Donnie Vakarian's Blog

Thanks to Ren for his kind nomination of The Desolate Homestead for debut author in the M/M Romance genre. I'm humbled and grateful for the recognition of the work put in -- both mine and my editor's (who was thrilled to hear about the nomination, too). Now back to the keyboard to continue working on Defending the Righteous, the next book in the series.

Wishing everyone the best of this holiday season, and a happy and prosperous new year!

D/V

Before I moved to Madrid eight years ago, I lived in the Canary Islands for eight years as well. Anyone who has been there, especially to the eastern islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, knows that they are mountainous and dry, and if it weren't for so many palm trees, you might actually think you were in the Great American West. Click here to access a photo I just posted on my Instagram page (and follow me while you're there!). Although I'm content to be in Madrid, I feel most inspired and more creative when I'm back in the islands, and that's where I've been for the last two weeks. And sure enough, the plot outline for "Defending the Righteous" (Book II in my Montana Series) is now complete. I plan on being here in the islands for another couple of months, sequestered by myself in a white adobe house that hugs the rocky shoreline with my laptop and my tablets. By the time I head back to Madrid, I should have most of the dialogs and prose hashed out, and then I'm planning another trip in July to wrap things up so I can get the first draft to the editor.

I've mentioned in an answer to questions directed at authors here on Goodreads that I often use musical playlists to set me in the mood and get my brain churning over the storyline, something like the soundtrack of a movie version of the same story. I'll see if I can share the latest playlist from Spotify so that you can get in the mood, too. Just today, I went through it as I took a jog along the coast. There's a lot in store for Tom and Abe in this next installment, and there are plenty of answers about each of their pasts.

Thanks again to those who have taken the time to post ratings and comments on The Desolate Homestead. I've been humbled that people from all over the world (the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy and even China) have all taken an interest in Tom and Abe and are eagerly waiting to find out what happens to them next -- and what happened long ago.

I’m really pleased to announce that BookLife, from Publisher’s Weekly, has released their review of The Desolate Homestead. Their takeaway:

This explicit gay frontier romance is stimulating, likable, and certain to leave its audience wanting more.
--BookLife from Publisher’s Weekly

Check it out on their web site, https://booklife.com/project/the-desolate-homestead-52558. They’ll have a printed version of the review in the BookLife supplement of Publisher’s Weekly on February 22.

To celebrate my birthday week, I’ve put the book on special for just $0.99 for Kindle on Amazon.com. Check out the reader reviews there (4.6 stars as of today), and get your copy now before the limited-time special price expires on January 21!

I sometimes wonder how many simultaneous works at various stages of completion – story ideas, time lines, character studies, snips of dialog, general notes and actual prose – other authors typically have on their virtual countertops. And I wonder how often the primary work they have on the front burner gets temporarily set aside because a hot new idea comes along that progressively claims more and more of their cerebral resources. I suppose what I’m truly wondering is whether I might suffer from some grade of attention deficit disorder.

By the time I published The Desolate Homestead last month – actually, before I even handed it off to my editor for its final review – I already had the basic plot, the chapter outlines and a few key dialogs complete for the sequel (currently under the working title “Defending the Righteous”). And I still am faithfully at work on relating that story to you, dear reader.

But just after Christmas, a rather sexy silver fox named Lex Madris started meandering through my mindscape, and I’ve found myself spending what might be an inordinate amount of time over the last week and a half getting to know him – and his family, friends and colleagues – and weaving a complex story around him. I’ve accompanied him on a few mental jogs along the repaved coastal road of an old fishing island lost somewhere in the South Atlantic, listening to him talk of his past. He’s shown me the castle there – an enormous stone edifice that’s been extensively refurbished and outfitted as an adult playground, from its lowest dungeons to its highest turrets. He’s shown me the luxury chalets of the village that rises on the hills behind the island’s sole but extensive white sand beach. And he’s hinted to me about the fantasies that bring people of extraordinary means to that remote corner of the world.

It’s no dilemma, really. I certainly hope not, anyway, because there are plenty of other works simmering gently on the back burners, too. But damn! Lex is hot, and his story intrigues me, so I think I’m going to spend just a little more time on this island with him before I get back to the plains of Montana.

Donnie Vakarian

See the original blog post on my official web site by clicking here.

As they say in Spain: "Let me add my grain of sand" to the millions -- well, billions, I suppose -- of sincerely felt wishes around the world for a better 2021 for everyone. And I mean everyone in the greatest sense of the word. Let's take a moment to remember and honor those who won't be accompanying us into the New Year, to feel blessed and grateful for those who will, and to be ever thankful for the chance to start over again and perhaps get it a little more "right" as we go. Peace, comfort and good health to all!

Donnie Vakarian