Adam Slade Talks About A Grim Pact

X- Tell us about A Grim Pact and the idea behind it.

A – A Grim Pact is a story about a Grim Reaper, Mal, who takes it upon himself to stop a serial killer from killing demons, while trying not to be killed himself. At the same time, his boss, Death, has woke from his slumber, throwing Mal’s workplace into a frenzy of interviews and forms. Mal can’t decide which is worse; the killings, or paperwork.

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X- This is the second book in a series, but can be read alone. What will we find in the second book that we didn’t in the first? How has Mal evolved?

A – The events in this book begin the morning after the events of the first book. As such, Mal hasn’t had time to do much evolving. He has a girlfriend now, though, in the form of one of his ex ‘bosses’, Xyla. He hasn’t dated in quite some time, so it takes some getting used to.

X- Xyla is an interesting character. Can you tell us more about her and where she came from?

A – Xyla is a succubus, a demon borne of hellfire and lust. She’s ages old (I’m keeping her exact age a secret for now), and like all of her race, she was born in Hell. That doesn’t make her a bad person though! She served as one of Mal’s bosses for several years, and was fired when she broke a few rules to help Mal out of a dire situation.

Xyla is one of my favourite characters. She’s very laid back for the most part, but is quite the adversary when pissed off. She’s also telepathic, which makes for some fun conversations about Mal’s improper thoughts.

X- You decided to self-publish this one. That must have been a lot of hard work. What led you to make this decision?

A – Curiosity and impatience, mostly. The first book had already been out for a year by the time I’d edited the second, and I knew that it would take another year before it was released if I went through a publisher. So I started looking into self-publishing instead.

It wasn’t an easy decision, and it wasn’t easy work some of the time, but I’m glad I did it, if only for the experience.

X- What will we see from Adam Slade next?

A – There will be a third book in this series, but it won’t be any time soon. I’m also working on a new urban fantasy project that I hope will have potential for a series. I also write romance under a pen name, and have a few irons in the fire there, too. :)

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X- Thanks, Adam.

If you like well written UF, this is a great read and at 99 cents, a steal!

A M/M Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of my first m/m romance Beyond Friends , I am giving away a PDF copy or a Amazon Kindle copy (your choice).

All you have to do is leave a reply that you want to be included in this contest. I will draw a winner two weeks from today.

Blurb: Long time friends and one time lovers, Jack and Rain, are now at a crisis in their relationship. Polar opposites, each harbour romantic feelings for the other, but are afraid to own up to them.

When a tragic event happens in Rain's life, he looks to Jack to help him pick up the pieces, realizing there has only ever been one man in his life that he has truly loved-Jack. But will Jack return his love? Can they ever be more than just friends?

The debate to self-publish



Most recently, Amanda Hocking posted a wonderful blog post on her rise to success through self-publishing. She mentioned that at this time she is doing more marketing for her books than she is actual writing, though her site shows that she does have books coming out this year and in 2012.

I have to admit, self-publishing has crossed my mind. It's not because I think I am going to be the next Hocking, nor do I expect the money to suddenly come flowing in.

Outside of romance and erotica, I write some stuff that I don't think would fit with a print or e press. That is, it doesn't quite fit into their guidelines on what they are actively seeking. So, where does that leave me with these works? I ask myself that question almost daily.

The one thing that does hold me back is the stigma that I find still attached to self-publishing. Some tend to make a person considering it, feel like that their stuff isn't worthy of a more traditional means of publication. Of course, in some cases that's true without a doubt. I have read some pretty shitty self-published stuff. Then again, I have also read some bad books that have been published by some big publishing houses. In the end that's all subjective, as my best book ever could be your most hated book.

Back on topic. Have you considered self-publishing? What are your thoughts when something doesn't fit the mold set forth by most publishers?

Self publishing is a heck of a lot of work for anyone who would like to do it right. Some things to consider are:

-Cover art. A good cover is a must in my opinion.
-Editing. Can you sufficently edit your own work? Can you afford to have someone else do it? Do you know someone who can help, free of charge? These questions are just a few things to consider.
-Formatting. This one scares the hell out of me. I am a tech-turd and clueless to such things. Bad formatting can cause a reader to not want to come back to you ever again. This applies to both electronic and print formats.
-Promotion. It's a lot of work to get your name out there, especially if you are an unknown. Do you have the time and energy? Do you have what it takes?

So, this is the stuff that runs through my head. I'd be interesting in hearing your thoughts on the subject.

Beyond Friends is Out Today

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It's finally out! I am so excited about my first m/m romance. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did writing it. It's also available on Amazon Kindle , AllRomance, BookStrand and other third part vendor sites.



An Interview with me and Free Books on Editing Hat

http://editinghat.blogspot.com/2011/02/vivian-kees-interview-and-giveaway.html Just a reminder to check out the interview with me on, Editing Hat. We are also giving away two sets of ebooks in the Kindle format.