Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how this works for you...
Started off as traditionally published for 2 years then went Indie. I am a bit of a control freak and so Indie works really well for me. I like making all the decisions around covers and series and releases myself. It’s more work but even with trad publishers you have to do a lot of the promo yourself so I figured I may as well be keeping as much of the royalty cut as I can. It was a steep learning curve but I love it now.
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 mix. I loosely outline the general main plot points but then I let it flow as I write, only plotting out a chapter or so ahead. I change direction a lot as I write depending on how the characters develop so doing too detailed a plot is a waste of time for me.
Tell us about your first… published M/M fiction/romance
First Impressions was my first book and is the first in my hugely popular Auckland Med Series. It’s an enemies to lovers, alpha/alpha, hurt/comfort/humour, K9 cop/ER Dr, mm romantic suspense.
I learned a lot about writing and publishing with this book and it has been through a rewrite and repeat edit since it was first released. It is dear to my heart and did amazingly well for a debut book especially since it was set in New Zealand. It also introduced my most popular character who then got his own book in the second book in the series—Crossing the Touchline—ER Charge Nurse and kick arse diva, Cameron Wano. He is hands down, my readers’ and my own favourite character.
and then your most recent one.
On Board is the second in my Painted Bay series released Sept 2021, and which is set in a small seaside town in New Zealand. It is an enemies to lovers, bisexual awakening, redemptive mm romance about the grumpy brother of the lead mc in the first book of the series, Off Balance. I loved writing this story and letting readers find the soft center to a character that most had written off from the first book, and who some even actively disliked. It’s been a very successful book so I hope I pulled it off. It’s a huge love story with lots of feels.
Do you write full time or part-time?
I have been full-time since First Impressions was released.
Something people would be surprised to know about you
I’m an eclectic sports lover. I love rugby, bull-riding, showjumping, biathlon skiing, and curling lol
Which character still pops into your mind to visit from time to time?
Cameron Wano. When I wrote Crossing the Touchline, I wanted to write about the first out gay All Black (the hugely successful NZ national Rugby Team), a topic close to my heart. I hadn’t intended that book to be part of the Auckland Med series at all, it was going to be a standalone. And then Cameron popped up in First Impressions as the ballsy fem Charge Nurse of the ER and in my mind, he immediately just had to be Reuben’s nemesis. Big brawny rugby star meets makeup and lingerie wearing take no prisoners ER nurse who loves control in the bedroom–it just had to be.
Where do you write? Do you have a routine?
I work mostly in my study. I’m not a coffee shop or outside on my laptop person. I look after my back and hands, and those sorts of places aren’t good for RSI as you get older lol. I write mostly 6-7 hours a day six days a week.
What’s the hardest part about writing?
Making sure I get the feelings right. I write character driven contemporary romance and I’m known for my characters/stories being very lifelike or relatable. To that end I have very little wiggle room in my writing. I can’t have big unbelievable things happening, or too over the top or fantastical, or crazy chases, settings, or murders etc… . My stories are deeply set in the character’s personalities and a normalish everyday life, and therefore getting in their heads and making the readers believe in the reality of what is happening in the story and the romance and what they’re feeling is really important and hard to do.
Who’s your biggest supporter/cheerleader?
My husband and daughter. They don’t necessarily read every book but they are there for me every time, giving me time and support and believing in me, and telling their friends about what I do proudly.
What made you decide M/M romance was the genre you wanted to write? Do you write other genres?
I had some poetry published in my twenties and wrote a couple of thriller books in my thirties that never went anywhere. Then I did other things. I never even read a romance book until I was fifty. Then I stumbled into mm mostly because I am bi myself and was looking for LGBTQ romance, and I read Abigail Roux’s Cut and Run. That was it, I was hooked and started writing my first mm book within the year.
Where do you find inspiration?
I don’t have to go past my head. I have a vivid imagination and more stories in there than I could write in a lifetime.
What do you do if you hit a wall while writing? How do you combat writer’s block?
I don’t really get writer’s block. I have books that I struggle getting right but I always just keep writing. Go into the study no matter what I feel like and get words down. I might throw them out the next day but I keep writing, and usually a day or so after I’m struggling with something it will come clear in my head. Walking is good for ironing out plot issues for me.
What is your favorite thing about writing M/M romance?
I get to live romance every day, work on relationships, and work towards happy endings, and all from the comfort of my home. It’s the best job in the world!
How can we connect with you?
My Facebook Readers’ Group Hogan’s Hangout
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hoganshangout
https://jayhoganauthor.contactin.bio/
Website: http://www.jayhoganauthor.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayHogan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17632551.Jay_Hogan
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jayhoganauthor/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jayhoganauthor
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jay-hogan
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