What's New with Apollo's Men

I know it's been a while since I said anything about how the series Apollo's Men is progressing. First it was because I couldn't get Blogger to work. Then it was because I was writing and writing and writing...

Now that I've got Blogger working and have made some substantial progress, it's time for an update.

Alexios' Fate was the first story in the series. Some readers felt it contained unresolved issues because let's face it, it's a series so I couldn't fix everything in book 1.

I immediately set about writing book 2 (it's untitled) to begin resolving one of the biggest issues as far the readers were concerned. I was about 1/2 way through with the MS when I received a call for an anthology of historical short stories (Lust in Time). So what did I do?

I wrote a short story entitled 496 BC. It is Alexios' Fate 1.5 and told from Galen's POV. He deserved to tell his side of the story. And boy did he!

Then of course, I went back to work on book 2. I even had the vague outline for book 3, A Spartan Love. About 2/3 through the MS (Are you sensing a theme here?), I realized that A Spartan Love takes place before and a bit concurrently with book 2. So I started on A Spartan Love.

But there was still one unfilled spot in that anthology. A short story about how Theron and Andreas from A Spartan Love first got together formed. No matter what I did, I couldn't keep Taming Theron under the 7K word limit. I chopped all over the place, but it felt like it had taken a hatchet to it. Finally, I gave up and made it into a novel.

Now (Finally!) I'm working on A Spartan Love. I'm about 1/2 through with this MS. But don't worry, I won't be switching gears. Because of how Taming Theron ends, I have to have A Spartan Love ready to release soon after Taming Theron. I don't plan on subbing them separately.

Then I'll get back to that poor unnamed MS. So I actually have three books written or nearly written and getting close to being subbed.

I also have a vague outline for an untitled book 5. Then I have a couple of contemporaries I really want to work on.

Apollo's Men:
Alexios' Fate
496 BC
Taming Theron
A Spartan Love
Untitled book 4
Untitled book 5

The Next Big Thing - Yet Again

What is the working title of your book?

My current WIP is entitled 497 BC, but may be retitled Taming Theron.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It is the prequel to A Spartan Love, Apollo's Men #3.

What genre does your book fall under?

It's a historical m/m erotic romance.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Andreas discovers that food really is the way to a man's heart.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I'm planning on subbing it to a historical m/m anthology.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

After two days, I'm approximately 1/3 done with the rough draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I haven't really read any similar stories so I would say Alexios' Fate, book 1 in the Apollo's Men series. Aleksandr Voinov's Spoils of War comes the next closest.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to tell the story of how Andreas and Theron met.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The story takes place in Sparta during the beginning of the Persian War, approximately two decades before Thermopolae.

The following authors will be posting in The Next Big Thing series next week:

Cherie Noel: http://talesfromthewritingcave.blogspot.com/

Margie Church:http://www.site.romancewithsass.com/