Today we’ve got another exclusive interview for you, with QSFer Zev de Valera, author of the Ring of Amentotep Series. Enjoy!
QSF: So you’re writing an MM series – how would you describe it, in a nutshell?
A Brazil nut? I love Brazil nuts. OK. I’ll be serious. It began as a short story for a ‘gay superhero’ open call, but was picked up as a stand-alone short. The series idea came when my editor said: stop with the cliff-hangers unless you intend this to be a series. So, I fleshed out the idea of this regular guy who comes into possession of an ancient ring with strange powers and eventually realizes that his destiny is somehow bound to it. As the story progresses, there are time shifts – flashbacks – until eventually all the characters from both past and present meet up in a final conflict.
QSF: Did you have to do a lot of research for the series?
ZDV: No. When I started the initial short story I’d just completed a manuscript that was heavy on ancient Egypt for which I’d done quite a bit of research – passing my ideas and questions by an Egyptologist and reading a bunch of books on the Eighteenth Dynasty -so I was prepared. I hope.
QSF: How many books are out now in the series? How many do you plan to do?
ZDV: So far, there are two. Three is the plan. Hell, I’ve been calling it a ‘trilogy’ for months now, so I guess I’m stuck. And I’ve had enough of the characters already! Then again … maybe later.
QSF: How has the series been received?
ZDV: Reviews have been favorable. Which actually surprised me. I’ve had fun writing it and I guess there’s that little voice in the back of my head – like a nun from Catholic school – saying: if it’s fun it can’t be good.
QSF: Can you let us in on any spoilers?
ZDV: I almost did in question number one. I do want to. I am really really bad at keeping secrets. A word to the wise: If you’re contemplating an extra-marital affair, do not tell Zev!
QSF: How long have you been writing, and what else have you published?
ZDV: I’ve been writing since I learned how to use a fountain pen. Yes, I am that old. My first novel was a self-pub titled The Ultimate Submission that came out in 2012. The Talisman Ring series is my first traditionally published work.
QSF: Who or what inspired you to write LGBT fiction?
ZDV: Gordon Merrick and Agatha Christie. Yeah, yeah. I know it sounds weird. Merrick inspired me to write fiction with characters who happen to be gay or bi – or whatever. Christie simply inspired me to write. I never consciously think of myself as writing ‘LGBT fiction’. I just write what comes out.
QSF: Anything else we should know about you?
ZDV: I’m the reincarnation of Cleopatra.
About the Series
The Talisman Ring of Amenhotep trilogy chronicles the adventures of veterinarian Julian Wingate as he struggles to understand the significance and the powers of an ancient ring left to him by his late lover, Egyptologist Teodoro Barojas, while he forges a new intimate relationship with his business partner, Dinesh Daas.
Drawn into the web of the mysterious magnate known simply as the Directrix. Julian will be forced to re-examen not only the history of the ancient artifact which has claimed him as owner, but also reevaluate his life, history and – ultimately- his destiny.
Book One – The Talisman Ring of Amenhotep: When mild-mannered veterinarian Julian Wingate picks up an unusual bauble for a song in Cairo’s Khan-al-Kalili, he has no idea that the acquisition of this ancient ring will alter the course of his future. Recently widowed from the famous Egyptologist Theo Barojas, Julian finds himself on the point of tossing aside all reminders of the past; eager to start his new life with an old love …. but the curious ring – boxed away for almost a year – beckons … Once Julian slips the artifact upon his finger, nothing in his well-ordered life will ever be the same.
Book Two – Origins: A new relationship. An ancient ring that you’ve slipped upon your finger. So far, so good. Life is looking up. But then you uncover the mystery surrounding that golden ring. Your life will never be the same. So it is for veterinarian Julian Wingate. Struggling to come to terms with the ancient power which can be wielded by the Talisman Ring of Amenhotep, Julian must work to hold together his relationship with his lover, Dinesh Daas, who harbors his own dark secrets, while battling his nemesis, the mercurial Directrix, for control of the alien science at the heart of the Talisman Ring’s history.
Buy Links
MLR – Talisman: Click Here
MLR – Origins: Click Here
Amazon – Talisman: Click Here
Amazon – Origins: Click Here
Author Bio
Zev de Valera is the author of The Ultimate Submission, an erotic coming of age story, as well as The Talisman Ring of Amenhotep, a romantic adventure trilogy. Book two in the series, Origins, is available on Amazon and other on-line retailers. Book three , Destiny, is a work in progress.
Zev lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his partner, three cats, and two dogs.