N.L. Gassert Author

Why Gay Fiction?

That question comes up occasionally. Some people think it’s weird that I am interested in gay fiction. Of course, I don’t think so. I am a heterosexual woman interested in men. So I read about them, and I write about them. What’s weird about that?

That’s the short answer, of course. The long answer is, well, longer and far more involved.

There is the aesthetic appeal, oh sure. Like the occasional male who fantasizes about two (or more) women together, I enjoy the visual idea of two handsome men together. And then there are issues of equality and power and gender coding, but this isn’t meant to be a thesis (I’m sure there’s one somewhere online if you’re looking for a scientific explanation).

The truth is I am not interested in the life of a woman. I am a woman; I don’t want to read about me or write about me. I want to escape when I read and write. I want to become someone else (and that never included a petite blonde or foxy redhead).

As a young reader, I loved reading adventure stories (westerns, mostly) and thrillers and suspense. Back then these genres were populated by tough male characters. The occasional woman was a love interest at best. In a way, as a reader, I “grew up” surrounded by men.

Naturally, when I started writing in the early 1980s, I wrote what I most liked to read: stories that featured men (and one very bad western). Male characters provided me with all the opportunities and freedoms I could never hope to have in real life. I could “live” in a male body and “be” a hero, have adventures, survive danger, and demand physical respect, all the while enjoying the visuals my creative mind provided.

Then I discovered gay fiction and, what did you know? Two yummy males for the price of one. As a reader and a writer, I could finally do away with superfluous female characters and concentrate on what I enjoyed the most: men!

Writing Habits:

I used to write at night (yes, I’m a night owl), but life required an earlier bedtime. So now I write in the evenings. I try to be in front of the computer from 8 to 10 pm every night (thanks to my DVR, I don’t even have to miss my favorite TV shows). Since two hours fly by very quickly, I try to e-mail and check in with friends during the day.

Okinawa, Japan O'ahu, HI, USA

Time Frame For THE PROTECTOR:

I started the first draft in very late 2003 and finished in early 2005. A large chunk of it was written in a hotel bathroom (after moving from Japan to Hawaii, we spent two and a half months in a hotel; the bathroom was my writing refuge). When I began THE PROTECTOR, I didn’t have much of a plan, no outline, and certainly no plans for publication, which is to say I didn’t go “hmm, I think I’d like to write a series of gay romantic suspense novels.” That changed quickly enough (I’m a natural planner). But with ambition doesn’t come wisdom, so it took me a while to get organized. I couldn’t interest an agent in gay romantic suspense, but I found Seventh Window Publication in early 2006.

Future Plans:

More books! I began writing on THE PROTECTOR’s sequel in very early 2006, then put it aside to overhaul i.e. edit THE PROTECTOR. With some luck and plenty of discipline, I ought to have book 2 in the Buchanan-Ward series finished in early 2008.

Whether there will be a book 3 and a book 4 depends on the attention THE PROTECTOR and its sequel can generate. There are always other characters that deserve the telling of their tale.

Why Guam?

I lived on Okinawa when I started writing THE PROTECTOR. For once, I wanted to write a novel with a setting I was familiar with, but after the first few chapters I realized that Japan wouldn’t work, because I hadn’t the faintest idea about local police procedures. So I went in search of the nearest American outpost and came across Guam, an island similar in many ways to Okinawa.

Guam is a research challenge, let me tell you. All this time, and I haven’t even managed to get an official road map (doesn’t exist, apparently), but that just makes it more fun. I love discovering new things about this exotix island.

Secret to Success:

Persistence!

Advice:

I’m a mom and a wife, our household includes two cats and an ever-varying number of fish; I know all about being busy, trust me. I won’t tell you to write every day, because sometimes that’s just not feasible. But there’s nothing more important than simply showing up at the keyboard or in front of a writing pad.

Don’t wait for inspiration. Write. Chances are you wouldn’t dare sit at your dayjob, waiting to be inspired. You go, you work. Approach your writing the same way.

Least Favorite Books:

I’m no fan of the first person point of view. That’s not a judgment of the work, just a personal prejudice (which I overcome on a regular basis, trust me).

Things I Learned While Procrastinating:

Buck naked or butt naked? Harebrained or hairbrained? Cardsharp or card shark? Regardless or irregardless?

Okay, so when I read books like Patricia O’Conner’s WOE IS I, it’s really procrastination under the veil of research. But I learn a thing or two, and I’m becoming a better wordsmith.

Who knows, my life might depend on knowing the difference between octopuses and octopi one day ...

Best Advice Found On A Publisher’s Website:

“If you absolutely have to have a rough estimate of our rejection rate, the answer is that we reject most [manuscripts]. But look at it this way: if you don't send us your manuscript, the odds that we'll publish it approach absolute zero. It's your call.” Tor Books

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