A
Break from the Norm
Hello everyone. Thanks Dawn for having me blog here again
today.
In any genre of fiction you can find common
tropes which occur again and again in book after book. Whether it is the hero always being handsome
and dashing or the heroine fainting all over the place, there are certain plot
points that constantly come round like the proverbial bad penny. The male/male romance genre is no exception
and has its own set of tropes that are used time and again.
Every now and then a blog post will be
written about those common plot devices, more often than not in the form of
complaining about them being overused to the point of being done to death. Readers and reviewers plead with the writers,
begging them to avoid various plots, whether it is werewolf shifters and their
mating rituals, brooding vampires who have been waiting for eternity for The
One, or the teenager kicked out of their home for being gay who resorts to
selling himself on the streets, only to fall for one of his tricks.
The above examples are just a few of the
many plots that are used again and again in this genre of fiction. I am not saying that any of these plots
shouldn’t be written. As a reader I have
read many of these stories and have enjoyed them very much. I don’t for a single minute think these
common tropes should be avoided completely.
But why do writers continually stick to the
same plots?
Maybe it is because this is what is
popular. I can guarantee, without even
looking to check, that if I went to the gay fiction bestseller list at Amazon
or Are there would be a werewolf story in there somewhere. Werewolves sell. It is as simple as that.
The common themes that readers and
reviewers complain are overused are more often than not the biggest sellers.
Now, I don’t write werewolves, at least not
yet, and nor have I written any of those other examples at the present
time. Which is probably one of the
reasons why most people stumbling across this blog post will be wondering who
the heck I am.
My stories don’t stick to the norm,
although I would have to admit there are a few of the other common tropes
rearing their ugly heads sprinkled throughout my works.
Rather than the common matchmaking ghost,
my ghost is one of the main characters.
Instead of having the dashing and handsome prince who is practically
perfect and never puts a foot wrong, my prince is a bit of an idiot who, as one
reviewer put it, isn’t the brightest candle in the chandelier. And when one of my characters sells his body
to survive, it isn’t the man he sells himself to who he falls for…
I like to twist things round and shake
things up in my stories, just as the readers seem to want writers to do.
But if I ever want to make a career of
writing I suspect that one day I will have to write what the readers really
want, and resort to the common tropes they say they are tired of, but still
read more of than the stories that try to break from the norm.
So, before I go, I would like to ask the
readers not what themes you tired of seeing, but which you would like to see
more of. Share your thoughts and
challenge us writers to step outside the box with the stories that you want to read.
TO SEE THE SKY by L.M. Brown
Total E-bound Publishing
Can a lab rat
whore find love with the servant of his master, or will their different
backgrounds and prejudices keep them apart?
In the distant
future, where the devastation caused by war has driven the human race below the
surface of the Earth, society is split in half. The rich scientists live in
towers where they can monitor the surface and determine when the poisonous
gasses have cleared and the world is safe for humans once more. Meanwhile the
majority of the human race lives in crowded labyrinthine caves, where life is
harsh and short. Uneducated and with no real prospects for the future, a 'lab
rat' is lucky to live to see thirty years of age. Employment options are
minimal and few can escape the fate of choking to death on the dust of the
caves.
When AJ, one of
the poorest members of society, needs credits for medicine for his sister he is
in a desperate situation. With no other options available he risks alienation
from his family by selling himself to the highest bidder. Love is the last
thing on his mind, but while Blake, his new owner, might not be Mr Right,
Ryder, his servant, just might be. Unfortunately, their different backgrounds,
prejudices, and AJ's brutal owner seem destined to keep them apart, but true
love can be theirs for the taking, if they can only find a way.
Excerpt
“Who wants to start the bidding at five
hundred credits?”
“Five hundred credits,” a bearded redhead
called.
“Six hundred,” the Adonis countered.
AJ turned to him with surprise. “Why didn’t
you just pay the five hundred instead of holding an auction?”
“Curiosity to see how much you’d get,” he
replied easily. “And like you said, some of us have more credits than common
sense.”
AJ wondered what it would be like to have
so many credits that he would think nothing of casually throwing them away like
these men were. Did they even realise there were people dying in the labyrinth,
simply because they couldn’t afford to eat, to take care of themselves or move
away from the choking dust?
“I want to see the goods,” another
potential bidder shouted out, reminding AJ of the proceedings.
The blond turned to AJ, who didn’t wait to
be asked to strip. He tugged off his clothes and at the suggestion of the
current high bidder, climbed onto a nearby table and let the crowd ogle his
naked body.
“He’s a bit scrawny.”
“But look at his gorgeous cock.”
“Yeah, but you aren’t bidding on him
sticking it in you, are you?”
“Who cares? I’d pay a bit more to let him
fuck me as well.”
“Seven hundred.”
“Eight hundred.”
“One thousand credits.”
AJ looked around as he tried to place the
voice of the newest bidder. He could see Ryder standing near the door to the
kitchen. The voice had come from his direction and for a moment AJ fancied that
maybe the waiter had placed the bid. Of course the thought was a ridiculous
one. What waiter would have a thousand credits to spend on a whim?
“One and a half thousand,” the Adonis
replied with a grin and a wink at AJ.
“Two thousand.” The new bidder raised the
stakes and only the blond man at AJ’s side appeared to be willing to go so
high.
“Two and a half.”
“Three.”
“Three and a half.”
“Five thousand.”
AJ’s hands shook and he still couldn’t pick
out who the second bidder was. He looked down at the blond man beside him and
silently begged him to outbid the unknown stranger.
“Five and a half,” his Adonis said.
“Ten thousand credits for a week with the
virgin,” the hidden bidder declared.
AJ closed his eyes and waited for the blond
to raise the bid again. He had seen the credit band of the Adonis. He could
afford to go higher, much higher. But he remained silent as the auctioneer
called out.
“Any advance on ten thousand credits?”
Available from Total-E-Bound
Bio
L.M. Brown lives in England England
L.M. Brown loves hearing from readers so don't be
shy.
Links
Where to find L.M. Brown
Website – http://lmbrownauthor.wordpress.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lm.brown.5
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