Fabulous author V.L. Locey is stopping by today!

What's up Bloaders! I haven't done and author interview yet on my website and I just love doing them so much I've decided that it was time for me to start up. Today I'm here interviewing a good friend of mine V. L. Locey. She is the author of the romantic comedy novel, 'OF GODS AND GOATS.' I've had the opportunity to read Vicki's book and I have to say that my funny bone was tickled pink. 

Click on photo to link to V.L. Locey's website. Click on book cover for book description. 

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     Now Vicki since I know you and I've read your novel I can say that there seemed to be a few similarities between you and the main character. What would be three ways that you are similar to Libby?

Oh gosh, this could get me into trouble. She and I share a similar sense of humor. We both raise goats. Libby and I also share a fine appreciation for well-crafted Greek gods. That reply should keep me out of hot water with Mister.

I would have to say that I agree with those three similarities. It's the three I would have said that made me think of you while I was reading. Now for the next question. Why out of all of the Greek gods did you decide to use Ares?

Good question! First off, Ares has always been my favorite out of all the Greek gods. I`ve read a ton of Greek mythos over my years, and every single tale involving Ares portrays him as this one-dimensional barbarian, incapable of loving anything aside from war. That is a large part of the god of bloodlust, yes, but there had to be more. This is a god that loved Aphrodite for centuries, so he is capable of great affection it`s just never been delved into in any account that I`ve come across. He is also a devoted father. This has never been relayed well either in my humble. I wanted Ares as my leading man to show that he is more than a blood-thirsty lout and I think I`ve been able to add some real depth and development to him. Of course, the readers are the ones who get the final call on if I wrote Ares well or not.

 I can without a doubt tell you that I am a huge fan of Ares. If I could meet him in real life I'm sure he could show a girl a good time. Which make me wonder why you decided to make Ares the size, hair color, height, and other fantastic qualities, were you picturing someone you know?

Not really. My Ares is a conglomeration of various other representations I`ve read and dreamed about. After the book was out I spent some time searching through images on the internet, trying to find a man that looks like I picture my Ares to look. After days of grueling work looking at literally hundreds of sexy men, I stumbled upon Dave Batista, the wrestler, and my heart sped up exponentially! If I were in charge of casting for the movie version of ‘Of Gods & Goats’ Dave Batista would be my first choice.

Being a ginormous wrestling fan. If any of you truly know me you know that I'm obsessed with it. For those of you who don't know who David Batista is here's a pic. (BTW I wouldn't say no to watching a movie if those abs were in it.) 

Hmm... Now that my cold shower is over let me move on. What's next is in store for Libby and her Greek warrior god?

Oh, the usual farm life stuff. Milk the goats, feed the steer, have mind-numbing sex, try to save the world from the evil machinations of Hades, god of the dead. Your typical rural sort of things, you know. Their story will continue through two more books, ‘Of Heroes & Haybales’ coming out in the spring of 2013, and ‘Of Titans & Tractors’ which will be released in the spring of 2014, God willing and the creek don`t rise.

I'm very much looking forward to reading the next two novels in the series. What was the hardest part in writing Of Gods and Goats?

Actually the writing was wonderfully simple and flowed with ease. The storyline just exploded onto the page and the characters came to life instantly. The hardest part, for me, was not buckling into the voice of doubt that kept nipping at my heels. Since I do not possess any kind of college degree I always struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to my writing compared to well-schooled novelists. Keeping that annoying imp of insecurity quiet was a tussle at times. After the usual author doubt rodeo the hardest part was editing. Ugh. I have grown to hate commas and apostrophes.

Don't even get me started I have a college degree and I still can't figure out how to use them. I'm just gonna move on to the next questions before my head explodes trying to figure out if this is a run-on sentence or not.  Do you think you will try and write in any other genre besides fantasy?

As a matter, I`m delving into a new field for me as we speak! I`m working on a comedic horror story that I plan to submit to a publisher who put a call for submissions out on Facebook recently. Think ‘Shaun of the Dead’ but with gay leads. I also have two contemporary romance tales outlined for this year’s NaNoWriMo in November. I have to choose between the two soon to fine tune the plot a bit.

Busy Busy Busy...Now as you know I'm a romantic comedy writer and I've noticed that every person I encounter is doing fantasy or paranormal of some kind. Do you think it's harder being in that genre with that much competition?

I think the PNR genre is just about filled to the rim and is ready to overflow its mug. Over the past few years PNR has grown so popular that the market is now glutted. That can be a real boon for readers like me, who love the genre, but it`s a double-edged sword also. With so many books being released in one genre the lack of original plots and characters is beginning to show. Fantasy is also seeing a huge rise, in good part I think, due to the amazing success of ‘Game of Thrones’ on HBO and the wonderful books themselves written by George R.R. Martin. I`ve read four of the novels so far and cannot leave them alone!

So yeah, if you`re in a genre that is packed full of books and authors, it`s much harder to carve out your niche. I don`t view my gods and goats stories as fantasy, or paranormal romance though. Libby and Ares are what I like to call ‘Rural romantic comedy with a healthy dose of Greek mythos’ but making up my own genre generally doesn`t work, so romantic comedy fits well.

Any advice to anyone who wants to start out writing?

            Read. Read a lot. Read a lot and then read more.

Also don`t let people tell you that you are too old, too young, not educated enough, over educated, too thin, too fat, too rural, too cosmopolitan to EVER be published. Don`t listen when they tell you that stay-at-home moms can`t be authors, or women who are past menopause can`t be authors, or the thousands of things people will tell you to keep you from realizing your dreams. Ignore the titters of family when you reveal your new passion. Tell them, as kindly as you can, to flake off and keep writing. Even if your book never leaves the files of your laptop you have done something many people talk about doing but very few ever accomplish. You have written a novel. You are good enough. You`re better than good enough, you are an author!

            Find a writers group if you can. The support and friendship, gentle critiques and comments you will get at a writers group will be your life raft when the sea of doubt rises up. It will keep your noggin above water when snickers and eye rolls of friends and family and rejection slips splash over your head. I can honestly say that without my writers groups and the friends I have made in those groups, this dream of mine would not have been realized. If you can`t find a group nearby, there are wonderful groups on the internet. Support and understanding of just how hard being a writer is will bolster you in ways you can`t even begin to imagine.

To add to the question if there was one thing you could do differently what would that be? 

            I would have started writing many years ago.

Well, I guess it's time to wrap things up. Thank you for stopping by and chatting with me today. Anything you would like to add before we sign off.  

            I`d like to thank Angel for giving me air time on her blog, for reading my book, for being a dear and supportive friend, and for helping Wilma Flintstone here with all the computer tech stuff that I stumble through. You are a dear heart, Angel. *hugs*

I`ll be giving away a free eReader copy of my book here on Angel`s blog! Anyone who comments will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of ‘Of Gods & Goats’ so leave your thoughts for Angel down below! This is my first giveaway of an eReader copy and it`s pretty danged exciting!

For anyone who wishes to grab a print copy of my book, you can head over to my website for ordering info-eReader owners can find ‘Of Gods & Goats’ at Smashwords by following this link-

After a hectic start this summer I`m getting back into blogging about my life, writing, coffee, goats, and whatever other random thing pops into my head. Feel free to drop in and have a cuppa with me-

And last but not least, if anyone enjoys web strips I am privileged to be working with Mr. Paul Rose on a delightful strip called ‘Don`t Ever Tell Alex’. It`s a fun look into the life of a single woman who is slightly quirky to say the least- 


http://essentialwebcomics.com/writersguild/

Don`t Ever Tell Alex web strip-http://dontevertellalex.blogspot.co.uk/




Thanks again Vicki! I'll be sharing my book review on the site tomorrow. Make sure ya'll stay tuned and enter in to win a copy of, 'Of Gods and Goats.' You don't want to miss out! Cya everyone tomorrow.