Today, I have author A.G. Carothors in the interview chair today. We talk about their latest book T.A.G. You’re Seen, book one in the The Assassins’ Guild series. Don’t forget to enter the Raffelcopter giveaway.
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INTERVIEW
1. Hi, A.G. First off, readers have an idea of the writer you, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Oh my personal life is really boring. I work and then I come home and work on book stuff. Then I read a bit before bed and rinse and repeat. I’m very much an introverted person. I really don’t socialize much at all.
2. I’ve been perusing your web site, and noticed you are drawn to battles, whether dragons against humans, or two men squaring off in your latest release T.A.G. You’re Seen. What draws you to this genre?
My poor website is embarrassing. I really need to update it and get someone to overhaul it. Hehehe But I digress, I love action and adventure. I’d much rather watch a movie with explosions and car chases than a drama or :: gasps:: a rom-com. Lol I like stupid comedies too like Super Troopers. The main thing is that I’ve always used books and movies as an escape. The more outside myself they can take me the better.
3. Your latest series is The Assassins’ Guild. Can you tell me what inspired you to create this series?
TAG was supposed to me part of a collaboration, but I pulled out because I wasn’t going to be done in time and it wasn’t turning out to really fit the parameters. I had a shoulder injury last fall that put me out of commission from typing for a couple of months. But primarily my story wasn’t turning out quite dark enough I thought, and it really was because my characters look at what they do in a different light, so it’s not as dark to t hem as it would be to others.
Anyway, the idea really sparked when I thought about the parameters it was supposed to be under. I knew it was going to be about assassins and I knew I was going to write an age gap with a D/s element. I originally wanted it to be reversed but it didn’t end up being that way. My characters were like “ummmm no.” lol And for once I thought of the title first which originally was going to be TAG! You’re it! And then I made TAG an acronym. That’s how SYN came about actually. It’s an acronym too but not many know what it means. So, The Assassins’ Guild was born as a play on words. It all took off from there.
4. Can you share your writing process through T.A.G. You’re Seen? Did the plot come first or the characters?
Definitely the characters. I always start with the characters. I immediately started figuring out who my main characters were. Once I flush those out then I work on the plot. There were some surprises for even me in this plot. There are some doozy plot twists in this one.
I did write this one completely different for me. This is the first time I wrote in first person POV and I wasn’t sure if it would be any good. I wrote chapter one and sent it to my main beta and a few friends to see if it would even be worth a damn. They green lit it and I went from there.
5. How much research goes into your novels since you lean towards dragons, assassins, and different countries?
This really differs. For DWC research went into more time zone coordination than anything for book 3 lol. I do a lot of research that readers don’t even see the half of most times. But for DWC it’s more creation of the world and figuring out how certain things are going to work and then how “realistic” it is. I’m a very realistic person in general so even in my fantasy world stuff has to make logical sense to me. I have all kinds of stuff written on how magic works and how dragon genetics work etc.
For TAG it was creating their structure which I based on something very nerdy and I will await the day someone figures it out. Hehehe TAG really hasn’t taken much research. I did get to research private jets and that was cool. Most kink stuff I either have personal experience with or I have resources I can tap for. I’ve spent the last two decades in the lifestyle and have been in and out of a few local communities. The last decade I spent quite a bit of time exploring various things and meeting people and that’s all helped with writing about kink related topics.
As far as the countries go I used a lot of my own experience in places. I’ve lived or visited most of the places that I’ve written about and even for those I use google maps like crazy. I calculate all kinds of things through maps and I figure out which areas I’m thinking about and then I twist them to my own means.
6. Let’s talk about the main characters for T.A.G. You’re Seen. What do you love most about Mr. W and what makes you want to shake him?
Yoshi Turgenev codename Mr. W is innocent in a way despite having grown up around death and taken as many lives as he has. He’s very much a young twenty-two-year-old on one hand and then on the other he’s a cold blooded killer. I love that innocence in him and the faith and loyalty he has for his father. As for what makes me want to shake him that’s hard to say because it’s part of his innocence in a way. But readers will just have to see. 😉
7. The same for Jacob Peters. What do you love most about him and what makes you want to shake him?
He’s a bit more complicated in that he has way more baggage and twice the age of Yoshi on him. His hang ups make me want to strangle him, in that Yoshi and I are the same. Yoshi gets his chance to vent his grievances with him. They have a bit of a tough road together.
8. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favourite scene to write for T.A.G. You’re Seen and why?
This one is tough. There’s a scene in part one between Yoshi and Conny (Yoshi’s brother) where Yoshi kidnaps Jacob and it’s hysterical. Here Yoshi is kidnapping the person he’s supposed to be killing and its very serious business, but he does things that are just like “ummm what?” and it’s funny.
The other scene is in part two where Yoshi is telling off Jacob and it’s an emotional scene. Yoshi is very upset over something he’s done, and he just lays into him. I was very proud of Yoshi in that scene for standing up and fighting for what he wanted.
That scene was one that was running through my head almost from the start of the book, so it felt so good to finally get it down. I can’t write scenes out of sequence, so something that I know is going to happen later will just run on repeat in my head until I get there. Sometimes, it’s highly frustrating.
9. What makes The Assassins’ Guild series different from other espionage romances?
I’m horrible at answering these kinds of questions. Lol I always strive to write something different, something unique. I get very tired of reading the same things over and over again, so I always want something different. This was my first foray into writing a two MC romance and I couldn’t even do it the way most authors do. I don’t know if I’ll write the future ones with the same kind of POV split. In the instance of book 1 it was necessary due to the plot.
It has a good balance of humor, action, and emotional upheaval. It also gives a different perspective on what is romantic and how relationships can grow through abnormal circumstances. It also, has a take on BDSM that I haven’t seen. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, I just haven’t seen it. hehehe
10. If a reader asked you why they should read T.A.G. You’re Seen, what would you tell them?
I read for escapism and I also write to give others that escape. T.A.G. is perfect for that.
11. You can only recommend one of your novels to a reader, which would you choose from the books you’ve written so far, and why?
This is really tough. With DWC you have to read it in order so you have to start with Book One. TAG while is more stand alone it is still best read in order as well. They are also two completely different kinds of series and styles. So, I would recommend one or the other based on what the person was looking for.
12. Which novel is your personal favourite to write, and why?
I love each one for different reasons and they’ve all been fun to write. I’m excited however to write the upcoming ones because they’re new and I want to see what happens. So, I think each one while I’m writing it is my favorite. 😉
13. What do you enjoy most about writing?
Creating whole new worlds and characters and seeing the joy that they bring to other people.
14. What do you enjoy least about writing?
Marketing lol All the constant online stuff is very tedious for me. I’m very introverted and even interacting online with a lot of people all the time is very draining for me.
15. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
I have many that rewatch on the regular basis. Independence Day, Starship Troopers, Pacific Rim, Stargate are just a few - What book is currently in your e-reader?
I have over a 100 on my kindle right now that are bought and waiting for me to read. Lol But right now I’m going to read tonight is Under His Watch by Victoria Light. It’s the third and I think last one in the Brother’s Synn series. - Who’s your favourite musical group?
My Chemical Romance, Muse, Sum 41, Franz Ferdinand, Lords of Acid, Artic Monkeys, and tons of others. - What song puts a smile on your face?
Heaven Knows by The Squeeze
16. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you Maggie for putting these questions together! 😊 I appreciate your hard work.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
T.A.G. You’re Seen by A.G. Carothers
Book Title: T.A.G. You’re Seen (The Assassins’ Guild, Book 1)
Author: A.G. Carothers
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Genre/s: MM Thriller Romance, MM BDSM Romance
Trope/s: criminals and outlaws, first time, forbidden love, hurt/comfort, rescue, thrill of the chase
Heat Rating: 5 flames
Blurb: Hi. I’m Mr. No your friendly communications agent for The Assassins’ Guild AKA T.A.G.
I’ve been authorized by the head honcho himself, Mr. H, to release approved records from the agent files.
Agent Code Name Mr. W was recovering from a near death debacle by way of an easy assignment in a small mountain town. Red flags sprang up immediately around the seemingly innocent English professor. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery Jacob Peters presented, Mr. W made plans to do what he did best, watch , wait , and then capture and interrogate.
But even the best laid plans can go awry and what Mr. W discovered derailed his plan to kill Jacob.
Find out what brought Mr. W to his knees in this first release from the archives of The Assassins’ Guild.
ATTENTION: This book contains explicit sexual content between consenting assassins and not so innocent professors. There are depictions of masochistic masturbation, male chastity, breath play, watersports, humiliation, and torture by eighties hair bands with ginger sprinkles on top.
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
Universal Amazon Link |Amazon US | Amazon UK
EXCERPT
Shortly, after the cock cage incident, Dad sat me down to have The Talk. I knew by then that I liked dick. At first, I thought maybe it was because I was around men all the time and hardly ever any women, but one day I pulled up cameras from the women’s locker room just to see. Yeah, even the more masculine looking females did nothing for me. I got off my dad’s laptop quickly before he caught me and went back to my room to look at the gay porn I had smuggled from the sex shop. So, my dad sits me down and I’m worried. Even as isolated as we were on the compound, I had access to the outside world. I knew how homosexuality was viewed. Yes, there were changes being made and it was more accepted now, but I still worried.
I was sitting at the kitchen table when Dad came in with a dildo in one hand and a weird looking toy in the other one. It looked scary from afar. He put them down on the table along with a condom and a bottle of lube before he sat down. I was already blushing and ready to make a dash back to my room, but he pinned me with that look he got when he was dead serious and started his explanation. He showed me how to put a condom on, which I rolled my eyes at because duh. That was proceeded with a long talk on all STDs, how you can catch them in non-sexual ways, symptoms, and pictures. He pulled up pictures on his laptop. I was mortified, but damn if I was going to make sure I used condoms no matter what.
He then picked up the item that I had been avoiding looking at. It was multicolored and just weird looking. It turned out to be a big silicon asshole more or less. It was weird. Later, I found out why it looked so weird, but that’s just not something I want to think about. Although, I did end up buying a few dildos from the fantasy dildo company it was from when I got older. But back to my horrifying sex talk with my dad. He opened the lube and briefly went over the best kinds of lube to use and when. At this point, it hadn’t occurred to me how my dad knew all this stuff. He was my dad. He knew everything as far as I was concerned. He then showed me how, if I were to have sex with another man, how to prepare them or myself for it using the silicon asshole of course. He explained things like the prostate and other key erogenous zones of the male genitalia. By the end, I knew I was scarlet and dying of embarrassment. If my dad was embarrassed in anyway, he didn’t show it. He was very clinical about it. He used his instructor voice and could have been going over the parts of a P-90, he was so unphased.
He never once said anything about women. The next day, I went to his office and asked him, “How did you know?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me and said, “Yoshi, do you really think Mr. Th (that was his assistant) got you stuff from the adult store in town without my permission?”
I turned beet red and stuttered, “No, sir.” I thought I was in huge trouble and kept my eyes on my feet.
My dad pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight, surprising me. “I’m not mad. I’m glad that you went to him rather than try to sneak off on your own or do something irresponsible. I figured you weren’t ready to talk to me about those kinds of things and that’s okay. Just know that I’m always here if you need me and I’ll never judge you.” I nodded and hugged him tight, not realizing that I had started crying. I hadn’t really thought how much I was worried about it until I felt the relief his words brought me.
“I love you, Dad.” The words came out more of a whisper than I intended.
He pushed me to arm’s length, so he could see me and wiped my eyes. “I love you too, Son. Now, go out to the range. You have a test tomorrow.” I nodded and headed to the door. I had my hand on the knob when he spoke again. “Just so you know, I’m gay too.”
I turned my head in shock. The surprise evident on my face, my eyes wide. He furrowed his brows at me. “What? Did you not think I had a love life, too?”
I tried to pick my jaw up off the ground to answer. “No, Dad. Honestly, I never thought about you having a relationship much less sex.”
Dad burst out laughing then. “Well, I do.”
I stuck my fingers in my ears and started singing, “Lalalalala. I don’t want to know, Dad.”
My dad sobered then and cleared his throat. “Do you think if I found someone I really liked that you’d be okay if I brought him round?”
I took my fingers out of my ears and went back and threw my arms around him again and squeezed tight and then let go. “Yeah, Dad.” Before things could get any more awkward, I dashed out the door and closed it behind me. I hissed traitor as I passed Mr. Th’s desk and went out to the range.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.G. Carothers is actually a dragon very cleverly disguised as a human. They are a non-binary author of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy, who enjoys writing original and entertaining stories. They are very excited to share the worlds they’ve created with you.
A.G. currently lives in Tennessee with their platonic life partner, who is not a dragon. They yearn to live back in Europe and will some day. In their spare time they are addicted to losing themselves in the lovely worlds created by other authors
A.G. is committed to writing the stories they see in their head without restrictions. Love is blind and doesn’t see gender, race, or sexuality.
Find A.G.: Blog/Website | Facebook | Readers Group | Twitter: @ag_carothers Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon
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Maggie Blackbird 