Author Spotlight: Avril Ashton

Hey Folks, 

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day! 

*I am throwing every ounce of shade at Columbus and this “holiday.”* 

Allow me to dive straight into this week’s author spotlight. I met Avril at RT earlier this year and in typical Harper fashion; it happened in an offhand manner. She made a Facebook post announcing her presence in the lobby of the hotel where the convention was held, and of course I hop on her post with, “OH, MY GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?” Not that I’m a weirdo. *blink blink* I’d read a few of her books, so I was in full fangirl mode. Miraculously I didn’t embarrass myself. Yay, me! 

Anywho, you should get to know this wonderful woman and while you’re at it, pick up her work. Her sex scenes are scorching (I swear it’s hot porn on the page). Rawr! 

Take it away Avril!  

I always find author interviews kind of boring. We only get to see one side of an author, the polite side. If you had an evil doppelganger, what detail would they enjoy revealing about you to the public that people would find surprising and possibly questionable? 

Ha! Not questionable—and probably not really a surprise—but I’m really not good at socializing with people. I just can’t be bothered, which my husband says makes me mean as hell, but whatever. That attitude also kinda sucks, you know, because I feel like dude, I’m awesome. I should have friends and ish. But then I remind myself that I hate talking, and I’m like, “Nah, I’m good.”

Two-part question! You wrote an excellent blog post on imposter syndrome. I appreciate your honesty regarding the topic.  

(a) Why do you think talking about it is such a taboo thing?

I’m really not sure why it is that we don’t hear more about the dark side of what we do. I wrote it because I felt as if there had to be other others out there who feel like I do. I text with a fellow author all the time who commiserates with me when I’m all in my feelings, so I knew I wasn’t the only one.  

(b) Why aren’t more authors willing to share this aspect of themselves with the public?

Maybe we don’t want our readers to see how much we struggle? Maybe we don’t want to dwell on it? For me, I just wasn’t ready or willing to admit to that weakness. I’m doing what I love, right? How hard then could be it be? Turns out, it’s pretty damn hard, and admitting that, admitting that sometimes—despite my obvious success—I still feel like I don’t belong kinda makes me sound whiny and ungrateful. So that’s why I kept silent for so long.

Who’s your favorite actor?

I really dig Clive Owen in anything. I think dude is being slept on, for real.   

What’s your favorite Caribbean cuisine? 

It’s Caribbean cuisine, I can’t possibly choose! I like bake and saltfish for breakfast, maybe a nice beef roti for lunch, and some jerk chicken, rice and peas and fry plantain for dinner. That’s day one, though. Day two can be a whole different menu. That’s the thing about our food, so many options.

Another two-part question. I am all about the twofers.

(a) Did you find it difficult to transition from writing M/F romance to writing M/M romance? 

Not everyone can do it seamlessly. It wasn’t difficult at all, and maybe the reason was that I hadn’t built up an extensive MF backlist yet. I’d really just gotten my foot in the door, before I switched over.

(b) What was the scariest part of the process for you?

The scariest part for me was actually making the first steps into writing M/M. I wondered if I could possibly be half as good as the best authors who’d already made their mark in the game.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about this business that you wish you’d learned at the beginning of your career? 

I wish I’d learned that there really isn’t one way to do this. It’s really more about what works for you. That’s all that matters, and it’s something I embrace now, but it took a while for that knowledge to settle in.

Put on your reader hat for a sec. What makes a book a five-star read for you? 

Depends on what I’m reading. If it’s MF, I want filthy sex galore. I want a strong woman, not afraid to do what she wants, who she wants, along with an alpha AF hero, with an engaging storyline and gripping emotions. For M/M much the same, except ease up on the angst. For some reason, writing angsty M/M is easy. Reading it? Not so much.

Not that I have a lick of experience regarding this but word on the street is parenting is hard. What’s one lesson you’ve tried to instill in your daughter?

I think our children should have a healthy fear of us to keep them in line. Growing up in the West Indies, manners is everything, and it’s something both my husband and I drill into our daughter on the daily. Manners, it goes a long way in this world.

Finish this sentence: Bad sex is like _____. 

Ugh. Bad sex is like trying to replicate a recipe off Pinterest. No matter what the hell you do, that ish never turns out the way it does in the pictures, leaving you dissatisfied, with a big ole’ mess to clean up.

What’s your favorite song of all time?

I don’t have one, actually. I love music, it goes hand in hand with my writing process. I’m a fan of hip-hop, rock, reggae, soca/calypso, soul, RnB. If it’s music, it’s my favorite.

**Bonus Question**

Ever tried BDSM? If not, would you? 

I have, and while I’m not fully entrenched in the lifestyle, I’m not not in the lifestyle ;-)

*LOL, I see what you did there!*  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Bio:

A Grenadian transplant, Avril now lives in Tucker, GA, with a madly tolerant husband. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who’s pretty meh about reading and school. Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing the plot points of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother.

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. She’s been nominated for numerous awards, including Best Author, Best series, and Favorite All-Time Author. In 2013 Avril won Evernight Publishing’s Reader’s Choice Award for the LGBT (Male/Male) category.

Addicted to cupcakes, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Gay and Erotic Romance with happy endings; she remains a believer of love in all its forms.

Social Media:

Visit her website: http://www.avrilashton.com

Friend Av on Facebook: http://facebook.com/writeravrilashton

She’s on Twitter as @AvrilAsh

Sign up for her New Release Newsletter: http://t.co/RaWn5SBeYg

Join Av’s Gang on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AvsGang

Books:

Wanna activate your one-click finger? Check out Remi’s Betrayal!