#VBT That You Are Here and a Q&A with Meredith Allard #mm #glbt #contest

Today we have a virtual book tour with Meredith Allard! She's sitting in the hot seat with questions to be answered and discussing That You Are Here, her m/m romance. She also has a tour-wide contest going on. One randomly chosen Grand Prize winner will receive a $25 Amazon or BN GC and a runner up will receive a digital copy of the novel. Enjoy!


~Mia

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Interview questions for Meredith Allard… 

Quick round:

Coffee, tea or…what’s your vice? I love both, but I’ll normally go for coffee.

 Favorite Movie: Dead Poet’s Society

Favorite Color:  Purple

Favorite book/author: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

How do you feel about bacon? I’m a vegetarian, so bacon is a no-go for me.

The REAL questions…

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a writer currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada (it’s true, people really live here). In addition to writing novels, I’m also the executive editor of The Copperfield Review, a journal for readers and writers of historical fiction. I’ve been teaching writing for more than ten years now, as well. When I’m not writing or teaching, I like to find great vegetarian and vegan recipes since I love to cook. I also love movies, Broadway musicals, and I’m a big fan of Downton Abbey. My favorite place to travel is London, and I’m going again this summer and I’m so excited. Pinterest is my new love since it’s the one place where I can indulge in all my interests at the same time.

What’s under your bed?

 My cat. (That’s not a joke, by the way. I can hear him snoring from here.)

What comes first, plot or characters?

For me, it’s usually characters. Then my job is to figure out what happens to them and what they learn from it along the way.

Pantser, plotter, or hybrid? Tell us about your writing process.

I begin by plotting out the story from beginning to end so at least I have a blueprint to work with when I start. But I know that as I continue writing often the characters will take over the story and bring it in directions I hadn’t originally thought of. That’s all part of the fun of writing fiction for me—I can start with the greatest plan, but I know it’s going to change along the way and I like that.

Oddest thing on your desk?

 My cat (I have three). She’s looking out the window at the moment.

What’s your most interesting writing quirk?

 Probably that I have the ability to procrastinate like nobody’s business when it’s time to write. I’ll cook, clean, do the dishes, feed the cats, check my e-mail—it takes me a while to settle down, but once I’m writing I could keep at it for hours.

What’s your favorite thing about the genre you write in?

 I write in several genres, and I like that. That You Are Here is the first time I’ve written an m/m love story. I’ve also written historical fiction, paranormal, and literary fiction. I like jumping around from genre to genre. It keeps things interesting for me and hopefully for my readers. I think I’d be bored writing the same type of story over and over again.

What is the hardest thing about being an author?

 Finding time to write when I have a day job. Luckily, I have summers off so I can feel like a full time writer then.

What’s the easiest thing about being an author?

 Coming up with story ideas. I have an active imagination, as most authors do, and I have a lot of ideas floating through my head at any and all times of the day and night. I love kicking around a story idea until I can start to see the novel come into shape. I love that I can take these crazy scenes that I see so clearly in my head and share them with others. I’ve always had an overactive imagination, as most fiction writers do, and writing fiction is an outlet for my imagination. I started as a screenwriter, but screenwriting was too much like a blueprint for me. I love describing the room where the action takes place. I love describing the characters’ clothing, and what they’re thinking and feeling. I love the entire world building process and making that world come alive for the reader.

What do you wish someone had asked you for an interview question? Here’s your chance to get the soap box out!

 I love the question about what do I do when I’m not writing. I love to write, it’s true, but I have a lot of other interests as well. I read a lot—and I love everything, fiction, nonfiction, poetry. I have a particular taste for historical fiction and history-based nonfiction. Time permitting, I’ll watch an entire season of Downton Abbey in one sitting. I love taking dance classes at the gym like Zumba or belly dancing. I’m a vegetarian and I love to cook, so I’m always looking for great vegetarian recipes. My ultimate luxury is to have an entire day to myself where I don’t even have to leave the house. I’ll read my magazines, a book I’ve been meaning to get to, listen to music, catch up on my television shows, or just stare at the wall if that’s what I want to do.

Tell us about your latest release!

 The greatest compliments I’ve received about That You Are Here is that people who don’t normally read m/m love stories have enjoyed reading it because it focuses on such a human story, and That You Are Here has the highest rating of any of my novels on Amazon and Goodreads. Everyone has to learn how to feel comfortable in their own skin, and everyone has choices to make in their lives about how they’re going to live their best lives while being honest about who they are. Andrew Whittaker and Mark Bryce have quite a journey to travel together, and I hope they are a couple readers cheer for. I hope readers with open minds will give That You Are Here a try. 

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BLURB for That You Are Here:

On the outside, handsome, successful attorney Andrew Whittaker has everything in life. On the inside, he has everything too, only he doesn't know it. He hides the love of his life, Mark Bryce, from his family and everyone else where he lives in Portland, Oregon. Soon the weight of the secret becomes too much for Andrew. After wrestling with himself and his place in the world, he must decide how he’s going to live—with or without Mark.

Purchase at  Amazon 

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Meredith Allard Bio and Links:

Meredith Allard is the author of The Loving Husband Trilogy, That You Are Here, Victory Garden, Woman of Stones, and My Brother’s Battle (Copperfield Press). She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from California State University, Northridge. Her short fiction and articles have appeared in journals such as The Paumanok Review, The Maxwell Digest, Wild Mind, Muse Apprentice Guild, Writer’s Weekly, Moondance, CarbLite, and ViewsHound. She has taught writing to students aged ten to sixty, and she has taught creative writing and writing historical fiction seminars at Learning Tree University, UNLV, and the Las Vegas Writers Conference. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Website - http://www.meredithallard.com/

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/copperfield101

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authormeredithallard

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/That-You-Are-Here-Novel-ebook/dp/B00I17XBBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401234223&sr=8-1&keywords=that+you+are+here

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Contest Details!

One randomly chosen Grand Prize winner will receive a $25 Amazon or BN GC and a runner up will receive a digital copy of the novel.

Good luck! 

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