Into the Mystic, Volume Three is a short story anthology featuring nine paranormal short stories that center on a lesbian/bisexual romance. I’m super excited about it, since I feel there is a lack of LGBT fantasy romance especially ones that focus on the ladies. Since I know a few of these authors, they let me interview them!
Bru Baker
Heart’s Thaw- A frozen heart is no match for ignited passions.
Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor. Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now balances her time between writing and working at a Midwestern library in the reference department. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.
Favorite Authors:
- Daphne Du Maurier
- Margaret Atwood
- Emily Bronte
- Jennifer Egan
- Mary Calmes
As K. Parr lopes away for her monthly howl, L.J. remains in the carriage watching her disrobed friend’s transformation agog.
L.J.: Well, I’m agog! One never knows how strange one’s friends truly are. Wait, wasn’t this just a taxi?
The driver of the carriage turns and smiles at L.J.
Driver: M’Lady has the most peculiar fancies. You know, I also wrote a story for that collection.
L.J.: Splendid. And you are?
Driver: Bru Baker
L.J.: That is the best author name ever.
Bru utterly unimpressed by L.J.’s admiration focuses on the road and the horses.
Bru: Quite. My story is Heart’s Thaw. Helena, who is the Duke of Keering’s daughter and very well-bred and prim, and her paid companion, Calliope, who is a bit of a firecracker. Calliope is supposed to keep Helena out of trouble, but Helena is too stubborn for her own good. They’re an interesting pairing of fire and ice.
L.J.: Sounds most delightful. What inspired–
Bru: My best friend asked me to write her an F/F piece for Christmas because she has such a hard time finding lesbian fiction.
L.J.: I know! There’s such a shortage of good F/F–
Bru: I liked the idea of experimenting with what a paranormal creature like a succubus would do when confronted with a woman who isn’t attracted to men.
L.J. nods and takes notes.
Bru: I primarily write gay romantic fiction, so dipping into F/F was an interesting challenge for me. I primarily write contemporary and urban fantasy, and to further set it apart from my usual voice I chose to go with a historical setting for this piece. It was a lot of fun, and I found writing women to be a much more sensuous experience. Ditto for writing outside of contemporary. Everything is sexier by candlelight!
Bru looks over at L.J. disdainfully.
Bru: You’re very quiet for an interviewer.
L.J.: Well, it just pieced together so nicely.
Bru: Indeed.
L.J.: So…You usually write contemporary and urban fantasy. Were there any unexpected challenges to writing fantasy and romance?
Bru: It’s tricky because romance traditionally has very defined rules, and fantasy patently doesn’t. So blending the two can be difficult. Since this was just a short there wasn’t much world-building, but that is where I get hung up when writing fantasy. How do you pull the reader into your world without going overboard on the exposition? It’s a balancing act.
As the carriage slows, L.J. realizes they’re not in the forest anymore…
Bru: And surely the best way to understand the balance is to keep writing. Some writers are lucky and their first book hits the bestseller list, but most of us aren’t. The best way to make a living at this is to build up a backlist. There’s always room for growth, and the way to get there is to hone your craft. So keep writing, keep submitting, and keep editing. You’ll find your audience!
The carriage comes to a stop and Bru nudges L.J.
Bru: Now go away. I have M/M contemporary to write.
Find more Bru Baker on her:
Graceful Indecency 