Author Spotlight: G.B. Gordon, "When to Hold Them"

I had the privilege of being granted an interview with G.B. Gordon, author of When to Hold Them, the latest addition to the popular Bluewater Bay series from Riptide Publishing, as well as the Santuario series! 

Enjoy!

A Q&A with G.B. Gordon

1. What was the inspiration for When to Hold Them?

It sort of generated itself. The setting gave me a park ranger, and then Xavier and his personality gave me Doran. They came complete with plot. I think I knew their story within one afternoon, and then just had to sit down and write it. A rare case of serendipity.

2. What does your writing process usually entail?

I start with an outline, then draft, clean-up, rewrite, clean-up, work in beta edits, clean-up, submit. This is the ideal. Often there will be a change to the outline at some point (or two, or three) which makes the rewrite (or, when I really screwed up, the draft) a slightly more involved process than I'm making it look here.

And after submission, if it's accepted, there will, of course, be the hardcore edits to work in.

3. Did you have to change your writing process for this book since it's part of a multi-authored on-going series? If so, what changes did you have to make?

Not really. There were guidelines to follow and other authors and novels to check against and maybe tweak a parameter here or there. But it's not much different than any other rewrite where the draft comes up against the realities of research.

4. How did you become part of the Bluewater Bay series?

I betaed one of the earlier novels, and it came up in a chat.

5. If you could spend some time at Bluewater Bay, what's the first thing you would do and why?

A long hike up to Hurricane Ridge. I love hiking, love the woods, and am just dying to know how the setting I only know from maps, guide books, and satellite images looks in real life.

6. What's the one thing in life you'd be willing to gamble on?

I'm not much of a gambler. Never was. I don't jump without looking over the edge first. I've taken educated risks, though. For love, life, loved ones, and--hell yeah--sometimes for the sheer thrill of it. 

7. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Read whatever you can get your hands on, and then even more in the area you want to write in. 

And write. Don't just think about it, don't talk about it, write. And then write some more, hone your craft, then put it out there. And write more.

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Thank you again to G.B. Gordon for taking the time to answer my questions and to Kelly Miller of Riptide Publishing for facilitating. ♥

Read my four-starred review and my book spotlight for When to Hold Them.

Make sure to purchase G.B. Gordon's books and the Bluewater Bay series at your favorite e-retailers:

Santuario series

Santuario (book one) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

The Other Side of Winter (book two) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Bluewater Bay series

Starstruck by L.A. Witt (book one) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

There's Something About Ari by L.B. Gregg (book two) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Hell on Wheels by Z.A. Maxfield (book three) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Lone Wolf by Aleksandr Voinov (book four) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

The Burnt Toast B&B by Heidi Belleau (book five) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Lights, Camera, Cupid by Various Authors (book six) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Wedding Favors by Anne Tenino (book seven) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

The Deep of the Sound by Amy Lane (book eight) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

When to Hold Them by G.B. Gordon (book nine) - Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes