Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how this works for you...
I’m all Indie. When I started in 2018 I had no clue what I was doing, but I’ve been lucky enough to have some great friends who have helped, but I’m still trying to figure out self-publishing.
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 am a total Pantser. I come up with an idea and just roll with it. I’ve tried using an outline but then I think of another way the story could go and the outline goes out the window. I find it too stifling to try to stay with a plan I came up with before it was written. I have lots of journals I keep notes in, but mostly it’s character details.
Tell us about your first… published M/M fiction/romance
My first was Better Together. I had the idea for this book when families were being separated, and parents were teaching their older kids how to take care of the banking and, well, the whole household. Then I had the idea of one family who is separated and the older son is trying to take care of his two younger siblings like his parents did, and another teen who is thrown out by his family, and is found by the first MC. So in many ways they’re opposites, but together they are unstoppable.
and then your most recent one..
Remember When is based loosely on the small town I grew up in. One MC, Andy,left his hometown to get the job he’d always wanted, while the other MC, Link, stayed there working on the family farm, which is what makes him happy. It starts on the night before Thanksgiving, which was always the night when everyone goes back home and ends up at the local bar sharing stories from school. I wanted them both to slowly realize how little they actually know about the person they’ve known most of their lives. It was a lot of fun to write.
Do you write full time or part-time?
The hours I put into writing are full time, but I still work as a hairstylist too, and even though I want to cut back on hours my clients aren’t listening LOL.
If you could invite 4 people (real or fictional, living or dead) to a dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve?
NR Walker, Anita Ford, Jimbo (Ghost Hunted), and Rio (Better Together) I’d serve Mexican food because it's my favorite. We’d talk about ghosts which Rio would find interesting, Nic would hate, and Jimbo would wholeheartedly agree with her. Anita would find it all very amusing LOL.
Something people would be surprised to know about you..
I’m still addicted to all things Twilight. I have a huge collection of memorabilia and several copies of the series. I even made myself and two friends Twilight scrapbooks.
Which character still pops into your mind to visit from time to time?
There’s two, Wade and Jason. I watch a lot of reality paranormal shows and I always imagine which ones they would love to investigate.
Where do you write? Do you have a routine?
I converted my dining room to an office, so I write there. I don’t have a routine, pretty much any time I’m not busy with something else I spend writing.
What are your writing goals for the next year? The future?
I have a list of ideas that I’ll start working through before I add more. I’d like to get started on a new series I have planned in the Stone Series universe. I want to write full time, and be able to go to a few book conventions.
What’s the hardest part about writing M/M romance or erotica?
I want my characters to feel like people you’d meet and want to talk to, so for me the hard part is making them seem real. The hardest part is taking a character I really like, and putting them in a situation where they have to go through something hard in order to come out on the other side.
What else do you want us to know about you?
I’m a regular person, from a small town in northern California who loves to talk to people and find out their story. People fascinate me.
What is the funniest scene you’ve written?
The drinking scene with Kace and Striker in Ride. Kace is convinced he’s dying from a hangover. This may be based on actual events.
What’s the hardest part about writing?
Finding the time. If I could just write I’d love it, but I’d rather avoid edits, and all the business side of it.
Who’s your biggest supporter/cheerleader?
Two people, my friends Nic and Anita, both have been so supportive and very encouraging.
What made you decide M/M romance was the genre you wanted to write? Do you write other genres?
I have only read M/M since 2012. I really got into Twilight fanfiction, and went from Edward and Bella to Edward and Jasper, and never looked back. I write all MM characters, but I’ve written Paranormal, Sci-fi, Historical, Urban Fantasy, YA, and Contemporary.
Where do you find inspiration? I think I have a crazy imagination, I have always looked at either a situation or a person and wondered what if...
What do you do if you hit a wall while writing? How do you combat writer’s block? So far I haven’t had this issue. If writing is hard I’ll do the admin stuff I put off, and watch something that puts me in the mood to write. Editing is the thing I like to put off.
What do your friends and family think of what you write; do they know?
They all know, everyone I know in my life knows. They’re all very supportive, and some have read my books.
What is your favorite thing about writing M/M romance?
I just love two men trying to work things out. All my life I read books about a man and a woman, so this change was interesting and fun for me. It puts a unique layer to a story and hopefully it helps readers look at MM books as something to add to their reading list.
How can we connect with you?
Here’s all my links. I’m in my Facebook group all the time, and you can email whenever you want. https://smart.bio/blmaxwellwriter/
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