TL Travis Interview Published on: 29, Jun 2020
Where were you born, and what was your childhood like?
Virginia. My childhood was that of a typical 70’s kid. Play outside in the hose, and drink the water from it none the less. Water balloon fights, riding bikes with our friends. Not a care in the world.
What were your childhood dreams? Did you always aspire to be an author?No, I actually always wanted to be a mother. I fell into writing having written my first book about twelve years ago.
Why did you choose to write in the paranormal romance genre?Well, funny story actually. I don’t write in PNR as a rule but my first book (which I’ve since pulled to re-edit and re-cover) was PNR. Most of my stories are LGBTQ erotica or erotic romance and are in the Rockstar sub genre.
What inspired you to pen your first novel?A dream I had – literally. The beginning of The Awakening, book 1 of The Elders Trilogy came to me in a dream. I woke the next morning and started typing away. 30 days later, I had a rough draft. Now I’m re-writing the trilogy to include the never before released book 3 – Resurrection.
Do you remember the first book you ever read?Who is your all-time favorite author? I don’t remember the first book I ever read, but I do remember the first book that stuck with me. It was Judy Blume’s “Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret?” and from there I was hooked.
Who inspired the character of Jackson Milsap, the introverted writer in "Coffee, Tea, or Me?"Honestly, no one. The 6 of us decided to write a limited edition anthology based around coffee shops and as soon as they said that, Jackson and Howie came to me. I wanted a cute little twinky barista for sure and as I started writing him, Jackson introduced himself.
What inspired the plot of the book, See Me?I’d been following the story of a police officer who’d been badly burned and one day I was sitting here working, on Greyson Fox actually, when Raphael’s story center came to me. I never outline. I come up with the idea and the name for the book, then I let the characters take me away which is exactly what he did.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?A central theme that is consistent throughout. You need strong characters, strong voices and you need be able to write so the reader can envision every word you type. Books that drone on and on that I find myself scanning pages in annoy me. Repetitiveness annoys me. I’m an avid reader and repetitiveness makes me feel like the author thinks their reader is stupid or that they need to fill the pages to get paid. Not true. You can wrap up most stories in about 60-70k without boring the reader. But from time to time, I do want to read a hot, short number before going to bed which is why I’ve written a few myself.
How did you begin writing the Maiden Voyage Series?Maiden Voyage was born from the Social Sinners series. The MV guys, Derek, Ryder, Shadow and Jaxson came to Joey, Stoli, Mickey and Diamond’s rescue, so to speak, when they hit a really bad patch during SS. The guys from Embrace the Fear, mentioned at the end of the SS series and are in all the MV books, will be getting their own series this fall as part of a multi-author series I’m a part of. Book 1, Rhone’s Rebels is the one included in this.
How does it feel to earn a “Best Seller” status in the US as well as Internationally?Internationally is much easier than on US soil, so when I hit that I literally cried. Its was such a monumental moment for me and took 3 years in the making to do. Readers think this job is easy, but it isn’t. Its easily 60 hours a week for me and most of that time is spent marketing. If you’re not in front of the readers at all times you will quickly fall to the bottom of the pile. Out of sight, out of mind totally applies in this realm.
How much time do you usually spend weaving erotic webs?Not as much as I’d like to. For a while I was only writing on the weekends, now I’m taking time out of my schedule each day to try and get some writing in. Nothing firm yet, but a little bit each day is stirring my inner muse.
How do you feel after rescuing 4-legged souls in need?Absolutely thrilled! Nothing makes me happier than finding a 4-legged friend a new forever home. Of course, I have many foster failures. 1 dog, 7 cats and a bearded dragon to be exact. But they fill my heart with so much love. All they want is for me to love them and they do the same in return without any expectations from you.
Do you miss going for fishing, wine tasting and people watching during the lock-down?Oh my gosh do I ever. I keep staring at those little teardrop trailers, longing to buy one so I can get out of the city on the weekends. Hopefully that will happen soon…
How do you feel about the rise in digital books in recent years?At first, I didn’t like it. I love the smell of the book, holding it in my hand but then it dawned on me – I can preserve my beloved print books by tucking them away on a shelf and reading the digital form. And that’s so much more affordable. I live on KU. I read nightly so I totally understand when a reader says they can only afford to read books on KU which is why all of mine are available in that format.
Who or what first introduced you to AllAuthor? Do you have anything to say about the site and on whether or not it has helped you?I honestly don’t remember which author introduced me to it, but I’ve had several of the author’s I PA for sign up for it now. I really enjoy it and try to thank you guys every time I see a post or tweet you’ve made about one of my books. It means more than you will ever know.
