This post is part of my ongoing series where I’m meeting some of the Supporting Authors who are going to be at GRL with me.

This time it’s Pat Henshaw who also has a fabulous new book being released on 29th July. Make sure you check it out.

I hope you enjoy!

Meet Pat Henshaw

Welcome! Thanks for agreeing to answer a couple of questions. Hopefully you won’t find then too difficult. 🙂

Is this your first GRL? If not, do you have any advice for authors and/or readers who are attending? If it’s your first, what made you sign up this year?

Yes, it is my first.  I signed up because this is shaping up to be my banner writing year.  My first Foothills Pride novella, What’s in a Name?, released in January.  The second in the series, Redesigning Max, comes out July 29.  And the third, Behr Facts, is slated to come out after GRL at the end of October.  All of them published by Dreamspinner Press.  So going to GRL seemed like the perfect way to celebrate being an author.

What are you most looking forward to about GRL this year?

Meeting the other authors, some of whom I’ve read for years.  I’m naturally shy, so I’m going to have to push myself.

What inspired you to start writing in the gay romance genre?

I taught English composition at a junior college in California and had many students who were gay.  The first essay each semester was an autobiographical one, and many of my gay students would write about how they weren’t loved by their parents and wondered if they’d ever find love and a special partner now that they were older.  I was reviewing romances at the time and decided to write romances assuring my gay students that romance and love are possible no matter who you are.

What was the first m/m romance book you wrote? Can you share a little about the story?

My first book was What’s in a Name?  It’s the story of Jimmy Patterson who is dumped by his boyfriend on Jimmy’s birthday bash at a gay bar.  The owner of the bar, who’s been chatting up Jimmy for several months, is infuriated and takes Jimmy home when he’s abandoned at the bar.  Jimmy enjoys the company of the bartender/owner, but doesn’t know what to call him since the bartender wears a name badge with a different name on it every night.  Jokingly they make a seven-day wager after Jimmy falls in love with the bartender’s motorcycle: If Jimmy guesses the bartender’s real name, the bartender will teach him how to ride a bike.  If he fails to guess the correct name, Jimmy owes the bartender a toe-curling kiss.  And so the games begin.

What are your writing plans for the rest of the year?

Currently I’m promoting the second of the Foothills Pride novellas, Redesigning Max, in which out-and-proud Fredi Zimmer takes on the task of remodeling outdoorsman Max Greene’s rustic mountain cabin.  When Max falls for him, Fredi can’t imagine why since they live in worlds that seemingly don’t overlap.  I’m also in edits for the third Pride story, Behr Facts, which revolves around the life of six foot six Abe, the CEO of Behr Construction, and the good-looking CPA he hires.

At the same time as promoting and editing, I’m writing the fourth Pride story, When Adam Fell, which delves into the life of acclaimed celebrity chef Adam de Leon, who has appeared in the previous Foothills Pride stories On tap for later this fall, I’m planning the fifth and sixth Foothills Pride novellas.

Please share an interesting fact your readers may not know about you?

For many years, I reviewed mystery fiction for Publishers Weekly and newspapers.  When mysteries got too gory and violent, I started reading romances and ultimately began reviewing them instead of the mysteries.

Thanks for answering all my questions  and best of luck with your new release. It sounds fabulous! I’m looking forward to meeting you in October.

About Pat

Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, was born and raised in Nebraska and promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in  Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California.  Pat has found joy in visiting Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and relishes trips to Rome, Italy, and Eugene, Oregon, to see family.

Now retired, Pat spent her life surrounded by words:  Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs. Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion.  Her supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.

Social Media Links

Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10

Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Henshaw/e/B00BPDEDEA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1436131610&sr=8-1

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pathenshaw/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/redesigningmax

Email: phenshaw527@gmail.com

Featured book from Pat Henshaw

Blurb

Renowned interior designer Fredi Zimmer is surprised when outdoorsman Max Greene, owner of Greene’s Hunting and Fishing, hires him to remodel his rustic cabin in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  Fredi is an out and proud Metro male whose contact with the outdoors is from his car to the doorway of the million-dollar homes’ he remodels, and Max is just too hunky gorgeous for words.

When Max starts coming on to Fredi, the designer can’t imagine why.  But he’s game to put a little spice into Max’s life, even if it’s just in the colors and fixtures he’ll use to turn Max’s dilapidated rustic cabin into a showplace.  Who can blame a guy for adding a little sensual pleasure as he retools Max’s life visually?

Max, for his part, is grateful when Fredi takes him in hand, both metaphorically and literally.  Coming out, he finds is the most exciting and wonderful time of his life, despite the conservative former friends who want to stop his slide into hell.

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press