Author Spotlight: Charley Descoteaux and her newest book Cascades

The Author Spotlight will focus on a different author every few weeks – it may feature an experienced writer who has a long history of published books, or a new author who is destined to be a future star. Today our Author Spotlight will be on Charley Descoteaux. You can keep in touch with Charley at the links following the interview!

Author Spotlight: Charley Descoteaux

First off, I want to thank Charley for taking the time to answer these questions for me. Please feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comment section below!

 

ABOUT THE BOOKS:

What is the title of your newest or upcoming book?

Cascades

What publisher is this book being published by?

Dreamspinner Press

What is the publication date?

12/9/2015

Cascades by Charley Descoteaux

Purchase links: Dreamspinner Press

 

THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during a drought, and found her true home in the soggy Pacific Northwest. She has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through one day without stories.

Can you give the readers a brief summary of your latest book?

Justice “JB” Bishop tells himself he’s satisfied with life in the small town of Upright, Oregon. He was born and raised there, and has settled into a comfortable, if lonely, routine working at his uncle’s bar. JB doesn’t expect anything to change after he turns fifty, until an old friend drops in. She suggests he get out of town for the holidays, and soon JB finds himself on an Amtrak to Canada. JB expected to feel different in Canada, to see things he couldn’t see at home. He never expected to find the one who got away.

What genre does it fall in?

Contemporary Romance

Will you share a few words about your latest book, other than the usual blurb?

Cascades is a story of second chances, featuring two mature heroes and a bit of angst. While not a traditional holiday Romance, it’s hopeful and sexy.

Give us a little insight into your main characters! Who are they?

JB isn’t the kind of man you’d expect to find in a holiday Romance. He doesn’t like the holidays at all, which works out perfectly—if he’d wanted to stay in town for Christmas he never would’ve been on that train. Doug is also an unlikely hero. The first time we see him he’s sleeping in the park, and he doesn’t make it easy for JB to get close to him again.

Will we be seeing these characters again any time soon? Is this book part of a series?

No, I don’t have any plans to make this a series. I may return to JB’s hometown of Upright, Oregon for another story someday, though.

Tell us a little bit about your writing style. When and where is your favorite time/place to write?

My favorite place to write is in my recliner on my laptop. However, I do a lot of my first drafts in longhand on the train during my commute and transcribe in the evenings and on weekends. That works out well; by the time I have a completed draft most of it is 3rd or 4th draft material.

What sort of book do you enjoy reading in your free time? What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?

As I’m writing this, the last book I read was Jordan L. Hawk’s RESTLESS SPIRITS. I loved it! Hawk’s characters are always so real, as believable as her plots are fantastic.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? Have you held any interesting jobs while you worked on your books?

I’ve always wanted to write. I started telling stories before I was old enough to write them down, and did my first volunteer shift in a library in the first grade just to be near all the books. I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years, some strange, some interesting, and some boring. I’ve worked as a pusher of various (legal) products, arranged a lot of flowers, wrangled many words, and made more sandwiches than any human would dare count—occasionally all in one day, and sometimes even for money.

What does your writing process look like?

My process is different for each book but two things are always the same: I spend a lot of time daydreaming about the story and characters, and I do a lot of drafting and list-making in longhand. Sometimes longhand is the best way for me to get a story flowing. I know it’ll be a good one when I go back and read what I’ve written in a notebook and am surprised. Once a story takes on a life of its own I rarely make major changes, but in the early stages plot and characterization ideas are flexible. One thing I can’t do is outline. Every time I try to outline a story my muse says “Now that story’s done; on to the next one”. My muse can be a jerk, but we get the job done.

Why did you choose to write GLBTQ romance? Why not another genre?

I’ve written in other genres but I enjoy LGBTQ Romance the most because I get to write about people like me. This is the best genre to tell the stories only I can tell. I write the stories I want to read, the stories I used to search for and couldn’t find. Now instead of holding my breath, hoping all the queer folks won’t die at the end, I get to write their happy endings. It’s the coolest thing in the world that publishers and readers are interested in these stories now. When I first made the leap from writer/storyteller to published author, in the mid-90s, that wasn’t the case.

One last questions…totally unrelated to books! I am a passionate foodie. Is there one thing in your pantry that you would be horrified for people to know that you eat?

Haha, a lot of my food choices are questionable at best. I’ve made my peace with it. I’m only giving one away here, though: I love Pop Tarts. Especially the red velvet flavor, but really anything fruity and frosted is hard to resist.

Thankyou so much for answering my questions. I think my readers will enjoy learning more about you! Good luck in your future writing!

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE AUTHOR:

Find out more about Charley by visiting the author’s website. You can also check out their profile on Goodreads or follow on Facebook or Twitter.