Jaime Samms
Face to Face, I think, might be the most looked-for book of the Tales from Rainbow Alley since Skate and Denny were sort of left hanging to in the cold near the end of the last one It’s also the only one that departs from the strong D/s themes of the other books, but I think these two have enough going on in their lives that just surviving and forming a relationship that has a chance of surviving with them is a feat in itself.
Mark and Rolly make an appearance in this book, too, as they work through a few issues together. We get to learn a bit of back story for Rolly, where he came from and the men who came with him, Ricky, Von and Hal. It’s time to get to know a little more about the Alley’s kingpin and his family of strays.
Why is your work populated mostly by men?
That’s a question I get asked a lot and one I’ve never really been able to answer. It has just always been that way. Honestly, since the very first stories I wrote, the main characters have been almost exclusively male. It’s just the way they come out.
Why is it important to write about life and love?
We all have life in common, and we all have the human desire to love and be loved. What more natural thing is there to write about that those things we can all relate to? I think love is something that transcends gender and orientation and speaks to being human.
Please tell us about your role at Dark Diva Reviews.
Well, I’m thinking I have a bio up somewhere that needs updating, as I’m not really involved with Dark Divas any more. I simply have more on my plate than I can realistically handle as it is! But I did write quite a few reviews for them, back in the day, before I was really an established writer myself. I loved doing that job, not just because I got to read books I was interested in, but because it taught me a lot about how to look at a story critically, how to analyse what worked, what didn’t, and why. It gave me some insight into the industry; too, just see what published produced work that meshed with my idea of what a good book looks like. Those were the people I eventually ended up working with myself.
It also taught me how to talk about the book and any criticisms I might have had in a fair and friendly way. So many times, there are reviews and thoughts on book out there that make me cringe for the poor author being skewered. Reviewing books taught me, as an author talking about other author’s hard work, how to do so in a way that a) kept the comments about the book, and b) didn’t cause unnecessary hurt to people just like me. People sharing a little bit of themselves with the world, and taking the chance they could get that bit back scarred and tattered for their efforts. I didn’t want to be the reviewer that caused a hurt like that to another author.
Why should you write for the love of it rather than for the money?
Well, for me it’s because I love stories more than I love money. Of course I need money. Everyone does to some extent, but for me, it’s the excitement and joy of watching a story unfold that makes the process worthwhile. I wrote the very first story ever when I was a kid because there was a story I wanted to read but it didn’t exist. So I had to write it so I could read it, and that’s still pretty much the reason I write. I am unsure that writing to make money produces a story as vibrant or authentic as writing a story that begs to be written. Sometimes, writing that begging story reveals things in the writer that are hard for the writer to look at, harder to show the word. If you are writing for the money, will you really expose yourself? Maybe not. Maybe you have to love the story, believe in the process and trust that there is a reason that particular story needs to be written to put yourself in such a position. You have to love what you do to put that mount of yourself and your time into it.
Why did you decide to home school your kids?
That was a decision my husband and I made together, and honestly, I think we were both on that page long before we even had kids. It just seemed like an organic lifestyle choice that flowed right out of our personalities and world view. Neither of us particularly liked the social aspects of school very much, so I’m sure that played some role in the process, but when both our kids were young, we knew immediately that the conventional school systems here in Canada were not going to cater to them.
Don’t get me wrong I know, and am related to, some very fine teachers who care an awful lot about their job and their students, but all in all, the system is set up to ensure the success of the average child. Those who fall outside the bell curve don’t get the chances and opportunities they need to shine and prosper. Proud mama bragging aside, both our kids are outliers, on the too-smart-for-their-own-good end of the scale. School, especially when they were young and, let’s say enthusiastic would not have been a good fit for them. Our son has since decided to give school a try and he’s thriving socially. It was the right choice for him, at an age when he understands the alternatives available to him. He’s a bright kid and will do fine. Our daughter, on the other hand, is perfectly content to continue on at home at her own pace.
You clearly read a lot, so which authors hold a special place in your heart?
I could give a laundry list….J.R.R. Tolkien was my first. That is, The Hobbit was the first book I remember reading and thinking to myself: “This is not enough. I need more. This has put something into me head that I must get out.” It is the first time I was inspired to close a book and open a blank page for myself. It was grade six and I was…11, I think.
Clare London and I have been friends since I first had any sort of on-line presence on Livejournal. Besides being friends, though, her writing surprises me. Sometimes in dark and unexpected ways, so different from her wonderfully bright and encouraging personality, and sometimes in sweet, romantic, deeply-felt love stories that make me happy to the core of my being. But the surprise is the thing. I read one of her books and I can be guaranteed to walk away from the adventure with a bemused smile on my face.
Amy Lane makes me laugh and cry and seriously want to throw things. She wrings me out, reading her books. When I get into the headspace of an Amy book, I dwell there, even when I have to walk away from the story to tend to things like life and laundry and kid’s homework. I get upset when her characters hurt, to the point I can be snappy at people until I get back to the book, but in the end, the pay-off is always, always worth it. She does right by her characters and her readers. My daughter has just discovered her Young Adult books, and she has the same reaction. We joke that Amy Lane is the Joss Whedon of our genre. No character, no matter how integral to the story, is really ever safe. She gives no guarantee save one: you’ll be satisfied that you’ve read a good book by the time you get to the end.
What do your kids think about your writing?
I think there is a mixture of encouragement and resentment. I’m a much easier person to get along with when I have time to write and purge the voices, as it were. And I hope I set a good example for them that if you put your mind and heart into a dream, you can make it reality. But there’s all that time when I could be focused on them when I’m working on the computer. Like I’m there, but not available, and that can get hard for them to accept sometimes. Like anything, it ebbs and flows. But always, when that box arrives with my author copies of a new release, there’s cake. We celebrate the successes, and I’m never alone in the happy tide of relief at seeing one of my creations in hard copy.
My daughter, as it turns out, is a voracious reader and lately, I’ve seen her with notebook and pencil in hand scribbling down words on the page. What she’s shown me of her efforts makes my heart hurt a little with the pride. The girl has potential.
What is next for you?
Well, there are more Tales from Rainbow Alley to be written. I’ve mostly finished book five which stars Jacob, the young man who couldn’t quite gain Cliff Thatcher’s attention in Fix This, Sir. He’s got his own story to tell, and it crosses paths with a young skateboarder and a new threat to the Alley.
Buy now from Totally Bound Publishing!