Sage Marlowe

Today I have the fabulous Sage Marlowe on my blog. I LOVE Sage, a great writer with great covers to match. Please welcome Sage to my blog with an insightful Q & A.

How long have you been writing in the Manlove genre?

I started writing in March 2010, which seems a lifetime ago now. My first novel, Sub-Mission was published in May 2012 by Total-E-Bound, so I have yet to celebrate my first anniversary as a published author.  

Where do you write from?

I write all my stories from the heart. Oh, I’m sorry, did you mean geographically? I currently live in Germany, in a very rural corner of the west.

What is your writing routine?

My only routine is constant chaos. I have a nineteen months old, very curious and vivid daughter, and any writing has to be arranged around her needs. This means I type most of my first drafts on my trusty phone while she plays or takes a nap. Once the first draft is done, I use the evenings to polish the manuscripts on the laptop. At that stage, I usually have the first draft of the next story on the go.

Who are your favorite writers? [any genre]

There are many brilliant authors out there, and loads I have yet to discover, so naming favourites always seems a bit unfair to those I don’t even know yet. Some of the writers whose work I admire are Harper Fox, Ally Blue, Emily Bronte, Jane Austen... Oh, the list is long.

From one of your books, which character is your favorite and why?

Again, it's hard to name a favourite. I love them all. The most special ones are Noah from Sub-Mission and Sub-Culture and Caelan from the Ink, Sweat and Tears series. Noah is an amazing person. His strength and loyalty never fail to impress me and while he has his flaws just like the rest of us, he is a great friend and a wonderful dad. And Caelan, well, Caelan is a lot like Noah, actually. He’s had a lot to work through, but he’s still such an easy-going, nice guy who is just very easy to fall in love with.

Tell us about your latest book.

Sub-Culture is the sequel to my debut novel, Sub-Mission. It finds Noah and Pierce five years after the bumpy start to their relationship. They have settled well into their lives as a happy couple but raising two children, combined with a lot of pressure in their jobs, is beginning to take its toll.

Sub-Culture takes a look at an essentially happy and well-tuned couple who have to understand that life requires constant adapting to circumstances and that loving your partner also means giving them the freedom and space they need to develop.

What is your favorite city and why?

I have fallen in love with London the first time I went there. The city has a its own special atmosphere and everything about it just fascinates me, from the tall, narrow houses to the beautiful parks and busses. I even adore the typical smell of the Tube – weird, eh?

Do you like kink or vanilla sex?

Oh, I'm kinky. For me, vanilla is an ice cream flavour. It's nice as a basis for everyday but you need to top it up with something else to make it special.

The craziest place you have had sex?

A former boyfriend had a flat with a balcony overlooking the street in the city centre. Let's just say watching people do their shopping in the afternoon can be a very entertaining activity...

The craziest place your characters have had sex?

Hmm, I have to admit my boys’ sexual encounters aren't about crazy places so much as about what they do. The places are mostly rather boring—the bed, the sofa, the kitchen table, outside, on stage in a BDSM club…You know, just the usual places we've all done it in. But my characters, just like yours truly, like their dirty games. And toys. Yes, we like toys.

Which of your books would you like to see hit the silver screen?

Any of the Sub-series ones, preferably Sub-Mission or Sub-Culture. It's probably mostly because of this huge crush I still have on Noah. I'd just love to see more of him.

What can readers look forward to next?

My next release is the third book in the Romeo & Julian series, A Life as a Ghost, which will be published with Siren-BookStrand in March. Then there is Shifting Perspectives, the first book in my new shifter series Shifting Changes. It is currently submitted and will hopefully also make it for a March release.

My next novel is titled Fantasy for Sale. It will be published on June 3rd, 2013 by Total-E-Bound.

My current WIPs include the sequel to Re-Submission, the next books in the Shifting Changes series and several more stories. 

Sub-Culture by Sage Marlowe

MM erotic romance / BDSM / contemporary, novel (sequel to Sub-Mission)

Published by Total-E-Bound

Heat rating: Total-e-melting

Blurb:

When life gets on top, delving into a sub-culture may be just what it takes to keep a sinking relationship afloat

Five years after the bumpy start to their relationship, Noah and Pierce have settled well into their lives as a happy couple. The arrival of a new child should have made their matrimonial bliss complete, but the strain of raising a baby and a teenager, combined with a lot of pressure in their jobs, is beginning to take its toll.

In the midst of what already is a potentially explosive situation, Noah’s younger brother Jonah comes to stay with them, forcing Noah to face the issues he still has regarding his homophobic parents and adding to the emotional pressure he is under.

When Noah starts behaving oddly and Pierce just can’t seem to put his jealousy to rest, the cracks in their relationship become too severe to ignore any longer. They struggle to keep their sinking love afloat but as Noah craves the comfort a certain sub-culture can offer, Pierce finds himself wondering just how far he is willing to step out of his own comfort zone to save their love.

Reader Advisory: Sub-Culture is the sequel to Sub-Mission and a part of Noah and Pierce’s story is also featured in Re-Submission. Whilst each book stands on its own, to enjoy the story in full, it is recommended to read the books in the order of release (Sub-Mission, Re-Submission, Sub-Culture)

Buy Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1950

Story excerpt

"Fuck, not again!" Shifting, Noah snatched the duvet under his arm, turned around and buried his head in the pillow.

"Uh, it’s your turn, love," Pierce reminded him, struggling a little to recall how to work his voice, if only he wasn’t so incredibly, mind-numbingly tired. He dragged an eyelid open and glanced at the clock on the nightstand, but only because it was there anyway, straight in his blurry line of vision. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered.

An assembly of cool, greenish dashes informed him that it was half past two. That meant he would have three more hours of sleep until he had to get up. Noah would have four—in theory.

"No way!" Noah’s protest was muffled by the pile of pillows and duvet he’d buried himself under, but was nonetheless vehement. "It was my turn last night already."

"Sorry," Pierce mumbled, half apologetic, half relieved and completely anaesthetised with fatigue. "That was the night before last."

"Fuck." He felt the mattress bounce as Noah sat up. There was a noisy inhalation of breath—Noah yawning. "Shouldn’t he be able to make it through the night without another feed by now anyway?"

Right on cue, another long, heartbreaking and ear-splitting wail sliced through what was left of the night’s peace and quiet.

"Try telling him that," Pierce retorted.

"Pheebs stopped needing night feeds—"

"When she was six months old. I know. But Phinneas just isn’t Phoebe. He is who he is and he happens to need his milk at night so we have to give it to him. You have to give it to him."

"Yeah, right," Noah grunted but pushed to his feet. "Coming," he grumbled on the way out into the hall, then, seconds later, his voice sounded much gentler as he said, "Well, hello, you little sleepless gremlin. Got the munchies again, haven’t you?" More words followed, but they were too low for Pierce to make them out. Knowing Noah, it was a mix of sweet little nothings and good-humoured insults, which was his usual way of dealing with the baby whenever he was overtired and needed to vent some of the resulting grumpiness. Noah would never allow himself to let the fiery side of his temper show around either of their two children. It was what made him a wonderful dad—part of it, anyway. He was patient, generous, funny… Pierce found it increasingly hard to focus on the noises Noah was making in the kitchen while he was preparing the baby’s bottle.

No, they weren’t in the kitchen any longer. Already, Noah’s light-hearted chatter was growing louder as he approached their door on the way back to Baby Phin’s bedroom. Listening to the soothing, familiar tone of Noah’s voice, Pierce let the sweet melody of the faint accent in it lull him back to sleep.

The peace didn’t last long. Thirty minutes, according to the cool, greenish dashes on the alarm clock. The mattress bounced again but, instead of Noah’s six foot tall, hard-muscled body, something—or rather someone—significantly smaller, and also a lot bonier, crept into Pierce’s bed. A tiny, but pointed elbow hit him in the ribs with an accuracy that would have made a professional wrestler proud.

"Fu—Phoebe!" Pierce gasped as the air left his lungs a lot faster than he’d intended it to. "What are you doing here?" He rubbed the spot just left of his sternum. It was going to turn into a nasty bruise.

"Phin woke me up," Phoebe complained.

"That’s no reason to be out of bed at this time," Pierce pointed out.

"But I can’t sleep."

"No, of course you can’t sleep when you’re walking around and—Oi!"

Occupying the space Noah had deserted only half an hour ago, Phoebe had snatched the duvet in a very good imitation of her father. Just like he had earlier, she turned around, buried her head in his pillow and started snoring. So much for not being able to sleep.

Pierce knew he should move her, but the notion of getting out of his warm, almost comfortable nest was more than he could face. Besides, his own limbs felt like lead. How he was supposed to move with the added weight of a twelve-year-old if even his own body was too heavy for him to drag out of bed was beyond him. He was still contemplating whether or not he should try to carry her back into her own bed or simply ignore the late-night visitor and go back to sleep when Noah returned. Another half-hour had passed, as the numbers on the alarm clock pointed out.

"Taken," Pierce warned and indicated Noah’s side of the bed.

"Fan-fucking-tastic!" Hovering in front of the bed, Noah glared down at his sleeping child. "Why didn’t you tell her to go back to her own room?"

"Couldn’t. By the time I realised what was happening, she was already rolled into that duvet, tight as a tick. What was up with Phin? You’ve been gone quite long."

"I know." Noah let out an exasperated sigh. Or maybe it was just another yawn. "I had to change him after I fed him, then he was awake and wanted to play, puked on himself, so I had to change his clothes again—the usual." He watched Phoebe for another moment, then he murmured, "What do you think I should do about her now?"

About the author

Sage is a multi-published author of gay erotic romance and loves taking romance to the edge. The edge of passion, the edge of pleasure, the edge of propriety.

Hopelessly in love with books from a very early age on, Sage has dreamt of writing one for years while working on the day job instead. It took a very persistent character in the company of a much-adored Muse to finally get the first novel going. The fact that this gorgeous guy was gay came as a bit of a surprise, but it explained a lot.

Ever since, Sage has been the willing slave to all the fascinating guys who just keep queuing up and want their stories told. This has resulted in several published books and countless manuscripts at various stages of completion, so there's always something to work on—preferably at night when the rest of the house is asleep.

Sage's characters often have a dramatic and sometimes traumatic past and need to battle some demons to be with the one they love. But don’t worry, they get quite a lot of naughty action along the way to keep them happy and there will always be a happy end!

Contact and buy links

Sage’s website & blog: www.sage-marlowe.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sage.marlowe0

e-mail: marlowe.sage@yahoo.co.uk

Twitter: @SageMarlowe

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/SageMarlowe

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/sagemarlowe

For all books published with Total-E-Bound, go to: http://www.total-e-bound.com/authordetail.asp?A_ID=224

For all books published with Siren-BookStrand, go to: www.bookstrand.com/sage-marlowe