2014 GRL Blog Tour: William Cooper

Starting from March up until September I will be part of the 2014 GRL Blog Tour as featured blogger. I will host authors attending the GayRomLit Retreat in Chicago (October 16-19, 2014: gayromlit.com/content/2014-grl-featured-blogger-program). To my guests, I asked to brainstorm around the common theme "inspiration". Today author is William Cooper:

Inspiration for books comes in all forms for me. Sometimes it’s another book, sometimes it’s a picture floating around Facebook, and sometimes it’s a person walking down the beach. I never know where or when I’ll get an idea for another book. Sometimes they just come randomly, without any prompting.

But there’s more to inspiration than just what sparks the idea for a story. To me, inspiration is also what keeps me going, what keeps me writing. And that takes more than just having an idea for a cool story or for a character I like.

For me, what keeps me inspired and motivated are my friends.



I started publishing back in 2010 when Dreamspinner Press picked up my first book. Since then, I’ve attended five conferences as an author - Authors After Dark, three GayRomLit Retreats, and once at Outlantcon. During each one of these conferences I’ve made connections with other authors. More than that, I made friends.



It’s these friends who keep me going. On the good days, they’re there at the sidelines cheering and keeping me pumped up. On the bad days, they help me find the good in thing, help me get through whatever has me down.

It’s because of people like JP Barnaby, Sara York, Simone Anderson, ZA Maxfield, and so many other authors that I’m still doing this.



This genre has its fair share of drama and feuds, but beneath that, you can still find the supportive groups. You can find people to act as great beta readers, to help you understand your contracts, to keep you motivated. The genre may not be the small, all-inclusive family that it used to be, but that family still exists, at least for me.

And as long as I have those friends, I’m always able to step back and say “I can do this” no matter what happens.



Author's bio: William Cooper is an author of Gay Romances and Gay Erotica. When he’s not toiling away at his keyboard, he can be found lounging on the beach or out at a Comic Book Convention. His books run the gamut from sweet to taboo. You can find out more about him and his book on his website at www.WilliamACooper.com or friend him on Facebook at Facebook.com/RogueCooper.

William Cooper is offering a copy of Cabin Boys to one commenter on this blog. You can comment on LJ or DW if you have an account (I will send a PM to the winner), if you don't have an account, please leave a comment on DW with a contact email.

Cabin Boys by William Cooper
Publisher: Stiff Rain Press, LLC (April 2, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: Cabin Boys

Aaron has been in love with his brother for years. Unfortunately for Aaron, those feelings haven't been mutual. Elliot loves his brother, sure, but he's not in love with Aaron. After a drunken night up at their parents' cabin in the woods, could things finally be going Aaron's way?

2014 Rainbow Awards Submission: Artist's Touch

Gay Contemporary Romance
Artist's Touch by Kerry Adrienne
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc (February 26, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: Artist's Touch

Every starlet wants master painter Kenon Alavi to do her portrait…and more. But Kenon prefers firm to soft and sates his desires with the boyfriends of the women he paints, enjoying the diversity of many lovers but shunning any attachments.

Wallace Harte’s English degree isn’t helping him find a job and working at a bar is the closest he’s gotten to being the Second Coming of Faulkner. Something’s gotta give soon or he’ll be out on the street.

Kenon zeroes in on the bartender at an art exhibition, intending to add him to his long list of conquests, but Wally bolts, initiating a heated game of cat and mouse. Kenon delights in the game until he discovers what Wally is writing. Feeling betrayed, Kenon swears off all entanglements until he reads Wally’s story and discovers true love is sometimes between the pages and not the sheets.

Charities Donation program progress:
25$ YouthCare: www.youthcare.org/
25$ Lancaster LGBT Center: http://www.centralpalgbtcenter.org/
25$ Inland Northwest LGBT Center: www.thelgbtcenter.org/
25$ Odyssey Youth Center: www.odysseyyouth.org/
30$ Covenant: www.covenanthouseno.org/
50$ Wes for Youth: wesforyouth.privacemail.com/
50$ Lambert House: www.lamberthouse.org/
50$ PFLAG: community.pflag.org/
50$ Ruth Ellis Center: http://www.ruthelliscenter.org/
75$ CARE: careprogram.org/
100$ The Center Colorado: http://www.glbtcolorado.org/
105$ Moveable Feast: http://www.mfeast.org/
110$ Lambda Legal: www.lambdalegal.org/
125$ The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org/
150$ Point Foundation: www.pointfoundation.org/
160$ UCAN: www.ucanchicago.org/
312$ Lost-n-Found Youth: www.lost-n-found.org/
313$ COLORS: www.colorsyouth.org/
317$ Galop: www.galop.org.uk/
400$ SAGE: giveto.sageusa.org/
710$ Other Funds
710$ Ali Forney Center: www.aliforneycenter.org/
TOTAL: 3917$*

* more than 150$ is a direct donation from a supporter of the Rainbow Awards who isn't submitting; while some authors were more than generous, arriving to donate 5 times the suggested amount, being the submission fee a non mandatory and voluntary direct donation, we were struggling to raise the same amount as last year and there is who decided to cover part of it. I thank you for all you are doing, and if you wish to donate to the above links, please drop me a note with your donation and I will update the total.

2014 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4162490.html