Happy Pride Month everyone! Twinsie Tenise here. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to answer the questions for our pride month celebration. I thought hard about the questions and had fun coming up with them. I love that the authors seemed to have as much fun answering them. We will be celebrating all month with author spotlights as well as reviews for some of the LGBTQIA books we’ve read this year. Check back daily to learn more about that days featured author or book and add to your TBR piles. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little about all of these wonderful authors and their work.
🏳🌈Tell us your name and a little about yourself?
I’m August Jones and I write super steamy MM romance. I live in Texas, and I’ve been writing romance since I was a teenager.
🏳🌈How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?
I honestly have no idea. It’s in the dozens. I’ve published 19. I have a few favorites. The Heir’s Disgrace and The Influencer probably hold my top two spots at the moment.
🏳🌈Do you write one book and finish it completely before starting the next? If not, how do you keep yourself from confusing the projects?
I try to write one and finish before moving onto the next, but sometimes I’ll get stuck on one and move on sooner before it’s finished. I may or may not go back to the unfinished one. It’s not really about getting confused between projects for me, they’re all so different in my head. It’s more about how passionate I feel about a specific project at a specific time and keeping myself interested in it. That, for me, can be the hard part.
🏳🌈What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is it a default setting?
I’m a TNR (Times New Roman) person. It’s preset, but I do increase the size of it while I’m drafting to 16 points.
🏳🌈How do you ensure your LGBTQ characters feel authentic and mutifaceted, rather than just serve a plot function?
LGBTQ characters are my main characters. Since their identity is only one facet of who they are, the rest of who they are as a person is my main focus when I develop them. Their goals, their fears, the lies they tell themselves. The people are the plot, not their sexuality.
🏳🌈What is one of your favorite books or movies with LGBTQ representation?
Feel free to share more than one, I know it is difficult as a reader to pick one favorite of anything. Especially if its book related.
Call Me By Your Name was my favorite movie EVER. And then Heated Rivalry came along in terms of on screen representation. I read almost exclusively romance with queer characters, so it’s pretty impossible to pick one. My favorite writers include Sierra Simone, Jesse H. Reign, and Nyla K because she goes all out in her books. There’s something different I admire about all these authors, and something new I learn about writing with each book I read.
🏳🌈What is something you have used for a bookmark that IS NOT a bookmark?
I fold pages. I know, I know, but I’m a spine cracker and page folder. More often than not, I use a pen as a bookmark, but I mostly read on my Kindle.
🏳🌈Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what are some of your favorite genres or songs?
Absolutely not. I can’t listen to music and write at the same time because I get too caught up in lyrics. I’m an unapologetic Swiftie. Full stop. She’s pretty much my entire playlist.
🏳🌈What is a super specific detail you know about one of your characters that has no relevance to the story?
I know exactly how all my characters pleasure themselves when they’re alone. Totally irrelevant facts in my books, but one of those things I just sort of understand about them.
What are your purchase links?