I’ve really been enjoying meeting some of authors who will be attending GRL with me as Supporting Authors. I’ve loved hearing about their past experience and getting some tips for what to expect.

Meet Sara Alva

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?

It’s my first. I tried to go a couple of years ago but things didn’t work out. Like many authors, I can be a little introverted, so it took an extra push this year to get me to sign up. For one, it’s in my neck of the woods (just about) so I can always speed away in a getaway car if need be. And I have to give some credit to author Cody Kennedy for encouraging me to get out there this year.

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

Meeting authors and readers who have reached out to me, and of course anyone new. I’m not the best at initiating friendships, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want them! I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to get to know me, even if I might seem a little wallflowery at times. I’m also planning on challenging myself to be more outgoing this year.

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

“One thing led to another” is my standard explanation for how I ended up in unplanned and uncharted life waters :P. But to be more detailed, several years ago I saw Brokeback Mountain on TV and got depressed that so many movies with gay main characters ended in tragedy and death. In my search for more positive fare, I discovered m/m fanfiction, where I hung out for a bit until my husband told me I should write something original. We joke that he may now regret that comment as I tend to be rather “unavailable” mentally when I’m consumed with writing.

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

The first novel I wrote was Social Skills. Writing the blurb was painful enough (what is it about teeny tiny blurbs that makes them so difficult for people who’ve just written an entire novel??) so maybe I can just stick this here:

 

What book are you currently reading or have just finished reading? Tell us a little about it.

I just finished reading Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson. It’s a very sweet (and hot) friends to lovers NA road trip story.

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

I’m a semi-pro middle eastern dancer.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I look forward to meeting you in October and do hope I get to see some of your dancing! 🙂

About Sara

Sara Alva is a former small-town girl currently living in big-city LA with a husband, cats, and an avocado tree. She recently discovered-after a year in her hour-that she also has a fig tree in her backyard, which might mean she needs to get out more. But sometimes the stories waiting to be told demand more attention, and when she puts fingers to keyboard, it’s usually to write about journeys of self-discovery, heartache, personal growth, friendship and love. When she isn’t writing, she’s teaching or dancing.

For more information, free short stories and news on upcoming releases, visit Sara’s website at http://saraalva.com

 

Connect with Sara:

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Featured book from Sara Alva

Blurb

2014 Rainbow Award Winner, Young Adult

Alex’s life as a teenager in South Central LA is far from perfect, but it’s his life, and he knows how to live it. He knows what role to play and what things to keep to himself. He’s got it all under control, until one lousy pair of shoes kicks him out of his world and lands him in a foster care group home.

Surrounded by strangers and trapped in a life where he could never belong, Alex turns to the only person lower on the social ladder than he is: a “special” mute boy. In Sebastian, Alex finds a safe place to store his secrets—those that sent him to foster care, and the deeper one that sets him apart from the other teenagers he knows. But Sebastian has secrets of his own, and when tragedy rips the two boys apart, Alex will stop at nothing to find the answers—even if it means dragging them both through a past full of wounds best left buried.

It might just be worth it, for the slim chance at love.

Buy Links

Available From: Amazon | ARe | Barnes&Noble