Welcome, today we are talking with Gracie C. McKeever! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.
Can you share a little something about Gracie C. McKeever that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?
Hey everyone, and thanks for having me! Something not in my bio… Okay, I love tattoos and have over twenty, last count. I’m an avid kickboxer (mostly for fitness, although I do get really competitive during Hell Week). Haven’t been able to partake or enjoy since I broke my foot in December (slowly on the mend and looking forward to an early June return to my passion). I love spending time with my family, playing volleyball, handball and traveling.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing as far back as I can remember, since I was a child. I loved making up stories and living vicariously through my characters; still do.
What have you found most challenging about it?
The older I get the harder it is to multi-task the way I used to. There was a time I could work on two books at a time, edit another, and work into the wee hours without negative effects. If I did all that today, I’d definitely sleep past my stop on the train commuting to work, LOL
What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?
All of the above, especially depending on the scene I’m working on. I get especially emotional when I write a scene between characters and their mothers. Since I lost my mother, I’m acutely aware of how much I miss that close relationship we shared when she was alive. I think, as I said earlier, I live vicariously through my characters in these instances. Of course the same goes for my characters that aren’t close to their parents and/or are orphans. I empathize with the latter characters more than I ever did before. It doesn’t mean I’m above killing off FMC/MMC’s parents (I am a dark romance author after all, LOL). I just feel for them when I do.
Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?
Since I write around a 9-5 job schedule, I think my routine is in between the two: I’m disciplined because I have such limited time to write, but I can get distracted (especially when I’m researching online) and procrastinate when I’m not in the mood. In these instances, I push myself to get out a couple of hundred words just to say I got something down and just to get something going. When I’m in the zone, I can easily bang out 5K words a day. I shoot for a minimum of 1K a day, not counting notes I write in longhand (yeah, still do that) or on my phone.
Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?
I think I saw it more as a hobby in the beginning, especially since it was still fun back then.
What inspires you?
A little bit of everything inspires me. Snappy dialogue or a cool, inspirational quote. My favorite TV shows and movies. For instance, I started writing my paranormal romance Spells Cast in Shadows after catching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in the theater. Of course the fantasy elements and world-building in my book are nowhere near that of Tolkien’s tome, but my book does feature elves and centaurs from a universe parallel to earth. An interesting name inspires me (I collect memorable names for later use when I’m not combing the internet and my Character Naming Sourcebook). Interesting facts I run across in my research inspire me. Other authors’ stories and books inspire me. My first published book, a paranormal romance called New Life Incognita was inspired by Tina Wainscott’s second chance (one of my favorite tropes) paranormal romance, On the Way to Heaven (since reprinted under a different title that escapes me now). I changed several elements in my story (namely New Life Incognita contains a gifted Wiccan MC whose talents carry over into his new, female incarnation). But the core themes of reincarnation, healing and redemption remain as in Tina’s book.
Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.
What are your pet peeves?
Chronic lateness, blasting music/loud neighbors, people who steal food out of communal office fridges, slow walkers, people who don’t respect personal space, spoilers without a warning (give me a chance to say don’t tell me, I haven’t read/seen it yet), people who use Reply All, all the time, especially for a one-word response.
Who is your hero?
My mom, even though she’s no longer with us. I think about how difficult a life she had growing up, but she made it through, she was a survivor. She did the best she could with what she was given.
Give us one thing on your bucket list.
Experience the Northern Lights.
What would readers find surprising about you?
That I’m not as sexually experienced or adventurous as my characters. Not by far, LOL and that I’m not always as assertive and self-confident as my FMCs.
If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?
My mom and my grandmother.
Just for fun. What is your least favorite:
- Hero type – Alpha-holes.
- Overused word in a title – Deadly (Aaaaaand I’m guilty with my most recent release, Deadly Interlude: Griffin & Sela LOL)
- Dirty word – C**t
Here’s a brief character interview from the author’s book, Artistic Freedom, by Rand and his feelings about Brielle.
- Rand, what made you want to give up control and submit to Brielle?
- Brielle’s confidence turned me on from the beginning and her experience intrigued me.
- We’re you afraid when you went to Brielle’s apartment?
- I was terrified, but my curiosity and, let’s be honest, my horniness won out, LOL
- Was being with Brielle everything you thought it would be that first night?
- I don’t want to sound corny, but here it is: being with Brielle was like having a wish, I hadn’t known I’d made, fulfilled.
- If you had it to do all over again, would you?
Every single time. I regret nothing.
Now that our readers know who Gracie C. McKeever is let’s get down to the business of your books in the Muses Trilogy, Artistic Freedom and Picture Perfect.
When is book 3 due out?
Deadly Interlude: Griffin & Sela released 4/10/24.
Please tell us a little bit about, Muses Trilogy.
It’s a series about three couples where the women are in charge and the men don’t mind, in fact prefer giving up control and being submissive to their women. In Artistic Freedom: Brielle & Rand, Rand is a college student who thought he knew all his turn-ons before he meets the very intriguing and independent Brielle. Brielle is only four years older than Rand but has a world of experience that makes her feel so much older. Thora is an ED nurse whose Dom recognizes the sub in paramedic Drake and invites him to an erotic art show, deciding to get to know him during an erotic photography and Shibari session at her home. In Deadly Interlude: Griffin & Sela, Griffin is a sub hungry to settle down with his own Dom after seeing how happy Drake is with Thora. But never in a million years did he think he would find his Dom in a newbie less experienced than him. Sela is a novice in the BDSM sub-culture but she’s a liberated woman who knows what she wants and that is the paramedic who literally breathed the life back into her.
What was your hardest challenge writing this trilogy?
I don’t remember many challengers, per se. The subject matter is in my wheel house and a theme near and dear to my heart so most of the time it flowed.
What kind of research did you have to do?
Most of my research centered on books, internet sites and videos devoted to the BDSM lifestyle, D/s relationships and the psychology of participants on each side of the slash. I haven’t done any hands-on research in this area yet, but I would love to go to a live Shibari demonstration one day (maybe I should add that to my bucket list, LOL). I did additional reading on artist’s models, painters and their styles, erotic photography and on a smaller scale, firefighting and paramedics.
What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?
I like balance and I think complementary characters is a must for good chemistry. Even when FMCs/MMCs are let’s say grumpy-sunshine, or enemies-to-lovers, if they have underlying similarities like upbringing, values, the same sense of humor, intrinsic likes and dislikes, even comparable energy, it all just makes them click together, long before the characters ever have sex.
Any other works in progress?
I’m near finishing the fifth book in my Play On series, Savage Beauty. And I have one paranormal anthology, Awakenings & Legacies and one erotic romance anthology, Spectrums, releasing in the next few months.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Don’t give up, follow your heart and write what you like to read; if you wouldn’t want to read or re-read it, why would anyone else?
Final words?
I’ve had a wonderful time and thanks for having me and letting me talk about myself and my books!
Website: https://www.graciecmckeever.com
Blog: https://gracie-g-spot.blogspot.com/
Email: graciemckeever@gmail.com
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