Words, words, words, words! That’s been my focus this week! That and it was my amazing Mum’s birthday on the 19th, so I played hookie for the day and went to hang out with her!
But enough about me, you’re here to meet Lisa Oliver and Morgan Klein!
Author Bio
Hi, my name is Lisa Oliver. I recently celebrated my ninth year anniversary of the release of my first MM paranormal book, The Reluctant Wolf, and absolutely love my characters and the wonderful readers who support me. Now with more than a hundred books under my belt, I have no plans to stop spreading the love my wonderful characters deserve.
As you can guess, I love men who love men, vampires, shifters, Fae, and the true mate trope. In every book, I ensure there is no cheating, and there is a HEA, and many of my books can be read as a standalone. In my head, two (or three) men may be mates, but it takes a special kind of journey to find love, and that is the ambition I have for every single one of my MCs.
I love to hear from my readers, so feel free to get in touch.
Lisa’s Quirky Questions
Holly: Describe yourself using… (choose one: a food, a book, a song, a movie, an animal, a drink, a place etc)
Lisa Oliver: Hehe, if I had to describe myself using one thing then I would be the movie, “The Never Ending Story” although my kids would probably tell you, it’s more like Cher’s song “Believe”😊
Holly: If you were stuck on a desert island all alone with only three things, what would they be?
Lisa Oliver: You would never find me on a desert island unless I had a perpetual power generator, my computer, and internet connection. Just ask anyone I know what I’m like when we have a power outage 😊
Holly: When did you first call yourself a writer?
Lisa Oliver: I had thought about myself as a writer for many years as I used to be a content writer well before I ever started writing my own books. But I think I truly felt like an author when I held my first ever fiction book, “The Reluctant Wolf,” in my hands. There was something about seeing my name on the cover that really resonated with me and made me feel like I’d achieved something special.
Holly: Tell me something from your bucket list.
Lisa Oliver: It is my dream to go on a cruise so I can see the Northern Lights in Alaska, and I want to stop off in Las Vegas on the way, and put a hundred dollars on black on a roulette table – yes, that scene in that book was from my bucket list.
Holly: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about them.
Lisa Oliver: Levi, Hal’s son has been prodding at my mind a bit. He didn’t have the easiest of upbringing, so I’d love to give him an HEA of his own.
Holly: What was the weirdest thing you had to Google for your story?
Lisa Oliver: In Liam’s Lament, Hal was found with his tongue removed. So before I even started Hal’s story, I had to find out so many things about how people functioned without tongues. And then, at one point, I did Google how long a Great White Shark could live out of water… just because Blade needed to know.
Holly: What do you do if you get a brilliant idea at a bad time?
Lisa Oliver: I have to go and write it down, or dictate it into my phone IMMEDIATELY. One of the pitfalls of being a more mature author is that if you don’t capture the great ideas right away, they disappear.
Holly: How long have you been writing?
Lisa Oliver: My first book, The Reluctant Wolf, came out in February 2014
Holly: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
Lisa Oliver: I am a full time author, and truly thankful that I have the time to write about all the men who live in my head.
Holly: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
Lisa Oliver: Always a pantser – I often have to keep writing so I can find out what happens in my stories.
Hal’s Silence
Blurb:
Determined to do more than hide out in Arrowtown, Lion shifter Hal Lamont decides to head out on a road trip. Armed with his speech app, enough pens and papers to sink a battleship, and a deep desire to find his long lost confidence, he sets out, planning a short stay in Jackson before seeing where the open road will take him. But a random night out in the mainly human town changes his world in a way he doesn’t imagine – and not necessarily for the better.
Blade Morgan was a shark shifter, but he doesn’t see why it should stop him making a success of the casino he had been operating in Jackson. Unfortunately, the local council see things differently. One night, while doing his best to keep patrons happy, he sees the haunted yet amused eyes of a shifter as the man was heading out the door. Blade was compelled to give chase – and got more than he bargained for.
Communication was one of the easiest hurdles in Hal’s and Blade’s new mating. But between the local council, a woman hellbent on revenge, and a shooter who missed his target, the start to their new life together wasn’t easy. Keep an eye out for a Jaws-fixated waiter, a Fae who finds Hal’s phone at just the right time, and some grumpiness from Doc among others.
Hal’s Silence is an MM Paranormal Romance story featuring Fated Mates. It was written for mature audiences. Please store your e-content responsibly. This book can be read as a standalone, but you will get more understanding of the secondary characters and more details on how Hal lost his tongue, if you read Liam’s Lament (Book 3) first.
Hal’s Silence Teaser
Hal couldn’t even make it to his car without someone sticking their furry noses in his business. He didn’t have that kind of luck. But, unlike other times when he’d tried to make his escape, Hal was prepared this time. So when Liam sauntered over to his car, leaning on the hood, Hal reached into his pocket.
“You just heading up to the shop?”
Shaking his head, Hal held up his overnight bag, before opening the trunk of the car and stowing it in there.
“You’re hoping to get lucky tonight?” Liam beamed. “I can recommend it. Hey, did you want to come over to ours for breakfast in the morning? I’m off shift at ten tonight, so we’ll probably eat about nineish.”
Again Hal shook his head. He handed Liam one of his preprinted cards.
“You’re heading out for a few weeks?” A look of surprise flashed over his brother’s features. While they were all brothers, Liam and his full brother Lucien were only a year apart in age, whereas Hal was five years older. Those two had a different mother to Hal’s, who had been in the alpha’s favor back before Liam and Lucien’s mother even came into the pride. So, technically that made Hal and Liam half-brothers. There were some physical resemblances, especially seeing as Hal looked a lot better than he did when he’d first arrived in Arrowtown, having spent months recovering from his ordeal… but Hal was dark-haired with natural blond streaks and his eyes were gray, whereas Liam was blond haired and blue-eyed.
“Look, Hal, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean…” Liam trailed off, and Hal knew what he was struggling to say. The good people of Arrowtown had made him feel very welcome, and Hal wouldn’t be where he was if it wasn’t for Liam’s mate and the Doc. However… He handed Liam another card.
“No,” Liam said slowly, reading the card, “You aren’t a prisoner here. I wasn’t suggesting you were…”
Hal handed him another card.
“And yes, you are indeed an adult. You’re older than me.”
Like Hal needed reminding – there were some days the depression hit him so badly he felt ancient. He handed Liam his final card and watched as Liam read it. The man wore his emotions for everyone to see. Sadness, worry, and then the look Hal had been waiting for, resignation. It wasn’t acceptance, but seeing as Liam still felt guilty for what had happened to him – something Hal didn’t understand at all – resignation was as good as Hal was going to get.
“You’ve clearly thought about this.” Liam put the cards in his pocket. “I just wish you didn’t feel you had to go. You know the people here care about you…”
Watch out for me more like it.
Lisa’s September Releases
Author Bio
SJ Keir (as Morgan Klein)
Morgan is a Bristol based author of Dark, Queer, Tea.
Crime, mystery, and thriller darkness filled with Queer Light.
Morgan’s Quirky Questions
Holly: Which of your own characters would you Kill? Fuck? Marry? And why?
Morgan Klein: Of the main men from Tea, No Sugar – Ali Morgan and Trevor Zhang – I’d marry Trevor for sure. He has the kindest heart but gets put through the ringer by Ali, and he always tries to see the best in everyone meaning he doesn’t put himself first, and this limits how he copes with Ali’s drinking throughout the book. Ali is fuckable, but he can get into such a state that you’d have to snag him on one of his good days. And kill, well, it’s a big one, but it would have to be Mrs Addler. She embodies all that is wrong in their world. She is a homophobic bigot, who uses her position of authority in the school to inspire her son to lead a campaign of hate against Ali. I think what these type of people need (in real life too) is educating and showing that there are many more similarities between people than actual differences. But it’s a story, so lets kill her!
Holly: What other artistic pursuits (if any) do you indulge in apart from writing?
Morgan Klein: For the past two years, I have been working on my editing credentials through the CIEP, the EFA, and UCLA Extension. I truly love the process of developmental and copy editing because it takes a lot of time and energy, but nothing is more satisfying than working with an author and helping them reach their writing goals. I have focused on LGBTQ+ fiction primarily, with most of my clients being M/M and queer fiction authors. I feel humbled at times that well-established authors trust me with their babies, but I feel from the feedback received, I am providing a useful service. I am lucky that I have a full-time job in education, so I can provide affordable editing services for the community I love. Besides that I enjoy running up hills, swimming, and dancing to loud 90’s music in our living room.
Holly: What are some day jobs that you have had/have? Do they impact your writing, share an example.
Morgan Klein: I’ve worked in education for the past eleven years! It is a great role where every day is challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Teenagers can be a wicked bunch, but there is never a dull day; that’s for sure! I drew inspiration for the school setting where relationships between teachers can be incredibly close or fraught with differences. Teachers can come from a wide range of backgrounds and this makes them interesting people because they can be highly educated but also have tunnel vision around their subjects and beliefs. Throw in the stress of overbearing management, and you have tension from every angle!
Holly: Tell us something we don’t know about your main characters. What makes them tick?
Morgan Klein: Internalised homophobia is one aspect I wanted to cover in the book, but the characters don’t recognise it as such. Its a complex condition, and it can be masked by different self-destructive behaviours. They are both family orientated; however, their families are the greatest source of pain and discomfort for them. I’ve tried to show sexuality is a part of who they are and can have a huge impact on them, although at times, they mask their issues and hide things like many in the queer community have also had to do. It sounds very doom and gloom, but there is plenty of queer light too!
Holly: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Morgan Klein: This is my first full-length novel and that was a big challenge! I have a collection of short stories out in September, but a novel is a totally different beast. The hardest part was the self-doubt and blindness that comes from working on your own manuscript for a long time. I can be much more objective working on someone else’s, but my own writing – I often switch between thinking it’s great to it’s terrible.
The community of support online and through beta readers, I imagine, is key to many authors continuing when they have rough days.
Holly: Do you ever base your characters on real people? Do you tell them?
Morgan Klein: I tend to mash about three or four people together with one particular character trait shining through. I’ll combine something from one person with an element from somebody else. I feel the news provides easy to find and incredibly nasty antagonists for LGBTQ+ characters. A favorite line I read is if you want to avoid libel, then write your character, and it won’t matter if it’s too close to a real person if the description includes ‘…and he had a tiny penis,’ or some other toxic trait because nobody is going to jump up and claim ‘that’s me!’ (This does not constitute legal advice :D)
Holly: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Morgan Klein: I always seek out feedback throughout the process and taking criticism is part of being a writer in my view. It takes a whole bunch of people to bring a book into the world, and I am aware some people will not like what I do, and ultimately; that’s okay. In such a case, I know the book wasn’t for them, and it’s not a personal attack on me (hopefully) because other positive reviews and feedback balance it out for me. You can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Holly: How do you celebrate a new release?
Morgan Klein: I’ve been sober for over a year now, so celebrations usually involve my partner and the sofa after a long walk around the mountains behind where we live. I’m trying to enjoy each stage of the self-pub process and taking it all as a learning curve to better things. I am highly likely to make mistakes as I self-publish, and that’s okay! The next big milestone will be getting Tea, No Sugar into a readable condition and I will then be taking my partner to Japan hopefully early next year.
Blurred Lens
An eclectic collection of tales, poems, and flash fiction to wipe away the grime of life behind cracked, dirty glass. Zoom in for a closeup of gay life for a single man, unhappy teachers, a doctor in trouble, best friends gone astray, bullied kids, book banners, and rabbits with a grudge.
Life behind the glass can be a struggle, occasionally wistful, sometimes hopeful, and at times, painful. Each story shares a fragmented piece of someone’s life, and we toss and turn with them as they come to change their mind or accept their fate. Come take a look inside and see if you can find your own reflection.
Get Excited!
Blurb ‘Tea, No Sugar’ *Out end of 2023!*
Ali and Trevor fight a twisted education system and struggle to save their relationship across two continents.
English teacher Ali’s world falls apart when he loses his job due to a homophobic hate campaign at his Catholic school. Accused of inappropriate behaviour with a student, he struggles to recollect the night in question. Internalised homophobia and his religious mother cause him to violently reject everyone around him. Without support, Ali’s drinking becomes worse, but he refuses to accept blame for his actions and the resulting near fatal consequences.
His closeted partner, Trevor, a teacher-in-training struggles to believe Ali is innocent. Family issues force him to head home to China to reconcile his position as the eldest son. Rejected by his religious sister, Trevor must decide if his family or future partner are more important.
Failing to get himself together before the school board rules on the case, Ali’s job, his future and his life are all on the line. Without Trevor by his side, Ali must overcome the guilt surrounding his father’s death in order to move forward. Focusing on building up and not tearing down the relationships around him, Ali must act before it’s too late and history repeats itself.
My 5-stars reads this week
Show me how to trust
Ray Celar
Corbyn and Addy will melt you. This book is heart-wrenching, a stunningly written slow-burn romance that gave me all the feels.
The Awakening
Raven Kitts
I quickly fell into this compelling world. Sassy and smart, Jess, with her adorable dogs, and David her childhood friend, who disappears and then reappears to claim what’s his. A fast-paced plot and characters to fall in love with.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode of Holly’s Quirky Questions.
A huge thank you to Lisa Oliver and Morgan Klein for being so amazing. Next week we have Gigi Rivers.
Until then: Find a Spark of Magic Every Day.
