GUEST AUTHOR: KEVIN KLEHR #mmromance #mmholidayspirit #giveaways

 
I’m thrilled to be joined by Kevin Klehr today. Kevin is a fellow Sydney-sider who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on a number of occasions.
Don’t forget the giveaways. There’s a Rafflecopter and also the chance to win one of Kevin’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?

I have an odd attraction to that period of time between Christmas and New Year. Sadly, I think all of us crash into Christmas, instead of having the time to prepare for it and enjoy it properly. It has become more of a chore over the past decades, rather than something you ease into and look forward to.
So there’s relief once it’s over, then many days where people are either off work, or if they are at work, the atmosphere is more relaxed. We suddenly find we have the time to catch up with friends and chill a bit. As I’m here in Sydney like you, Nic, we also get to appreciate Summer. Warm weather. Icy cocktails. Restaurants. Cafes. Beaches. Picnics. And a whole lot of socialising day after day.

I know what you mean. The whole holiday season can be exhausting and I do look forward to time to just chill. Do you and your family/friends have any special holiday traditions?

When my partner, Warren, and I first got together a couple of decades ago, we always chose a Friday night close to Christmas and invite our friends and work mates to a pub crawl. Most would breeze in after work and join the festivities as we made our way up Oxford Street. This was our way to truly christen to start of our holiday.

A pub crawl sounds fabulous! Someone else to do the preparation and cleaning up 🙂
What’s the worst present (Christmas or otherwise) you’ve ever received?

This was not one of mine, but one of Warren’s. For his birthdays someone bought him a beautiful coffee table book that told you the backstory of every episode of ‘I Love Lucy’. Truly, it was a lovely publication with lots of great photos, but as Warren or I are too young to be fans of the show, we both had to suddenly show interest in it as he unwrapped it.

What’s the best gift (Christmas or otherwise) you’ve ever received?

For my last major birthday I told my friends I wanted an Espresso Machine. Warren complained that the novelty would wear off, but it’s two years on since I unwrapped it and it still gets used every day we’re home.

I can’t do without my machine either. Every writer needs instant access to good quality coffee! What’s your biggest gift giving disaster?

I didn’t realise my niece turned twenty-one, so I just got her a t-shirt.

Oops. LOL. What’s your biggest gift giving success?

For our second year together, I bought Warren a ring for his birthday. It was something he wasn’t expecting, and two decades later it’s still on his finger.

Oh, I love that it is something obviously very special to him. If you could be granted one special gift for the world for the holiday season, what would it be?

Peace on Earth, forever. It’s a cliché but an apt one every year.

Christmas carols. Yes or no?

No. A few years ago a group of singers suddenly appeared on our front lawn one night. It was surreal. Half an hour later they were running down the street escaping the rain.

Do you watch Christmas movies? If so, what’s your favourite all time holiday movie?

My all-time favourite is ‘Miracle on 34^th Street’, the original 1940s version, of course. There are themes that are explored that are not only about Christmas.

I love reading stories set in the holiday season and I especially like seeing stories set all over the world. I love seeing how others celebrate and I love reading about guys getting their special holiday happy ever afters. Do you read holiday romances? If so, do you have a favourite you’d like to recommend to your readers?

I’ve only read one, but it surprised me. I didn’t expect it to be that good. It was Eli Easton’s ‘Blame it on the Mistletoe’. Truly whimsical.

Tell us a little about the favourite book you released this year?

 
 
This year it would have to be my short ebook about a realist and a dreamer. ‘Nate and the New Yorker’ is about Nathan, an Australian haunted by his own painful past while being thrown into a fantasy romance with a rich American named Cameron. A cross-dressing butler, a wise lesbian aunt and a lover who wants to pay for everything are just some of the issues Nate wrestles with as he staunchly attempts to keep his independence.

 
 
Share a favourite holiday photo.

This is Warren and I back in 1999 visiting our friends in Olympia in the US. Somehow, Santa made a personal appearance.

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 🙂

Inspired by your words, Nic, I’m going to self-publish a few works-in-progress that have been silently waiting for the right moment to escape their electronic folders and see the light of day. And I’m a newbie to modern indie publishing, so this is a big step for me.
The first will be ‘Drama Queens and Devilish Schemes’ which I’m currently reworking from the previous draft that was completed over a year ago. I also hope to have the sequel to ‘Nate and the New Yorker’ traditionally published next year. It’s called ‘Nate’s Last Tango’ and as the title suggests, is partly set in Buenos Aires.
Finally, I really want to attend GRL next year.

Sounds like you are going to be very busy! What else does 2017 hold for you on the writing front? What can your readers expect to see from you?

Besides the work mentioned in the last answer, other works that I plan to release include:

• From Top To Bottom – my first erotic novella about a group of men trying something outside their realm. The title should explain what it is they’re trying.

• Social Media Central – A dystopian tale about a lonely guy named Tayler who unlike everyone else in Astra City, doesn’t want to spend his life in front of a computer.

• The Midnight Man – I’m still working on the first draft, but this is about a middle aged man in an unhappy relationship who finally meets the man of his dreams, literally in his dreams! It’s darker than my usual style, so it’s been fun to write.

Do you have a favourite Christmas clip?

Some classic Bing and Bowie…

https://youtu.be/n9kfdEyV3RQ
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?

We support Matthew Talbot, which is a shelter for the homeless. We even helped out one Christmas Day to serve Christmas lunch and distribute gifts.
Several years ago I produced a radio documentary on homelessness, and found many returned servicemen now lived on the streets. While interviewing them, I found how complex their demons were as they struggled to come to terms with the horrors they’d witnessed.

Check out a couple of Kevin’s books…
NATE AND THE NEW YORKER
Cameron has it all. He’s rich, lives in Manhattan, and even has a cross-dressing butler. But then he meets Nate, an Australian who’s bitter about love. Cameron is determined to turn this realist into a dreamer by sharing his world of classy restaurants, Broadway shows and fabulous parties. And while Nate’s friends see the makings of a fantasy romance, it’s Nate who has to learn that in order to open his heart, he has to face a painful secret.

DRAMA QUEENS WITH LOVE SCENES
Close friends Allan and Warwick are dead. They’re not crazy about the idea so to help them deal with this dilemma are Samantha, a blond bombshell from the 1950s, and Guy, an insecure angel.
Allan also has a secret. He has a romantic crush on his friend, Warwick, but shortly after confiding in his new angel pal, his love interest falls for the cock-sure playwright, Pedro. Not only does Allan have to win the heart of his companion, he also has to grapple with the faded memory of how he actually died.
https://www.amazon.com/Drama-Queens-Scenes-Kevin-Klehr/dp/192518059X/
DRAMA QUEENS AND ADULT THEMES
Adam’s about to discover how much drama a mid-life crisis can be. He’s obsessed with Mannix, the nude model in his art class. But Adam has been married to Wade for nearly two decades, and they don’t have an open relationship.
Little do they know that Fabien, a warlock from the Afterlife, has secretly cast a spell of lust on Adam and his potential toy-boy.
As things begin to heat up, Adam’s guardian angel, Guy, steps in. But what’s the best way to save the relationship? Should Guy subdue Adam’s wandering passions or instigate a steamy threesome?
https://www.amazon.com/Drama-Queens-Adult-Themes-Kevin/dp/1925180603/

GIVEAWAYS

About the Author

Kevin lives with his long-term partner, Warren, in their humble apartment (affectionately named Sabrina), in Australia’s own ‘Emerald City,’ Sydney.
From an early age Kevin had a passion for writing, jotting down stories and plays until it came time to confront puberty. After dealing with pimple creams and facial hair, Kevin didn’t pick up a pen again until he was in his thirties. His handwritten manuscript was being committed to paper when his social circumstances changed, giving him no time to write. Concerned, his partner, Warren, snuck the notebook out to a friend who in turn came back and demanded Kevin finish his novel. It wasn’t long before Kevin’s active imagination was let loose again.
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/DramaQueensWithLoveScenes/
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/kevinklehr
WEBSITE – www.kevinklehr.com

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