GUEST AUTHOR: AB GAYLE #mmromance #mmholidayspirit #giveaways

Today I’m joined by A.B. Gayle. A.B. lives in Sydney and wrote some of the first m/m romance books I read. She also gave me a boot in the bum to start writing myself. So a big thanks from me 🙂
Don’t forget to check out the giveaways, including the chance to win one of A.B.’s books.
 
 
I love Christmas and always look forward to it. What’s your favourite holiday of the year and what makes it so special?

While I enjoy getting together with family at Christmas time, now the kids are older, their time has to be split between our family and their respective partners. Then add in elderly aunts and uncles with no kids, the day becomes an exercise in logistics. That’s why I prefer celebrating Australia Day. There are less expectations and demands on my time.

Do you and your family/friends have any special holiday traditions?

I’m not one for tradition. If anything, I enjoy discovering different ways to spend the day.
Because our families live in different cities, hundreds of kilometres away, a highlight of Christmas Day is chatting with close relatives. Thanks to modern technology, linking up via Skype is a wonderful new way to get together.
One of the best Christmases was when we first did this so the ninety year old uncles and aunts could see and chat to my Mother in Law (their sister) who they hadn’t seen for a few years. It was Uncle Jack’s first exposure to the internet and after the successful Skype session, we had a hilarious time in which he tried to stump me with questions about movies, actors and singers. He’d say, “I bet you can’t find out which movie Actor A and Actress B were in together.” Then some quick Googling and checking IMDB would give me the answer in seconds. He was very impressed. But he was even more impressed when I showed him old, grainy videos on YouTube of some of the singers from his era. He’s 98 now, nearly blind but hopefully we’ll be able to cheer him up a bit.

It’s wonderful that you get to spend time with the older generation. Tell us about some memorable Christmas days.

One year, a friend of mine who lives out at Woop Woop* asked if we could provide accommodation for a couple of Swedish backpackers over Christmas. Her daughter had stayed with one on an exchange program a few years earlier. Sure, I said. No problem. The two guys were great fun, no hassle and were very happy to share Christmas with us. They enjoyed the lack of snow and, after the traditional roast lunch, took the train to Bondi Beach for the traditional ex-pat get together.
Sharing the day with others encapsulates what Christmas means to me. Some people find Christmas a very stressful time. Either because of family or even worse, because of lack of one. Perhaps they live in other countries or distant towns. If we can share it with people who would otherwise be alone, we do so.
Christmas breakfast is a great time to get together with friends. One year we met up with some kayaking buddies for a paddle then shared champagne and chicken breakfast at the picnic table by the river. Then we went home for the more traditional family get togethers.
*Woop Woop – anywhere most Aussies have never been to or heard of. Beyond the Black Stump.

What’s your biggest gift giving disaster?

The BBQ I bought for my husband. Many years later, it sits forlornly in the backyard, rarely used. Silly me got the grill type and not the sort that he could roast things in.
My major problem is that I never know what gifts to buy. Everyone nowadays seems to have what they need and the only thing they’re short of is cash. If I was the organised, creative type, I’d make them something wonderfully unique. But I’m not. So I don’t. Lol.

You’ll need to buy your hubby a bbq cook book this year so he can grill for you!
If you could be granted one special gift for the world for the holiday season, what would it be?

Peace, love and understanding. No wait, that’s my answer for the next Miss World contest. Seriously though, safe travel.

Christmas carols. Yes or no?

We’re more likely to play the South Park Christmas CD!

The end of the year is often a time for making New Year’s Resolutions. Do you have any you’d be willing to share? After all, they do say you’re more likely to achieve a goal if you share it 🙂

Lose weight, get fit. Same as usual.

There are many people who aren’t as fortunate as me and this time of year is always a time where I reflect on how lucky I am. It’s a time for giving back and I do so by supporting my favourite charity (Twenty10 who provide support for LGBT youth) financially and with their Christmas Hamper drive. Is there a favourite charity or not-for-profit organization you’d like to call out and raise the awareness of?

Twenty10 is a great charity to support. I’m more than happy to echo your call out.

Check out one of A.B.’s books…

Blurb

Tyler Knoll was born one wild, stormy night in April 2013.
Of course, Tyler might tell you he was born twenty years earlier, but should we believe anything he says? That’s for you to decide.
In Tyler’s first adventure—like many a gay man before him—he was SNARED by gay porn, wallowing in tales of bigger, stronger, harder….
Then his fickle mind was seduced and SHREDDED by the prospect of BDSM and slavery.
When a Big Misunderstanding SLASHED at Tyler’s sanity, almost costing him his life, he turned to another genre for his salvation. But even this encounter proved potentially hazardous—not from freezing temperatures, but at the hands of irate fans.
Finally, tired and SCREWED by his all his trials and tribulations, he discovers—like many storybook heroes before him—that sometimes Mr. Right is closer than we think.

Buy Link

Amazon
GIVEAWAYS

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter. The winners will be drawn at the end of the blog tour.
1st prize: $20 Amazon GC, 2nd Prize: $15 Amazon GC (courtesy of Meg Bawden), $10 ARe GC (courtesy of Beany Sparks), and 4^th Prize is a bundle of 4 ebooks (1 back list title from Renae Kaye, Penny Brandon’s “His Heart’s Desire”, LJ Harris’ “The Haunting of Angus MacGregor”, and a backlist title from N.J. Nielsen)

About the author

I am an Aussie writer who is fascinated by the world around us and the people who live in it. I’m drawn to writing about gay men with all their different needs and situations. Hopefully one day these differences will be celebrated, not merely tolerated. Until then, I hope my stories help by exploring the issues that they are faced with. Unlike many authors, I have not been writing stories all my life. Instead I’ve been living life. My travels have taken me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I’ve worked in so many different towns I’ve lost count. I’ve shoveled shit in cow yards, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians. Sometimes I need to be forgiven as I get confused as to who needs what where. My real life job takes me all over this marvellous continent. This leaves me less time for writing but adds lots of characters and incidents I hope to share with you in future stories.
www.abgayle.com
https://www.facebook.com/abgayle.writer

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