Good morning! Today I’m joined in exile - Exile on
Peachtree Street - by the lovely and fascinating Livia Ellis, author of Memoirs of a
Gigolo. Livia, thanks so much for stopping by today. You must be so busy with the release of Memiors of a Gigolo Volume 3 as well as the upcoming Merry Christmas Oliver! I just can't wait! Nobody does it better than Oliver! It is
always a pleasure to see you. Would you care for a cup of tea, a coffee, or how
about a glass of champagne? You are my first blog guest, so why don’t we
celebrate with a glass of Dom? Dom Perignon. It only seems appropriate.
Livia:
Thanks so much Hunter. A glass of champagne would be lovely!
I am delighted to have Livia Ellis drop by my blog. While
I’m pouring the champagne, I will give you a bit of background on Memoirs of a Gigolo. I have personally
rated her works 5 star because Livia’s stories are erotica, and true to the art
form. Memoirs of a Gigolo is a twelve part serialized book
written by Livia Ellis. The twelve volumes will be
distributed over a year. The plan is to release one a month, every month, for
a year. Volume One was released on October 1, 2012. In addition to the twelve volumes in the main story arc, there will be a minimum of six stand-alone volumes. Each will have a holiday theme and be told from a
different POV.
The
story is written in the first person
POV from the perspective of the main protagonist, Oliver Adair.
Memoirs of a
Gigolo is written as a heroic journey
- from the call to the adventure, to the trials, and
finally the reward.
Livia, why don’t you give our guests
more insight on the world you created for Oliver Adair?
Livia: Of course Hunter, I’ll be happy to
share more about Oliver. Oliver Adair enjoys a life of women (sometimes men), travel, and sex. Unfortunately these things cost
money – something he doesn’t have a lot of. After a personal
scandal lands him on
the
cover of just about every newsstand tabloid and celebrity magazine the proverbial party of his life comes to an end.
He’s
lost most of his money, his family has pretty well disowned him, and the woman he loves has returned to her
husband. He’s come to the conclusion that the most expeditious way to get his life back is to find a wealthy wife. To this end, he engages
the service of a matchmaker. While she’s searching for a wife for him, he’s working for her
as an escort. When he’s offered an opportunity to get paid for
doing what he loves, he happily signs on
to
become a male escort. Oliver quickly discovers
that in this
world of high priced sex, not only is being a man’s man still desirable, but expected. By embracing his
masculine sexuality, he makes a name for himself in the world of escorts.
What sparked the idea
for your novel?
I was on a flight and ended
up stuck on the tarmac. As one
does, I got to talking to the man sitting next
to
me. He was
impossibly beautiful. Blond, but spoke with a Spanish accent. I guessed
correctly that he was
Argentinian, which kicked off a conversation. After a ten hour
flight followed by two hours of sitting motionless, I
learned that he was an escort. I thought about him for a
long time. Then one day I
was stuck in an airport (these ideas always come to me in airports or airplanes for some reason)
and as I trolled through the magazines and read about scandals and downfalls, Oliver appeared
to me. I had my
story.
What was the hardest
part to write in the book?
Writing
from the first person POV of a
man. I’m not a
man. I had to put myself into the mind of a man.
Not easy to do.
What is your favorite part of the
book?
Any part that has to do with subtly revealing Oliver’s character. I like the challenge of slowly showing
rather than telling. I’m hoping this comes across in the scene with Elon and
Oliver. I want the readers
to see that they have a very deep connection, that they love each other, but that Elon is in love with
Oliver in a way that Oliver can never reciprocate. Although Oliver engages
in M/M sex as an escort, he
is
heterosexual.
How did you
come up with the title?
I was playing around
with a few ideas that had to do with autobiographies, biographies, journals,
diaries, etc., etc… Then there it
was… Memoirs of a Gigolo.
What has been the toughest criticism given to
you as an author? What has been the best
compliment?
Worst: You
suck. Best: Style-wise it’s really excellent. Makes me smile. It’s well-written, good
pace, good dialogue (which a lot of people cannot do), and
I am very interested in it. (I
just received that bit
of feedback on my Irish Harry Potter – fingers crossed
it gets picked up.)
What advice do
you
have for someone who
would like to
become a published writer?
Writing
is a hard job that requires an extraordinary amount of time, mental energy, effort, and dedication. There is a part of me that feels so deeply sorry for
these people that just started writing and
think they are somehow due success
because their mother/aunt/sister/boyfriend think their writing is fantastic. I’ve been at this for years and
I’ve devoted hours
and hours to dedicated practice. Writing is a craft that has to be learned. That’s not to say there aren’t people that get lucky and fall into success, but for the rest of
us it’s a lot of
heartbreaking work. My advice: If
you think you might rather do
something else, then do it. If you know
you can only be a writer, then that’s what you are.
What project are you working on
now?
Memoirs of a Gigolo is
going to take up the better part of the next year. I
am
also about to start releasing
another serial: The Secret
World of Juniper Grace. I started writing about Juniper when I
was in college. My friends that have been reading Juniper all along have been prodding me to publish. Now that I've
taken the plunge into self-publishing and found
the
water both warm and pleasant, I'm going to start putting more work that is lingering on my laptop out there. I am also working on
a YA dystopian, a few
other erotic stories, and a story I
like to call my Irish Harry Potter (Can I
call something an Irish Harry Potter? Will J.K. Rowling’s cabal of
lawyers come after me? I guess we’ll find out!).
Thank you
for being my first guest in Exile, Livia. It has been great fun. For those of
you reading this, today and tomorrow, November 16 and November 17, you can
download Memoirs of a Gigolo: Volume Two for free on Amazon.com.
While
you’re there, don’t forget to download my novella, Fables of
the Reconstruction.
Did you
really think I could do an interview and not mention Fables?
Following
are more links and information on the fab Livia Ellis. Oh, watch this space
because Livia and I have a super-secret that will be revealed soon, very soon. Thank
you for stopping by today.
Trailer
Were I to write a personal ad about myself it would read as follows:
Blond.
Blue. 5’6”. A lady never discloses her weight, but I’ve never
had any complaints. I
only
run if I’m being chased by a gun
wielding maniac, but I
do love yoga. Bit of
a shoe hound. Have had issues passing up handbags. Trying to learn
to play the Irish harp. Enjoy both theater and concerts. Love to read
fantasy and science fiction. Am not ashamed to admit I
adore Star Trek. Have a picture of
myself
(dressed as a nun) and the late Patrick Swayze (dressed as a medieval warrior) in a frame (Yes –
I did cry when he died). Perpetual student with advanced degrees that are mostly useless when seeking job opportunities outside academia. Vivid imagination. Sexually adventurous only on paper. I never
know what to say when people end a conversation with ‘god
bless’. Occasionally play the lottery –
but generally only when I’m feeling really poor. Love to travel. Fluent French speaker. Seeks readers
whom enjoy what I
write.
Author Links
Other Links
Memoirs of a Gigolo Facebook
Fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Memoirs-of-a-Gigolo/443425355704707
