This month on Tell All Tuesday we have my good friend and first time published author Kayla Jameth! Kayla writes erotic m/m romance – and inspires others with the sexy pics she frequently posts on Facebook (cup of Joe, anyone?).
Tell us a little about yourself, Kayla.
Let’s see… I’m a country girl who somehow found herself in Houston, Texas. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy and hung out with guys more than girls. I’ve done all kinds of things from cross-stitch and costuming to welding and making maple syrup. What can I say? I have rather eclectic interests.
My interest in m/m started when I saw my first m/m kiss on the anime Yami no Matsuei/Descendants of Darkness. I was instantly hooked. I found a friend with similar interests who told me to read “Without Reservations.” The rest is history.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for a little over a year now. I’m still very new to all of this, although I hope to change that!
Do you write exclusively erotic romance?
So far m/m romance/erotica is the only genre I’m writing. But that doesn’t preclude other genres.
What inspires your stories?
The first story was inspired by a desire to find some good Samurai Champloo slash. I had read some fanfiction and was disappointed by the author’s use of the characters’ names, but nothing else from the anime. So I commented to a friend that I could do better. She insisted that I prove it. After another friend read my slash, she pointed out an m/m fairy tale anthology. I came up with what I felt was a plausible Cinder-garcon. All my subsequent original works have been based off of intriguing photos. I like to look at them and puzzle out how the characters got to that point. It works well for me.
I’ve read both of those stories and really enjoyed them! I’ve always been proud to be one of Cinder’s fairy godmothers! How do you choose a publisher? Who are your current publishers?
My current and only publisher is Breathless Press. I didn’t so much choose as was chosen. The owner read one of my works I had posted on a site and offered me a home. I asked you and DC Juris about the publisher and heard such good things that I accepted.
What is your latest release?
My m/m/m short story “Legends” is in the Breathless Press anthology Ad-dick-tion. It is my first published story, although I have two current works in progress. The first one, “Alexios’ Fate,” I will be submitting to Breathless Press as soon as I get it back from my betas. The other, “Controlled Fall,” is going to be in the Goodreads m/m group’s anthology Hot July Days. The free read will be available for download on the Goodreads website in July.
Here’s a blurb for LEGENDS:
Austin feels plain and maybe even a bit unattractive, seemingly unable to choose the right clothing and his hair a disaster. While Jack is always perfect. Sometimes this makes Austin feel unsure of himself and Jack's affection.
Austin's lover, Jack, is assertive and at times a bit domineering, especially in bed. This tendency in Jack, leaves Austin free to explore some aspects of his sexuality new to him. But how would he feel about sharing Jack with another man?
Intent to find out and in the process give Jack a magical evening, Austin arranges to celebrate Jack's birthday at the new concept restaurant Legends. He has heard a lot about what to expect of this exclusive establishment, but will Legends be everything that he hopes for?
What is your writing process like? How long does it take you to finish a story from beginning to end?
I’m what’s called a pantser. I only have the vaguest idea of an outline. I know how it starts and ends. I even know some of the stops along the way, but I just usually let the boys tell me what they want. I often find myself going off in a different direction than I had originally envisioned, but the story tends to have more depth when I do that.
How long it takes me to write something depends on what I am writing. The original Samurai Champloo slash I wrote only took me 4-8 hours to write a 2.5-3K chapter. Cinder wanted to be written so the first part flew onto the paper and when I slept and came back to it later took days to write the second half.
My last two works also flew onto the paper. It took me about a week to write “Alexios’ Fate.” But with beta reading, rewriting and another round of beta reading, it will likely take a month to get this one ready to sub.
Then of course, there is “Morning Star.” I don’t know how long I have been working on that one. I haven’t done anything with it in months.
Is writing your full-time job? If not, how and when do you find time to write?
I, like many other authors, have the Evil Day Job. Well, I must admit the job isn’t really evil. I actually like being a veterinarian. I do my writing on weekends and after the kids go to bed.
Do you have other published works? Please tell us about them!
I don’t have anything else published at this time, but I intend to see that change. Look for the Goodreads anthology and hopefully “Alexios’ Fate.”
How do you market your work?
At this point, I don’t have a marketing strategy. My first story has just released and I am getting an author’s page set up on Amazon.com and Goodreads, but have to wait until they verify I am in the anthology. I am considering a blog. Under pressure from a slash fan, I would likely put “Infinite Infatuation,” my Samurai Champloo slash, on the blog as a free read.
What do you love most about writing?
Good question. I think I like puzzling out how the people in the photo got to where they are in a plausible fashion. I hate the “because I need it to be that way for this story to work” angle. I also like all the research. I love finding out new and interesting things. Sometimes I get so into the research I don’t get much writing done. I will research something that I may only mention once. Like the hinges for my ancient Greek piece. They only appeared in one sentence, but I didn’t want that to be the thing that threw the reader out of the story. Yes, they had hinges long before the story took place.
Who are some of your favorite authors and books?
In the m/m genre, J.L. Langley’s Without Reservations was the first m/m story I read. I loved it and anything else she writes.
K.A. Mitchell, T.A. Chase, Joely Skye, Drew Zachary, Ally Blue and Jet Mykles are at the top. I also like a certain author’s Outlaw series…
In the fantasy/science fiction CJ Cherryh is my all time favorite. No one else can do such a good job of creating an alien world. If I ever get half as good as she is, I will have arrived.
Andre Norton, Dave Duncan, JRR Tolkien, Patricia McKillip, and numerous others. I even like reading Shakespeare and Homer. Pretty much anything that’s good.
My author page on FB
here.
My author page on Goodreads
here.
I hope to have my Amazon.com author’s page up soon.
Kayla has agreed to giveaway a copy of the Ad-dick-tion anthology to a lucky commenter! Be sure to include your contact information so that Kayla knows where to find you :)
Mahalo for stopping by Kayla! I know I’m looking forward to reading more of your upcoming works!!
