Beth Brock – M/M Author

Next up we have Beth Brock, author of the up and coming novel, King of the Storm. 

Hiya Beth - welcome to my blog!

Can you describe yourself as a writer in ten words or less?

I’m a bully who relentlessly picks on gender stereotypes.

 

You’ve just submitted your first novel to a publisher. How does that feel?

Terrifying. Like I’m the first one to get laid in a horror flick.

 

What was the impetus behind going with traditional publishing?

Connection and security.

 

Can you tell us a little about the story?

My novel is a MM Erotic Romantic Fantasy set in a made-up world, but loosely based off of Ancient Greek mythology. I’d love to say that it’s a pure and true romance, but I can’t. It seems to be more about a demigod hero who doesn’t want to be a hero, fighting against the expectations of the mortal society in which he lives in, and the meddling of the gods. There’s definitely drama (these are the Greek gods), and there is the occasional tender moment, but it’s mostly fighting and fucking. *grin*

 

What do you struggle with the most in your writing?

Making the scenery come alive, so that it serves more of a purpose to the story.

 

Since someone told me this is National M/M month or something, what do you think you bring to the genre?

I had never read Romance, of any type, before I started my novel. I finished my first draft and then realized that maybe I should read a romance, and maybe see if there were any works like mine out there. Mostly I think I was trying to justify the fact that I had written a dirty story. I was partly successful.

I found some great Romance that I truly respect, and I’ll continue to read MM. But I still haven’t found a story that’s quite like mine. Maybe that’s a good thing. Or not. I don’t know. I do know that I can contribute something to the genre.

 

You and I have talked about having a little F in our M/M - how do you think that will effect the reception of your work?

I don’t know exactly, but I can tell you how I felt about writing it.

I never felt so much disappointment over my characters’ limitations, as I did during those moments between my protagonist and the woman in his life. I wanted to change both of them, make them more appealing somehow, but I couldn’t. They were who they were, the ugliness and the beauty. It was an agonizing struggle for me to accept that.

 

And finally: what do your characters mean to you?

My characters are people who are reality challenged - they exist only in my imagination. But I want others to see them too. I want them to be “real”.

 

Thank you, Beth - and good luck with the novel!

Thank you for the interview. This was fun.

Beth Brock
bethbrockbooks@gmail.com
bethbrockbooks.com
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