Today at Fallen Angel Reviews we are pleased to welcome J.M. Snyder. Hello J.M. and welcome to FAR. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to spend with us today.

Thanks so much for having me!

Wow, you have quite a few recent releases. Which one would you like to discuss us today?

My latest novella, The Regent's Knight, is now available from Amber Allure Press. It's a fantasy and I'm very fond of the characters. They really grew on me as I was writing the story!

Prince Amery Llewellen is the only son of King Adin of Pharr and heir to the throne. When his father is lost in battle with the barbaric tribes invading the northern Pharrisian border, Amery becomes regent in his father's stead. The royal advisers pressure him to take the crown and assume the throne, but doing so will force him to take a wife as well. Amery is loathe to do that, because he's deeply in love with one of his knights, Sir Tovin Raimus, from the southland.

Such a relationship is forbidden-both because Tovin is another man and because he is a knight, much below the station of a prince. After King Adin forbid their union, Tovin and Amery masked their love with fights and arguments designed to make the servants believe they loathe each other. The whole castle dreads the news that the northern border has been breached, because when Tovin is assigned the position of castellan, that makes him head of castle security. His being stationed so near the regent has the servants believing the two will fight to the death.

That's just a farce to keep their love a secret. But Pharr needs a crowned ruler, and Amery must decide whether to take his rightful place on the throne or forsake his kingdom for the love of one man.

What can we look forward to in the upcoming months?

I have two short story series being released monthly: Working Man by Aspen Mountain Press is unrelated stories about men who find love and lust in the workplace, and The Positions of Love by Amber Allure Press is a series of twelve stories following my "superhero" characters, Vic and Matt, as they work through the positions in the Kama Sutra.

In April, I have a novella entitled Conflict of Interest to be published by Torquere Press. In May, With This Ring, a novella starring Vic and Matt, will be released by Amber Allure Press. Also in May, I will release Conflict of Interest in paperback, as well as a two-novella collection entitled Forever After, which will include both Persistence of Memory and The Regent's Knight. And I have a short story, "Mastering Stefan," which will appear in the anthology, Best Gay Bondage Erotica, to be published by Cleis Press.

What would you consider is your favorite part of a book to write? The beginning, the middle or the ending?

The beginning is my favorite part of a story because it has to bring the reader into the world you're creating. However, it's also one of the hardest parts to write, because that blank page can be pretty intimidating to stare at for too long!

When I'm nearing the end of a story, I tend to pick up speed and write more, hurrying along to the finish line. It feels amazing to type the last line and sit back knowing the story has come to life through your words.

Is it hard coming up with names for your characters?

I am a baby name book fanatic-I am always buying a new book of names, I swear. I love looking through lists of names and sounding each name out loud, reading its meaning, mentally trying it on my character the way some people try on clothes at the store. Names aren't really hard for me; I have plenty of them, all over the place. In books, notebooks, scraps of paper, online… my problem is finding the perfect one that I think will convey all the traits and personality I want the character to embody.

Is there any other genre you have considered composing?

Well, I write gay fiction, not specifically romance or erotica. I love to explore various genres, but all my characters are gay men. That's just what I write. I would love to write more sci-fi or heroic fantasy, because it's what I like to read, but I'll still have homosexual relationships at the heart of the story.

Do you listen to music or have another form of inspiration when you are composing?

No, I can't pay attention to my writing if I have music or the television on. I prefer to write in silence, which is why I tend to write either early in the morning (before 8 AM) or late at night (after 10 PM). The rest of the world is at a dull roar then, and I find it easier to concentrate.

Have any of your characters ever haunted your dreams or woke you up during the night demanding attention?

Often I have dreams that end up pestering me until I write a story about them. And many times when I first wake up, I'm ready to write because a character or story idea has "boiled over" and is clamoring to be written out. The way I write is very much inspired by dreams-I have to think through a scene before I can write it down, so I play it out in my head like a daydream, over and over again, until I get it right. Then when I sit down to write it out, it flows easily for me.

Of all the books you have written, which would you consider your easiest to compose? The hardest to compose? The most fun to compose?

The easiest story I ever wrote would have to be Under a Confederate Moon. It's the first novella in a three story series and literally seemed to write itself.

The hardest book I've written to date is Stepping Up to the Plate; I wrote the first ¾ths of the story and then let the poor thing languish unfinished for almost three years until I got up the nerve to write the ending the characters demanded.

The most fun book… they're all really fun to write, really. I enjoy writing and fall in love with each story I write, even when it's kicking my butt or not flowing for me. But I'd have to say that my Vic and Matt stories in general are a lot of fun to write-the superpowers Vic displays and their inadvertent consequences always make me grin while writing.

You have just been given the chance to be invisible for two hours; where would you go and what would you do?

I'd have to eavesdrop on someone I thought might be talking bad about me. I'm very vain, I'll admit, and am always afraid that someone somewhere is talking smack about me. Not that they aren't entitled to their own opinion, and not that it doesn't really matter what they say or think of me in the grand scheme of things, but the little high school teeny-bopper in me still wants to know what's being said by whom and why.

You are trapped inside an elevator with a woman with a screaming baby, a toddler who wants to try to push every button and a teenager who is complaining because he is bored out of his wits; how would you handle the situation?

I would probably go postal, to tell the truth. Tell everyone to shut the f*** up… I have quite the mean streak when pushed too far.

Why not share your website with us? And perhaps if you have any loops, myspace or other sites of interest to your readers.

My "official" website is at http://jmsnyder.net-here you'll find information on all my books, including excerpts and purchasing information, as well as free fiction, monthly contests, and exclusive content for registered members (membership is free).

I maintain a blog at http://jmsnyder.com and a Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmsnyder. I also have a monthly newsletter which you can join at my website. Every month I draw names from the membership lists of both the group and the newsletter, and those subscribers win a free download of a book of their choice off my backlist.

I also have a MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/jmsnyder23 and love to connect on there, so friend me! And I maintain a LiveJournal account for updates only, which is located at http://jmsnyder.livejournal.com … and I think that's about it!

What is your favorite restaurant that you can't be without?

My favorite restaurant is Thai Diner here in Richmond, VA. I love Asian food… mostly I just really like rice! But Thai Diner has an excellent Thai Pepper Steak. I eat there as often as I can, and I always get the same thing.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot?

When I was growing up, my family always vacationed in Wildwood, New Jersey, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I haven't been back in years but whenever I think of a vacation, that's the place which comes to mind.

You are at a picnic and a contest is in effect for the perfect hot dog and perfect hamburger. Now it is your time to build the perfect hot dog and burger, what all would you slather on each one?

I'm not a huge hamburger fan-I'll take a hot dog any day. But on my burger I'd put mayo, ketchup, lots of yellow mustard, tons of pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. Basically a Burger King Whopper with no onions! Hot dogs I like with yellow mustard, then chili, then pickles on top of that. There's a deli called Sylvia's in Prince George, VA, which makes their hot dogs like that; they call them Ricky Dogs. Yum!

J.M., I appreciate you taking the time to spend with us today and allowing us to learn a little bit about J.M. and all the great stories you have created. I wish you continued success.

Thank you so much for interviewing me! I always look forward to Fallen Angels' latest reviews!

Interviewed by: Linda L.