1-How long
have you been writing?
“Better Than
Good” is my first novel and my first writing attempt in a public forum.
2- What is
your favorite genre to write?
I love
romance. Write what you know! I’ve read more romance novels than I should
probably admit. Historical,
contemporary... doesn’t matter, I love it all!
I discovered the M/M genre a couple years ago and it is fair to say that
my Kindle is almost exclusively dedicated to them now. (Hundreds of them J)
3-What are
you working on now?
I’m finishing
Peter and Jay’s story right now. They
make a guest appearance in “Better Than Good”.
Jay is Aaron’s best friend and I think as cool a character as Aaron. Of course, I’m a little biased.
4-When you
begin a story do you start with character or plot?
I definitely
start with characters. The characters
seem to end up telling me their stories and in fact sometimes change direction
while I’m typing away. I generally have
a direction for the plot but the characters guide the way.
5-Tell us
about your latest/upcoming release. What inspired it?
It’s a little
difficult to explain but Jay and Peter’s story came first, which will make
sense when you read “Better Than Good”.
Other characters tend to develop from one story and in this case it was
Matt and Aaron’s story. I ended up
writing it first because I couldn’t stop thinking of them. I became obsessed when I met someone who
literally looked like Aaron to me. He
was truly the most beautiful young man I’d ever seen. He was playing waiter at a cooking demo for a
bunch of women who were happy just drinking wine and staring at him all
night. Maybe it was that chance meeting
that spurred me to tell Matt and Aaron’s story, who knows? I’m more than happy I did. Theirs is a simple but poignant tale about
self-discovery and acceptance. I love
these characters and hope the readers will also!
Better
Than Good
By
Lane Hayes
Blurb
Matt
Sullivan understands labels: law student, athlete, heterosexual. He has
goals: graduate and begin his career in law. One fateful night, Matt tags along
with his gay roommate to a dance club and everything changes. Matt finds
himself attracted to the most beautiful man he's ever seen. All labels go
flying out the window.
Aaron
Mendez doesn't believe in labels, and he’s leery of straight curious men.
He makes it clear that he’ll hide his fabulous light for no one. While
Aaron can't deny the attraction between him and Matt, he is reluctant to start
anything with someone who is still dealing with what this new label
means—especially when that someone has a girlfriend.
Excerpt from Better Than Good by Lane
Hayes
By
the time I took him back to his place, it was three a.m. The usually busy streets were virtually
empty. A fine layer of fog from the
river painted the low lying shrubs and sidewalks in front of his building. It looked a little mystic and magical as
though the early morning hour still held promise. I pulled close to the curb, set the car in
park and turned toward my companion. I
didn’t want to say goodbye, yet I didn’t know where this thing between us could
go. I felt that familiar wave of
frustration.
“Can
I walk you up? I mean it. I just want to be sure you’re safe.” It sounded like a lame request, but Aaron seemed
pleasantly surprised.
“You
are a gentleman, aren’t you?” His eyes
twinkled. “I won’t say no and I’ll try
to keep my hands to myself. There’s a
parking spot up there. Take it so you
don’t get a ticket.”
I
parked the car as instructed and met Aaron at the curb. His smile lit his entire face. God, he was beautiful. He took my arm when I reached his side. I didn’t protest, though the gesture seemed
overly familiar. It just felt amazing to
have this beautiful creature at my side looking at me like I was some kind of
hero for offering to walk him to his door.
There
was a bright lantern light on above the old glass and iron front door. Aaron couldn’t get the latch to catch, so I
took the key from him and gave it a try.
“It
sticks sometimes.” He muttered under his
breath.
It
opened easily for me. I was beginning to
think my levels of chivalry were being tested.
The thought made me grin when I should have been annoyed.
“You’re
my hero!” he whispered loudly.
“Knock
it off. Where is your place?”
“Uh
oh, Matty’s getting mad. Watch out
kids.” Aaron pointed to the elevator off
to the right. The corridor was not as
well lit as the front alcove had been. I
was actually glad that I was making sure he was safe. I was a little nervous myself. Which must have shown on my face, because
Aaron laughed out right as the elevator doors opened.
“Relax,
sweetie. This isn’t the Bates
Motel. It’s just an old building. Supposedly historic, but really it just means
the lighting is poor and the water pressure is worse. My apartment is cute though. Come see.
You’re safe.”
I
rolled my eyes this time, but gamely followed him.
His
apartment was on the fifth floor. He led
me down another long hallway and stopped in front of #5E.
“Home
sweet home.” He said with a flourish as he opened his door. “Come make sure there are no boogie men and
then I promise to let you go, Matty.”
Aaron
turned on a light and breezed through his small entry into a larger living
room. As I followed him I took in my
surroundings. The apartment was small
with an open floor plan.
I
could see into his bedroom from the living area and although it was dark, I
could see that the bed was neatly made.
Aaron’s entire apartment was immaculate.
And the juxtaposition of his modern tastes and the apartment’s older
features, like the high ceilings and a floor heater, made for a homey and
comfortable space. It was nice, and it
suited Aaron perfectly.
Aaron
threw his keys in the egg shaped bright orange bowl on his small kitchen table
and turned around with his arms outstretched.
“Well,
it’s tiny but it’s all mine. As long as
I pay the rent, that is.”
“It’s
really nice. Suits you.” I felt a little awkward as I stuffed my hands
back in the leather jacket Aaron had returned to me earlier.
“Thanks for walking me up. That was very gentlemanly of you. Is that a word? Whatever, it was sweet.” His smile was a little shy and his bangs had
fallen back into his eyes. This time I
couldn’t help myself. I reached out to
move his hair away from his eyes. He
looked up at me in surprise and my breath caught. We stared at one another for a second more
before our mouths met.
Lane Hayes Bio:
Lane Hayes is a designer by trade, but is first and foremost
a lover of the written word. An avid
reader from an early age, Lane has always been drawn to romance novels. She truly believes there is nothing more
inspiring than a well-told love story.
Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked.
She loves to travel and wishes she could do it more often. Lane lives in Southern California with her
amazing husband, three teenage kids and Rex, the coolest yellow lab ever.
Here are my
links so far...
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Lane-Hayes
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LaneHayes3
Website: www.lanehayes.wordpress.com
Email: lanehayes@ymail.com
Purchase Links:
Dreamspinner
Press:
Amazon:
Reviews:
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