write full time or part-time?
Is partly full-time a thing? I write a lot, but also work freelance as a copywriter and podcast producer.

What is the funniest scene you’ve written?
Probably the burning sweet potato at the start of Hot Potato. It’s essentially a true story with the names changed to protect the innocent.

It’s me. I’m the innocent and this is how I managed to incinerate a root vegetable.

Either that or pretty much all of Boyfriend With Benefits. I wrote that one with my tongue buried so deeply in my cheek that sometimes I think it’s verging on romantic satire instead of an actual romance.

Who’s your biggest supporter/cheerleader?
My friend Ana. We met in a writing workshop in 2016. The workshop itself wasn’t amazing, but we like to joke we spent $500 to meet our best friend. They read all my first drafts, usually as I write, and they’re the person to talk me through my inevitable crisis of confidence when I’m sure the book sucks and I’ll never write again.

What made you decide M/M romance was the genre you wanted to write? Do you write other genres?
It was what I was reading at the time I started writing seriously again as an adult. The first MM romances I read were by authors like Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton and I loved that there was a romance genre that let me play with things like gender and gender roles.

I also write as Alli Temple. The focus for that pen name is more fantasy than romance, and includes different romantic pairings, instead of only MM. My first release as Alli was Uncharted, which I originally called “The Princess Bride but with lesbians”. Lots of adventure and pining and kickass pirates of all genders. The sequel is coming in 2022!


What do your friends and family think of what you write; do they know?
Sure do! I’m lucky that my family is super supportive and I live in a place and a community where I can talk about my books openly.

Sometimes they’re a little too supportive though. My dad read my first book, The Pick Up, when it came out. His only comment was that he found it confusing that Kyle and Adam both had names with four letters in them, so it was hard to keep them straight. We’ve never spoken about it since then, which is probably for the best. There are some things I don’t need to know that my dad knows about. But I always make sure my characters have names with a different number of letters in them, just in case he ever feels like reading one of my books again.
What is your favorite thing about writing M/M romance?
Covers! Lol. I’m probably supposed to say something about the actual writing part, right? But Cate Ashwood has done all my indie covers so far and getting a new cover in my email is honestly my favourite part forever and ever and ever. Sometimes I grind through the last 10,000 words of a draft just so I can email Cate and get her started on my next cover.

How can we connect with you?
Lots of places!

Facebook reader group: facebook.com/groups/allisonsalist

Newsletter: allisontemple.com/newsletter (new subscribers get a free short story)

Bookbub: For MM romances by Allison Temple - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/allison-temple

For queer fantasy by Alli Temple - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alli-temple

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