Joining me today in The Loft is fellow Extasy author V. J. Allison. V. J. writes contemporary, erotic, and paranormal/horror romance. A self-proclaimed geeky rocker chick, V. J. is a warrior and advocate for various chronic illnesses, including Occipital Neuralgia, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Diabetes, Migraines, and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia. She is also an advocate for the prevention of animal cruelty and is a voice for Autism Awareness. Born and raised in southern Nova Scotia, Canada, V. J. runs her own graphics design company, Veridian Rose Designs, and is a stay-at-home mother to a son on the autism spectrum. She is also married to the love of her life, and mama to a rescued Maine Coon cat named Marnie.
S: Good morning, V. J. Thanks for joining me today!
What do you appreciate more--Brains or brawn/beauty?
V: I appreciate brains because I like to be able to have an intelligent conversation with someone. The smarter they are, the better they are in my opinion.
S: So true. A handsome man loses his appeal when he has nothing intelligent to share!
What was your worst date ever?
V: I was 16 years old and a guy I knew from work wanted to take me to the movies. I went, but he was boring and honestly by the end of the night, I felt extremely uncomfortable with him. He kept trying to look down my top. He wasn’t a great guy to begin with, and I wound up avoiding him after that, which wasn’t easy. Thankfully, they let him go after a while and it was peaceful for me after that. He was awkward and he was in his 20s. A lot of people thought it was weird he was interested in a kid my age at the time.
S: Ah, the teenage years. The awkward dates were just the beginning.
What attracted you to your current partner?
V: The love of astronomy. The night we met, a bunch of us went to the beach, and I tried picking out some of the constellations I knew. The only other girl there – a friend of mine – was too interested in watching two guys fight over her, so I went off alone, but this one guy noticed I was watching the stars. We got talking, and he pointed out a few things. The next thing I knew, we were dating. That was 31 years ago. We’re now married for 21 years, have an 18-year-old-son, and just finished paying off the mortgage on our little house. Life is good with him!
S: That's such a sweet story and very romantic!
What do people get wrong about publishing a book?
V: They think that once it’s out, that’s it. It will sell on its own. Wrong! You have to promote, promote, promote it in order to sell even a couple of copies. Competition is fierce, and it isn’t easy to make the bestseller list. So many people think they’re going to hit it with their first book and get frustrated when their sales are nil or not good. They also think that people will just see it on Amazon or another site and buy it. Or that it doesn’t need an editor or beta readers. They also refuse to take criticism, thinking their work is perfect without any polishing or anything else. I’ve also heard people say that editors who have a lot of experience don’t know what they’re talking about in regards to the person’s work. I say listen to editors, get people to read it and listen to people, instead of thinking your book is perfect as is. I have six books under my belt at this time and I still think like I’m a newbie!
S: What would you like to people know about you?
V: Having a book published in my lifetime has been my dream since I was nine years old, and my grade four teacher, Mrs. Hache, told me I had a knack for spinning a tale. I didn’t know I wanted to write romance books until I was 11 years old and read my first Harlequin Romance, but after that, it seemed the brass ring was getting that publishing contract. I got it, thanks to Extasy Books, in 2016, and I haven’t looked back since.
S: What inspired "Honestly?"
V: "Honestly" was inspired partially by my oldest niece, Katy. Like the main character, Dana Campbell, Katy is pansexual and has had significant others of a wide variety on the gender spectrum. Once I knew Dana’s sexuality, I knew I had to have a special, out of the mainstream love interest for her, and the character of Avery was conceived. He’s bisexual, but he was also assigned female at birth, so he’s a trans man. He has gone through a lot, and like Dana, unsure about being open about his past and his true self. He’s partially inspired by a trans relative of mine, someone I’ve known since they were a child and only started transitioning to their true self about a decade or so ago. Like Avery, they’re more comfortable in their own skin, but unlike Avery, they have a loving and accepting family who stick up for them and love them for who they are. I also wanted to set a story on the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides in the world, and it seemed like the perfect backdrop for this amazing and special couple.
S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Honestly?"
V: "Honestly" features a lot of issues that LGBTAQ2S+ people face on a daily basis. They face fear of coming out of the closet to people, even those they love. They face hatred and bigotry from a lot of others, and worry that they will be hurt or killed just for being themselves. In the story, we know that Dana only shared her true sexuality with a few, trusted people--two of her cousins and their spouses--and only a few people know the truth of Avery’s genetics and his journey to becoming the man he was meant to be.
Here's the blurb--
Love knows no boundaries.
Needing an escape from her grandfather’s outdated and patriarchal views on a woman’s proper place, Dana Campbell flees to her cousin’s cottage on the Nova Scotian coast for some uninterrupted reflection. A trust fund and a prominent name isn’t her idea of happiness, especially if it’s tied to her grandfather’s archaic ideals of marriage. After a failed engagement to a gold-digging fraud, Dana just wants a quiet place where she can evaluate her life and wonder whether she can ever be open about her closeted pansexuality.
A trans man who has faced hatred, Avery D’Eon is happy being inconspicuous. A bad divorce and a family who shuns him make him wary of being in any kind of a romantic relationship. Despite making life altering choices about his body, as well as finding his tribe in the form of his employee, he still battles a sense of emptiness. His world is tossed off kilter by a vivacious and sultry woman sauntering into his store. One look into her beautiful brown eyes, and Avery sees the missing link in his life—someone to love and cherish.
Despite denying their attraction, Avery and Dana find what they need in a hurricane of desire.
But a tragedy close to home forces Dana to make a life-shattering choice—her wealthy family, or the man she adores.
S: Wow. Those are some really hard choices. Where can readers buy your book?
V: It's available at--
Extasy Books: www.extasybooks.com/Honestly
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bP70gl
S: V. J., I really enjoyed chatting with you today! If you'd like to learn more about V. J., please visit--
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/V.J.Allison1974
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVJAllison/
V.J.’s VIP Lounge (Facebook Group--Promos, webcam chats, takeover bashes and more!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/vjsvips/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VJAllison1974
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vjallison1974/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/v-j-allisonExtasy Books: https://www.extasybooks.com/v-j-allison
Decadent Publishing: https://decadentpublishing.com/author/v-j-allison/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/VJ-Allison/e/B089RP93GC/
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/8Z2M9o/VJ-Allison
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16624096.V_J_Allison
Veridian Rose Designs (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/veridianrosedesigns/
