Today I am so pleased to welcome M.D. Neu to Joyfully Jay. M.D. has come to talk to us about his latest release, T.A.D.-The Angel of Death. He has also brought along a tour wide giveaway. Please join me in giving him. a big welcome!

M.D. has written some questions and answers to share with us today!

How would you describe your writing style/genre?

For me I believe my writing style is pretty laid back. I tend to write as the words come to me (it’s like watching a movie) I see it all in my head and I write what I see. Even with dialog my characters hardly ever use correct grammar, well some do, but most don’t, which has gotten me in trouble with the editor.  We have to go back and forth on how the characters speak.  On the flip said, I have some characters that are very formal when they speak so it can be stiff and awkward, so that is fun.

When it comes to my genre, I’m pretty much a SciFi, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal guy. I like those genres and so I tend to stick to them. I would love to write a period piece, like Downton Abbey, but that is so far out of my wheel house that it would either have to be on another world or completely out of our reality, because I would screw it so bad, that I would end up making everything up…I guess that wouldn’t be a period piece would it?

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

For the sequel to The Calling I had to call up a hotel and ask about their rooms and their banquet facilities. They couldn’t figure out why I didn’t want to talk to the banquet manager, finally I told them I was writing a book and was doing research on their hotel so they didn’t think I was too odd after that. Normally, I would stick to on-line research, but for this I wasn’t finding what I needed so the call was a must.

Do your books spring to life from a character first or an idea?

Yes.

My stories come to me both from characters and from ideas.  For example my short story A Dragon for Christmas came to me via the main character, Carmen. She was very adamant about me telling her story. For The Calling and my Sci Fi Series, both of those came to me based on a ‘what if’ idea I had.

For T.A.D.-The Angel of Death it came to me in kind of a dream, and I thought it was a great idea, but nothing happened with it until the characters stepped forward and made themselves known to me.  It was kind of funny, well to me, to have both an Angel of Death and a Drag Queen teaming up to tell me this story about the two of them. When I started, I only knew two things for sure; one the story was going to start in New York City prior to 9/11. And, two, the story would reflect the main characters whole lives.

How did you choose the topic for this book?

Like I said above the idea of the story came to me in a dream. Then as I let the idea stew the character Tad and Doug came to me and started telling me what happened to them and how they met and how they lived their lives. The more I heard their story the more I enjoyed the characters. I didn’t know where the story would take me, but as I figured it out the more I came to think of this story as a great Urban Fantasy with lots of jumping through contemporary times. This isn’t a time travel story, as it starts in the past and moves forward.

I guess when it comes down to it, the topic and the story chose me.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

My goals for T.A.D-The Angel of Death were simple (well in my mind) I wanted to tell a story that dealt with an Angel of Death and it’s like to be that kind of angel, and what it might be like. I also wanted to tell a story with a ‘fluffy’ Drag Queen as a central character. I’ve known some amazing Drag performers in my life and I wanted to do something that would honor them and their memories. I would like to think it would be something they would all be proud of. I know I’m very happy with the final product.

Question for Tad and Doug: Are you happy with where your writer left you at the end? (don’t give us any spoilers).

Tad, “Absolutely, the author told our story and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it all worked out.”

“Of course Taddy would say that, he got to do all the cool stuff.  I was the one dealing with all his mess. And trust me, that boy is messy.  Sure it all ended, but I’m not happy. I’m not happy at all.  1) I never got to be on RuPaul Drag Race, I would have won and been fabulous. 2) I never got to see… well I can’t say what I didn’t get to see, but I really wanted to see something that is very cool near the end of the book, but instead I was left wondering. 3) Oh and I only got to… you know… with Tad once and that was off screen and a ‘fade to black’… whatever. I wanted the details, that needed to be out put there, to show the world just how fantastic I am in bed.

Ugh. I’m still bitter over that.

Although, I have to give it to the author, he did tell my story in a lovely way and for that I’m grateful… and who knows maybe I can come back for a sequel… hmm. Now that is something to think about.”

Were you a voracious reader as a child?

God no! I hated reading.  I’m severely Dyslexic and couldn’t read much a kid so I would avoid it as much as I could. I didn’t start to enjoy reading until I got to High School. I had a great English teacher who helped me find books I could read that wouldn’t stress me out. I had gotten batter at reading by then, but it was still a pain. To this day I’m still a very slow reader, but I enjoy it.

What fantasy realm would you choose to live in and why?

I wouldn’t mind living in the realm of like Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones, but then I think about the smell and the lack of hygiene and have to think better of it. Still, I think it might be kind of cool afternoon there are dragons and magic, which are both exceedingly cool.

Blurb

Tad loves bouncing around in time and watching mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people. He’s an Angel of Death.

Doug is fun loving and a drama queen. Despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction. He’s also an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams.

When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and the two start a friendship that will shape them both and last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?

Buy Links:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XQLZMLS/
• Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/TAD-The-Angel-of-Death
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/new/47936712-tad
• NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/tad/
• Author Website: https://www.mdneu.com/shop/tad-the-angel-of-death

Bio

M.D. Neu is a queer Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.

• Author Website: http://www.mdneu.com
• Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/mdneuauthor/
• Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writer_MDNeu
• Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormdneu/
• Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17206592.M_D_Neu
• Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-neu/
• Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-D-Neu/e/B076FK1S14/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Giveaway

M.D. is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this reveal and tour. Enter via Rafflecopter

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