Guest author WT Prater

Am delighted to have WT Prater here today, being interrogated. Another one of those nice people you meet via Facebook!

So, William...

What inspired you to start writing? I have written since I was a kid, I have always been a huge admirer of those able to manipulate reality by creating others. During my teen years, I focused on angst-y poetry. And then I stopped all together, because I didn’t figure anyone was interested. I didn’t start focusing on the craft again until about two years ago, when a friend introduced me to GayRomLit  and an entirely new “genre” that I didn’t know existed. And after going to that retreat, I felt I had enough support and believe in myself that I could make it as a writer.( Read more... )

Do you have another job (paid or otherwise) apart from being an author? If so, how do you juggle your time? My wife is awesome and allows me to focus on my career as a writer.

What does it feel like watching your first book fledge and leave the nest? Well, I don’t know yet. All four of the stories I’ve published have been in anthologies. It’s a safety net, working to get my name and my writing out there. But I have several works ready to be born as solo projects, hopefully by the end of the year. Damn you, procrastination. LOL

Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent? A little of both. I try to figure out theme and plot at the same time, but ultimately, the characters take over and sometimes they hold true. But sometimes. . . Amuck, amuck, amuck.

If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why? Right now, I am totally in love with Kurt, one of the characters from Exercising His Options. But a big part of that is that I’m writing his backstory right now. And as he reveals more to me, I fall more in love with him.

If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write? One that would allow me to hit mainstream, and help M/M become “the norm”, or at least help GLBT books, characters, and authors get a larger audience.

Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish? There are so many. My personal opinion is that while some “great lit” is very picturesque, most of it would never have been published if it were written now. I am not a book snob, and I don’t relate books to how many millions have read them, but rather, how they impact me.

What’s your favourite gay romance/other genre book? And why?  The Little Boy Lost series by J P Barnaby holds a special place for me because it started me on the journey into epic M/M land. But there are way too many books and authors that I adore to go much beyond that.

What's your next project? I am working on the follow up, which is a prequel, to Exercising His Options. I also have another story coming out soon called The Missing Pieces, which I am working on a follow up to. And then I plan to work on Echo and Reckless’s story, which I hope will be my first novel. Fingers and toes crossed.

Exercising His Options

When Enver Mann started jogging every morning, it was at his wife’s provocation. After a year, he’s still at it, but now it’s his choice. Little does he know, that choice may open up a whole world to him. While jogging one day, he happens upon two men having sex, and for the first time he wants that. The man with the red hair and the incredible ass. And while his mind might second guess him, his wife doesn’t. When she instigates their encounter, Enver knows he will never look at life, or sex, the same way again.