Hello and welcome to my blog, Author Interviews. My name is Fiona Mcvie.

Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we? Tell us your name. What is your age?

My name is Keely Jakes, I’m 57 and I write gay erotic romance. I am also Cooper McKenzie and write erotic romance across the genre. I also write children, young adults, and PG women’s fiction under the names Susan Walker and S. E. Walker.

Fiona: Where are you from?

I currently live in central Texas, not far north of Austin.

Fiona: A little about yourself (ie, your education, family life, etc.).

I am divorced for 15 years, but still hoping Mr. Right enters my life so I can find my own HEA. I currently live with my 70 lb mixed breed dog known to the internet world as Honey.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news.

My biggest news comes from S. E. Walker. My book, She: The Journey Out is currently in the works to be made into an independent film.

As Keely, I am plotting several more entries for my Stalking Love series, as well as a series of M/M BDSM books in the Club Latitude series.

As Cooper, I’m working on Victor, the fourth in my Kinky Saints MC series, as well as the second in a series of sweet romances built around the concept of a mafe (MAn-wiFE).Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing in elementary school, mainly to quiet the storytelling voices in my head. Those stories are long gone, but I remember writing the adventures of a curious panda bear whose best friend was a seahorse who lived in a Mason jar.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I knew at the age of 5 I was going to be a writer when I grew up. I started calling myself a writer at 25, though I had about a zillion rejection letters before I sold my first story at the age of 38.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

There was a house in the North Carolina town where I lived that was completely surrounded by overgrown bushes so that all you could see was the roofline. Curiosity about what went on in that house led me to write my first full length book, a mystery/ghost story called 101 Borden Street, which was accepted for publication 3 weeks after my 40th birthday.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

The title was a homage to the Borden family who built the house, and added to the mystery of the story.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style? Is there anything about your style or genre that you find particularly challenging?

I write from the heart and soul. If I don’t feel it when I’m writing, I cannot expect my readers to feel it when they read it. The challenges come when my muse decides he needs a vacation or just plain doesn’t want to work on any of the stories that are lined up to be finished.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

 In my book She: The Journey Out, there are scenes and moments taken directly from my life. Scenes of abuse, of belittling, of strength and courage that I can point to and say “I lived that”.

 As for the erotic romances, there are bits and pieces of me in nearly every character I write in some form or another.

Fiona: To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?

 I have travelled for some of my stories, but usually the stories come to life after the traveling is completed. Kiltnapped by Cooper McKenzie, was plotted while touring Scotland, and the writing began on the plane home. I’m hoping to return again in the near future.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

My publishers are in charge of covers.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I think the message across all my books is that love can be yours, despite the obstacles, despite the challenges, all you have to do is take a chance.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?  Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

Lately I’ve been reading Pepper North, Harley Wylde, and J. M. Dabney, which just goes to show how eclectic my reading interests lie.

Fiona: Outside of family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.

My family wasn’t supportive, but I had friends that would read and critique my writing. My friend, Joan, who has now passed, read my first erotic romance story and demanded I write more and more and more about Donovan and Jayne.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Oh yes, I’ve been a full time writer for the last 8 years. I plan to continue until they pry my cold dead hands off the keyboard.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would have written the six books back to back and waited to submit them all at once instead of one at a time.

Fiona: Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I learned its more difficult to write about a writer as a character without putting too much of myself into her.

Fiona: If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Oh no, I have no acting abilities. For She: The Journey Out, when it was first published 17 years ago, I saw Sandra Bullock playing the lead.

Fiona: Any advice for other writers?

BICFOK….Butt In Chair Fingers on Keyboard. You have to write, and edit, and then, when you think that work is perfect, read it out loud and see how many more errors you find, because you will find them.

Fiona: Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Thank you. I love you. I love hearing from you. I do respond to all messages.

And please keep buying my work…LOL

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

I’m rereading Bull, part of the Brawlers series by J.M. Dabney.

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

The first book I read my mother was Hop on Pop, which is when I said, “I’m going to be a writer when I grow up.” My first romance was The Ivory Key by Rita Estrada, in 8th grade when I said, “I’m going to be a romance writer when I grow up.”

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Cute animal videos that cross my feed make me giggle like a loon. Seeing the cruel way some people treat other people makes me cry.

Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

I would still love to meet Rita Estrada to thank her for writing the book that changed the course of my life.

Fiona: Do you have any hobbies?

I am a yarn junkie. I make baby hats and donate them to hospitals (Current count is about 17,000 over the past 22 years), I make amigurumi animals and sell them through my Cooper McKenzie FB page. I read. I help whenever I can, wherever I can.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

I watch Netflix. My favorite show that I watch an episode or two of every day is Gilmore Girls. Also Blue Bloods, NCIS, Royal Pains, and some of the new Netflix movies such as Agatha and the Truth of Murder and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Fiona: Favorite foods, colors,  music?

Foods – Macaroni and cheese, steak, Texas BBQ.

Colors – Deep red, deep purple, hunter green.

Music – Musical movie music, country, classical and Christian.

Fiona: Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?

I would live on a farm with a horse, several goats, some alpaca and a couple of dogs. I would grow lavender and peppermint and other herbs. I’d spin yarn and make hats and scarves and slippers.

Or I’d be in a mental institution telling stories to my socks.

Fiona: You only have 24 hours to live how would you spend that time?

I would call everyone I knew and tell them I love them, I’d write a last story of love and loss and instructions to the world on how to save itself.

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone?

She never realized how she helped the world.

Fiona: Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers?

 Keely Jakes – www.keelyjakes.webs.com

www.evernightpublishing.com/keely-jakes

Amazon Authors Page https://www.amazon.com/Keely-Jakes/e/B06XFXGND8?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1567608776&sr=1-2

Cooper McKenzie – www.coopermckenzieauthor.com

www.bookstrand.com/cooper-mckenzie

Amazon Authors Page https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-McKenzie/e/B00EACCARA?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1567608878&sr=1-1

Susan/S. E. Walker – www.susanwalker.webs.com

https://books2read.com/u/47k2rL (She: The Journey Out)

Amazon Authors Page https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Walker/e/B07MXMMGMZ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

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