Dirty Dozen Author Interview – Olivette Devaux #LBGT #Gayfic #Romance

Welcome to Olivette Devaux

What first prompted you to publish your work?

I have a writing mentor who is a NYT bestseller author as well as a former pro poker player. Turns out, in his younger years he was homeless for a few months (not related to poker,) and he was living out of his Porsche. In the desert, no less. The concept of a homeless man living out of a PORSCHE got me tickled pink. I mean, who does that? I ran with the idea and created Sam and his love interest, Theo.

When I write a book, I publish it. In fact, I publish all books I write. What I don’t publish is short stories – those often sit on my hard drive and I trip over them every so often and say, “Oh, yeah. I really should publish this one.” And then I forget again.

I kind of wanted to give a copy of Lucky Starflowers to my mentor, but I chickened out.

How did you become involved in book bundles? Would you recommend it?

Book bundles are a lot of fun! They are a great way for readers to discover new writers in their target genre. They are also a great way for writers to introduce themselves to a new group of folks who might not hear of them before. Collaborating with other writers is also wonderful and creative. What’s not to like?

What other bundles are you involved with?

There have been so many that I forget. I have a book, maybe two, in Burning Rubbers, which features gay romance tough guys. That one was a lot of fun. The name is kind of awful. It’s like a bad Dad joke and I should be embarrassed for even coming up with it, let alone using it!

Are you a ‘pantser’ or a ‘plotter’?

Well…when I get an idea, I let it fester for a while. At least a day. I generate ideas easily, so if it’s still with me the next day, it’s worth thinking about. If it’s with me few days after that, I’ll sit and write. By then, I’ll have established a few, fairly vague milestones along the plotline. I write into the dark, and when I allow myself to cut loose and do that, my characters surprise me. My milestones might shift around as well, but that’s okay. The story always grows something better in their place.

What is your favourite mythical creature? Why is this?

Ah, that would be a Waterkin. It’s a name I made up for a mythical Czech creature I grew up with, although they are known throughout Europe. I have a whole series of stories written about the way they immigrated to the US and now live in the local rivers and try to adapt to modern life. That world is under my Kate Pavelle pen name, though, and it’s not out yet.

What does writing bring to your life?

I love to create things. Stories are just one of the things I make, and I love sharing them with the world. I love injecting a bit of humor into mine, whether it’s a Millenial vampire in search of “ethical blood,” or whether we’re talking about wiseass one-up scenes that ease the tension in a crime suspense story like Breakfall. I love to laugh, and writing stories allows me to share that with my readers.

If you had to pick 5 books to take to a desert island which 5 would it be?

A survival manual featuring primitive technologies, 2. A book on yoga or karate, with all the asanas and katas in it, 3. a complete collection of Shakespeare, 4. a complete collection of Western poetry (gimme something thick and it has to have Longfellow and Kipling in it,) and a very thick, empty journal with a bunch of pencils.

What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you started your publishing journey?

START AN INVENTORY!!! Seriously, once you write more than a dozen works, it just kind of sprouts and it gets hard to keep track of what is published where, how long is it, and so on. A good, properly crafted spreadsheet can go a long way to sanity when your have more than a hundred works (of all lengths and genres,) floating around the world. They need new book covers every so often, you want to make sure you offer different books into bundles so readers don’t get bored, and so on,

If you could have dinner with any literary character who would you choose, and what would you eat.

I think Gareth, Jack’s partner, from Jackie Keswick’s Power of Zero series. I’d want to show up for their Christmas celebration, when Gareth makes all those meat pies and various other goodies we don’t have here in the States. The advantage of this choice is that I would probably meet the whole cast of interesting characters from that world!

Tell us about your latest piece?

I wrote Buzz, the last stand-alone book in the Vegas-based Happy Hour Inn world. It took me forever (because Covid and real life interefered,) but once I got back to it, I was relieved when it got me to laugh!

What’s your next writing adventure?

My next writing adventure is sharing my rough drafts on Patreon. If you want some free reads, or some reads you’d be happy to support, go have a look at https://www.patreon.com/mugenpress

Is there a message in your books?

Always. But it’s never on purpose. I write something because the topic intrigues me, and only when I reread it half a year later I realize that a tangentially-related “message” had somehow made its way in. And that’s how it should be, because my primary goal is to entertain.

Blurb

Theo and his cousin Rickey inherit a flowershop. Young, sexy, and heartbroken after a rough breakup, Theo throws himself into running a new business.
No more dating!
No more exotic guys!
If Theo caved to romance, his ideal boyfriend would have a stable cubicle job and drive a Kia.
Sam Grey got caught counting cards one too many times. A professional gambler recovering from a bouncer injury, Sam denies that living out of his Porsche counts as a homeless situation.
February freeze in Pittsburgh, a perky florist and a slower, friendlier way of life helps heal his broken ribs – but hurts his heart when Theo thinks of him as just “passing through.”
DISCLAIMER: no real-life professional gamblers had their ribs broken in the making of this sizzling, HEA gay romance.

Excerpt

LUCKY STARFLOWERS

Steel City Stories, a stand-alone novel

Olivette Devaux

Available on all ebook platforms, in paper, and on Audible.

https://www.patreon.com/mugenpress

http://www.mugenpress.com (currently undergoing construction)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/801472633573132 (An Upper Cut, my FB group)

You can best reach me on Patreon or via Messenger.

Bio

Under another name, Olivette Devaux is an award-winning Amazon best-seller. As Olivette, she writes gay romance of many subgenres. If sci-fi, spy suspense, or urban fantasy without hot romance are your desire, look up her other public pen name, Kate Pavelle.

She has been published in magazines including Pulphouse and Heart’s Kiss, and has earned several Honorable Mentions by the Writers of the Future contest under both pen names.

Olivette Devaux is the author of Disorderly Elements, a contemporary urban fantasy gay romance series featuring a curious development of elemental control gifts. You can read the first book, Like a Rock, on her Patreon for free at https://www.patreon.com/mugenpress

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Guest Feature – Excerpt – Lucky Starflowers #LBGT #Romance

EXCERPT: Lucky Starflowers – Olivette Devaux

Sunshine tickled his eyelids. He burrowed himself deeper in the sleeping bag that must have slid down to his chest.

I slept.

The realization woke him up just as the nonevents of last night began to creep in. The cold, the urge to piss, the thirst for a hot cup of tea or coffee or just plain warm water. The tossing and turning. He’d probably have bruises on his knees from kicking the damn steering wheel.

He couldn’t wait to get out and about. Maybe the coffee shop, or a nearby library. Or a truck-stop diner. He’d settle down with his laptop. Maybe update his blog. The shop would be warm, the coffee hot and aromatic. If he smuggled his toiletries into the bathroom, he could brush his teeth and shave. And change his shirt into something less… fragrant.

He reached into the duffle behind him and pulled out his small toiletry bag. It would squeeze inside the computer case if he was careful. That, and his phone charger. He’d recharge and call the sheriff with his forwarding address.

If only the casinos hadn’t adopted that dumb facial recognition software, he’d be set. There was a casino in Pittsburgh. He could’ve earned enough money to… oh, that’s right. His hand gave a dull throb. He was itching to sign up for a poker game and earn some living, but the casino would have to wait until he could handle cards without wincing in pain.

Sam was about to get out when two guys marched into his field of view. He shrank back.

White snow. Blinding sun. Cutting wind. Pain.

They crossed the little three-space parking lot with its coveted little nook, the one Sam had been eyeing earlier. He was glad, now, he hadn’t shoehorned his way in.

Sunday morning, two guys. What were they up to? He noted their easy body language. Like a couple. Like two guys used to each other’s physical contact. The taller one said something and the shorter one laughed. They both had dark hair, but the shorter guy kept his shoulder-length and mod, with what might’ve been caramel highlights. His hips swished in an easy sway as he negotiated the ice patches in his way. Gay? Maybe.

The thought of a gay couple in Pittsburgh floored Sam. He’d never imagined the descendants of grizzled steel workers to be… gay. Then again, the snow was still white. There was no soot in the air.

Pittsburgh seemed cleaner than expected. People had been, to date, nicer than expected as well. The drivers took turns at intersections, and the coffee was Seattle quality.

For a brief second, the idea of settling down crossed his mind.

No.

Absolutely no fucking way.

He was staying only long enough to get his papers, and to figure out how to work the card tables again.

The two guys disappeared into the building through a basement entrance. Its double door gaped like a maw to the underworld. Sam remained still.

They came out soon, both carrying a white bucket in each hand. Something was sticking out – long and green, covered on top with paper. Sam watched them close the door and walk back around the corner and up the street, and as they passed within ten feet of his car, he realized they were hauling huge buckets of roses.

He let them get out of sight before he crawled out of the low seat of his Porsche. Creaky and miserable, he stretched in the cold morning air. The pallid sun had moved since it woke him, and now half of his car was covered in the shadow of the warehouse. Sam hoisted the black computer bag out of his trunk, added the necessary toiletries, and stuffed a rolled-up T-shirt into the pocket of his leather bomber jacket.

First hygiene, then coffee, then brunch recommendations.

As he crested the hill to turn right onto Butler street, a kitty-corner door caught his attention. The mosaic of its entrance said “1896” in little tiles, surrounded by a design of ivy leaves on a cream background. He stopped to look closer. It had been recently restored, and with loving care at that. The sign above the door read Starflowers, and inside he saw an array of plants. The OPEN neon sign was turned off, but there was light on inside. He skirted the potted conifer with its red and silver heart decorations and pressed his nose to the glass.

The two guys he’d seen before were working at an island. The taller gesticulated wildly, waving a red rose in the air. His shorter partner seemed to have only sighed. He was cute, though. Sam wouldn’t have minded getting to know him better. Maybe they weren’t a couple after all. He stepped away, thinking this was all a very bad idea, when he noticed a small “Help Wanted” sign on the window.

Very bad idea.

He hurried off to the coffee shop down the street. He had… stuff… to do.