Thursday, May 23, 2013

Interview with AJ Kelton




Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself?

Jordan: Well, I live in the middle of the US and have been writing for what feels like forever. When I was in high school I used to write and submit short stories but never got them published. When I went to college writing got put on hold then life really just happened. A few years ago I started writing again. Faelon is the first book we had contracted, the second to come out.

When I’m not writing I like to travel. I love New England but New Orleans does have a special place in my heart. I’m a huge fan of amusement parks all though at times I mutter I’m too old for this after I get off a thrill ride.

I’m an avid reader but I try not to read while writing because I don’t want to be influenced by what I’m reading. I love pen paling, there is nothing like getting a letter in the mail from someone halfway around the world. You learn so much about a person through a letter because they write their thoughts and desires on the paper, something they often never voice out loud.

Angel: I’ve been writing since I was about 12, but have been creating worlds in my head since I was about 8. I love the whole aspect of being able to create characters and places that I can make as fantastical or emotional as I want and not have to worry about what other people think. Now though, I am so proud to be publishing and it is wonderful to see that there are people out there who not only like my stories, but also the way I tell them.

I currently live near Beaumont, Texas with my 2 dogs, Daisy a beagle and Bonita a Chihuahua. I work full time and in my spare time I like going to concerts and taking little day trips to go see whatever we find interesting around the area.

 Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?

 Jordan: I think I’d say Jax is closest to me. I wrote Faelon as the kind of guy that I want and I wrote Jax as me. I’d love to walk on the wild side but that dang moral upbringing I have keep me from acting on the desires I have. I’ve got the same love for Salem that Jax has.
Evan is a close second though, I understand what it’s like to love someone and never be seen as more than a friend.

Angel: I actually give my female characters red curly hair, which I have, and I do have a tendency to make them not a size ‘small’… But that is about as far as I go with my characteristics. I do give them some characteristics that friends or family members have that have stuck out with me and have just felt ‘right’ for the character.

Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?

Jordan: I think it is a toss-up between Faelon and Ethan. I think the hardest thing about writing them was they are both strong people in their own right but they have this vulnerability about them. It was really hard to find a happy medium. I didn’t want either man to come across as a submissive push over but on the other hand if I made them to strong willed then I risked them becoming the dominate one in the relationship. Each man had to be able to take care of themselves yet at the same time show they needed someone.

Angel: For me I think it would have to be Jack or Marco. It is hard for me to put myself in his position of being ‘above everyone’. While writing it or reading it, I am smacking the crap out of him to treat people better and not to get so high and mighty. They are that way for a reason, having either been raised with a silver spoon in their mouth, or they have been brought up with a mentality of, ‘the servants are beneath us’.

As with Jack, it doesn’t mean that he can’t change his way of thinking, it’s just that he doesn’t need to until he ‘has’ to.

Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?

Jordan: You know they all have been fun. Sham and Shay are just a bundle of energy. They have this sweet innocence about them, yet they are also very sexual. Faelon is fun because he is just so kinky. He has a weakness and strength about him. Christian is another just because I think if crossed he could be a force to be reckoned with. He is a cupid so people see him as being this person who always wants what’s best for his couple but Christian has his own agenda and it usually involves him getting plenty of pleasure on his own.

Angel: I think my favorite to write has been Evan and Ethan. They have all been fun and challenging, but Ethan had an innocence and vulnerability about him that just made me want to keep him safe from the world. With Evan, well he’s the bad boy rocker that I think everyone would love to be able to control and make do their bidding. Book 2 of the Marco Trilogy, we are going to get to see more of Evan, but we will get to explore his vulnerability side under that hard rock exterior.


Do you write in different genres?

Jordan: Yes we write in both contemporary and paranormal romance as AJ Kelton. As Rider Jacobs I am working more along the lines of a Gothic thriller and Fantasy.

Angel: Yes, As Angel Rothamel I write fantasy, contemporary, my current series is about a group of SEALs who have moved to a small town in Colorado. I also write gay and straight as Angel Rothamel.

Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?

Jordan: I think paranormal is actually the harder one to write. People love a good paranormal romance and many of the reader have a ‘been there read that’ attitude. The object is to come up with something that hasn’t been done a lot and tell it in a way that the reader hasn’t read before.

Angel: It’s difficult in the aspect of keeping it fresh! I’ve read a lot of stories over the years and I have actually come to make it a goal to take a new, different, or surprising approach to the books I write. I like to have the whole ‘wtf I didn’t see that one coming’ reaction to the stories.

When did you consider yourself a writer?

Jordan: When I signed the first contract. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t been paid yet, I could tell people I signed my first contract and was now a writer with an actual publishing company.

Angel: I’ve considered myself a writer since I was young, but it was only a hobby. Now though, since signing that first contract, it has become real. It’s no longer a hobby but something that while we aren’t making a ton of money at, I can say… “Hey, I’ve accomplished one of my dreams! I am a success!”

What are your guilty pleasures in life?

Jordan: Oh there are so many. Reading those books you find under the taboo section is one of the big guilty pleasures. I have read some really great Indie author’s whose books have pushed the limit of good taste and conventionality. Cheesecake is another way to my heart. There are foods I just don’t like but put it in the form of a cheesecake and I’m willing to give it a try. Going to the movies and getting a large tub of popcorn with double butter is another.

Angel: Oh what to name, what to name… Picture taking, reading, taking a drive. Computer games are also a guilty pleasure of mine, I love Big Fish Games and have tried to master the time management games!

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?

Jordan: What are my passions in life? You know I always try to take time for my fan’s, that is one thing that is important to me. If someone took the time to tell you how much they liked your book then I think it is only polite to let them know you received the message. So many authors forget exactly who made them who they are today. Of course I’m a supporter of getting homeless GLBT youth off the streets and into some place safe.

My hobbies are the basic, reading writing traveling.  I love to read almost anything. I don’t really care for mystery but even that is someone tells me I really have to read it I’ll usually give it a try. Writing of course is something I love doing and not only books; snail mail pen paling is something I love. I love to travel, often you will find my latest destination in one of my books. I also love to travel to those places that aren’t the conventional tourist spots. I often ask the people that I pen pal what Is the one thing that I should see I your area that only the locals know about. I have seen salt mines, old log cabins, places of historic intrest and so forth but will never make the top ten travel destinations because so few people know about them.

My interest? History is a big interest of mine. I don’t care about wars and so forth but the history of people. I want to learn about the people that founded the nation, the area, the town you live in. Several of the towns I live in, including my own have trolley rides that will show your local places of interest and tell you about the founding of the town. I love those. I travel to settler days. I have a town not to far that does a “Good Ol’ Days” where I can see re enactments at the Fort, I can buy food, drink and ice cream made like it was in the late 1800’s, see women dying yarn and making soap. I find all that to be fascinating and you never know, it may show up in a book.

Angel: With Jordan, I also like to take the time to thank the fans for their thoughts and kind words. I’ve sent a few fan letters over my childhood lifetime, and once or twice I received a response. Even if it was just an autographed photo or some other little trinket. It was the fact that, if not the person themselves, then someone close to them took the time to respond. It’s the small things that matter. I will always take the time for the people who support our career.

For hobbies, I love to paint ceramics. I love to get the white ceramic and then mix my own colors to turn it into a masterpiece. I love to travel when I can. I have been to Jamaica and South America, England, Australia and Canada. I would love to be able to travel more, and thanks to GRL in October I have been to New Orleans for the first time and I got to go to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. This October I will be going to Savannah and Atlanta, GA. So I hope to appease my other hobby of taking photos along the drive.

What was the last amazing book you read?

Jordan: There are so many amazing books out there. The surrogate by Ann Somerville was a great book. I wasn’t as happy with the sequel but the first book I think was one I’ve told all my friends to read.  Sandra Hill is another author I always recommend. I love her time traveling Vikings and now she has a book with Viking vampire angels. I’ve just finished Kiss of Pride and will start book two soon. If you don’t mind books that really push the limit with bondage and sexual slavery the NEKO by P.L Nunn is also a good one. I also loved Beyond Complicated by Mercy Celeste is another I would say read if you like M/M/M books.  I’m always finding books that I tell my friends “They just have to read”.

Angel: I think that I read too much to be able to answer this. I just finished reading Lover At Last by JR Ward, which I loved! I read Suzanne Brockmann, and my favorite series by her that I highly recommend is the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series with SEAL team Ten Alpha squad. I have found myself reading those several times over the years and have actually had to repurchase the series a couple of times when they got lost in a move here or a move there… They’re hard to find but well worth it!  I am usually reading books that I tell friends they have to get.

Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?

Jordan: You know it actually depends on the time of day or year. When it is early morning or just a beautiful spring day you can usually find me outside on the deck reading or writing. When it’s winter out you may see me sitting in front of the fireplace. In bed is another place I read all the time. I usually tell myself I’m only going to read a chapter or two but the next thing I know hours have passed.
Angel: I really like curling up on my couch, with a nice cup of hot cocoa or tea, (when the weather is in agreement that is), and just get lost where my nook takes me! I also like to curl up in bed after a long day, pull my nook out, and cuddle up in my blankets and read until I fall asleep.

What can readers expect next from you?

Jordan: Well as Rider Jacobs I have Legion coming out in June. I am also about half way through with the sequel to Faelon which I plan on calling Much Ado about Twins. I’ve also started writing the sequel to Under the Australian Sky for all the Christian fans out there.

Angel: I have the sequel to Marco on my to do list, that I have started. As Angel Rothamel, I have the sequel to The Solstice that I have started and Misunderstandings, my first book in my SEALs of Cedar Colorado series, that is being released on May 24th.

Where can readers find you on the web?

Jordan: You know I’m really bad about tweeting but you can always send me a message or find me on facebook rider.jacobs.3@facebook.com  after that I have started talking about some of the books I read since it is a question I am often asked. Those you can find at http://ridersbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Angel: I don’t really tweet much, we do have a twitter account but I always forget as we’re usually on facebook… You can find us on facebook, our yahoo group, or our website, which I have included below.


Angel Rothamel on facebook is:  http://www.facebook.com/angel.rothamel
                                        Website:   http://angelrothamel.com/  




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Faelon
Forgotten Touch Series
Book One
AJ Kelton

Genre: M/M paranormal romance

Publisher: MLR Press

ISBN:  978-1608208609

Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Deana C. Jamroz

Amazon Print   Amazon Kindle 



Book Description:

Who knew that loving a Nephilim could be so dangerous.

Faelon, a 3000-year-old nephilim, fleeing a demonic master, found safety with the church. He has repaid their kindness by translating various artifacts. Father Donovan has watched as Faelon became a recluse, fearing those who would harm him.

Jax, wanting a change, moves to Salem, MA where he finds work as a churches security guard. Not believing that Faelon is a nephilim, he is forced to confront his own beliefs in the supernatural.

Can he learn to accept Faelon, and be the master he requires? Or lose the man he loves to the demons who would harm him.


About the Author:

AJ Kelton are the dynamic writing team of Angel and Jordan. The couple met online several years ago on an Alexander fan site and have been friends ever since. Angel soon found that Jordan had a flare for storytelling with several half-finished stories on her computer. Angel encouraged Jordan to finish the stories and with help in creative description she decided to send the stories off to MLR press. They were both shocked and excited when they got the news that Faelon was accepted for publication. While Jordan may have a flare for storytelling she doesn’t enjoy the smaller details in getting a story ready for publication. That is where Angel comes in; she spends countless hours getting the story ready after line edits, going over each line in proofing and formatting, making decisions such as covers and fonts, all things that Jordan just has problems focusing on.

Angel is always on the lookout for her perfect mate, a cross between Ethan from Under the Australian Sky  and Evan from  Marco.  Until Mr. Perfect appears at her door, or in front of her booth wanting an autograph she loves to read, take pictures and attend concerts of all kinds. She loves all things 80’s. Angel lives in Texas with her two dogs, Daisy a beagle who she insists is nothing like snoopy and her Chihuahua Bonita.

When not writing Jordan loves to read anything from Amish romance to the dark taboo books of fiction both M/M and Het. She is a very avid reader, except when writing because she doesn’t want to be influenced by what she is reading. Jordan loves to travel and often her latest vacation spots show up in his books. While Jordan is always looking for that perfect place to live at the moment she can be found in Kansas.

Both writers have solo projects coming out in the future, Angel with Misunderstandings under the name Angel Rothamel.  Jordan with Legion under the name Rider Jacobs.

Both authors would love to hear from you. You can contact them via their web page AJKelton @AJKelton.com. You can also find them on Facebook under both AJ Kelton, Angel Rothamel and Rider Jacobs.


Website:        http://ajkelton.com/


Twitter:          http://twitter.com/#!/AJKelton

Blog:             http://ajkeltonblog.blogspot.com

Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ajkelton


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2 comments:

bn100 said...

Very nice interview

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Debby said...

I think I was in Beaumont TX this past summer
debby236 at gmail dot com

 
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