!#RRBC Springtime Book and Block Party

 

Good morning, and welcome to my blog. I’m located in Tacoma, Washington, in the glorious Pacific Northwest.

I have some great prizes to give away, and all you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win one. The prizes on this stop are: (1) e-copy of Shadow of the Drill, (1) e-copy of A Perilous Thirst, (1) $10.00 Amazon gift card, and (2) $5.00 Amazon gift cards, for a total of 5 prizes. If you win one of my books and would rather read a different one, just let me know and I’ll be happy to send your choice.

I thought I’d try a different kind of post today, so I’m bringing you an interview with Gabrielle, the “author” of my newest release, One Dyke Cozy. I hope you enjoy it.

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RD – Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview, Gabrielle.

G – Thanks for asking me to do it. This is my first interview as an author, so it’s really exciting for me!

RD – What prompted you to write One Dyke Cozy?

G – I don’t really know. I think I just wanted to share a few memories of Shy. She was a major factor in my life for so many years, and I wrote some of it down in a notebook. I figured someone might read it after I was gone, at some point. But then I realized, it’s easy to put a book on Amazon now. So I decided to upload what I’d written, and maybe more people would read about Shy.

RD – What is your favorite chapter in the book?

G – The one about the prom. Shy was hilarious that night! Getting her into a dress was hard enough, but when she saw the thong, I thought she was gonna throw a gasket. And once we got there, and she and her date had a few drinks, they cut loose like there was no tomorrow! People were talking about them ’til the year ended. It was just crazy.

RD – If I remember correctly, you were eight years old when you met.

G – Yep. She moved in next door and it just went from there. We were best friends from day one.

RD – In the book, it didn’t sound like you had much in common.

G – No, not really. We were raised in very different households. My mother came from a “good” family and had some pretty definite ideas of how a girl should be raised. Plus, she was religious and that affected what I could or couldn’t do. Shy’s family was the complete opposite. She had pretty relaxed parents, and got away with murder, compared to me.

RD – Speaking of her parents, how did they feel about her being gay?

G – Well, they weren’t accepting, but they tolerated it. I think they thought it was a phase, and all she needed was to meet the right guy. Yeah, that was so gonna happen!

RD – I got the impression that Shy didn’t take life too seriously.

G – Not at all! She always said we had to find our fun where we could, and that’s exactly what she did. She was always getting us into stuff. Not trouble, so much as…stuff. She loved movies, and we used to go to the cinema, buy a ticket, and then spend the day sneaking into the other shows. We had to be kind of creative to not get caught, but that was Shy’s department. And she was good at it.

RD – The book implies that you drank a bit.

G – A bit? Let’s be real – we drank a lot! We were young, and her parents kept alcohol in the house. So we started drinking early, and it was just a thing. We cut back a lot in later years, but we definitely did drink.

RD — Why did the song The Dance affect you so strongly on your way to see Shy?

G — I’m not sure. The reference two dancing is a euphemism for the things we experience in our lives. In the song, his reference to dancing with the woman he loves is actually referring to the time he spent with her. He could have avoided the pain of loss by not being involved with her in the first place, but then he would have missed all of the wonderful things that happened during their time together. He would have missed the dance. The song brought home  to me everything that happened during my time with Shy. During our dance. And I realized, no matter how much it hurt losing her, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. And it made me realize I had to break the promise I’d made to her during our last conversation. I had to do right by Mr. Happy.

RD – What can you tell us about Mr. Happy?

G – I’d rather not talk about him, if it’s okay. It’s just too hard, even after all these years. I know he’s part of the book, so I should be able to talk about him, but I just can’t. It took everything I had to write the book, and it was as hard to write about Mr. Happy as it was Shy. I know it must seem weird for me to talk about her and not him, but I’ve never really talked to anyone about him. I’ve had to talk about Shy, now and then, but I’ve never talked about him. Maybe keeping him private is why I can talk about her. I don’t know.

RD – It’s okay, I can understand that. What have you done in your life that you credit to Shy?

G – Pretty much everything. Let’s see, I didn’t marry young, and that’s a big thing. In my family, it’s what girls do. We get married by the time we’re eighteen and then let our husband take care of us. We don’t work, we’re active in church and the kids’ school, and we really don’t do anything for ourselves. I lived differently, and It’s because of Shy. My first husband was a total bad boy, and I never would’ve even considered him, if Shy hadn’t taught me to keep an open mind. Turned out, he was a loving, dedicated man who wanted a partner, not a possession. We opened a restaurant together, and ran it for several years until a stroke took him. I’m divorced from my second husband, and that wouldn’t have happened without Shy’s influence either. Women don’t get divorced in my family, and I’d have stayed ’til the bitter end. But I knew she’d have been on me to get out of the marriage and not care how it looked. To do what was right, and best, for me. So I did, and it was the best thing I could’ve done. Aside from that, I’ve travelled a bit, I sang in a rock band for a couple of years, I even spent a few summers hitch hiking across the country just for kicks and giggles. I wouldn’t have done any of it, if I hadn’t known Shy.

RD – I can tell she meant a great deal to you.

G – She was everything to me. She still is. Even now, I constantly hear her telling me to take a chance, to lighten up, to enjoy my life. To howl at the moon. And I do howl, every chance I get. I owe that to her.

RD – Thank you for stopping by today. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?

G – Thanks for having me, it’s been awesome! Well, I hope people read my book. It seems we pass through life, and unless we do something amazing, no one remembers us. Not really. Shy didn’t impact the world in that kind of way. But she did impact me, and I want her to be remembered. Even if it’s by people who never knew her.

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Here is a little bit about my  books

People come into our lives for a day, a season, or a reason. Shy came into my life for a reason.

http://goo.gl/QTS6Xq

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Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge

On the bloodstained streets of a northwestern city, the enforcer known as the Drill stalks his prey.

https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

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It’s 1987, and a gay vampire walks into a bar…

A different kind of short story.

http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

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The bad guy is about to learn what “bad” really is.

 

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Thanks for joining me on day day at the Block Party. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog. There are a couple of other fantastic authors on tour today, and you can find them in the BLock Party line up by following this link: http://goo.gl/2dM3GO

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Contact Information

Twitter: @rhanidchae
@rhanidchaebooks

Facebook Page: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com