Today I’m interviewing the talented
Ms Lynn Kelling, author of the deliciously dark and contemporary BDSM series, Deliver Us. We’re celebrating the release of Expected Lies and Never Happened, two prequels
to Lynn’s first novel, Deliver Us. But I’ve also got a slight confession to make too...
In the hope of getting Lynn to also divulge a
few secrets from her upcoming third novel in the Deliver Us Series (title revealed below), the lovely
Kristie Sanchez will be joining us in the Author-Reader Corner for a little
one-on-one with Lynn.
It’s good to have you with us, Lynn.
Lynn: It’s good to be here! Thanks for
inviting me.
Q You play with very dark psychological
themes in both Deliver Us and From Temptation, pushing your Doms and subs
through their best and most extreme character traits. I know
you touch a little on this in your Deliver Us Author Notes, but just how hard
was it to address these themes? Was there any point where you had to physically
break away from writing?
A: In my writing I try to always show my
characters’ humanity. I’m not interested in depicting fantasy creatures that
could never truly exist. I want my characters to feel like people you could
meet or know, or who could actually be out there somewhere. It makes the story
that much more interesting, in my opinion, to include their flaws.
One of the main reasons why I haven’t shied away from the darker themes and
abuse issues in these two books is that in my personal experience, abuse is
something you’re not allowed to talk about. Even when it’s actively happening,
and others are aware of it, there’s that invisible barrier of made up of societal
taboos causing loved ones to not know how to intervene or what to say to make
it stop. If the abuse is something in the past, and no longer actively
occurring, it only makes it that much harder to address. It becomes more of a
personal challenge for the person who suffered through it, to face it and find
their own way to make peace with it. Exploring that journey with characters I
love has been one of the most difficult tasks I’ve tried to undertake as a
writer, but it’s also been so rewarding to finally break through that invisible
wall and show my interpretation of the struggle that comes with the healing
process.
There are a few specific scenes - mostly the flashbacks - that were extremely
tough to write, because as the author you have to put yourself there and feel
what the victim is feeling so that you can translate it to the page. But more
than that, you have to see it from the other side too, from the perpetrator of
the abuse. With those scenes, I would wait until I was in the right frame of
mind to “go there”. I’ve taken more than a few walks through a nearby national
park to clear my head, before and after writing those parts of the story.
Q Amongst those darker themes, though, there
are some quite touching moments. Which is your most touching scene from either
novel?
A: With Deliver Us I would have to say when Darrek gives Gabriel the purple
wildflower, then discovering later that Gabriel kept the flower in his pocket,
are my favorite moments of sweetness in that novel. Sometimes the smallest
gestures speak the loudest.
In From Temptation, no question, the
appearance of the cat, Kyle Junior, is my favorite touching moment of the
novel. Ben really puts his love for Kyle on display there, and Kyle’s reaction
speaks volumes about what it means to him to be loved that much. There were a
few additional scenes in earlier drafts of the book with Kyle, Kyle Junior and
Ben which I thought were really sweet, but which were later removed to help the
story flow to a more logical conclusion.
Q For those who haven’t read the
prequels to Deliver Us, can you tell us a little about them? Do we see the
darker shade of Dare come into play in any of them?
A: The prequels really do complete the
picture of who these guys are. When I think of the arc they undertake, from
beginning to end, I always have to include what happens in the prequels.
As
much as Darrek might come across at the beginning of Deliver Us like he’s nothing but an unassuming straight guy with a
run of bad luck, Expected Lies shows
how wrong that perception is. There are a lot of layers to Darrek. In Expected Lies, he still lives with his
parents and has only Kyle, his best friend, to lean on and confide in (and the
same if true for Kyle), so yes, his darkness is easier to see because he hasn’t
yet learned the best ways to hide it, even from himself. But since teenage
Darrek and Kyle really do only have each other, the concreteness of their bond
is just as evident, which I think is a beautiful thing. It’s what gets them
through, every time.
Never Happened is a tribute to how
much Ben and Gabriel love each other, beyond labels and their history or
present circumstances. Ben makes a suggestion or two to Gabriel, coaxing him
with an experienced sort of tenderness, and the consequences of that are what
make Gabriel’s relationship with Darrek possible. There’s also a little ode to
Kyle’s initial dislike of Gabriel in Deliver Us.
Q There’s a very close connection
between your Doms Ben and Gabe. If Gabe’s history hadn’t taken him into
the life of being a Dom, do you think he would have perhaps met Ben under other
circumstances? What would Gabe have been like if he’d been given a safe and
secure upbringing?
A: It’s really difficult for me to
mentally strip Gabriel of his trials. I do think his past strengthened him in
many ways, so if he had been raised in a safer environment I do think he would
not have that tough, impenetrable outer shell that he uses to keep people at
arm’s length. He’d be a lot quicker to laugher, trust and happiness, too.
Ben and Gabriel really do have a connection that could surpass the aspect of
them being Doms. I could see them meeting as friends in an alternate universe.
I’m not sure they’d be as close as they are, though. They aren’t each other’s
type, to tell you the truth. Maybe they’d have a one night fling before they
realized they’re better as friends than lovers and carry on from there. I have
to say, it would be fascinating to write an alternate universe version of these
guys where the dark aspects of their pasts never happened, and see how they’d
turn out.
Q We both have a love for BDSM in our
works, and we cover a wide range of techniques. Now, the portrayal of real-life
BDSM is a topic that is always discussed. For someone not familiar with your
work, how would you describe your depiction of BDSM?
A: It’s definitely a fantasy depiction.
The BDSM scenes are crafted to provoke a certain response from the characters
in order to move the story along in a certain way. The best part of writing
fiction is that anything is possible. If you can imagine it, you can make it
the reality of the story. It’s much more interesting to me to test my
characters’ limits in every sense of the word than to keep everything safe and
easygoing. I’ll compare it to my love of the horror genre. Those horror novels
would be really boring if the author was always trying to keep the characters
from hurting themselves and have them only make safe choices. With BDSM
romance, I think it should be equally acceptable to let your characters make a
terrible decision once in a while. That’s what people do. They go with the
moment and only find out afterward what the consequences of that decision might
be.
Q How do you research the BDSM
lifestyle?
A: I use absolutely every resource
available to me. I will admit to not being an active member of the BDSM
community in my personal life, but I know people who are and I’ve tried to pick
their brain. I’ve also delved into some of the personal accounts people have
shared online, as far as what people have enjoyed, techniques for punishment or
how devoted Doms and subs have responded in certain situations. I’ve researched
the blogs of people who live as a Dom or a sub every day and what that’s like
for them, the rules that they put into play and the fetishes they explore. There
are always things that catch my attention as being ways to possibly engage
readers and turn them on or elicit a response. But everyone is always going to
have their own interpretation of the best way to sexually interact with a
partner, even when there are rules or guidelines for safety. That’s one of the
challenges with writing in this genre.
Q I’ve got to ask -- who’s your
favourite? Dare, Gabe, Ben, Kyle or Trace? Why?
A: Oh, that question isn’t fair at all!
Well, okay, I’ll admit to having a particular fondness for Kyle, especially
after going with him through the ups and downs of From Temptation, but I think
it’s because I relate to him most out of all of the guys. There’s more of me in
Kyle than anyone else. I really do love all of the guys, though. That’s why
I’ve loved writing these stories to explore each pairing more closely. Deliver Us made me love Dare and Gabe. From Temptation made me love Ben and
Kyle. Now Deliver Us 3 is making me
crazy about Trace and Micah.
Q Do you write to music? If so, what
kinds of music, and is there any particular track that underpins everything
about your Deliver Us series?
A: Oh my gosh, yes. Shinedown, The Sound
of Madness is the soundtrack to Deliver Us. I had it on repeat for months and
it takes me there every time when I hear it now. It’s actually dangerous for me
to listen to it because some of the songs will just make me bawl. I just slip
right into those moments with Kyle fighting to contain his pain, Darrek just
falling so hard for Gabe, or Gabriel storming up to Trace, begging for relief
and fighting Trace all the way through it. The track ‘Sound of Madness’ in
particular is Gabriel’s anthem. ‘Breaking Inside’ is Kyle’s. The whole album has
moments where it’s angry, sexy, driving, heavy and hot. I love it.
There’s a wide range of music that inspires me, though - gritty hard rock or
metal, melodic alternative, and even opera. There’s an aria in Massenet’s
Werther, titled “Pourquoi me réveiller?” that gives me chills every time.
Really, I like any music that makes you feel the emotion behind it.
Lynn, I’m going to step aside for a moment and
let Kristie come in. She’s read both novels and prequels to your work,
and I know she’s itching to try and find a few things out, especially
surrounding Deliver Us 3.
Author-Reader Corner.
Kristie: Hi, Lynn.
Lynn: Hi Kristie! I’m excited to see
what your questions are.
Kristie: The things I'm interested in
are probably the things you can’t divulge: Will Dare and Gabe be okay? Will
Gabe and Dare ever get over their issues? Will someone please punish
Dare's dad? Tell his family? How much longer do I have to wait?! :-) So I’ll
settle for the two questions you can probably answer...
Q Will the 3rd book in the Deliver Us series give readers any closure to Dare
and Kyle?
Lynn: That is one of the goals of the 3rd
book. Deliver Us painted the picture
of what Dare is dealing with, and From
Temptation brought Dare and Kyle to a more honest, healthy place for both
of them. Those books were all about coping with the present and letting go of
the past. Deliver Us 3 will be about
closing the door on the past for all of the guys and moving forward to embrace the
exciting things awaiting them in the future.
Q Will the 3rd book in the Deliver Us
series be the last? (I hope not). Are more prequels slated for release?
Lynn: There was a point where I did think Deliver Us 3 would be the last, but now
that I’m close to finishing the first draft, all of the possibilities for
future stories are occurring to me. I would love to write more books in the
series, especially if readers are interested in them! At the moment there are no
more prequels slated for release but that doesn’t mean more aren’t possible.
There was a quite lighthearted interlude in the original manuscript for From Temptation taking place during Gabe
and Dare’s tropical vacation. When my editors had me remove it for consistency
of flow, they said it’d make a great bonus story. Right now finishing the first
draft Deliver Us 3 is my priority but
once that’s tackled, I’d love to go back and write more prequels. If there are
any specific moments in the boys’ pasts that my readers would enjoy hearing
more about, I’m always open to suggestions! My greatest inspiration usually
comes from someone prodding me to tell them more about specific things.
Kristie: Thank you, Lynn
Lynn: Thank you so much for your
questions, Kristie!
*******
Lynn, keeping with the theme of
Deliver Us 3, is there anything you can divulge about the upcoming shared-world
project between Deliver Us and Don’t? How do the characters from Don’t fit into your world? Who exactly
are you introducing to your world?
A: Hmm, let me think what I can say
without spoiling anything… There is an explicit romantic connection between one
of my characters and one of the characters from Don’t. It’s that connection which brings the two worlds together,
initially. Gray, Jack and Jan all appear in Deliver
Us 3, tentatively titled Forgive Us
Our Sins.
Q You also have prequels coming out to
Whatever the Cost. Can you tell us a little about them?
A: Absolutely. Between Here and There is a love story about Avery and Timothy. In Whatever the Cost, Liam (who was born as
Avery) keeps Timothy in his heart as his inspiration and motivation to find a
better life. This prequel is a testament to what they meant to each other and
how much simpler things used to be when they were just two teenagers against
the world.
Trick and Truth takes place after Between Here and There and it’s also
about Avery and Timothy’s journey together. In it Avery takes the first steps
towards becoming the man we know as Liam in Whatever
the Cost. I’m particularly proud of this prequel, which I can’t say more
about without giving things away, but it is Liam’s missing piece. These moments
make him who he is.
Escape is a glimpse at the moments
that make Jacen who he is. It’s about
Jacen’s former life on his family’s farm as Travis, and what Travis does to
protect his injured brother, Dennis, from being harmed by a predator, but also
what Travis does to save himself. It’s definitely the darkest thing I’ve ever
written and because of the subject matter, I encourage readers to check the
content labels on the story page at forbidden-fiction.com before reading it.
Q I’ve seen the cover to your latest
novel, Bound by Lies, and it has to
be my personal favourite. Out of all of your covers, do you have a favourite?
Why?
A: It might be a tie
between Whatever the Cost and Bound by Lies. With the cover of Whatever the Cost, I love that you can
see the fight in his (Jacen’s) eyes, and how he’s literally naked, which
represents so many parts of the story. But where Jacen seems somewhat
submissive, I love that on the cover of Bound
by Lies, the subject (Jenner) seems like he’s willing to crawl right out of
that book cover and do unspeakable things to you if you don’t pay him proper
attention. It’s quite fitting with the aspects of his character which I enjoy
the most.
Q
How did the Editorial process treat you at ForbiddenFiction?
A:
I’m quite obsessed with the editorial process. I’ve experienced how a good
editor can help you transform your work into something more than you could ever
have expected. It’s such a vital part of sculpting a piece of writing into its
best form, but it’s also by far the most stressful part of being a writer for
me. The dread of what the feedback will be – good or bad – and the waiting… it
kills me.
Q
How do you celebrate your releases?
A:
I usually make my husband do a shot of Jack Daniels with me. Then I dance
around the house for a few minutes before nervousness of how the book will be
received hits me and I go hide under a thick blanket. Other than that, there’ve
been a few nights out at some of my favorite restaurants where I randomly
exclaim, “But no, seriously, isn’t it amazing? I made a book!”
Q
What’s the best advice about writing you’ve ever received?
A: Write the book you want to read.
That’s why I began writing. The books I wanted to read didn’t exist yet.
Another good one is that a writer must develop the qualities of patience,
kindness to self and doggedness. Whenever I get hung up or start feeling down,
it’s usually because of one of those three things.
Q We know you’re a M/M romance writer.
What’s your day job?
A: I’m a graphic designer at a very
small firm working with some pretty big clients. We create everything from
packaging and print design to web development and interactive solutions. That
pretty much means I have to be reasonably good at just about everything, or
willing to learn on the fly. It keeps life from getting boring and I get to
make pretty things every day.
Q When it comes to reading, who are your
influences as an author?
A: Unfortunately, I’m a really picky
reader and have pretty high expectations of books. I like to read things that
are either completely different or treasured classics. As much as I adore
reading erotica, I get so immersed in my own projects that for a mental break,
I usually read outside the genre. I love Stephen King’s storytelling ability,
Charles Dickens’ skill at crafting words, Philip K. Dick’s talent with making
the impossible seem possible, and Neil Gaiman’s craft with harnessing magic.
Q What’s your
favorite hobby outside of writing?
A: Portrait drawing. It’s one of those
things that my illustration professors in college always assured me you can’t
make a living out of these days, but trying to capture a feeling, expression,
emotion or moment with pencil and paper is one of my favorite things to do. I
recently drew portraits of some of my favorite actors, then asked them (in
person) to autograph them for me and those were some of the most terrifying
moments of my life!
Q Finally, what projects are you working
on now?
A: In addition to all
of the prequels and Bound by Lies, I
also have a short story, A Cursed
Blessing, coming out soon. It’s my first venture into erotic science
fiction, and it does include Mpreg (or my dark, twisted interpretation of the
consequences of a male pregnancy, coupled with a hot, heartwarming love story,
of course). My editing focus has just shifted to the My Brother, Myself novels. My writing priority is Deliver Us 3, but I’m also working on
the sequel to Whatever the Cost. A
side project that has been my “just for fun” outlet is Divine Submission. It was inspired by a call for submissions for
the ‘Out of Habit’ Special Collection being compiled by Forbidden Fiction
(erotic tales of the clergy). That story
is about a young former wannabe priest turned dutiful submissive and his
eccentric artist/piercing-specialist neighbor. The romance-triangle dynamic coupled
with a “secret past” twist has been really interesting to explore.
Lynn, thank you so much for stopping by today; it's been good getting to know you away from the pencils and pages.
The prequels to both Deliver Us and Whatever the Cost are only available direct from Lynn's publishers. All links to her works can be found below.
Lynn Kelling began writing in order to tell
stories that weren’t afraid of the dark, didn’t hold anything back and always
strived to be memorable, forging lasting attachments between character and
reader. Her inspiration comes from taking a closer look at behaviors and ideas
lurking at the fringes of life—basically anything that people may hesitate to
speak of in mixed company, but everyone wonders about anyway. Her work is
driven by the taboo in order to expose the humanity within it. Lynn is an
artist, designer and lover of any form of creative self-expression that comes
from a place of honesty and emotion, whether it's body art or opera. She has
had multiple novels published, has written over fifty works of erotic fiction
of varying lengths, and always has several novels in progress.
Picture of 'modern Interiors, Decoration, by
Photostock@FreedigitalPhotos. net
