Today I am so pleased to welcome Viki Lyn to Joyfully Jay. Viki has come to talk to us about her Woodland Village series. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

John's MatchI’ve been asked what started me on the path to writing m/m romance. I could say when the comic book clerk steered me to Japanese yaoi all those years ago. Or when I picked up my first gay mystery series back in the 1990’s [Grant Michaels’ series featuring the funny but loveable Stan Kraychik]. Or maybe it was when I saw my first gay flick in 1982 – Making Love, dated for sure, but groundbreaking at the time.

Being a Northern California girl, I experienced the gay lifestyle since my early twenties. I would visit Polk Street (then the gay scene in San Francisco) with friends to shop and eat. Seeing men holding hands and kissing was a common scene.

But when I think about my writing and why gay romance, I realize that is my favorite genre to read, and I’m a voracious reader.

I began my writing career with straight historical romances. I love history, travel and research, so this seemed to be the right path for me. At the time, I was satisfied, but some spark was missing and my passion for writing waned. In mid-career, I switched to m/m romance and I haven’t looked back (except for a couple detours in the road).

One of my first m/m books published was Blue Skye, the first book in my Woodland Village series. I had a learning curve and made some errors that I happily erased when this book was reedited and published by Musa Publishing. I now have three books in this contemporary series—Ryan’s Harbor and John’s Match.

Musa Publishing has published my contemporary m/m romances including the Woodland Village series, Lover’s Trill and Perceived Love, a novella about second chances. In fact, when I think about it, most of my books are about second chances at love, redemption and self-forgiveness.


Excerpt

John Kramer stood on his neighbor’s doorstep with Rob hanging off his arm. He shifted his burden. As the young man breathed heavily, the sour smell of beer wafted near John’s face. After several attempts at conversation, he’d found out Rob’s last name and address, stunned to learn that the guy’s father was his new next door neighbor. Far from a congenial way to introduce himself, he’d felt it was his duty to take the guy home before he’d passed out, or worse, tried to drive home.

Now here he was on the porch steps, ringing the doorbell.

He grabbed Rob’s pointed chin. “Are sure this is your father’s house?”

“Yeah, yeah. Ugh, I’m gonna blow chunks.”

John quickly bent Rob over the railing of the square porch as the poor kid retched. He massaged the slender back, the T-shirt sweaty from a night of dancing. He hoped this was the place. He glanced at his cottage and sighed. Only a few feet from his front door, but it seemed like the distance spanned miles.

He punched the doorbell again, one hand still on Rob’s back, the other ready to knock, when the door flew open. A whoosh of air hit his face as a man wearing a plaid robe glared at him from under the porch light. John frowned at the frayed condition of the cuffs and the robe hanging loosely over thin shoulders. John had a difficult time reconciling this man as anyone’s father with his hair hanging in his eyes. The scruffy beard made him appear homeless, and he looked too young to have a son this old. “Are you Scott Marwick?”

“Yes. What’s going on here?”

“Your son needed a ride home.” He lifted Rob onto his feet using the back of his T-shirt.

Rob stumbled but remained upright. A grin spread across his face aimed at his father.

“Hiya, Dad.”

The father’s forehead crinkled as his eyes narrowed. “Rob? Where have you been?”

Rob turned to John, his arm snaking around John’s neck. “With John here. Gay bar, can you believe it? In this town? Isn’t he a gorgeous Daddy?” Then he went to kiss John’s mouth.

Ouch. Daddy?

John turned his head away, hoping to avoid the kiss, but Rob’s lips landed smack on his cheek, leaving a wet, slobbering imprint. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, controlling the impulse to drop the guy onto the porch step and beat it home.

He untangled Rob from his body. “Hey, don’t play games.”

“Ah…don’t tease…”

The words died as Rob crumbled, John catching him before he fell.


Blurb

Blue SkyeBook 1 – Blue Skye: After years apart, two childhood friends are reunited – but lives change, people make choices… As they struggle to find common ground for friendship, Skye will not settle for less than love but Drew isn’t ready to face his greatest fear.

Book 2 – Ryan’s Harbor: One-night stands and pretty women don’t seem to give Ryan that buzz that it once did. When he meets his architect, Martin Pierson, there’s a deep connection that goes beyond friendship. As they cross the barrier into love, Ryan must decide how much he’s willing to change to keep hold of Martin’s heart.

Book 3 – John’s Match: Fantasy writer Scott Marwick just might be John’s financial savior if John can convince Scott to sign over the character rights for a new computer game. John befriends Scott for one purpose — to get him to sign — never planning on falling in love. When John shatters Scott’s trust, Scott must learn to forgive or else move on.


Bio

Viki LynAward winner, Viki Lyn is a successful writer of sexy romance, both gay and straight. It’s the romance that drives her stories to their final happily-ever-after. Many of her books are All Romance Ebook best sellers.

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