1)
Did you
set any goals for 2012?
Yes!
I made a plan to release a dozen books with a single publisher before the end
of the year. And I managed to do eleven with Siren before life got the better
of me and I ran out of steam. That said, I had thirteen releases total in 2012.
(Two were with Ellora’s Cave.) So I figure I met my goal.
I
am working on another book right now and I hope to have it contracted by the
end of the year, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be released until 2013.
I
love when I get in the flow of a story and it just starts writing itself.
Surprises are the most fun I have at this job. I’m a horrible planner, so
whatever I think the characters are going to do is never what they end up
doing.
However,
when I reread what I’ve written I can see patterns and plot points. It’s just
that I never seem to know what’s going to happen in my books until I’ve written
it.
3)
The worst
part?
The
worst part is the same as the best part—getting into the flow. Near the end of
writing a book I get completely manic. All the connections come together and I
can’t write fast enough. This leads to a breakneck revision phase where I go
faster and faster until I can make changes to the book in one sitting, or at
least one day. And by the time I’ve got something ready to submit, my kids have
eaten nothing but take out for days, I haven’t slept or showered and I’m flying
so high on endorphins I probably shouldn’t be driving.
By
that time, I’m so raring to submit a story that I often can’t even wait for
feedback from beta readers. I know I’m done. I can FEEL it. And, okay… It pains
me to admit it, but I’ve been known for the occasional drunken, late-night,
impulse submission.
So,
yeah. By the time I finish a story, I look like David Hasselhoff asking for a
cheeseburger. But I’m trying to pace myself better… >.<
4)
What is
the book you wish you’d written?
Hmmm…
I wish I could write books like Maybe with a Chance of Certainty, by John Good.
His work is so sweet. But I think maybe you need to be a gay man to write the
gay high school experience convincingly. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t attempt it.
Then
again, I often wish I could write YA, but I probably wouldn’t attempt it from a
female point of view, either. My characters always end up having sex.
Graphically. So, I guess that pushes me out of the YA fold.
5)
Favourite
author/s & book/s?
I
love Marie Sexton, John Goode, KA Mitchell and Anne Tenino. All their books are
favorites of mine. Then there are books I love—Country Mouse by Amy Lane and
Aleksandr Voinov and Muscling Through by JL Merrow. But my favorite books and
authors change from moment to moment. I’m really excited about Brien Michaels’
upcoming releases (which I’ve had the luck to have critiqued) and I loved Jumbo
by Todd Young.
Oh,
and I adored Grown Men by Damon Suede. I know it’s sci-fi, but everyone should
read it!
The
individual books I like best are usually the ones that pose a question or
present a theme I hadn’t considered before. However, the authors I like best
are the ones whose voice most resonates with me.
6)
Tell us
about your latest release?
It’s
the most straightforward premise I’ve ever written: dork with a giant penis.
That’s
really about it. Harold is a socially inept college freshman with a penis so
big he’s embarrassed about it. Owen is a golden-boy popular kids who runs into
Harold in the showers and becomes fascinated by making Harold over. At first,
Owen wants to help Harold break out of his nerdy shell, but later, he just
wants Harold.
Hijinks
ensue.
7)
What is
your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?
I
like my heroes to be vulnerable. I know that puts me in a minority among
romance writers, but there you have it. I love tentative sex scenes, and
nervousness, and breathless excitement. They don’t need to be naïve or waifish.
But a degree of self-consciousness always makes a hero feel more real to me.
9)
What’s
next?
I’m
working on a story about a college guy who loses his home in a fire, and a sexy
firefighter helps him rescue the deadbeat neighbors’ dog. It’s a story near and
dear to my heart as I once had a house fire. But overall, it’s more of a comedy
than a drama, as my small town college boy and his newly rescued bull mastiff
end up living with the firefighter and his extended Latino family.
10)
Tell me
where you write?
In
a word: Starbucks. I write at home sometimes, and I do have a desk. But I do
more blogging and brainstorming there. To really buckle down and write, I need
to be out of the house. With coffee.
11)
Where
would you like your career to be in 5 years?
That’s
a toughie. I guess I’d want to have at least one book with decent print
distribution. But really, I just want more fans.
Holsum
College fans are so awesome. They’re dedicated to the series and the
characters, and they’re so supportive of everything I do. I want to keep
building on that base of support and continue to produce great stories for my
readers.
12)
Where can
we find you?
I’m
on Twitter all day and all night. I’m a complete tweet-a-holic, and am hardly
on Facebook at all. Follow me on Twitter as @thedaisyharris. Of you can “like”
my Fan Page on Facebook. I make a point to update my Fan Page with all relevant
news.
Oh,
and if you live in Seattle, you can find me at Starbucks!
My Fair Dork (Men of Holsum
College 8)
by Daisy Harris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
They say a
guy can never be too hung. Well, Harold Jacobs doesn’t know who they are, but
they’re wrong. Socially awkward for as long as he can remember, Harold feels
his enormous package is just one more thing to be embarrassed about. Especially
once hunky and popular
Owen McKenzie notices it in the showers.
Owen knows he’s bi, but he keeps that
secret close to his chest. He likes Harold, and wants to help him shed his
dorky image and maybe even find a boyfriend. Still, Owen can’t stop obsessing
about Harold’s equipment. And much as he doesn’t want to flip-flop on his
sexuality, Owen does want to test-drive what Harold has between his legs.
Their friendship erupts into full-blown
lust. But can Owen accept the loss of his golden child status and be Harold’s
boyfriend? And can Harold outgrow his insecurity in time to keep the man he
loves?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Harold held up yet another
striped T-shirt, a hopeful look on his face. “How about this one?”
“Still too big.” Owen shook his
head. Man, the kid needed his help something awful. “Maybe you’re better off
borrowing something of mine.”
“Yeah, right.” Harold turned
away, blushing. It was pretty funny how he did that all the time. His skin was
so pale, he couldn’t hide it at all when he turned pink. That milky, English
tone probably sucked when Harold had a zit. Owen remembered how when he’d had
acne first semester, the redness had shined like a beacon.
But his blushes were sort of
cute.
“What’s your middle name? Maybe
we could do something with that.” Actually, Owen was starting to think it was a
lost cause, cool-ing up Harold’s name. But he was having fun with the process.
“Eugene.” Harold folded up his
shirt and laid it neatly in his drawer.
“You’re kidding.” Owen could stop
the snicker that escaped his lips. Wow. Harold’s parents had really screwed him
over in the name department.
“Don’t laugh.” But Harold was
smiling, too.
Owen’s belly got warm, the way it
did when he found someone he really liked to hang out with, or a girl he wanted
to date. Why hadn’t he and Harold gotten to know each other sooner? The guy was
funny, and had this great, deadpan sense of humor. But his personality was like
his dick—something people would be amazed by if they ever saw it, but that
Harold felt the need to hide.
“Okay.” Owen bounced off the bed.
“We’re gonna have to stick with the name you’re currently using.”
“That’s good to hear. It’s on all
my school forms,” Harold said.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Birkenstock-wearing glamour girl and mother of two by immaculate conception,
Daisy Harris still isn't sure if she writes erotica. Her romances start out
innocently enough. However, her characters behave like complete sluts. Much to
Miss Harris's dismay the sex tends to get completely out of hand.
She writes about fantastical creatures and about young men getting their
freak on, and she's never missed an episode of The Walking Dead
Links:
My
website: http://www.thedaisyharris.com/
Twitter:
@thedaisyharris
Siren
Page: http://www.bookstrand.com/daisy-harris
Book
buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/my-fair-dork
Daisy will be awarding a
large-size dildo, a scented penis candle, as well as a $20 gift certificate to
the winner’s choice of Barnes and Noble or Amazon to a randomly drawn commenter
during the tour.
Follow the tour and
comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour
dates can be found here:
Comments??
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me on the blog today, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteHow are you today? Hope you're not on the East Coast!
I like vulnerable heroes, too...and thirteen releases in 2012, wow! Impressive.
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Yeah, that was a lot of releases. LOL. I just hope I can get out some early in 2013! I'm writing some longer works now, so the process is not quite as quick as with novellas.
ReplyDeleteI've read some of your work and love your voice! Nothing like switching from fanning myself to laughing out loud :-)
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds just as awesome. Good luck with it!
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, it's tough to balance humor and sex, but I love doing it. Happy reading. -D
ReplyDeleteThis soumdd really good,adding to my list
ReplyDeletecvsimpkins@msn.com
Thanks, Cornelia! Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHello Daisy,
ReplyDeleteWow that's a lot of brain power, 13 books in one year. I can't wait to read more.
Is there one place more than all the others where you would say your ideas come from?
Leela Lou Dahlin
That's an interesting question. More than anything else, my ideas come from my experiences. Sometimes I think I'll run out of ridiculous dating stories, but it never seems to happen. In fact, just today I was writing a character with a backstory that came from my own life. (Well, from a date I went on once.)
DeleteI seem to have a never ending supply of bad-date stories to tell!
All your releases is awesome! I love the series and have read them all. I can't wait to read new stories.
ReplyDeleteYvette
yratpatroL@aol.com
I can't wait to read this newest installment of the Holsum College guys. They are all great characters that I would love to know in real life. They seem so realistic and fun, quirky, and loving.
ReplyDeleteJune
manning_J2004 at yahoo dot com
Thanks for a fun interview! I really loved Harold!
ReplyDeleteOceanAkers @ aol.com