Read with Pride Northwest discussion

We’ll be interviewing GRNW Attending Authors all summer as we prepare for the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up on September 14 in Seattle.

Please feel free to join in and ask your own questions for the authors!

GRNW interviews Lou Sylvre – Part 1

Here we interview Lou Sylvre, author of Loving Luki Vasquez, Delsyn's Blues, Finding Jackie, and other works.

GRNW: Lou, you’re best known for your mystery-suspense-romance series Vasquez & James, which stars Sonny, who’s a textile artist, and Luki, who is an ex-ATF agent, and it’s about their growing relationship and the different challenges (and dangers) that they face. What inspired you to start this series?

Lou: Before I answer, thank you for giving me this opportunity!

I’ll start by saying I can’t identify one thing or experience that inspired me, but here’s a little of what went on in my brain as I begin to put the series together. Surprisingly, I think, the characters themselves inspired me! I had two characters named in other writing, and they insisted on falling in love and getting a little NSFW. They went through some evolutions, and kept insisting I write them a novel. In Sonny, I wanted to write a “Native American” man who was not stereotypical—mostly because I very much dislike reading such stereotypes. In Luki I was inspired by the idea of the consummate protector. Then I read something—I wish I could remember exactly what—that had a very strong sense of place, and I wanted to incorporate something like that. The area where they live is beautiful and rugged. The landscape, with true mountains, both salt and fresh water, numerous islands, and temperate rain forest, shapes the lives of the inhabitants even if they’re not much involved with it. I don’t think I wrote a novel that made landscape central, but it is active. As for the suspense element, well I read mystery and suspense and enjoy it, and I wanted to jump in and see if I could make that work, especially since Luki and Sonny seemed custom made for such an adventure.

Tell me about Sonny and Luki. As the author (and parent) of these characters, what do you like about writing their characters?

I love writing Luki because something in his character resonates deeply with mine. It’s not at all the same, but as a single mother, I frequently took on a protector role. Vastly different, and rarely physical, but it was the role that rode above everything else in my psyche at the time. No one would hurt my children. But also, he’s more tortured and less confident than he has trained himself to appear. And he keeps surprising me! Layer after layer unfolds, and I only love him more. And when he shows his pain, I’m so glad Sonny loves him.

Sonny has a kind of sweetness that is gentle, flexible, and will absorb or shed a lot of crap without changing. Yet he’s much stronger than he appears. Left to himself, he has no doubts about his capability or his worth. And he is certain of himself and his identity, despite his “soul wound.” (See Eduardo Duran’s writings for information on that concept.) In social situations, however, his self-esteem can be chipped away. The one area of his life where he is supremely confident is his art. He shares my love of color and creation, but he’s much more skilled than I have been at any artistic endeavor. And the hurt in him makes me glad Luki’s there, and will do anything, everything to take care of him.

Sonny is a weaver. Did you have to do a lot of research to inform about his artwork, or were you familiar with textile art?

I had to do some research. I needed more information than I had, and I had to make sure my memory for terms and so forth was accurate. I’ve worked with color, and some hand weaving and fiber arts. I wanted to do loom weaving and still do. Sonny’s living that dream for me.

Sonny and Luki go through a lot of different challenges through the series. When you started with book 1 Loving Luki Vasquez, did you have an idea in the back of your mind about what would happen after that book?

No, not when I started the book. But it wasn’t long before I realized that a series would be possible. Also, by the time I got to the end of Loving Luki Vasquez, I couldn’t help but think of the ramifications of the things that happened in the story. Those things led to Delsyn’s Blues, and that led to Finding Jackie, and what happened in Finding Jackie led to the opening of Saving Sonny James, which will be released by Dreamspinner in October.

In part 3, the novella Yes, Luki and Sonny has to deal with Luki’s cancer treatment. What inspired you to write this story?

First, let me clarify. Yes is not part 3 of the series. It’s the same main characters, but it is not a suspense story at all, and is separate from the series primarily for that reason. It was released between Delsyn’s Blues and Finding Jackie, but chronologically (in terms of the characters’ fictional lives) it happens five years after Delsyn’s Blues, approximately.

I can’t really say what inspired me, exactly. I have had friends and family with cancer and know how very painful it can be in every way. I had worked for a couple of decades in disability social work and adjudication. That means I had read countless medical records and had some idea how things worked. As I said, I don’t know about inspiration, but the biggest impetus, the thing that truly drove me to write Yes, was the tobacco addiction I had afflicted Luki with. I knew that few escape either cancer or COPD if they smoke like he did. I also knew his mother had died young from cancer and that there is an apparent hereditary connection for early cancers. So, wham. I dropped the bomb.

All that said, the story is not about cancer, and it’s not about treatment. It’s about human hearts: love and fear and hope and anger and salvation where you least expect to find it.

I understand you donated proceeds from Yes to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, a local leading cancer center in Seattle. That’s a wonderful idea! How much did you end up raising?

I’ve donated $500 so far—or I should say “we” because the money of course came from those who bought the book. I’ll make another donation probably in October, or after the first of the year. I don’t expect it to be terribly much, but every little bit helps, I think.

Luki is often described as a “badass” character. What do you like about writing tough, hard-to-crack characters? And are there other badass characters in other works that you admire?

I’m not sure, except that I wish I either had a Luki, or I was a Luki. :-) I do tend to have the quiet badass in most things I write. I don’t think I would enjoy it, however, if he weren’t a collection of opposites. Luki is tough as granite, and just about as raspy, but he has this huge capacity for love, even tenderness. The same instinct that makes him a scarily confident and capable agent lets him read his lover—Sonny, now—and give him just what he needs. And there are cracks in his armor. He needs to be human for me to want to write him, I guess. That said, darn, I really wish I could be a badass for a day. But since that’s unlikely, I can write Luki Vasquez, a badass who helps put the world right. I confess I also like the research about guns, explosives, fighting techniques, etc.

Other badasses I love: Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden; J.R.R Tolkien’s Gandalf, Gildor, Boromir, and Faramir; Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John Grey and Jamie Frazier, Tanya Huff’s vampire Henry, Rhys Ford’s Cole McGinnis, Anne Perry’s William Monk. There are more—many more—but I’ll leave it with those examples.

I understand that Sonny and Luki have an interlude at the Hotel Monaco (where we’re having part of our Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up). What drew you to use the Monaco in your story?

Yes, they do, and also I’ll be staying there the night of the meet-up. I’m excited! They stayed there because they didn’t want to stay at the hotel they’d stayed at previously because they had a bad experience—not the fault of the hotel. They shopped for a hotel just like anyone else would, online. They’re not strapped for cash, so they went for the Monaco. They had a very nice time, which is NSFW but can be found at this link: http://dreamspinnerpress.com/blog/201...

Loving Luki Vasquez was your first novel, which came out 2011. Have you felt your writing style change at all over the series?

I wouldn’t say so much that my style has changed. I write with a different style for different types of material, although certainly I have style characteristics that do show up in whatever I’m writing. It’s hard for me to tell how much writing style has changed within the series, because the characters have grown so much—they’re different, so of course what I write and how I express it is different. I do think my writing skills have continued to grow, but that is really a technique question, not style.

Check out our next post below for the concluding part of our interview with Lou Sylvre!

GRNW interviews Lou Sylvre – Part 2

What are some of your future projects? What can readers look forward to?

Right now, I’m finishing up a novel with the working title Jade. Those who read Yes will remember a baby with that name. This is a Sonny and Luki story, but like Yes it’s not part of the suspense series. Chronologically, it happens five years after the events of Yes. The short version: it’s what follows when Luki and Sonny take on the role of parents, and face challenges from outside as well as their own adjustments.

As of now, I’m planning for that to be the last of the books that center on Luki and Sonny, but there will be at least one transitional book, and I’m currently planning to spin-off a series for Brian and Jackie (From Finding Jackie), and another spinoff, possibly a series, for a hot ginger badass named Jesse (from Saving Sonny James).

I have some unrelated things in the offing as well. I’m co-writing something (we’re still deciding what shape it will take) that involves Scotland, historical settings and events, and magic. Also, I’ve planned a series of novellas around the theme of occupations and opposites, and a couple of other things. The key is to find time to get them written! But I am determined to make it happen. :-)

What are your favorite genres to write? And to read? Are there genres that you haven’t tried writing yet , but would like to?

I like to write suspense, romance, and humor. I like to read all genres, but especially urban fantasy, some sword and sorcery, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, books about physics for the ordinary reader. I haven’t written sci-fi or urban fantasy, but I think I’d like to try them.

There are a lot of new gay romance writers in the market now. If you met a new writer, what would your recommendations be? Either for writing gay romance or for writing a series?

Well, I suppose that might depend on what the person’s situation was, but overall the tried and true directive: keep writing, no matter what. But also, perhaps, don’t wait for perfection to arrive before submitting your work. Engage your reader and respect them. Have faith in their ability to think for themselves. Write what gives you satisfaction, and put your whole self into it.

Last question (from me. GRNW followers can jump in after this.) We’ll have a lot of readers at the September GRNW Meet-Up in Seattle, and it’s always interesting to hear what authors like to read and would recommend. What gay romance titles are some of your favorites?

The first book I ever read that was actually “in the genre” was Felicia Watson’s, Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela. I don’t know what it was about the book that I found so satisfying, except that it was well written and gentle and a beautiful tale of love. Since then, books in the genre that stand out as memorable are Isabelle Rowan’s A Note in the Margin, Rick Reed’s Tricks, Rhys Ford’s Cole McGinnis Series and Sinners Series, Admit One by Jenna Hilary Sinclair, Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims, and so many more--that’s just a start. I’ve done some reviews on Goodreads, and I only review things I liked, so readers could check that out for some more recommendations if they’d like.

Again, than you so much for interviewing me, and for all that you, Old Growth NW, and everyone else involved has done to make the Seattle meet-up happen!


September 5 - GRNW Reading Event – Seattle

And for those around Seattle, you can see more of Lou on Thursday, September 5 at the University Book Store for our next GRNW reading event, "Love is Love: Four Authors who celebrate Gay Romance," which will feature Kade Boehme, Daisy Harris, Rick R. Reed, and Lou Sylvre. Learn more at our website: http://gayromancenorthwest.wordpress....

And see even more of Lou and our other GRNW authors at the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up on September 14 at the Seattle Central Library! We hope you can join us. :D http://gayromancenorthwest.wordpress....

Special thanks again to Lou Sylvre for talking with us!

If you have questions for Lou, please feel free to ask here. This thread is open to questions. :D

Thank you, Tracy! I certainly enjoyed getting the chance to rattle on. I'd love to hear from any readers that have questions, comments, or even suggestions. :) This has been fun.