Saturday, July 7, 2012

Fun Facts about Erika Pike

By Erika Pike (Guest Blogger)

[When I signed up with Erika to do a post on her blog as part of my Quarantine blog tour, she introduced me to her "ten fun facts" format. I thought it was so much fun, I asked her to do one for me! ~ Lisabet]

Thank you, Lisabet, for having me over!

I’m Erica Pike, but before we start it just so happens that today, on July 7th, my College Fun and Gays short story, Grade-A-Sex Deal, is available for FREE! This is only today, it’ll be back up for sale tomorrow. So go on, click the link and download it :)

Here are some fun facts about my books and writing:

My books inspire me! *Gasp*

The Walls Have Ears was inspired by the first erotic scene in A Life Without You, where Jesse and Adam masturbate on either side of a wall, all hot and bothered because they can hear each other.

Before I got signed…

I had written all but one publisher-published books that will be published this year. I’m currently working up a stash for next year. This is why it looks like I’ve been churning out books.

My stories are my life. Literally.

I relate to each of my stories in some way. In A Life Without You it’s Adam’s obsessive thinking (though mine wasn’t about a guy) and immaturity; in Absolutely Eric it’s the slow development of a dysfunctional relationship (I didn’t realize it until the relationship was over); in Hot Hands it’s being bullied; in Grade-A-Sex Deal it’s the depression; in The Walls Have Ears it’s the anxieties and insecurities (and a bit of stuttering); in Little Stalker it’s the questioning of sexuality; in Cold Skin it’s working through the difficult experience of being bullied; in Half-Baked Promises it’s the return to a small home town I couldn’t wait to leave in the first place. Okay, I don’t really relate to anything in In His Pocket, but it’s so short and was written just for fun.

They may be serious topics, but…

To make the serious topics in my stories more readable, I spice them up with humor.

Are gay men all about the sex?

Some reviewers say that I think gay men are all about the sex. I say that college guys do think about sex a lot - come on, you can’t deny that! That goes for gay AND straight guys. But I most certainly don’t think gay men in general are all about the sex. This brings me to…

I write gay male erotic romance!

If I were writing male/female erotic romances, I would be writing the exact same amount of sex with the same explicit scenes, but no one would ever accuse me of thinking m/f relationships were all about the sex. So for me, it’s not about the sexuality, it’s about the genre and what readers expect from that genre.

What people like and don’t like…

In my series of short stories, College Fun and Gays, I try to release a light/funny story after a heavier one. Grade-A-Sex Deal is serious, so is Little Stalker, but the ones on either side of those are lighter, with more humor. I’ve discovered that people don’t like the serious ones so much, so I might stick with humorous ones in the future (and tuck in the serious issues). People also seem to like sweet stories, so I might lean more in that direction - not that I’m trying to write only what people like, I also like writing sweet and funny. But I am writing for myself AND my lovely fans.

I am my characters…for a while…

I write from a single point of view and it’s hard for me to get out of character after I’ve finished writing a manuscript. I’m stuck in their humor and mindset for a while after. Is that weird? Eric, in Absolutely Eric, was the hardest to shake off.

His opinions, not mine!

My characters and I sometimes don’t share opinions and views. I hope readers understand that. I don’t, for example, believe that as a gay man, you can’t use “shopping” and “hate” in the same sentence, as Eric jokes to Alex in Absolutely Eric. Those are Eric’s views. I happen to know a gay man who abhors shopping. I do know another who loves it though, but then I know straight guys who love shopping as well. It’s to do with the person, not the sexuality.

Racial diversity.

I include non-Caucasians/ethnic people in my books. This really has nothing to do with me trying to be politically correct, it has more to do with me finding non-Caucasians/ethnicity attractive/interesting. That might have something to do with blue eyes, fair skin and blond hair being very common in Iceland. In fact, I was one such until my hair grew dark in my twenties. You can’t imagine how happy I was with my long dark hair! So yeah, opposites attracts and all that.

Okay, this has been fun!

You can find information about my books on my webpage: www.ericapike.com. My latest release is Absolutely Eric (Boston Boys #2). It’s the second in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. Well, technically, my latest release is the short story, Half-Baked Promises. It’s a FREE read, so go ahead ˆ.ˆ

If you’re curious about me, I have a:


[By the way, don't forget that all your comments at Beyond Romance in July count as entries toward the grand prize in my Quarantine blog tour! ~ Lisabet]

21 comments:

Lisabet Sarai said...

Hello, Erika,

My, you're prolific! I love your covers, especially Absolutely Eric, which is really distinctive.

Thanks so much for being my guest.

(Remember - every comment counts as an entry for my blog tour grand prize!)

Erica Pike said...

Thanks for having me, Lisabet ^.^

About Grade-A-Sex Deal: It's free today, but the price still hasn't been lowered to $0. I'm hopeful that'll happen soon (silly time difference). I'll jump back here once it's officially free, and to answer any comments made here :)

Erica

Unknown said...

"I am my characters...for a while..."
I like this, kind of like method acting :) I can see where that could happen. And I bet it was interesting to "be" Eric :)

Erica Pike said...

Oh yeah, I had to delete several snarky comments now and then before posting, hehe. It did seep in a little, though. He's a very free-spirited guy.

Anonymous said...

Oh Erica, you are so right about the love/hate of shopping not being orientation based. My straight hubby loves to shop for anything except groceries! You're the best, Sweetie, I absolutely love your charactors!Thank you so much for all of the entertaining hours, your books have brought a lot of sunshine into a very dreary time in my life.

Hugs,
Pati

lily sawyer said...

There are some people who just can't stand shopping. I was a bit surprised when my neighbor said to me yesterday she hates grocery shopping. I actually like it. I get excited when I find a new product that sounds yummy and I want to try it.

Please enter me in your contest

thanks
Linda (aka Lily Sawyer)

Anonymous said...

Mmm, gotta love the college men! Really enjoyed Half-Baked Promises, and I'm definitely going to go on from there. (As for me, I like grocery shopping, but hate shopping for clothes. Another stereotype about straight gals bites the dust! My mom still complains to me that I can't wear books and CDs, sheesh.)

vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

Colleen C. said...

Thank you for sharing with us Erika. You are a new name for me and am glad I have the chance to sample your work with the freebies you shared. :)

greenshamrock AT cox DOT net

Erica Pike said...

I am so, so sorry, but it doesn't look like Grade-A-Sex Deal will be free today :/ The publisher's closed for a couple of weeks and the free day seems to have been forgotten (or forgotten to be re-scheduled). There will be a free day for this title though, just not today. I'll announce it on my social channels and blog once it is. I'll also inform each and everyone who has it on their to-read list on Goodreads, if you want to be sure not to miss it.

Erica Pike said...

That's wonderful to hear, Pati ^.^ *Hugs* And yeah, I have a straight male cousin who loves shopping - food included. He's a bit quick with his purchases though and then realizes afterward that he really didn't need what he bought. His dad keeps saying "Leave it for a week and then go back if you still think you want it". Still doesn't work, hehe. I also love shopping...a little too much.

Erica Pike said...

Oh I love grocery shopping. Especially when I'm overseas and there's soooooo much to choose from. I'm in Iceland, so the selection isn't as great.

Erica Pike said...

Haha, I also spend more money on books than clothes. I don't like shopping for clothes very much, but I do get a bug now and then (usually when I'm shopping with one of my cousins - and it's usually never around sales time!). I better get in the mood once I go over to the USA in October, the price of clothes there is a fraction of what it is over here!

So glad you enjoyed Half-Baked Promises ^.^

Erica Pike said...

Thanks Colleen :) Too bad about GASD, but it'll be free one day! For a day. If you miss it, let me know ;)

Dannyfiredragon said...

Hi Erica, thanks for sharing the information with us.

Erica Pike said...

Hi Danny ^.^ You're welcome. It may be completely useless info, but I'm full of stuff like that.

Cornelia said...

Thanks for the interview,love insight of authors.
cvsimpkins@msn.com

nancy said...

Interesting points, sometimes I become (in my mind) a character in a book that I'm really liking. Hope you will enjoy your trip here. What are your plans? Lisabet, thanks for the opportunity to enter your contest, love those gift cards and free books.

Erica Pike said...

Thanks for stopping by :)

Erica Pike said...

I'm going to GayRomLit 2012 in Albuquerque in October. Super excited about it. I'm going to use the trip to shop as well ;)

nancy said...

Oh yeah, October in New Mexico should be just about perfect, warm days and cool nights. Hope you get to visit Santa Fe, there is an outlet mall there and the art galleries are amazing. You should be in for some probably new to you food as well. When you are asked if you want red or green it refers to the chili sauce. I prefer green but red is good too. Have lots of fun!

Loveless3173 said...

Heh, really enjoyed the interview.

It's interesting that people say you 'supposedly' make gay men only thing about sex... when exactly as you said, If you were to write the same thing about MF titles, They wouldn't say a thing. Such a double standard. ~sigh~ You can never satisfy some people. *shakes head*

anyways, Hope It's not too late to try to enter for both contests of the ebook and the GC. =D

Judi
arella3173_loveless(at)yahoo(dot)com

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