Release Day Special: Sorry Bro by Genevieve Bergeron

Hi all, 

It's Friday, which means it's release day at Total-E-Bound. This week it's talented new author Genevieve Bergeron's turn - please give her a warm welcome! 

Hello Gen, thanks for being my guest today. Please sit down and have a glass of wine - I'm afraid it comes straight from a bottle, but it will have to do to get us started on  

The business ones

Please give us a short introduction about yourself

Hi there! My name is Gen Bergeron, I’m 25, I live in Washington, DC, and I LOVE boxed wine. By day, I’m a communications manager for a national non-profit organization, and by night, I write steamy romances, articles for professional journals and short stories of all genres.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

In the romance/erotica world, I’m still a new(ish) author—my current release, Sorry, Bro, is only my second novella—so I’ve had occasion to write one M/F and one M/M/M. When I compare the two, I have to say I had an absolute blast experimenting with M/M erotica, and I’m brainstorming more M/M stories. While both are contemporary works, I’m open to other genres—science fiction and fantasy, especially!

Tell us about your latest release

Sorry, Bro, is volcanic M/M/M erotic romance. But Sorry, Bro, isn’t about sex—no, that’s just one of the perks of Sorry, Bro’s larger discussion of how American society views male-male friendship and M/M romance.

A twenty-something "straight" guy, Bryce, the main character, is experiencing somewhat of an existential crisis, questioning his life decisions (read: sexuality). Once Tim, an old crush from high school, shows up, Bryce starts thinking twice about whether he's really "straight," and if not, what that might mean for their friendship. Along the way, Bryce, who's a nurse, experiments sexually with a surgeon at his hospital, then has to come to terms with both his sexuality and his feelings for Tim. In a way, Sorry, Bro is an exploration of the destructive effect denying one's true self can have on relationships. It's pretty gritty stuff, but scorching at the same time.

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like?

As a writer, I know procrastination comes with the territory. To avoid it, I have to sit down in a dark room and set the timer on my phone. In other words, I force myself to set aside uninterrupted writing time. Often, I’ll also wear earplugs to stave off any sound save for the thoughts bouncing around inside my head.

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication

Elated. I thought, “I’m really getting somewhere as writer!” Becoming a “real” writer was always my childhood dream, and I’m thrilled to see my dreams coming true.

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what?

My life has always been work, work, work. If anything, adding erotica writing into the mix has led me to be even busier!

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration? Simple. Be careful what you say or do around me. You may see yourself as a character in one of my stories or novels!

Who is your favourite character and why?

So far, Tim, one of the three main characters in Sorry, Bro, my latest release. Tim is so in love with Bryce, the protagonist, that he follows him from New York to New Orleans just to be near him. Yet, Tim is also prepared to be disappointed if Bryce rejects him. I think this is what’s so special about Tim’s love—he’d be willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Bryce’s, if that’s what were to happen. In that sense, I think I also avoided characterizing Tim as an obsessive creep (which would not have been sexy).

Your favourite drink and food when writing

Oh, I am lame. String cheese and coffee or tea.

The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?

More than I’d like to admit, which you’ll see if you read both my bio and either Hyperpersonal, Hypersexual or Sorry, Bro. Funnily enough, both stories take place in cities and on college campuses where I got my degrees! I’ll leave you guessing about any other details!

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it?

I’m almost afraid to say, as I’m sure you get this answer all the time. Mr. Darcy!

What’s the silliest error in a book you’ve submitted?

I’ve got a good one for this. I had choreographed an M/M/M scene for Sorry, Bro and didn’t have enough time to proof as closely as I would have liked. My Total E-Bound editor later pointed out that I had flipped around who was penetrating whom between paragraphs. I was so embarrassed!

Who is your least favourite of the characters you’ve written? Why?

Filler characters are the toughest for me because I never have enough time to develop them. I’m talking friends and exes, etc. Tatum, Bryce’s girlfriend in Sorry, Bro, wasn’t well-developed, but she did serve her purpose. With that said, she’s thoroughly and satisfyingly un-likeable.

The steamiest scene from your books

The scorching M/M/M sex at the end of Sorry, Bro. You’ll have to give it a read for more details. :)

Favourite comfort food?

Red beans and rice. Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans.

The fast ones

Favourite colour?

Green

Dog or cat?

Dog

Coffee or tea?

Both, at the same time.

Quickie or candles?

Candles, definitely—as long as they don’t burn down the house.

Hunky or chunky?

Both? Too many muscles are, inexplicably, a turnoff for me, but he can be solid and hunky at the same time, right?

Suit & tie or jeans & boots?

Jeans and boots! /swoons

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails?

Alcohol is a conversational lubricant. Vodka. But not tequila. Never tequila!

 

Thank you so much for the interview, Gen! Let's take a look at Sorry, Bro now, which I've already read and thoroughly enjoyed, btw

Book blurb:

Still aching from the mistakes and denials of his past, this ER nurse could heal anyone but himself…until now.

Handsome, athletic and intelligent, twenty-six-year-old Bryce should be living the high life.

But he’s far from it.

After shunning his best baseball buddy in high school, dropping out of medical school and fleeing New York to put down roots—if only shallow ones—in New Orleans, Bryce is uncertain about both his past and his future. Working long hours as a low-level nurse and confined by a sexless relationship with a questionably devoted girlfriend, Bryce can’t shake the feeling that things should be somehow better now he’s escaped the confusion and indecision of his former life.

Yet when the ghost of Bryce’s high school past, the handsome and charismatic Tim, shows up injured in the ER, Bryce’s already turbulent emotions engulf him in a vortex of confusion and regret. Haunted by his own insensitivity towards Tim eight years before, Bryce first finds comfort in the powerful arms of a resident surgeon he barely knows, then gives Tim the explosive, cataclysmic relief he had denied him in high school. As Bryce comes to terms with his sexuality and recognises his undeniable attraction to both men, he must decide, once and for all, where his fidelity—and his desires—lie.

Buy link:

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2152

Author bio:

Genevieve Bergeron has been an avid reader and writer of digital fiction for nearly two decades. A journalist, children’s author and professional communicator, Genevieve now spends her time reading and writing hi-tech inspired romance and erotica, in addition to working a fast-paced day job as a communications director at a U.S.-based national nonprofit.

Genevieve, originally from Huntsville, Ala., has lived in New Orleans and Paris, and now resides in Washington, D.C., where she does her best to avoid any steamy political scandals. She holds a degree in International Communications and French from Tulane University and a Master’s Degree in Strategic and Digital Communications from Georgetown University. She loves collecting condoms, cooking for friends, and trying boxed wines.

Author website:

http://genevievebergeron.wordpress.com/