Julie Lynn Hayes

Julie Lynn Hayes Discovers Revelations

 

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler someday. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all.  Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, MuseitUp Publishing, Torquere Press, and eXtasy Books. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.  

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself?

Some might call me Southern, and others say I’m Midwestern. Either way, I’ve lived most of my life in St. Louis, except for a brief period in Jackson, Mississippi. Married twice, and have five kids, but only one is left at home, along with two cats. Writing is my passion, but in my spare time, I enjoy music and movies and crafts, such as cross stitch, needlepoint, crocheting and knitting. At 56 years young, I still have a lot of living to do, and more of the world to see.

Please tell us your latest news!

I just signed a contract with Dreamspinner Press for my novella, Yes He’s My Ex, which is very exciting, and I look forward to working with them again!

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I develop my characters as I write. I learn about them, as they reveal themselves to me. Sometimes I take notes beforehand, but I never completely flesh them out until I’m writing them. I think it makes them more realistic, and fresher, if I just allow them to grow and develop on their own.

How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits in your research?

It depends on the book. For My Fair Vampire, an historical set during the 1904 World’s Fair, I did a lot of research. Other books less so. I like to check facts, make sure I have things right, even if I think I do it’s better to research than take a chance on error.

What main genre do you write in?

Primarily m/m romance, but not entirely. Within that genre, I like to write paranormal, but I also enjoy historical, supernatural, and contemporary. I’m writing my first detective novel, as well as my first BDSM novel. I find it interesting to branch out and try things I haven’t tried before.

How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?

My kids are very supportive of me. Well, four out of five are. The girls read my books, but the boys would rather not. As for my family, I’ve not spoken to them in about three years. They aren’t supportive at all. They probably couldn’t tell you what I write, assuming they remember that I write.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy cross stitch, needlepoint, crochet and knitting.

If you had to choose one person to have dinner with, who would it be? And why?

Right off the time of my head, and assuming you meant a living person as dead people don’t eat, I would choose author Mike Carey. He wrote the Lucifer graphic novels that I simply love, having introduced the character in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman books. He’s currently writing The Unwritten. I simply love his stories, love his imagination, and love the way he thinks. I would like to explore his psyche over dinner.

Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer? Or Still do?

Not yet, but I hope to someday. I work for a temp agency, and have been at my current assignment about six months. My last full time regular job was as an office manager, where I primarily did payroll and bookkeeping.

What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

A combination of both. I find that even if I fly by the seat of my pants, I think ahead, plus I keep notes, so I don’t forget what I’ve already written, or what I’m planning to write.

Do you have a website recommendation for other writers?

Before you sub to any publisher, check them out thoroughly through Google, but in particular go to Preditors & Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler, and Piers Anthony’s site, to see what people are saying. A few minutes’ research could save a lot of heartache.

Current Release Details:

My newest release is Trapped in Time. It began as a flash fiction on my blog and developed into a novella. It’s rather quirky, a combination of time travel with a hint of steampunk. My heroes are accidentally thrust back in time to the days of the dinosaurs, and must find their way back, if it’s even possible. This is released by eXtasy Books, my third release with them.

Can you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?

How about a little bit of Yes, He’s My Ex, my m/m screwball comedy that was just accepted by Dreamspinner. The heroes names are Sonny and Time. Sometimes Sonny forgets that he’s Tim’s ex.

Sometimes I think that Sonny forgets that he’s my ex. As in past tense. Done and over. Finished and moved on. In the past. And by ex I mean ex-boyfriend, not ex-husband. If it’d been legal for us to do so, do I think I’d have ever married him and made that particular legal commitment? Taken that big step and harnessed myself to him heart and soul—in for the long run, the whole for better and for worse thing? 

God help me, I think I would’ve. 

Luckily, I saw the for worse thing happen before my very eyes, even as the for better thing shrank into a reality so infinitely tiny it would have taken the largest emotional microscope in the world, with a magnification capacity that even I did not possess, to find it. It shriveled up and died and submersed itself somewhere deep inside my chest, within this over-abused, under-appreciated muscle known as my heart. Unfortunately, it’s still there, ‘cause I can feel it and it hurts a helluva lot. 

So let me get back to my point. Sonny is undoubtedly my ex. If I don’t make that clear, then nothing else I say will ever make any sense, and for a writer, that would be the supreme tragedy indeed. 

Well, other than the whole broken heart thing. But I think I just covered that. 

Who is your perfect hero? And why?

Out of my heroes, I would choose Judas, from Revelations, because he is such a prickly thorn, and yet beneath that lies a valuable flower. He’s snarky and grumbly, but he has a good heart, one that he hides, but he grows and develops in the book. And he works hard at saving the life of the man he loves, no matter what he has to do to accomplish that.

When you have writer's block how do you break free?

Usually be reading something, or watching something. Or even by playing FreeCell. Luckily, it doesn’t happen often.

What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

I have a blog at http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com. I can be reached by email at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.  I’m on Facebook as Julie Lynn Hayes. Those are the best ways to reach me.

How can readers find out more about you and your books?

Through my blog or my Facebook.

Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder you?

I have a few friends who beta what I write. I trust them to tell me when I’m doing something wrong, or need to change something. I beta for them as well. It’s a great system.

What's your favorite genre to read?

I don’t think I have a favorite genre. I love all sorts of books – mysteries, romance, science fiction, drama, classics...

Contest info: Julie will give two copies of Revelations, e-book. All you have to is comment and leave an email address. Julie will contact the winners.

 

Judas has never been very popular, not in any incarnation that he and Jesus and the others have lived through. But he doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is following the instructions of God as set forth in the script that they follow. And Jesus. For Judas has secretly loved the son of God for over two thousand years. 

MuseItUp / Amazon