Limor Moyal's Blog

Today I am so pleased to welcome a fellow author and a dear friend, Jesse Frankel.

Jesse has come to talk to us about his latest release, star maps.

Please join me in giving Jesse a big welcome!

 

So Jesse tell us about yourself and your work

Well I write mainly Young Adult (YA) Fantasy, and my latest novel is Star Maps.I was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up there, receiving my tertiary education from the University of Toronto and graduating with a double major in English Literature and Political Science.
After working for Gray Coach Lines a grand total of three years, I came to Japan at the age of twenty-six and has been there ever since, teaching English to any and all students who enter my hallowed school of learning.
In 1997,I married Akiko Koike. Me, my wife, and two children, Kai and Ray, currently reside in Osaka.My hobbies include weight training, watching movies when my writing schedule allows, and listening to various kinds of music. The Tower is my first novel, published by UntreedReads.com. my other novels, all for the YA set, include Twisted, Lindsay Versus the Marauders and it’s sequel, Lindsay, Jo, and the Tree of Forever, all three courtesy of Regal Crest Enterprises. I also written Death Bytes and Catnip, courtesy of DevineDestinies.com.

Why do you write young adult ? 

For me, writing YA is a way of expressing a connection with my youth. Sadly, that has long passed me by, but by writing about it, it reconnects me with those formative years. Young people often feel the choices they have to make when they’re in their teens are somehow deeper, more important, and carry more weight than those made later on in life. YA also carried a freshness to it, an immediacy and a sense of urgency, and I like that kind of writing. I think my style of writing reflects that. And, I simply want to tell a good story that may resonate with the readers in some way and carry them along on a journey of possibilities.

links to Jesse’s work

Amazon author page and books 

 

 

I want to personally thank all my friends and fellow readers around the world for the support and help. your reviews and liking other reviews is a great and welcome help.

 I chose to focus my first novel on the Israeli army in general and on lone soldiers in particular.
IDF is a backbone of our country and as such we are all soldiers.
ISRAEL Lone soldiers are important and unique part of our army, and I wanted to provide an insight on them from a different angle.
Chariots on the Highway is a story about Tom who is a lone soldier in the IDF. He is an American Jewish guy, that like many others, choose to leave everything behind and come to ISRAEL to fight and support his people. 

 

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are not a regular army as exists in most countries. Israel is a small nation, standing in constant war on multiple borders. The IDF is the army of the people; it’s made of Israeli citizens that must enlist and serve. Service is mandatory for every Israeli man and woman (except Orthodox Jews). Women serve two years, and men serve for three years. Citizens are not paid for their service. This is a national contribution one must do for his homeland. We give ourselves to the army, and it is an obligation that we as Israelis are proud to fulfill.
Israel’s Lone Soldiers are those whose families live abroad, they are young Jewish men and women that choose to leave their countries of origin in order to serve the State of Israel. These soldiers willingly accept the responsibility of defending Israel, their adopted home, in the name of Jews worldwide. Many choose to serve in combat positions; enduring grueling training, exercises, missions, and operations, all to ensure Israel’s safety. For us Israelis, these young people, who leave a comfortable life behind and come to serve for three difficult years, are nothing less than heroes. We admire them and treat them with the utmost respect. Since most of them don’t have families in Israel, they can either join a kibbutz or an Israeli family who adopts them, so they have a warm place to relax when on leave. This story is for them. Israel’s Lone Soldiers 

To buy Chariots on the Highway click here

Today, I have Charles Raines, a gay author as my special guest. 
Raines writes m/m fiction with reams of romance, a sprinkling of erotica, a touch of mystery, and a splash of suspense. 
 

 

The Man With The Mandolin is Charles Raines’ latest novel. It’s a gay erotic mystery and essentially a love story.

                                    What’s it about?

          Ballet is in the blood of the Riche family. It is their passion and their livelihood. After the death of his father, duty dictates that only son, Charles, who has no flair for business or ballet, has little option but to support his doting mother and overbearing spinster aunt in their quest to steer the failing dance troupe back to success.

          But, mesmerized by a street musician, Charles yearns for another life filled with love and romance. And when he unwittingly becomes involved with a charismatic principal dancer and a devious Italian waiter, his world tumbles into turmoil, dredging up physical and emotional scars best left buried.

          With intrigue, blackmail, and events from the past threatening to plunge the family’s reputation into jeopardy and ruin his own chance of happiness, Charles finds hope and solace in the man with the mandolin. Sometimes dreams do come true. And maybe his will too.

For more info follow Charles Raines on his Twitter & Facbook 

or Buy his book on Amazon 

The Man With The Mandolin – Charles Raines

Amazon US 

Amazon UK 

Amazon Ca 

Thank you Charles for visiting my Blog, it was a pleasure to have you today. 

Today, I have Charles Rains, a gay author as my special guest. 
Rains writes m/m fiction with reams of romance, a sprinkling of erotica, a touch of mystery, and a splash of suspense. 
 

 

The Man With The Mandolin is Charles Raines’ latest novel. It’s a gay erotic mystery and essentially a love story.

                                    What’s it about?

          Ballet is in the blood of the Riche family. It is their passion and their livelihood. After the death of his father, duty dictates that only son, Charles, who has no flair for business or ballet, has little option but to support his doting mother and overbearing spinster aunt in their quest to steer the failing dance troupe back to success.

          But, mesmerized by a street musician, Charles yearns for another life filled with love and romance. And when he unwittingly becomes involved with a charismatic principal dancer and a devious Italian waiter, his world tumbles into turmoil, dredging up physical and emotional scars best left buried.

          With intrigue, blackmail, and events from the past threatening to plunge the family’s reputation into jeopardy and ruin his own chance of happiness, Charles finds hope and solace in the man with the mandolin. Sometimes dreams do come true. And maybe his will too.

For more info follow Charles Rains on his Twitter & Facbook 

or Buy his book on Amazon 

The Man With The Mandolin – Charles Raines

Amazon US 

Amazon UK 

Amazon Ca 

Thank you Charles for visiting my Blog, it was a pleasure to have you today. 

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Today, I have Limor Moyal, author of the gay romance novel, Chariots on the Highway, as my special guest.  In a moment, we’ll have a chat with Limor to find out more about her book and the inspiration behind it.

First, though, let’s take a glance at the blurb:

Every year, young men come from all over the world to join the IDF and fight for Israel. They leave everything behind and becoming what known as lone soldiers.

Tom, a young man from Kansas, has traveled to Israel to fight for his people. He came to fight, He came to escape.

Dan Green has it all. He owns Greentech technologies, lives in a small mention near Tel Aviv, and looks like a movie star. But his blue eyes, hiding a storm that threatens to smash him.

The end of his marriage to Lena, his memories of his late father, his disappointment with himself and his internal wars, pushing him towards the edge.

Dan and Tom cross paths at a crucial point in their lives. None of them thought that what began as volunteering mission, will change everything they thought they knew.

This is a journey of exploration and discovery. About asking the right questions and finding the answers.

In traffic jams of Ayalon Highway, the bustle of the city, on the battlefield, and deep in their dreams. Together they peel layers of pain, and find themselves.

And now, let’s welcome Limor to the blog and find out more about Chariots on the Highway!  And don’t miss the book trailer at the end of the interview!

Your book is originally in Hebrew and takes place in Israel, how do those facts affect the story?

Well I decided to be the first Israeli woman to write a gay romance in Hebrew. We actually have none, and it is sad and I decided to change that.

The setting in Israel and the fact that the plot is very Israeli makes it very unique for readers because it gives the book added value. Not only you get your fix of gay for you hot story, you get to travel to Israel and enjoy it for the price of 3.99. I think that every book that opens you to new things, and teaches you something you didn’t know before reading it, will leave a stronger impact on you in the long run

What was the hardest or most difficult scene to write?

I think the hardest part was the argument between Dan and Ehud. It’s extremely political, religious, emotional conversation that came from personal liberal beliefs that I felt that I need to express in the book

What’s the most difficult part of writing a sex scene?

Well obviously the fact that I never experience this kind of sex since I’m a female, but I think sex is sex regardless the gender of participants, especially if there are emotions involved, and in this case they only started touching after they were involved emotionally in so many aspects, and that fact made it easy.

What’s your favourite part about writing a sex scene?

To check if it’s working 

I read it, and if it has the desired effect on me, I know I nailed it. I think the best thing about being a woman and writing a gay sex scene, is that it actually kind of living your fantasy because you can never really be one of your characters.

I’ll even say that the best thing about writing in general is the ability to fly with your mind to places that the real you could never reach.

What kind of research went into this book?

Military research, including learning the radio communication codes, twice actually because the original book is in Hebrew and its completely different codes.

The battle in Lebanon is based on real events so I had to investigate it and write it as accurate as possible, same goes to the medical procedures taking place in the story. I worked with a medical doctor to make sure it’s all valid.

And most importantly the sessions Dan has with his shrink are all backed up by a psychologist that is working mainly with GLBT and their families, and has a lot of experience with the issues Dan is having in the book. So basically the story is very realistic facts wise.

What made you decide to write this genre?

Firstly it is my favorite genre as a reader so naturally I couldn’t think about writing anything else. I believe that in order to write a good book you need to write what you would love to read, don’t try to be something else just to sell more books. It’s true that M/M is a smaller market than general contemporary romance, but I don’t find it interesting to read so what is the point trying to write it.

Second reason because I’m a liberal and support gay rights, so being able to help in that aspect is a great opportunity, especially in Israel because here the book is a unique phenomenon and many mainstream readers are reading it, and discovering what is gay love and that gay love is just like straight love, that discovery sometimes can change their point of view and even shift their political views, if I get even one person to open up and support gay rights, I will be a happier human being.

And the third reason is because something about gay love is so strong, because it goes against so many factors. As a gay person you have to fight society, your family and friends, and sometimes even yourself to be able to love freely, and if you choose to make all this sacrifices just to be with the one you love, that is, for me a very bold move and show how deep is that love. Great circumstances to start a book.

Where do you like to write? Home? Coffee shop? Subway ride to work? Somewhere else?

In bed with the lights off.

Which of your characters is your favorite? Why?

All of them because when I finished the book I realized that they are all me, every one of them representing a piece of me that together with the other pieces forms the whole, which is me. Even the unpleasant characters represent the parts of me which I don’t really like, but are still part of who I am.

Which of your characters would you like to meet in person? What would you say or do with that character?

Ehud – I would slap him and tell him to get his head out of his ass!

If you’d like to learn more about Limor Moyal and Chariots on the Highway, check out Limor’s , Facebook page, or Twitter feed.

And don’t forget to check out Chariots on the Highway .