I’m pleased to have with me here today Gay Fiction Author John H. Ames. Thank you for joining us today.
COULD YOU PLEASE SHARE THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU?
Wow! There are so many. I would say: Fun, Caring and Shy
PLEASE ORGANIZE THESE WORDS, PLACING THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU FIRST AND BRIEFLY EXPLAIN YOUR REASON.
Family, Writing, Sex, Music, Friends, Animals, Love, Sports, Children
- Family – They will always be there for you.
- Friends – I can’t live without my best friend. She’s always there for me.
- Love – Love makes the world go around.
- Writing – I can’t live without writing, but the ones above come first.
- Music – I use music to relax after a long day of work and to clear my mind.
- Animals – I love my puppy. He makes me so happy. He’s name is Clifford by the way.
- Sex – It’s important, but you can live without it. Love should come first. ;)
- Children – I want to be a dad someday.
- Sports – I hate anything that has to do with sports.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
I have been writing since 2010. Whoa! That’s three years now! I’m new at this and learning as I go. It has been tough but I’m hanging on. I want to inspire someone. That’s my objective and goal in life.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I’m working on several novels right now:
1) Raven and Crow: A Chain of Memories
2) Raven and Crow II: Dark Horizon
3) Swapatize [working title]: The not so unrealistic detailed account of how my best friend and I swap bodies for a short period of time.
4) The Spirit Indestructible
5) The Lake View Psychopath
The last three books in the list above are short stories that can stand alone, but together, they make up one long novel. So, if you like short books, you can enjoy them individually but I intend to publish them as an anthology as well.
WHICH CHARACTER IN YOUR BOOK(S) DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH, AND WHY?
I identified a lot with John, my favorite character in the Surviving Elite High Series. John is humble, shy and studious. All he wants is to live a normal and boring high school life, but two bullies are there to make his existence a living hell. I can relate to him. I was bullied in school and therefore I can connect so much with him. I think everyone who has read my Surviving Elite High Series have connected with John.
Matthew stared down at me like a raging bull on the loose. He stepped toward me in a very threatening manner. "Why the fuck did you hit me for?" I had to get away from them and fast. I crawled down the hallway, but Matthew grabbed my legs and spun me around. With a single tug, he pulled me under his feet. I was scared now. Matthew looked deranged. He bent down and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, lifting me into the air and slamming me into a nearby wall. A malicious smile developed on his face. "I'm going to fucking kill you, you little piece of shit."
"Let's fuck him up, Matt," Jacob suggested with a mischievous smile. "I bet a homo like him would love to get fucked by two jocks. We can fuck him in the locker room, and no one will hear a thing."
My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach, rendering me sick. I couldn't believe what Jacob suggested. They had always made sexual comments, but never that filthy or nasty. Matthew's smile grew as Jacob's idea settled in.
"Please—"
"Shut the fuck up, you little fag!" Matthew slammed me against the wall again.
"Put him the fuck down!"
It was Nick; he stood a few feet away from us. I immediately thanked God because his presence guaranteed my safety from Matthew and Jacob. Anyone's presence, as a matter of fact.
SHARE THE NAMES OF A FEW AUTHORS WHO INSPIRE YOU.
I love J.K. Rowling and Jeff Erno. Who is not a fan of Harry Potter? No one. The first time I read a Harry Potter novel was back in 2003. That novel pulled me into a world that I had never seen or heard of before, leaving me wanting more. When the last novel came out, it blew my mind to the point that it made me sit down and write a novel of my own. I spent a few months writing, and the finish product was called Raven and Crow: a Chain of Memories.
Raven and Crow: a Chain of Memories tells the story of two guys who meet in high school and find out that they have more in common than they thought, since they share the same memories, dreams, and nightmares. Soon enough, they discover that they are unearthly beings from another world and that they are the incarnation of the beautiful Raven and the amazing Crow. You might be wondering two guys, the incarnation of a man and a woman? Not much of a Twilight novel, right? True, but let the story flow, and you'll see that not everything is quite what it seemed. I’m currently looking for the right publisher for this novel, but when I find it, I will let you know where to get it.
Raven and Crow: a Chain of Memories tells the story of two guys who meet in high school and find out that they have more in common than they thought, since they share the same memories, dreams, and nightmares. Soon enough, they discover that they are unearthly beings from another world and that they are the incarnation of the beautiful Raven and the amazing Crow. You might be wondering two guys, the incarnation of a man and a woman? Not much of a Twilight novel, right? True, but let the story flow, and you'll see that not everything is quite what it seemed. I’m currently looking for the right publisher for this novel, but when I find it, I will let you know where to get it.
J.K. Rowling, however, isn't the only one have inspired me. The first GLBT novel that I read was Mark A. Roeder's A Better Place. That novel contains a jock/nerd theme, and it made me fall in love with that sub-genre of writing. I immediately searched for other novels with the same theme and came across Dumb Jock by--you guessed it--Jeff Erno. That little novel changed my life forever. I connected so much with the main character that I just had to write something similar to Mr. Erno's novel.
The product of my sleepless night was Surviving Elite High.
The product of my sleepless night was Surviving Elite High.
Surviving Elite High: John Henry Ames is a sixteen-year-old boy from a small New Jersey town. John is humble, shy and studious. He lives as an outcast in the shadows of an elite high school where he is tormented by two psychopathic bullies. On the verge of dropping out of school due to overdue payments, a teacher enrolls him in a tutoring program where he meets the school's star quarterback and hero, Nick Anthony Hawking. Since he was doing poorly in several subjects, Nick needs John's help to pass and graduate high school. As John becomes closer to the jock, he develops a strong affection towards him even though Nick has a strong reputation of sleeping around with a lot of women. Nick becomes his friend and protector in school. Their sincere friendship helps to bring out the best in each of them, even as several tragedies, like a school shooting, threaten to change their young lives forever.
I’d just finished taping the “Congratulations, Nick!” banner above the sofa when I heard a small noise coming from my bedroom. I glanced at the clock on my wall. It was four-thirty. Maybe Emily was there, using the bathroom. After all, she had a spare key and had come here to leave off the decorations.
“Emily? Are you in there?”
No one answered, but there was a rustling noise coming from inside. I went to the bedroom and opened the door. My eyes quickly fell on Emily who lay on the floor, sobbing, her cries muffled by a white cloth gag, her hands and feet bound. My heart lurched. “Emily!”
I immediately ran to her and pulled the gag out.
“Behind you, John!”
Someone slammed the door close. Every hair on my body stood on end as I spun around and came face to face with my worst nightmare.
Matthew Ward.
He wore a filthy orange jumpsuit with his name across the chest and waved a gun at me. A creepy smile spread across his demonic and psychopathic face. He stood in front of the door and blocked my only way to safety. “I’m back, John, and I’m here to kill you.”
SHARE THE MUSIC/MUSICIANS THAT YOU LIKE AND HOW THEY ADD TO YOUR LIFE OR WRITING?
I love Nelly Furtado! Her music is so inspiring and soothing to the soul. I have all of her albums and have followed her since day one. Her music relaxes me. It makes me focus and clears my mind. Thanks to her latest album, I wrote The Spirit Indestructible a short novel dedicated to her.
IF YOU WEREN’T A WRITER, WHAT OTHER CAREER WOULD YOU CHOSE?
I think I would be a model. LOL! Nah, I think that I would have been a business man or someone working in the music industry. I love music. I mean, who doesn’t, right? Music is inspiring and powerful.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ON THE INTERNET?
HERE’S ANOTHER BRIEF EXCERPT FROM JOHN'S LATEST WORK .
“Wait!” Nathan said. “What are you guys doing?”
Daniel quickly stripped down to his white undies. “Well, what do you think, Nate? We’re going to turn this bitch into a man. Stop acting like a fool. You pretty much enjoyed the last time we made Rick into a man.”
My heart felt like it was replaced with a giant stone. My terror mounted. I curled up into fetal position, in too much pain even to try escape from them. When Aaron stood in front of me naked and hard, I realized what they had done to Rick. That’s why he’d changed overnight. They raped him. Oh my God. I was about to suffer the same fate!
“But that was Rick,” Nate stammered, one hand out as if to defend me, “he was asking for it.”
“Aww. Isn’t that cute?” Louis teased, shoving down his boxers. “Nate cares about his baby brother.”
My heart felt like it was replaced with a giant stone. My terror mounted. I curled up into fetal position, in too much pain even to try escape from them. When Aaron stood in front of me naked and hard, I realized what they had done to Rick. That’s why he’d changed overnight. They raped him. Oh my God. I was about to suffer the same fate!
“But that was Rick,” Nate stammered, one hand out as if to defend me, “he was asking for it.”
“Aww. Isn’t that cute?” Louis teased, shoving down his boxers. “Nate cares about his baby brother.”
“Fuck you! No I don’t.”
“Then prove it.” Daniel pointed at me and stepped aside.
Nathan crossed over to me.
“Good. Nathan’s still a man.”
“Nathan! Please!” I begged him. My cries did not stop him. In a swift second, Nathan flipped me over and exposed my butt cheeks. “Nathan, stop it. Please! Don’t do it, Nathan. Don’t! Please.” I squeezed my eyes shut. Some corner of my terrified self was in utter disbelief. I was begging not to be gang raped.
