T.C. Orton has a new MM dark fantasy book out:
After being incarcerated at a prison that leans over the edge of the world, Fayt must do whatever it takes to escape (or simply survive) the horrors that await him. You will take control of Fayt and guide him on his path, but be careful, for not everyone posing as an ally will lead you down the road to freedom.
Note: This is an interactive story, and it is important that you keep a record of your choices close by.
Giveaway
T.C. is giving away an ebook copy of Iudicium and one backlist title – rafflecopter here.
Interview
Queer Sci Fi: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
T.C. Orton: A mix of both
Queer Sci Fi: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
T.C. Orton: An actor, followed swiftly by author
Queer Sci Fi: Describe yourself using… ( a food, a book, a song, a movie, an animal, a drink, a place etc)
T.C. Orton: I’m a piece of fried chicken
Queer Sci Fi: Do you ever get writers’ block?
T.C. Orton: That’s my natural state
Queer Sci Fi: Do you write more on the romance side, or the speculative fiction side? Or both? And why?
T.C. Orton: I’d say speculative fiction, but the romance is still very present
Queer Sci Fi: Do your books spring to life from a character first or an idea?
T.C. Orton: It changes per book. Sometimes it’s a character with no plot, sometimes it’s a plot with no character.
Queer Sci Fi: How would you describe your writing style/genre?
T.C. Orton: I like to change both styles and genres, so it’s hard to say.
Queer Sci Fi: If I were a Hollywood producer about to put your book on the big screen, who would you want me to cast as the leads?
T.C. Orton: There’s really no one that comes to mind for any of my works. I have such a clear image of my characters in my head, and I don’t know anyone that looks remotely like them
Queer Sci Fi: If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?
T.C. Orton: Make it easier to die ;’)
Queer Sci Fi: If you could create a new holiday, what would it be?
T.C. Orton: KFC day
Queer Sci Fi: If you could sit down with one other writer, living or dead, who would you choose, and what would you ask them?
T.C. Orton: I’d probably just shoot the shit with George R. R. Martin because he seems like a hoot
Queer Sci Fi: If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?
T.C. Orton: My 19th… Made a lot of mistakes that year
Queer Sci Fi: If you were stuck on a desert island all alone with only three things, what would they be?
T.C. Orton: A generator, an insanely powerful modem, a laptop
Queer Sci Fi: Of your writing, who is your favorite character/favorite book?
T.C. Orton: In my own work? I guess I’d say Kyle or Isaac from Seeing Red.
Queer Sci Fi: Tell me one thing hardly anyone knows about you.
T.C. Orton: I don’t like eggs
Queer Sci Fi: Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
T.C. Orton: I apologise to my remote when I knock it off the couch
Queer Sci Fi: Tell us one thing about them that we don’t learn from the book, the secret in their past.
T.C. Orton: Fayt (Iudicium) lost his parents at a very early age.
Queer Sci Fi: What action would your name be if it were a verb?
T.C. Orton: “I craig’d you last night?” :s (come to your own conclusions)
Queer Sci Fi: What advice would you give not just to newbies, but to (inbetween/established) writers?
T.C. Orton: Write the damn book. Just do it.
Queer Sci Fi: What are you reading?
T.C. Orton: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Queer Sci Fi: What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
T.C. Orton: A paranormal YA novella, an explicit M/M short, and a Sci Fi novel. None of which have release dates
Queer Sci Fi: What book or childhood author had the greatest impact on you?
T.C. Orton: … T.V.
Queer Sci Fi: What do you like to write about the most?
T.C. Orton: Anything but contemporary. (But I still write that from time to time)
Queer Sci Fi: What fantasy realm would you choose to live in and why?
T.C. Orton: I honestly can’t think of one, which either means I’m perfectly happy here or I crumbled under the pressure of the question
Queer Sci Fi: What fictional speculative fiction character would you like to spend an evening with?
T.C. Orton: There’s a great deal of amazingly hot protagonists in this genre
Queer Sci Fi: What inspired you to write this particular story? What were the challenges in bringing it to life?
T.C. Orton: I play a lot of video games, especially games where your choices matter. It really urged me to write a story with that in mind
Queer Sci Fi: What is the most heartfelt thing a reader has said to you?
T.C. Orton: “Your book is good” :’) – In all honesty, anything positive just hits me as that sentence, and I love knowing that people like my work.
Queer Sci Fi: What kind of character or topic have you been dying to try to write, but you’ve never worked up the courage?
T.C. Orton: I get ideas and I write them. I wouldn’t say I’ve held back from any passion… Although, I have always wanted to write a 90’s-esque slasher book.
Queer Sci Fi: What meds are you supposed to be taking?
T.C. Orton: The ones I’m prescribed
Queer Sci Fi: What pets are currently on your keyboard, and what are their names? Pictures?
T.C. Orton: Drake (pug) is currently sleeping on the floor.
Queer Sci Fi: What processes started you as a writer, and what were the struggles you had to overcome to get where you are now?
T.C. Orton: started writing fan-fiction when I was about 10 years old, and then I became a ghost-writer at 18 through various websites. Finally, at 23, I got the courage to hit the publish button on my first novella. The process itself was along the lines of “I can’t do this – maybe I can do this – no I can’t – yes I can”
Queer Sci Fi: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about him or her.
T.C. Orton: There’s no one within Iudicium I want to continue exploring. I have other works where I feel my characters need more, and I have more planned for them, but I can’t say.
Queer Sci Fi: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
T.C. Orton: Coffee.
Queer Sci Fi: What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in writing your books?
T.C. Orton: That I still have a lot to learn about grammar
Queer Sci Fi: What was the first speculative fiction book (sci fi, paranormal, fantasy, horror) that you ever read? How did it influence you?
T.C. Orton: I think it was the Midnighters series (maybe), and I still use it as a reference for third person narratives/ YA fiction
Queer Sci Fi: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
T.C. Orton: Omega Moon – a novella about a college werewolf. It’s something of a murder-mystery wrapped up with a paranormal-romance plot.
Queer Sci Fi: What’s one moment specifically that inspired you, which you can remember vividly?
T.C. Orton: Having a 2 week binge of Buffy (especially the first 3 seasons) helped inspire my YA novella (which I’m still working on)
Queer Sci Fi: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
T.C. Orton: I haven’t really done anything too odd. But I did have to look up names of cemeteries in London for Seeing Red, including going through dozens of pictures of the grounds to get a feel for the place.
Queer Sci Fi: What’s your greatest weakness as a writer?
T.C. Orton: I’m distract- oh look, shiny
Queer Sci Fi: What’s your writing process?
T.C. Orton: *inner thoughts* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Queer Sci Fi: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
T.C. Orton: I’m good at it?
Queer Sci Fi: When did you start feeling at ease interacting with fans?
T.C. Orton: I haven’t in person, yet. Social media is easy though, and everyone I’ve talked with through SM has been lovely
Queer Sci Fi: Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?
T.C. Orton: There’s supposed to be a line? (In all seriousness, I just write what I want. I don’t have a line, but I don’t push gore of sex for the sake of it. It has to have a purpose in the story)
Queer Sci Fi: Where do you like to write?
T.C. Orton: In bed or on the toilet.
Queer Sci Fi: Which (series or stand alone) character harasses you the most?
T.C. Orton: Anything that I’ve started but isn’t finished yet. I have piles and piles of writer’s guilt
Queer Sci Fi: Which character did you (hate) to write the most?
T.C. Orton: Fayt in Iudicium – because of the style of story, I couldn’t make him a strong-willed guy, I had to leave a lot of character out of his character so that the reader could project what they wanted
Queer Sci Fi: Which of your own characters would you Kill? Fuck? Marry? And why?
T.C. Orton: In Iudicium? I’d kill the Warden, fuck Gil, and marry Zeke
Author Bio
Born January 6th 1993, T. C. resides in the United Kingdom, living with his partner Peter Jones and their dog, Drake.
T. C. has had a passion for supernatural stories from a young age, often scribbling down his latest ideas instead of focusing on whatever task was at hand during the long school days. At the age of twelve, he penned his first romance story featuring himself and the boy he had feelings for set in a fantastical land full of werewolves and wizards.
Ever since that day, T. C. has made it his mission to entwine his leading gay protagonists with epic paranormal adventures.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TcOrtonBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcortonauthor