Interview with Theo Fenraven

Theo is joint Admin of the M/M Romance Authors pge on facebook wirh AJ Rose.
Thank you Theo for taking time to answer question for me.





Me: If you could have a T shirt with a slogan on it that describes you / your life what would it be?

Theo: I am male female gay straight bisexual trans asexual human.


Me: If you were stranded on a desert island, what are the four things that you would want to have with you?


Theo: Glasses (to start a fire), a bag of rice, a bag of beans, and the complete works of Shakespeare. That would give me reading material for a long time. :)


Me: Did you make a conscious decision to become a writer, or did it just happen?


Theo: It just happened. I was young, around seven or eight, when I started writing stories about ranches and cowboys. When I got old enough, I got a part time job in the local library. Reading and writing have always played a major role in my life.


 Me: Favorite childhood book?

Theo: The Black Stallion


 Me: Favorite book now?

Theo: Oh, no! I’m not going there. My favorite book is always the one I’m currently reading. Unless it’s badly written/edited, in which case I throw it away and try another.











 Me: What 3 pieces of advice could you give to writers who are embarking on publishing their work?

Theo: I’m going to assume you mean self-publication:
Write the best story you can;
Hire someone to edit it before you publish;
Make sure you have plenty of liquor on hand to help ride the ups and
downs of putting yourself out there. ;/


 Me: if you could
choose to have lunch with any 2 people alive or dead who would it be and why?


 Theo:I’d love to have lunch with Ben Franklin and Mark Twain. That would be one hell of a conversation! Even thinking about it gives me a pleasurable thrill.



Me: Who would you say is your biggest influence in your life?

Theo: Everyone I’ve met has influenced me in one way or another, and to only
choose one wouldn’t be right.


 Me:  Favorite flavour
of Ice cream?

Theo: Chocolate


  Me: Satin or Silk
(sheets).

Theo: Flannel. I slip and slide too much on silk/satin.


  Me:  What media is your motivation when writing...music/photography/poetry?

Theo: I listen to soundtracks when I write. Photography is the media I turn
to when I need a break from writing.


 Me: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?


Theo: Making enough off sales of my titles to quit the day job. I don’t want
to be famous, but I would like to live comfortably in a warm place and be able
to write for the greater part of the day.


Me: Favorite film?

Theo: I love movies. They’re the only things I watch anymore. I enjoy too many to choose just one.


 Me: Do you have a genre of story you haven’t yet attempted?


Theo: Considering I started out writing cowboy stories, it’s interesting I haven’t yet written a western. There aren’t any in my unpublished stories, either. Hm, I may have to rectify that.



Me: What takes you out of your comfort zone?

Theo: Being broke.


 Me: Greatest achievement to date?


Theo: There have been many, but in recent history, I’d say being published
the first time. That opened up all kinds of possibilities to me that I’m only
now starting to take advantage of.


 Me: Three characteristics you like about yourself?

 Theo: I’m generous with those I love, I’m loyal, and I’m honest.


Me: Three characteristics you do not like about yourself?

Theo: I’m often impatient, I swear too much, I sometimes jump to unwarranted conclusions.


 Me: Favorite place on earth?


 Theo: Anywhere I can go and not see people. More specifically, either the back roads of western Wisconsin (gets second place as prettiest I’ve seen) or the mountains near Asheville, NC (first place for beauty).



Me:  If you could get in your car today with a full tank and go anywhere, where would you go and why?


Theo: My answer depends on the season. If it’s summer, I’d drive north to Lake Superior, find a cabin on a lake, and settle in to write and enjoy the quiet. If it’s winter, I’d drive as far south as I could on the Great River Road. There is much to see and enjoy on the byway.



Me: Best excuse you have used for NOT writing (lol)


Theo: “My dog ate my laptop.”


Me:  Priority in a new home..Library or Pool?

Theo: Since the advent of Kindle, I’m able to carry my books with me so I’ll
go with pool. When I write, I make a point to get up every hour or so and do Tai
Chi or yoga to stretch out the muscles. If I had a pool, I’d do laps to get the
blood moving.


 Me: Simpsons or Family Guy?

Theo: I grew up with the Simpsons, so I’ll go with them. :)



Me: If you could have written or could write a script for a famous actor or actress who would it be, what would it be about and why?


Theo: I would write a gay love story, hopefully something that might be a breakthrough (just about anything ‘gay’ would in Hollywood, even now). I’d give it to Zachary Quinto and hope his production company, Before the Door, would film it. And I’d want Zach to star in it.











_________
 On Friday, March 1, A Silence Kept is being released. It’s a ghost story, and was originally published almost two years ago.
I’ve since gotten the rights back. It’s been revised, expanded, and given a new cover. I’m very pleased with its current iteration.
 Mikal rents a haunted house and begins to experience unexplained phenomenon right away. Here’s an excerpt from the first
chapter.
 I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, made myself an herb omelet with sourdough toast and juice, and took the tray out to the front porch
in time to see a battered old red Chevy truck pull up and park. Attached to it was a trailer, upon which was chained a riding mower.
An elderly man with a shock of iron-gray hair climbed out of the cab. He wore faded coveralls and boots. “’Morning. You the new
tenant?”
I nodded. “Name’s Mikal.” I never bothered spelling it for people anymore, which saved me the trouble of explaining my mother hoped I’d be famous one day and a distinctive name would help.
He walked to the back of the trailer, his stride somewhat bowlegged, and let down the ramp. “I’m Emmet. Meet the ghost
yet?”

“There’s a ghost?” Pretended innocence is a great way to gather information. Most people can’t wait to tell you things.
 He snorted and spit. “’Course there’s a ghost. Didn’t the realtor lady tell you?”
“Who is it?” I bit into my toast and chewed.
 “They think it might be the original owner of the place, but no one’s ever nailed it down.” He loosened the chains and started the mower, backing it down the ramp. Once in the yard, he steered toward me, raising his voice to be heard over the engine. “It’s a young man, ‘cause I’ve seen him. I come out every week or two and mow and do some weeding, but I never stay past
dark and I don’t go in the house. If I have to pee, I do it in the woods. Good day to you now." That little conversation did wonders for my appetite. I got down about half the omelet before giving up. Sipping my juice, I watched Emmet move back and forth across the lawn, his face shaded by a blue ball cap. The wonderful smell of freshly-cut grass filled the air.

The phone inside was on a long line. I took it back to my chair on the porch and called Alice. I knew she was en route but I couldn’t
wait.
“I said I’d be there this morning. I’m on the fucking way.” She sounded distracted.
“Where are you?”
“About halfway. Slept in.”
“The house is haunted.”
“What?”
“There’s a ghost in my rented house. I heard him last night.”
 "How do you know it’s a him?”
“The guy who cuts the grass told me.”
 Her voice became lively. “That’s incredible! I’ve never met a ghost before. Think he’ll be there when I arrive?”

"Honey, it’s not like you can sit and talk to him.” Emmet motored around the back of the house, taking the noise with him. Near-silence fell. “I’m having second thoughts about staying here. What if he’s dangerous?”

“Did he throw a lamp at your head? Did knives jump out of the drawer and fly into the wall? Did blood come out of the faucets instead of water?”

"He cried.”
“He... what?”
“Cried. Wept huge salty tears. Flooded the house with his anguish.”

While she considered that, I listened to the sound of her car engine as she drove along the highway. “I know someone who might be able to help,” she said at last.


 Theo's Wordpress


  Watch for it at Amazon, B&N, and All Romance ebooks.. Follow my blog for the latest news on my releases: theofenraven.wordpress.com. You can also find me on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook; search on ‘fenraven’.