Today’s interview is with Troy D. (tdaulton) who writes under the pseudonym Ethan Stone.  He currently has two full-length novels In The Flesh and Flesh and Blood as well as two short story eBooks published through Dreamspinner Press.  He has two additional full length novels in the cue: a paranormal novel, Wolf Moon, due out in May and Blood and Tears due out in late summer 2011.  He is also a volunteer Book Image and Book Data Approver for PBS.

A very special Thank You to Mary (kilchurn) for doing this interview with Ethan Stone for the PBS Blog!

Mary:  How did you come up with your signature character, Cristian Flesh?

ES: Cristian Flesh started in my head with just his last name. With just that I pictured a very visceral man who put a lot of importance in sex. When I decided on the name Cristian, I pictured him more clearly. I could see the shaved head, the man-scaped body and his cool, aloof demeanor. I saw him as a macho, tough guy who everybody would imagine as a sexual top, when in fact he was a total bottom. The rest of his personality came to me shortly after that.

Mary: What qualities (if any) does he share with you?

ES: Like me, when Cristian loves a man, he loves totally and completely. Insecurity is also something Cristian and I share. Cristian may not come off as insecure, but he is. He wonders why Colby would love him and is always waiting for something bad to happen and for it all tobe over.

Mary: Will we see Cristian in future books or are you heading in a different direction?

ES: In the Flesh and Flesh & Blood were both stories that were in my head almost from the beginning. Cristian plays a supporting role in Blood and Tears, which is due out in July or August. As for beyond that, I don’t have any concrete plans. I have some brewing ideas, but I’m not sure if they’ll ever come to fruition. But I’m definitely not saying never.

Mary: Why write male/male gay fiction?

ES: Why not? I’ve always liked to write. For years I wrote my own personal soap opera. Many years ago I wrote a novel that would be considered a mainstream novel, but I’m not sure how good it is. After I accepted my homosexuality the only ideas I ever had involved gay men and I just didn’t think there would ever be an audience for that sort of thing. I was thrilled, ecstatic, and very excited when I discovered the m/m genre. The short answer for the question is that I write m/m fiction because the voices in my head are gay men in love with each other.

Mary: Which is easier for you to write; the dialogue, the sex scenes or the background /transitions?

ES: Definitely not the sex scenes, those are very easy to write. Too easy, actually.  I eliminated about three sex scenes from In the Flesh after the first draft because they just weren’t needed.  When I start a book it is often the dialogue, but once I get a strong handle on the characters the dialogue become easy.

Mary: You have a paranormal book coming out in May.  What can your readers expect?

ES: I think Wolf Moon is a departure from the Cristian Flesh books. I wrote it before Flesh & Blood, but Dreamspinner Press chose to publish it as my third book. Wolf Moon is about Jack Coleman who falls in love for the first time only to discover that both him and the man he loves are werewolves.

Mary: Do you think you’ll ever write a novel based on or in relation to your real-life job?

ES: Working at a prison I do get a lot of ideas for books. It could be a non-fiction book but a lot of readers wouldn’t find it believable. As far as fiction, I do have ideas but they’re in conflict with my personal convictions. For instance, I have an idea about a guard and an inmate falling in love. But that is something that is obviously forbidden. As far as inmates in love, it would be absolutely necessary for me to make it as realistic as possible. The couple prison stories I have read seem to get things wrong, like the use of condoms. Inmates don’t have access to condoms, because sex between inmates is not allowed. Not even consensual sex between inmates. So if the characters are going to use condoms there should be an explanation of how they got them. Otherwise, they’d have to go without condoms or use something else, such as rubber gloves.

Mary: What books are in your immediate TBR pile (ie: that you want to read RIGHT NOW?)

ES: Man and Wolf by Kate Roman. Final Encore by Scotty Cade. Heaven Sent by Jet Mykles. Moth and Flames by John Morgan Wilson.

Mary: Do you have an “auto-buy” author, meaning is there an author that you love so much that you buy their book on the day it is released?

ES: Marie Sexton is an absolute favorite of mine, but I also love John Simpson, J.L. Langley,  Joely Skye, K.A. Mitchell, T.A. Chase and Josh Lanyon.

Mary: What one book on your WL do you desperately wish someone would post?

ES:  I can only pick one? Mahu Blood by Neil S. Plakcy. I absolutely love that series.

Mary: You’ve been an active member of PBS for a while.  How did you hear about us?

ES:  I was in a waiting room and an article mentioned the best online sites for trading. I made a list of the sites, one of which was PBS. I don’t remember what those other sites are now, but I’m still here.

Mary: If you could change one thing about our site what would it be?

ES: I would love to be able to have more than 200 books on my wish list. But I’m not sure 500 would be enough for me.

Mary: What is one thing you’d like your readers to know about you that they may not know?

ES: I don’t wear underwear.

Comment on the Interview! One lucky winner will get a signed copy of Flesh and Blood! The winners will be chosen at random from the comments and we will announce the winners soon!

Tags: Authors, Book Recommendations, Book Suggestions

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