Can you believe it’s February already? Wow is this year going fast.
It’s almost time for Valentine’s Day… and what better way to celebrate the lover’s holiday than with a good romance book?
I’ve been a fan of TA Chase almost as long as I’ve been reading M/M Romance. Today I want to share with you his contemporary story Finding Love.
HERO 1 - Tim Gapin: small town boy with a deep soul. After his heart gets tramped on by his high school love, Tim leaves town – never imagining that he’ll find himself in a little out-of-the-way diner.
HERO 2 – Bernard Capley: cross-country trucker/artist who knows that life is too short. Losing a loved one hasn’t made Bernie a recluse; in fact, it’s taught him to take life by the horns. Definitely a stand-by-his-man kind of guy. And who wouldn’t love that?
STORY – Leaving Minnesota, Timothy Gapin doesn’t have any plans except getting as far away from all the memories as he can before his money runs out. His secret lover has married, breaking his heart and making him chose a life in the open rather than a relationship built on lies.
Little does Tim know that four days later he would grab dinner at a diner and find a place to stop. Somehow this diner in the middle of nowhere becomes his home and the people who work there his family. In addition to the workers at the diner, Tim meets Bernie Capley, a long-haul trucker who isn’t all he seems to be.
Falling in love with Bernie is easy for Tim, but the past has a way of barging into the present, forcing decisions that affect their future…
MY OPINION - Absolutely worth buying. Tim is a vulnerable yet strong hero that everyone wishes they could emulate. Being brave enough to walk away from everything to remain true to himself, Tim finds what he’s been searching for in Bernie. Learning that he can exist without his closeted ex-lover (who has a serious issue with Daddy) is the first of Tim’s revelations. Learning that love comes when you’re not looking is the last.
Bernie has learned that life is too short to miss the golden opportunities. When he falls for Tim, he never wavers in his resolve to help and support him while he works through insecurities and ex-lover issues. The moment of truth is when Tim’s uncle falls ill and Bernie takes the reins to help Tim focus and make it through whole. A positively great feel-good read about two men falling in love for keeps that I couldn’t put down once I opened the cover. I highly recommend Finding Love and TA Chase.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW with TA Chase
TA Chase is an absolutely wonderful writer that we all want to know more about! So, here ya go -
Where do you hail from?
The marvelous Mid-West.
How long have you been writing?
hmmm…well, I’ve been published since 2006
What genre to you write in?
M/M romance and all sub-genres therein.
How many books have you written?
So far, I have twenty-three books published with another ten on the way so far in 2010. I bow to your excellence. Ten books? Wow. Congrats on that!
Which is your favorite?
Gosh, it’s like asking a father which child is his favorite. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be Angel’s Evolution. So much emotion and growth in that story.
What is your latest (and where can they get it)?
My latest is With This Ring and it’s available at Samhain. But I have one coming out on Feb. 7th, Soothe the Burn, which will be available at Amber Allure.
Is there a character you identify more closely with yourself than the others?
I think each one of my characters has a little bit of me in them, but again, I’d have to pick Angel from Angel’s Evolution. He starts out the story believing he’s a monster and by the end of it, he realizes he’s just a man who can be loved for who he is. And I think everyone has those thoughts at least once in their life.
What are 3 things that we don’t know about you?
1. I always check under my bed before I turn off the lights and climb into bed for the night. (never know what might be hiding under there…lol).
2. I have a low tolerance for boredom.
3. I don’t mind watching fishing shows. I find them oddly relaxing. Well, everyone has a flaw… *grin*
What would you say is your quirkiest writing habit?
I tend to write the ending of my story first or within the first few days of starting a new story. While I don’t plot anything out, I like having an idea of where my guys are headed. Admittedly, sometimes I have to re-work the ending to fit what happens in the middle. 
Where do your story ideas come from?
Every day life. I get ideas from songs, movies, TV shows. Or scenes I view while I’m at a bar or standing in line at the grocery store. Living life is the best story generator I’ve ever seen. I completely agree.
What do you think makes a good story?
Two characters the reader can relate to. If the reader doesn’t feel like he/she can invite at least one of the characters in for coffee, then the author has done something wrong. Of course, you want the overall story to be entertaining, but for me, as long as the characters are compelling enough, the story can be about anything.
What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned while writing a story?
Most surprising thing I’ve learned…I learn something surprising in each story. I never go in knowing everything about my characters. I let them tell me their backgrounds as I write, so in a way, I’m learning things like the reader does. I can’t pick just one thing I’ve learned.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? How about an author?
I’ve always considered myself a writer, even when I wasn’t published. When No Going Home came out was the first time I considered myself an author.
Any advice for other writers?
My advice is the same most writers would give: Read. Write. Read. You need to read books in the genres you’re thinking about writing in. Keep writing because no one’s book is perfect the first time. Even seasoned veterans of the writing world can learn and evolve their writing. Also, research the market. Make sure the publisher you’re planning on sending your story to is the right one for that story. Some publishers prefer publishing certain types of stories. If yours doesn’t fit, you won’t even get them to look at it. Just be smart.
Thank you so much for stopping by for this interview, TA! It has truly been a pleasure.
Also, make sure you make your way over to TA Chase’s blog, No Boundaries, where you can see all the updates and beautiful man-candy. He also has a fabulous story, Bastet, that is specifically for his blog readers. Great story that you’ll be reading it as he writes it (posts segments on Tues/Thurs). *grin*
1. Name ?
T.A. Chase
2. Where do you hail from?
The marvelous Mid-West.
3. How long have you been writing?
hmmm…well, I’ve been published since 2006
4. What genre to you write in?
m/m romance and all sub-genres therein.
Not so quickies:
5. How many books have you written?
So far, I have twenty-three books published with another ten on the way so far in 2010.
6. Which is your favorite?
Gosh, it’s like asking a father which child is his favorite. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be Angel’s Evolution. So much emotion and growth in that story.
7. What is your latest (and where can they get it)?
My latest is With This Ring and it’s available at Samhain. But I have one coming out on Feb. 7th, Soothe the Burn, which will be available at Amber Allure.
8. Is there a character you identify more closely with yourself than the others?
I think each one of my characters has a little bit of me in them, but again, I’d have to pick Angel from Angel’s Evolution. He starts out the story believing he’s a monster and by the end of it, he realizes he’s just a man who can be loved for who he is. And I think everyone has those thoughts at least once in their life.
9. What are 3 things that we don’t know about you?
I always check under my bed before I turn off the lights and climb into bed for the night. (never know what might be hiding under there…lol). I have a low tolerance for boredom. I don’t mind watching fishing shows. I find them oddly relaxing.
10. What would you say is your quirkiest writing habit?
I tend to write the ending of my story first or within the first few days of starting a new story. While I don’t plot anything out, I like having an idea of where my guys are headed. Admittedly, sometimes I have to re-work the ending to fit what happens in the middle.
11. Where do your story ideas come from?
Every day life. I get ideas from songs, movies, TV shows. Or scenes I view while I’m at a bar or standing in line at the grocery store. Living life is the best story generator I’ve ever seen.
12. What do you think makes a good story?
Two characters the reader can relate to. If the reader doesn’t feel like he/she can invite at least one of the characters in for coffee, then the author has done something wrong. Of course, you want the overall story to be entertaining, but for me, as long as the characters are compelling enough, the story can be about anything.
13. What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned while writing a story?
Most surprising thing I’ve learned…I learn something surprising in each story. I never go in knowing everything about my characters. I let them tell me their backgrounds as I write, so in a way, I’m learning things like the reader does. I can’t pick just one thing I’ve learned.
14. When did you first consider yourself a writer? How about an author?
I’ve always considered myself a writer, even when I wasn’t published. When No Going Home came out was the first time I considered myself an author.
15. Any advice for other writers?
My advice is the same most writers would give: Read. Write. Read. You need to read books in the genres you’re thinking about writing in. Keep writing because no one’s book is perfect the first time. Even seasoned veterans of the writing world can learn and evolve their writing. Also, research the market. Make sure the publisher you’re planning on sending your story to is the right one for that story. Some publishers prefer publishing certain types of stories. If yours doesn’t fit, you won’t even get them to look at it. Just be smart.
Yep, that’s me. As you can see, I’ve been a reader a long time. My mom and four older siblings read to me until I learned to do it myself. Then my mom, being the absolute best, signed me up for any reading program we could find while I was growing up.
