Interview-Review Paul Goat Allen - Rise of the Northmen Anthology

Today I'm so happy to welcome to the blog an old friend, fellow moderator from the B&N.com book clubs, genre fiction book reviewer, author, poet. blogger and all around Renaissance Man, Paul Goat Allen. He's here today to tell us about his novella in the anthology, Rise of the Northmen.
Take it Paul!

ASIN: B017TNK0R8

Publisher:  Corvus Corax LLC
Release Date: 11-10-2015
Length: 2381 KB (274pp)
Buy It: Amazon/Kobo

Rise of the Northmen

by Saranna DeWylde (Goodreads Author), Mark Henry (Goodreads Author), Paul Goat Allen (Goodreads Author), Alyssa Breck (Goodreads Author), Annice Sands,Carrie Clevenger (Goodreads Auth

What happens when five slightly (or more than slightly) twisted erotic romance authors get together and brainstorm?
Berserkers. Violence. Wolves. Sex. Krakens. Death. Others. Magic. Valkyries. Love. VIKINGS!
RISE OF THE NORTHMEN happens.
Look for this heart-stopping erotic anthology on November 10 featuring Saranna DeWylde, Paul Goat Allen, Alyssa Breck, Mark Henry and Annice Sands! 

Paul hi! It’s so nice to finally have you visit the blog.
Tell my readers about the anthology and your sexy little short story too.

Thanks so much for the invitation to chat, Deb! Okay, well, the anthology is a project I’ve been very excited about for the past year; it’s entitled Rise of the Northmen and it’s a collection of five novellas written by four well-known writers and myself (I don’t consider myself a well-known writer)—Saranna DeWylde, Mark Henry, Alyssa Breck, and Carrie Clevenger (writing as Annice Sands. The five stories included are all romantic/erotic Viking tales—but although Vikings  are the general theme, the stories are all impressively diverse in both theme and content.  My story is entitled Wildflower in Snøw and it’s about the repressed wife of the chieftain of a Viking settlement who, as her world is slowly dying around her, embarks on a heart-wrenching spiritual and sexual journey of self-awakening.

The short story I think you’re referring to is “Old Fashioned with a Twist,” which appeared in the Christmas Nookies anthology last year. Christmas Nookies was (obviously, from the title!) a collection of holiday-themed romance/erotica released by Short Fuse Publishing.

Buy it on Amazon
read my review

But the reason I wrote “Old Fashioned with a Twist”—and, a year later, Wildflower in Snøw—is because I was hoping to prove a point.

As you know, I’ve been a genre fiction book reviewer for the last 20 years. I’ve read extensively in every genre category—and, for the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work as an adjunct faculty member in Seton Hill University’s prestigious Writing Popular Fiction program, arguably the best graduate writing program focused solely on genre fiction in the country. Mentoring these exceptionally talented young writers has been a rewarding—and eye-opening—experience. SHU brings in various publishing experts during their residencies (agents, editors, authors, etc.) and I’ve had the chance to have numerous conversations with not only these professionals but also the students as well. Whenever I brought up the topic of men reading and writing romance and erotic fiction (and I’ve reviewed both categories for decades, as you know), there were always a few women who essentially said that the vast majority of men just can’t write satisfying romantic storylines. I have heard this from not only industry professionals and students but also, years earlier, from readers who followed me on BN.com.

And get this! About a decade ago, when I was writing science fiction and fantasy reviews for BN.com, they wanted me to start writing paranormal romance reviews for them. Great, right? But they told me that women would have reservations about the validity of the reviews if they were written by a man. So I had to write under a female pseudonym! (Hello, my name is Caprice Damani…)

I find it highly ironic that so many iconic 19th century female writers had to write under male pseudonyms (Louisa May Alcott, Mary Ann Evans, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Karen Blixen, etc.) in order to be taken seriously. And that stigma is still alive and well… Alice B. Sheldon writing as James Tiptree, Jr., Alice Norton writing as Andre Norton, Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb, the list goes on and on. And J.K. Rowling even used her initials because her publisher thought that the target audience for the Harry Potter novels—middle grade boys—might be put off a series written by a woman.

The prejudices and stigmas surrounding gender and genre fiction are simply ridiculous: a good story is a good story regardless of whether it was written by a man or a woman. It’s sexism, plain and simple.

So I set out to prove that men could not only enjoy reading romance, they could write it too. I took it as a challenge. Could I get a romantic short story published? Would readers enjoy it? That’s where the inspiration for writing “Old Fashioned with a Twist” came from. And, honestly, I LOVE how that story turned out. It’s sexy and sweet and the ending is so perfect!

A few months later, I was approached by an author (Carrie) who wanted to know if I was interested in writing a novella for an anthology her and some other prominent writers were putting together. She said the theme was Viking romance/erotica. Although I look like a Viking, I had never written anything like that before. Knowing that Mark Henry (a writer whom I deeply respect) was also writing a novella for the collection, I agreed. I was curious how not only his story would compare to mine but also how our stories would compare to the stories written by the three women writers. Would there be any noticeable difference? Would readers care? I took it as another challenge—and I think I wrote a pretty damn good story!

The last time we spoke you mentioned the only reason you agreed to contribute to this anthology was because it was self published.
Tell us why.

I’m a big supporter of self-publishing. Like the stigma of men writing romance, there has been a stigma surrounding self-publishing for decades. The thinking is that if a work is self-published, it has been universally rejected by traditional publishing—and that’s just not true. As a reviewer for BlueInk (a website dedicated to having industry experts review self-published works), I’ve read more than a few masterworks in the last few years. Yes, masterworks—novels that are just as good, if not better, than anything being released by traditional publishers.

And I know what you’re thinking, Deb! Yes, there is a lot of crap being self-published—and this has always been true. But you know what? There is a lot of crap being traditionally published too. As a reader, it’s always wise to do a bit of research before buying any release. What do the reviews say? What do your fellow book lovers and book bloggers say?

In today’s publishing landscape, there is an undeniable freedom associated with self-publishing: creative freedom and, potentially, financial freedom. You publish the work. You make the money. Of course, it’s very much more complicated than that but knowing that I could write ANYTHING for this anthology—and that the other writers were going to unleash their creative beasts—was very exciting. As a reviewer, I get bored easily so I wanted to write something singularly unique. Wildflower in Snøw is a fusion of erotic romance, mythic fantasy, and apocalyptic fiction, with a bit of existential philosophy as well. It’s lyrical and brutal and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like it!

Speaking of writing romance, what is it about writing romance that appeals to you?

Reading for me—and this goes back to when I was a kid—has always been about the literary escapism. By immersing myself in a book, I could temporary forget about my own existence and live vicariously through a limitless number of characters: albino sorcerers, space explorers, evil witches, young wizards, ruthless killers, ill-fated lovers, whatever…. it was very much like magic to me, and still is. There is an undeniable power in creating and experiencing that magic, that sense of wonder. The magic of a romance, at least for me, is that intimate, emotional connection between two people. Think about it: a good romance affects readers; it touches them on a deep, emotional level. If I’m reading a romance and the storyline actually moves me on the emotional spectrum—by making my heart race uncontrollably or bringing me to tears—that’s powerful magic to me. My goal in writing “Old Fashioned with a Twist” and Wildflower in Snøw was to recreate that magic. If readers can immerse themselves in my characters’ reality and live vicariously through them for a little while, I feel like I’ve succeeded.

Paul we used to both moderate for the now defunct Barnes & Noble online book clubs. I miss the camaraderie shared there between the members and the other moderators. And I’ve yet to find the same feeling anywhere else.
What do you miss most about “the good old days”?

 Well, I remember back when Barnes & Noble was about books and everyone I knew who worked for B&N—from the home office to the various brick-and-mortar stores—were book people. The forums were a gathering of book people from all over the world… it was wonderful to have a place to go where so many diverse readers could gather and chat. It was a blast. I miss those days terribly…

You also write poetry.
Have you published any lately?

 I write poetry for my wife when I can but I haven’t written poetry for commercial purposes in many years. And here we go with another stigma: poetry is boring and largely unpalatable to the masses. I’ve loved poetry ever since I was a kid and I even self-published two collections of poetry back when I was in my ‘20s. I did performance poetry back then with a guitar player and one of my goals was to make poetry interesting to people who would never seek out and read it.  We performed wherever we could: coffee houses, youth centers, bars… we even opened up for a Metallica tribute band once! I’ve been hoping for poetry in general to experience some kind of renaissance but I’m not holding my breath…

Paul you’re a pretty busy guy, family man, professor, book reviewer, blogger, + more.
Are you a fan of schedules or are you more a seat of your pants kind of man?

Well, I still write quite a few reviews for PW, Kirkus, BlueInk, etc. and there are always weekly deadlines looming so I have a to-do queue. I focus on whatever work is due next—a review, a blog, critiquing a student’s submission, whatever. So, yeah, the seat of my pants!

Its that festive time of year again.
Does the Allen family partake in any special family holiday traditions?

Nothing really exciting… I have two daughters and they still enjoy going to pick out a tree, hanging up all of the ornaments, making snowpeople in the backyard, etc. My wife’s family is Italian so I always look forward to the numerous get-togethers with the extended family and the mountains of food that I’m forced to consume!

Paul thanks so much for taking time to chat with me. Good luck in all your endeavors!

Thank you, Deb—and thanks for the chat. I hope I didn’t ramble on too much…

My Review of Wildflower in Snow by Paul Goat Allen

Disclaimer- I have not read the entire anthology.

Who ever said men can’t write romance never read a story by PGA. His short story in the Rise of the Northmen anthology, Wildflower in the Snow, is romantic, evocative and sometimes playful and an entertaining story in an economy of words. His hostile environment is the perfect backdrop for his tale of forbidden love and his stars are outlandishly believable. If you want more from this Renaissance man pick up the anthology Christmas Nookies where you can read his great short story, Old Fashioned with a Twist. See my review on goodreads HERE.

In the far north a once thriving Viking community is slowly dying, her residents are succumbing to various mysterious afflictions and deadly unknown diseases leaving empty decaying buildings where once commerce and everyday life used to flourish. Her once mighty chieftain has gone from leader to marauder and murderer leaving the remaining inhabitants without direction and guidance. But there are two who may have found a way out if they can keep their love a secret until they make their escape.

Connect with Paul - Website - Facebook - Twitter

MEET PAUL:

Paul Goat Allen is a book reviewer specializing in genre fiction—and that includes everything from Apocalyptic fiction to Zombie erotica (yes, it’s a thing). Over the last two decades, he has written more than 7,500 reviews for companies like The Chicago Tribune, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and BarnesandNoble.com. He has published one novel and two collections of poetry, is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, and has a way better beard than you

Today's Gonereading item:

Of Mice and Men mug
Click HERE for the buy page