Hello everyone,
Can you believe it’s December already? This year has gone so fast for me at times I could hardly catch my breath. Even more unbelievable is that I actually fulfilled my goal of a blog per month. I feel so accomplished. However will I top it? Undecided at the moment, but for now, I shall continue to dream of having six-pack abs and plug away at my to-do list as usual.
What does that mean exactly? Well, I am hard at work on my next romance, back on my keto diet (again, except I had poundcake-lots of it), and still dipping my toe into joining the gym. I did however, begin my 30 days of planks with this baby, the stealth plankster. It will definitely work your abs, so I got a leg up on that dream (poundcake be damned!) Looks fun, right?
We’ll skip the after shot where I’m no longer smiling. Then, there’s that pesky screenplay too. Add in work, family, travel, and life’s little switchbacks (like what I did there?) and it’s a madhouse. I can hardly imagine adding podcasts to the fray like Andi Marquette and her cohort, this month’s guest, Lise MacTague. But I am glad some people have the energy. They are quite entertaining.
**Don’t miss your chance to enter the free book giveaway at the end!
One last thing before we move on: I’d like to wish you all a very happy, healthy holiday season. I hope you will all spread some smiles, love, and good energy, as the world needs lots of it. Catch you all on the flip side 😀
Now, on to the final Meet & Greet of the year… let’s give a hearty hello to author Lise MacTague! As you’ll read below, she is into a little bit of everything and if you’re looking to branch out from traditional lesbian romance to sci-fi, paranormal, or even steampunk, look no further. Plus, fandoms and podcasts galore!
So let’s learn all the fun facts, and it is definitely a fun one, about our final participant of 2018.
Hello, Lise. Thank you for taking the time to chat. I know you’re very busy with podcasts, writing, fandoms, and life. How do you find the time to do them all?
I do my best to cram the various things I do around the more important parts of my life. My first priority is always my family, but I’m very lucky in that my wife is almost more protective about my writing and associated activities than I am. Writing is the easy one to fit in. I write in the morning before I head to work, and after work before my wife gets home and we start on dinner. I’ve also been known to write longhand at work on my lunch break. Everything else gets worked in where I can fit it. I’m lucky in that I enjoy being active and having lots of projects going. I’ve been trying to make up for a lot of lost time from my younger days.
What’s your favorite way to unwind when you do have free time?
I’m very much a gamer. I’ve been playing video games since the 90s. I don’t have as much time for them as I used to, but I usually have at least one game I’m working on at any given time. Gaming is the first thing in my life to get bumped when things get busy, but it’s definitely a great way for me to relax.
New Year’s is fast approaching. Do you do resolutions? If so, have you had much success in keeping them?
I’ve done resolutions some years and not others. I like to use the New Year as a way to take a look at what’s going on in my life and to see if there is one or more goals I’ve been deferring. It’s a great opportunity to get on top of things. My debut trilogy (On Deception’s Edge) was written as the result of a New Year’s resolution. I’d been telling myself the story for two years while I battled with insomnia. It was New Year’s 2012 when I finally got off my butt and started writing down Jak and Torrin’s story.
Okay, serious question here. Cranberry sauce: yay or nay?
That’s an enthusiastic yay! However, I’m not a fan of the canned stuff. My favorite is a scratch-made cranberry sauce like my mom made when we were kids. I can eat it straight, especially since I no longer eat meat. Just because there’s no turkey, it doesn’t mean I can’ t have my cranberry sauce!!
You’ve written sci-fi, paranormal, and now steampunk. Having just written my first paranormal book, I’ve learned many readers shy away from the tag. How has reaction been to your various genre releases? Do you find readers tend to favor one more?
The reaction has been a bit all over the place. It’s difficult to compare one book to another, since I refuse to stick to one genre. My space opera series was also my debut, so it took a while for it to get traction. So far Five Moons Rising, my paranormal book, has had the best reception. Readers seem to have really gravitated to it, for which I’m very grateful. Five Moons continues to perform well, even outperforming my latest novel, which makes me a little sad. Demon in the Machine was so much fun to write, but it seems lesfic hasn’t gotten on the steampunk bandwagon yet.
You’ve attended a few comic cons. Have you cosplayed yet? If so, who?
I have only cosplayed at one, so far. I went as the Sole Survivor from Fallout 4. That was mostly so I could show off the missile launcher prop I made from the game. I had a great time, and I plan on cosplaying more in the future. I’m currently working on a costume for ClexaCon in Vegas this coming April.
That was some kickass cosplay too. You looked like a pro. Can’t wait to see the next one. Is there a genre you haven’t tackled yet that you’d like to take a shot at?
I have all sorts of plans!! I have a notebook that I write down ideas I get while I’m in the middle of a project, so I can concentrate on my current work and not go haring off after the newest (and therefore shiniest and best) idea. I have a high fantasy novel that’s been kicking around. I even have a few chapters of that one written. I also have a survival sci-fi novel that I’ve been noodling on. There’s an apocalypse novel rattling around in the hopper as well. One of my goals is to write something in every spec-fic subgenre. I think I’ve made a good start at it…
What’s next?
That’s an excellent question, one I wish I knew the answer to. On the writing end of things, I just finished Hunter’s Descent, which is the sequel to Five Moons Rising. I need another big project, but I’m having difficulties deciding what to go with next. I have a number of ideas, and the one I’d planned on working on next isn’t as exciting to me as a different idea. I’m working on a couple of shorter works right now, while I get the next big one figured out.
On the podcasting front, because of a series of interesting circumstances, Andi and I are striking out on our own. Lez Geek Out! is getting a bit of a rebrand and its own site and platform. We’re in a bit of a transitional period at the moment, but we’re taking a look at our show and how we can improve and expand it. Its new site is lezgeekoutcast.com, and I highly recommend fans of our show check it out. It should also be showing up at iTunes and your other favorite podcast discovery platforms soon.
Any fun facts you care to share about yourself?
Let’s see, I’m pretty boring… Oh, I know! I have an ectopic kidney, so if someone tries to shank me in the right kidney, they’re going to be very sad.
Oh my, LOL. That’s the best fun fact to date! Thanks for ending the year on a high note and I wish you all the best in 2019 and beyond.
And a huge thank you to all of you for reading and following and supporting and reviewing and all the wonderful things you do. You’ve made all of this one amazing adventure. I look forward to what the future holds.
**Before you go, don’t forget to enter to win free signed books! Lise and I will give away one copy each of Demon in the Machine and This Time.
ENTER GIVEAWAY!! OPEN WORLDWIDE!!
All the best,
SW
Connect with Lise:
About Lise:
Lise MacTague writes in all areas of speculative fiction, from space operas to high fantasy to urban fantasy and everything in between. She writes for a lesbian audience and suggests that those who might be offended by such works of fiction might be better served in finding their reading materials elsewhere.
Her debut trilogy, On Deception’s Edge, (a rip-roaring lesbian space opera) was published by Bella Books. Depths of Blue and Heights of Green and A Vortex of Crimson are all out. Her first foray into lesbian paranormal romance came out in June. Five Moons Rising features a genetically-modified super soldier who falls in love with one of the werewolves she was designed to destroy.
Lise lives as a very recent transplant to North Carolina. When she isn’t working on writing, she may be found on the ice or tinkering in the garage. She dabbles in painting and sculpting, and entertains her family with inappropriate jokes whenever possible.
