Guest Author: Rob Colton

Today I’m pleased to welcome Rob Colton as a guest author.  I first met Rob when he started publishing his work on Gay Authors. Since then he’s quickly started publishing new works and look to have a couple more coming in the very near future.  As part of his visit, Rob is showing off his new cover art for The Cassini Mission.

Welcome Rob, why don’t you start by telling everyone a bit about yourself.

Hi everyone! Thanks for having me on your site today, Andrew.

My name is Rob Colton and I’m here to chat a little about myself as well as my new ebook release, The Ranch Foreman.

I’m a forty-something-year-old gay man. I grew up in Michigan, but currently live in Atlanta with my husband. We tied the knot this summer on our ten year anniversary in Washington DC. All in all, this year has added up to be simply amazing.

I know you have a following on Gay Authors and other on line sites? How long have you been writing? 

I started writing pretty late in life, back in 2008 when I was in my late thirties. After building up a small cache of stories, I posted the first online in January 2010 using the username “robcub32”. The support I’ve received over the years from my fans has been overwhelming.

Tell us a bit about your newest release The Ranch Foreman?

The Ranch Foreman is a contemporary western story, set on a cattle ranch in the Midwest. Young ranch hand Matty Ward finds himself attracted to his new boss, burly cowboy Baxter Hollingsworth. Usually the one being pursued, Matty finds the closeted cowboy a challenge he can’t refuse.

You’ve written Science Fiction – The Degan Incident was my first exposure to your work, but this one is a contemporary m/m story. What other genres do you write?

Historically I’ve written mostly contemporary stories, but I love the science fiction and paranormal genres. My second novella to be published by Dreamspinner Press is a paranormal story.

Which genre do you like best? Which one do you find the hardest?

Right now, I’m in a paranormal kind of mood, so that’s what I’ve been working on.

I find Sci-Fi the hardest to write because you have to do a lot of world building as well as making sure to include a solid action/adventure storyline. But you get to create your own world from scratch and that’s what makes it fun—to write as well as read.

Tell us something(s) interesting that is not in the blurb?

The Ranch Foreman is a steamy romance. Baxter is a closeted gay man in his forties, and I feel he is accurately and realistically portrayed as such. There are points in the story where he may do things that make him unlikeable, but it is true to the character. While there are no flowers or long walks on the beach in this story, there is still an element of romance and the two characters naturally get their happy ending.

Have you ever based characters on anyone you know?

Of course! A few of my characters have been inspired by people I know. And it’s no secret that in many of my early stories, the smaller guy is a representation of my younger self and my fantasies.

What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I love the collaborative part of the process, working with my beta readers, then the publisher and editors, as well as the cover artist.

What’s your least favorite?

My least favorite part of the process is waiting to hear back from the publisher after submitting the manuscript. I’m normally a patient person, but the wait absolutely kills me!

Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

I’m finalizing The Cassini Mission, which is a follow-up to The Degan Incident. This story focuses on exobiologist Aron Adler, who appears in The Degan Incident. The Cassini Mission dives deeper into what exactly was happening to Devin in the first story. It will first be available in the premium area on Gay Authors and then it will be released as an ebook.

I also have an upcoming paranormal novella coming from Dreamspinner Press in February/March 2014. It’s called An American Lamb in Europe.

And there’s some surprises coming in between that I hope to share soon…

What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

The last book I read was Thick as Thieves by Tali Spencer. It was a great read. If you like my stories, I think you’d like this one too.

(An excellent choice, Rob. Tali is one of my favorite authors.)

If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

I was always a big fan of Michael Crichton. Being a huge techie, I loved the way he used technology in his sci-fi thrillers. I was sad to see him go so young.

What’s a fun – non-writing – day for you?

I love hanging out and relaxing with my husband on the weekends. We go to the movies, maybe take a nap with our dog, then go out to dinner.

Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

I’m a software developer by day, so I enjoy computers and gadgets. I also go to the movies at least once a week.

Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the continued encouragement from my fans.

Thanks for being my guest, now it’s time to plug your work –

Blurb:

When Madison “Matty” Ward finds himself out of work and without a place to live, his cousin comes through with a job on the Gates cattle ranch. Despite not knowing anything about herding cattle or taking care of horses, Matty does his best to impress the older hunky foreman, Baxter Hollingsworth. Baxter is drawn to the new young hand, but he’s deeply closeted, and after an openly gay veterinarian shows he’s interested in Matty, Baxter’s repressed feelings lead to an explosive encounter. Baxter then withdraws—leaving Matty feeling angry and used—until an accident forces him to confront his fears.

 

Buy Link:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4093

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theranchforeman-1268438-145.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EJ7AAH8/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116451856?ean=2940148394570

Excerpt:

MATTY sat in one of the rockers on the bunkhouse porch and watched the storm. Rain came down in sheets. Thunder clapped as lightning flashed. The storm around him was violent, but in a way, it was also calming. It cleared Matty’s head and gave him time to think about his situation.

A sudden crack of thunder had Matty jumping out of his skin. That one was close. Too close. Matty didn’t think it was possible, but the rain came down even harder, and the lightning and thunder increased in intensity.

It was several minutes later that all hell broke loose.

Baxter’s truck pulled in front of the bunkhouse and skidded to a halt, sliding in the mud. He jumped out of the cab and ran past Matty into the bunkhouse.

Matty hurried in after him, wanting to find out what was going on.

“All hands,” Baxter shouted. “We have a fallen tree in the east pasture. We need to repair the fence and round up the herd. Let’s go!”

Everyone immediately jumped into action. They scrambled to get their boots on and grab their jackets, then were out the door. Matty followed the hands to the barn where they quickly saddled the horses.

Amid the ordered chaos, the two cattle dogs ran around, barking like crazy as if they knew what was going on.

Matty grabbed a blanket and saddle and got Tornado ready to ride. With Clyde gone, Tornado had become Matty’s horse. Luckily, he wasn’t as bad as his name made him out to be.

“No way.” Baxter snatched the reins from Matty’s hands.

Matty tried to grab them back. “You said all hands. I can help.”

“You’re not experienced enough to ride in the storm.”

“I’m going.”

Baxter cursed under his breath. “Then you ride in the truck with Brian.”

Matty raced to the pickup truck to help Brian and George load the last of the repair equipment. He tossed the chainsaw’s carrying case into the bed of the truck, then hopped onto the passenger seat before Brian sped off for the east pasture.

As they approached the break in the fence, Matty could see the smoldering tree trunk. After being struck by lightning, the giant tree had fallen over and ripped a gaping hole in the fence. The stupid cows were pushing their way through the break. The dogs took off after them, already knowing what they were supposed to do.

Baxter yelled over the noise of the storm, directing half the crew to fix the fence while the other half rounded up the herd.

Matty was assigned fence duty. He and Brian were going to use the truck’s winch to pull the bulk of the tree off the fence so it could be repaired.

It was nearly impossible to see with the rain coming down so hard and only the light of the truck’s headlights to guide him. Adrenaline pumped through Matty’s veins as the team worked together. It was the most terrifying and the most exciting thing he’d ever done.

Matty looped the metal braided rope under and over the tree trunk, then hooked it and gave it a tug to make sure it was secure. “Okay! Go!” he shouted to Brian and gave a thumbs-up sign as he stepped back away from the tree.

Brian got into the truck and activated the winch. The line went taut and then began to pull the tree.

Matty held on to his Stetson and shielded his eyes from the rain. When the tree began to move, he backed out of its way. The winch and the metal cable grinded as the tree slowly moved. The tree trunk momentarily caught.

“Look out!”

Matty turned toward the voice. Lightning flashed, and in that instant, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large tree limb just before everything went dark.

Bio:

Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.

Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.

Social media links:

http://robcolton.com/

https://twitter.com/robcub32

https://www.facebook.com/robcub32