The lovely Lynette S. Hoag is a writer and lawyer. She writes speculative fiction, horror, and romantic fantasy. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Order of Respectable Quill Drivers, a critique group formed by Mary Robinette Kowal. Her writing has appeared in SLAY! Stories of Vampire Noire, the Alphabet of Horror Series G is for Genies, StoneCrop Review Vol 3: Sky and Love Like This. She is married with one son. She lives in the eclectic, diverse community of Oak Park, Illinois. She can be found on Twitter @LeftBrainMom1, on Facebook as LeftBrainMom, or anywhere there are butterflies.
What is your favorite genre to read, and why?
My favorite genre is fantasy and currently, my favorite fantasy writers are Susanna Clarke and Sarah Pinsker. I like fantasy because it's "the real world" with a hint of magic. It could be true if you closed your eyes and wished it so.
I ordered a copy of Slay! Stories of Vampire Noire. I love a good blood-sucking tale. Tell us about your story in it, and did you have favorites from the book?
Slay! is fabulous. You will love it. My story is " 'Til Death" and it's best summarized by the logline: When Vampire Assassin, Amondi Jekesai, receives a phone call from a distraught husband, Talen Teasdale, about his ill wife, Amondi takes her pink Glock and Hellhounds to investigate.
My story was performed by the "Black Women Are Scary" Podcast on Feb 14, 2021. It comes alive! It's my first fiction publication.
My favorite stories in Slay! are "The Retiree" by Steven Van Patten, "Diary of a Mad Black Vampire" by Dice Grenor, and "Love Hangover" by Sheree Renee Thomas.
What prompted the very first story you ever wrote?
My son, Eric, learning to downhill ski. He was born for it. It's a creative non-fiction story and it was published in Powder Ski Magazine.
You're a lawyer, has that career path influenced any characters?
Yes. I don't write anything about lawyers, law,
or the like. "Boring." [Homer Simpson voice]. I try to stay as far from the law as the east is from the west.
Which of your stories are you most proud of?
"Angel Eyes" in Love Like This. I had an idea for a fun, sexy m/m story with lots of conflict, jealousy, love, and lovemaking. I took a complete flier and it worked! I thought other people would like my kind of "boys love" romance fantasy and I was right. Whew!!
Do you have any plans on expanding a story into a novel?
Oh, thanks for asking this one. I wrote a short story called "Caught" where a young man finds an angel caught in a demon trap. The angel is stuck on earth and they fall in love. I've been working out the beats to a novella called: "The Angel and the K-Pop Idol." My angel is too adorable. He looks like a 20-something Korean boy with a platinum ponytail that reaches to his knees and pink and platinum eyelashes. However, working out the story beats has been a bear. A fun bear, but a bear nonetheless.
Where would you like to see your writing go in the next year?
I would like to finish "The Angel and the K-Pop Idol" and be pitching it by this time next year. Since I only write part-time, it's a stretch goal.
Are you working on anything new right now?
I have a few short stories about angels that I've been editing and submitting for publication. My fairies took flight in "Angel Eyes," but I haven't gotten my angels off the ground yet. Fingers-crossed.
What things do you do when you begin a new story? Do you research names or character traits?
Great question! I have a love story I started inspired by -- what appears to me -- to be the love between Jung Kook and V/Taeyung of BTS. No slander meant. I think it's a beautiful story whether or not they are in fact gay. I can't tell if the world has changed and my boys can be in love and out in this world OR if I have to create a fantasy world where they can be out as lovers and still have their basic lives in South Korea. So I've got two versions of it going and I'll stick with the one that tugs at the heartstrings the most.
I have a list of 'hot guy and hot gal' names. When I'm done with the fanfic version, I'll change their names. Or not? Maybe I've got the chops to sell that fanfic. Only time will tell LOL.
What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I'm ARMY - a huge BTS fan. (Maybe not a surprise after reading my interview here). I ski and scuba dive too. No one expects any of those. I'm "a complex."
Leave a like or a comment, please!