Review and Author Interview with Christa Tomlinson about awesome book The Sergeant

I didn't get the whole BDSM thing. I also didn't give it much thought.  My father raised us that what went on behind the doors of someone's home was none of our business so because it didn't interest me, it wasn’t on my radar. Then came the deluge of BDSM erotica and I couldn't get away from it. I will say my reticence stems from growing up with an extremely physically abusive mother who got off on our fear of her. So the whole thing just didn't appeal. I didn't read the Grey books, because as I said it held no interest . Still, in trying to read everything in the erotica genre, I felt compelled to read something on it. I read a few freebies and not one made it any clearer as to why it would be appealing. They all danced around the subject and then went to sex and I shrugged my shoulders and moved to the next book. 

I have a gay brother that I love dearly. I didn't play with dolls I took care of him and another brother. When it became clear he was gay, my family did our best to let him know we loved and accepted him. Which for a very traditional, mid-west, masculine-leaning family I was quite proud of how everyone handled it, but it didn't feel like he accepted himself. He hurt and I didn’t understand how to make it better, wasn't our love and support enough? It wasn't and he moved away far too young.

I remember reading recently there is a surge in m/m erotica and the readers were women and I was surprised but yeah, not interested. Then my friend calls me at one in the morning demanding that I read The Sergeant by Christa Tomlinson. Why does that sound familiar? I pull up Amazon and search. Hey, I know that chick from Twitter but BDSM and gay at that? I hang up on her.

Cut to the next day and I'm up until three in the morning and my bladder was bursting, I hadn't stopped once, couldn't stop. Running for the restroom, I remember thinking, damn that was good but way too long. I was also thinking, I finally fucking get it. Not just what the Dom got out of it (my dumbass had previously thought, duh who doesn't want to be in control) but it was so much more than just power and control. Also, what a Submissive would get from it, what I had the hardest part understanding. 

I reread it the next day and I gradually realized it was long for a reason. The angst and turmoil of Clay accepting he could be a sub was real and that's what helped me understand it. I also finally understood my little brother's difficulty accepting himself. Even though his family and every one around him was saying it was no big deal, to him, it was a big deal.  Accepting that he was gay, that he wasn't just 'boo-boo'  but he was the gay one in a family of masculine men. Clay was a Submissive in an environment where men were presumed dominant. In my mind, it went from great to awesome.

All that rambling was so you would understand why I am doing something I have never done before and am not sure I will again.  What I have always loved most about reading was the discovery of something new and the seeing of the world through someone else's eyes. This book did that for me and then some. 

It was well written, sex off the charts but a true strong heart and connection between the reader and the characters.  Five stars and did I mention I reread it? (TWICE)

I tried multiple times to write a review but Amazon wouldn't let me. The minute you tell me I can't do something, I figure out a way to do it. So I contacted Christa Tomlinson and told her how much I loved what she wrote and since I couldn't write a review on Amazon I'm blogging my review and invited Christa to talk about her book.

Amazon Kindle

Nook

Where the hell did you get the idea for this? Gay SWAT, BDSM, that's not um a go to scenario. 

I wanted something that would require them to be in close proximity and that would already have a bond between them. Putting their lives on the line in such dangerous positions is great for bonding I think. As far as the BDSM, I wanted to explore what it was like for someone who is so strong in other areas of their life to give up control. 

I loved Logan, loved him. I wanted to spank Clay by the end but I got his angst and where it came from. Did you base them off of any particular celebrities in your mind to keep them clear? 

When I first started, they were based off two of my favorite wrestlers. Then Logan sort of morphed to Captain America in my head because he's such an upstanding man. (That's a compliment to Captain America) Clay was really just Clay. His personality was so strong in my head and I hope that came through in the story. But each of their personalities and motivations were so distinct I didn't have any trouble keeping them straight and deciding who would do what in the story. 

What did you research and how? I liked the field scenes, I thought they were done well and just enough to flesh out the dynamic of the world Clay and Logan moved in. 

For the BDSM stuff I did lots of online research. Then I kicked my shyness in the face and went to several D/s meetups where they discussed the lifestyle. And I went to a play party. That was amazing. I'm glad you liked the field scenes! It was hard deciding on the right balance. It is a romance, not a SWAT story. SWAT just happens to be their job. So I wanted to make sure it didn't overwhelm their romance. As far as research, the very first thing I did was sit down and watch the movie S.W.A.T with Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Ferrell. I know it's Hollywood's take on the job, but it helped to set the scene in my head. I also watched lots of Dallas SWAT. But the coolest thing I did? I got to do a phone interview with an actual SWAT officer from Atlanta. My derby coach put me in touch with her cousin, a veteran SWAT officer. He gave me all sorts of lingo and explained how the system worked. It was fascinating! He gave me so much good stuff I couldn't use it all for this book. 

Sex scenes some of the hottest ones I have ever read, total props on that. I have to admit I thought I would try and skip those, the second time I read those again and again. I HAVE to ask, where the hell did you get those? I just thought it was interesting because my gay brother doesn't like gay porn-he watches straight porn (yes, we are that close) but if it's even half as hot as what you wrote, I'm considering watching it. 

Thanks for the props on my man-on-man lovin'! I daydreamed each of those without watching any porn. I've read several times from other authors that if the sex doesn't mean anything it doesn't belong in the story. So my goal was to make sure the sex wasn't just fucking for the sake of fucking (can I use that word on here?) (obviously she’s never read my blog before) and I put lots of effort into those scenes because they push the story forward. After I wrote them I went and watched gay porn to make sure I had the mechanics right. If your brother or anybody else is looking for good gay porn, check out Cocky Boys. Beautiful work by them.

I saw on Facebook that you said something about more Clay and Logan????? Really, all about them? (Side note, I might have embarrassed myself begging to read it-totally using excuse as offering up to be a beta reader and god I’m hoping she’ll let me do it. I swear I’ll be honest but not a bitch and unlike some betas *coughing* I’ll read and respond ASAP.)

Yes, there will be more Logan and Clay! The Sergeant is actually the first book in the series. Several other members of my SWAT team will get their own story. And Logan and Clay will definitely get another turn. Possibly two more!

How do you write, outlines, free flow or everything in between?

My process? It's a convoluted path that seems to work for me.

1. Daydream

2. Free flowing hand written outline

3. Tidy up the outline, breaking it down into chapters

4. Break up the chapters into scenes, written on index cards.

5. Vomit draft. Just type what's in my head, skipping anything I get stuck on. It's barely punctuated and there are no paragraph breaks

6. Cry from exhaustion

7. Edit, edit, edit (cry from exhaustion and growing hate at the story) edit, (cry from happiness that I'm almost done) edit.

So basically I'm a plotter.

Do you listen to music when you write? Is it the same as your favorite?

Oh yeah I listen to music. It's sort of a joke with people who know me because I can't write without music. I'm easily distracted - squirrel! - so I write with headphones on at full blast to block out my wandering thoughts and focus. My niece has to flick the lights to get my attention because I can't hear anything else when I have them on. For songs I pick them specifically for the mood I'm trying to convey. Crazy, angry sex on the floor? Marilyn Manson, Tainted Love. Sweet playroom sex with a sub floating in subspace? Cibo Matto, Sugar Water. I'll listen to a song on repeat for hours until I finish a scene. 

Influences? Go to writer to enjoy a day reading and why. 

I grew up reading long historical romances authored by ladies like Johanna Lindsey, Roseanne Bittner, and Judith McNaught. Maybe that's why The Sergeant ended up being such a heavy weight tome. Now a days, my go to reader is Kresley Cole. Her books have such great characters and dialogue. And I like her urban fantasy because it's so different from the contemporary stuff I prefer to write. 

What made you want to write m/m?

It's actually who made me want to write m/m. Evangeline Anderson. I read two of her m/m stories (Broken Boundaries & Pledge Slave) that were so amazing. And it never occurred to me to think, "Two guys! This is weird!" 

What do you want people to know about you?

I like cheese. Also, I've wanted to be a writer since I was eleven. So publishing a book and getting messages and comments from readers telling me how much they enjoyed my story is pretty much the best damn thing that's ever happened to me. Someone told me she wanted to crawl inside my book. That totally made me cry. And also laugh at the mental image. 

What do you want people to get from your writing?

I want people to do like you did. Identify strongly with one of the characters and live the story through them. Having people tell me that they understood Clay's struggle and thought Logan could be a dick or that Logan was such a sweet Dom and they were frustrated with Clay's reluctance was awesome. To me that meant they were putting themselves into the story as they read and that's what I want. For people to personally go through all the drama and angst and happy sexy times as they read my books.

What are you writing now and how soon until we see it?

I've just finished a freebie that will be hosted in an anthology by the Goodreads M/M Romance group. It's called a Second Chance for Three. I think the collection will be out in June. My next story is Reggae Heat, a short erotic m/f romance, out in August. Then I'm diving back into the world of The Sergeant. Can you guess who's up next?

You can find Christa all over the place at:
Her blog: http://christatomlinson.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christa.tomlinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christa_writes