Love and Lust: All about 'Pulp Friction 2014'
Pulp Friction is a series unlike any other I've ever read. It is a horizontal series of vertical series. Allow me to explain. Four authors — Laura Harner, Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows and T.A. Webb — each write five books in a series during the year. These vertical series are interlinked by location and sometimes by characters. At the end of the year the four authors combine to write a smashing finale. Then the next year it all starts over with a new cross-matched series. The first Pulp Friction was 2013, set in Atlanta. This year the stories are set near Flagstaff, Ariz. I'll give you the series blurb and a quick review of the 18 (yes, 18!) stories so far, but then I'll let the authors take over and tell you the behind-the-scenes stuff.
Be sure to read all the way through this post. There is a shocking revelation about Pulp Friction 2015 that you don't want to miss!
Pulp Friction 2014 Collection by Laura Harner, Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, T.A. Webb
What it's about (courtesy the authors):
Four authors. Four series. 20 books. (Note: Sometimes they sneak in an extra book or two.) One fiery finale. Spend a year with an eclectic group of strangers brought together through circumstances, as they are tested by life, and emerge as more than friends.
The strongest bonds are forged by fire, cooled by air, smoothed by water, grounded in earth.
Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.
The series includes:
Fighting Fire by Laura Harner
In From the Cold by Lee Brazil
Whispering Winds by Havan Fellows
Earthquake by T.A. Webb
The location: Mountain Shadows Campground, near Flagstaff, Arizona
Order of release (Rounds 1-4 are already out, Round 5 is coming soon):
Round One: Firestorm, Cold Snap, Blown Away, Higher Ground, Kismet and Cartwheels (bonus book)
Round Two: Controlled Burn, Cold Comfort, Blown Kisses, Moving Earth
Round Three: Backburn, Cold Feet, Blown Hard, Taking Chances (bonus book), Tremors
Round Four: Flare-up, Out In the Cold, Blown Chance, Aftershocks
Round Five: Radiant Burn, Cold Day in Hell, Final Blow, Terra Firma
The Finale
Why you should read it:
I often get so attached to the characters in a book that it's hard to let them go when the story is over. I call this a "book hangover." With the Pulp Friction Collection, I don't really have to let them go for a long time, actually a year, as each book leads to the next one in the series and characters from one series often pop up in another series, with exciting consequences.
The series begins with Scott McGregor, a wildfire fighter badly injured from a fire that killed most of his team, reunited with his college boyfriend during Scott's recovery. No longer able to be a firefighter, Scott buys a campground consisting of log cabins and a lodge. It is in these cabins that the other characters either already live or drift into them during the stories.
These are character-driven stories with intertwined plot lines that weave among the characters, often explaining motives and actions well after they are introduced. There is plenty of mystery, angst, hot loving, friendships developed and destroyed. Each author writes in his or her own voice so the variety of the books keeps the reader from ever becoming bored. I have loved all of the books so far and look forward eagerly to the last round and, with some trepidation, to the finale.
What the authors have to say …
Q: What is Pulp Friction? When did the four of you begin to write this series together? Why are the four of you involved in it?
A: Pulp Friction is a homage to the old pulp fiction books of the '50s and '60s. It's a series of short stories, all interconnected, which follows a common group of characters as they have adventures, face death and disaster, and fall in love.
We started talking about this back in 2012, and tossed the ball around about how this all could work with our writing schedules. Laura was the one who initially started the conversation, and as we talked about it, the excitement grew. There was a lot of planning, of course, and we had to figure out how the relationships between the characters worked. With nine major characters — three couples and one threesome — and quite a few supporting ones, we had to be in contact almost daily as the stories gelled.
Why us four? Laura and Tom (T.A.) were friends and writing partners, and Lee and Havan were too. We'd already all become friends and writing buddies — we keep a running conversation going and share writing with each other for critique and advice — so it was almost a natural progression. Yes, we all have different writing styles, but … we all add something to the mix and learn from each other. And it all works.
Q: What is the schedule for releasing new books in the series? How many books are released every year?
A: We release two installments per month, usually on the first and the 15th. Each author contributes five installments, for a total of 20. Plus, we all write the finale and publish it in December. So, a total of 21 separate installments per year.
Q: Tell me about the world for Pulp Friction 2014. Is it related to earlier Pulp Friction worlds? And what is meant by "world" in this context?
A: By world, we mean the milieu where we set the main action. Last year, it was in the metropolitan Atlanta area. This year, it's Flagstaff, Arizona. It's the same world we live in — no paranormal activity, shifters, any of that.
For Pulp Friction 2014, most of the action takes place at Mountain Shadows, a campground owned by one of the major characters. In this year's series, the relationships between the four authors' main characters are loose at best, if they exist at all. In last year's adventures, there were four main characters who had been friends for years and considered themselves brothers.
There is one thread that connects the two "worlds" initially — Cannon Malloy, a neurosurgeon from Atlanta who, in an attempt to escape from his problems, takes a teaching position in Flagstaff. As the year has unfolded, however, there have been other connections that came to light, and each of us have published a "bonus" book, most tying the Atlanta series to Flagstaff, although Laura brought a cowboy over from the Willow Springs Ranch series.
Q: Who are the major characters in Pulp Friction 2014?
Lee Brazil: Cannon Malloy is an arrogant, self-centered, intellectual. Southern aristocrat. Oh, and he was a hell of a pain in everyone's a** in Pulp Friction 2013. In the new year, he's come to terms with his identity as a gay man, but there are things about it that still elude him. He is searching for some mysterious quality either in the sex or the lover, that even he can't identify, but he'll know it when he finds it. Finn Lorensson is, in his own words, a white knight looking for a prince to save. Going through life thinking of yourself as a hero makes for a tough learning curve when you find out you're just as much a villain as the other guy when it comes to love.
So for me, Pulp Friction this year has been about turning the man everyone hated, Cannon, into a hero everyone can love, and then turning a hero into a man who discovers he's just as capable of treachery as the next man.
Havan Fellows: Rowen Smithe is a mystery — all that is known about him is that he's lived at Flagstaff for over a dozen years, he's grouchy when talked to and is quite experienced in tree climbing. Mick Rutger is introduced in Blown Away as Finn's best friend from college. He loves life and tends to stick his foot in his mouth ... a LOT.
There are layers to both of them that no one can see initially, but scratch the surface and, well ...
Laura Harner: Scott McGregor is a wildland firefighter who is critically injured saving a fellow firefighter during a wildland fire that kills 19 others. As a result, he loses his career, but the family of the man he rescued sells him their resort-style campground near Flagstaff. When Scott is medi-vacced, the name on his emergency contact card is his college lover — a man he hasn't seen in a dozen years. Robby Hammond is a man with his own losses and many secrets, but regardless of the circumstances in his own life, he comes to Flagstaff to help. Theirs is a story of love lost ... and found.
T.A. Webb: Charlie Turner is the 29-year-old owner of Turner and Sons Construction, the company his father started before his death 10 years ago. Charlie dropped out of college in order to help raise his younger brother, Damon, and hasn't dated since his college days. Amos Greene is 36, biracial, and an art dealer, the owner of Greene Gallery. He's arrogant, never spends more than one night with a man, and when he meets Charlie, who's been hired to do renovation work for him, the sparks fly.
Q: What can readers expect for Pulp Friction 2015?
A: New for 2015, we will be adding the wonderful Will Parkinson, who has been with us as proofreader and fact-checker extraordinaire since the beginning. He often remembers more about our characters than we do. With this addition, each author will publish four installments, so there will still be 20 shorts and one finale.
We are also proud to announce the 2015 series will be set in the Altered States World. For those unfamiliar with it, the setting is a parallel universe New Orleans where vampires and shifters "came out" three years ago when a police officer, who was killed in the line of duty by a vampire, had the bad grace to sit up in his coffin at his own funeral. There are currently three stories, written by Laura Harner and T.A. Webb, set in this world published — Altered States, Deep Blues Goodbye and Deadly Shades of Gold. A fourth, Free Falling Crimson, will be out before the end of this year.
Q: Where can readers find out more about Pulp Friction books and your works in progress?
A: We love to talk with readers. Most days, it's easy to find one or more of us at our Pulp Friction Love group on Facebook. We share photos, snippets from an upcoming book, or even a behind-the-scenes look at our plans for the future.
What new Pulp Friction member Will Parkinson (writing as Parker Williams) has to say ...
Becky: Why are you joining the Pulp Friction writing team? Will you continue to proofread and fact check for the group?
Will: Havan told me that I could answer that it had something to do with handcuffs and a peacock feather, but the truth of the matter is that I was overwhelmed when they asked me. This is a very tight-knit group, and the fact that they allowed me in was amazing. Then they told me that I would be writing with them in 2015. (Not asked, mind you.) I take direction well, and after much hemming and hawing, I agreed.
The best thing about this group is that they work together on a daily basis. They critique each other, they proof for one another, they do whatever they can to make the books a success. I'm honored when they allow me to read for them, and will continue to do so.
Becky: Have you given thought to what characters you would like to introduce to Pulp Friction 2015, knowing this is set in a world in which vampires and werewolves are known inhabitants of the New Orleans area?
Will: Laura gave me a suggestion for a story idea, and I went with it. (I hate it when she plants the seeds of a story in my head, because they all know it sticks in there until I write it out.) My main character is Tucker, and he's a vampire. I'd rather not say anything beyond that, because the others haven't selected their characters yet, and I want to ensure mine meshes with their ideas.
Becky: Will you continue to support authors with your Pride Promotions author assistance and event campaigns? Will you continue to co-write books with K.C. Wells? What are your writing plans for 2015?
Will: Yes. Pride Promotions is my job now. Since retiring from the hotel I worked at for 27 years, Pride and writing are now my full-time jobs. Writing with K.C.? Definitely yes! She and I have a book out in late September or early October called Damian's Discipline, book five in the Collars & Cuffs series. We have two other joint books in that series in various states of planning, too.
My personal goals for 2015? I've just finished a book called Protector of the Alpha that I'm hoping to have out this year. I'm starting on the sequel, which was given a name by Mary Phillips Wallace who thought it was a funny thing to say, but it turned out that the title was absolutely perfect. (No, won't say the title just yet.) I'm also hoping to get at least one more book out with K.C. by that time. Plus the four Pulp Friction books. They might seem like modest plans, but they're definitely more than I've ever planned for in my life.
Thank you to the Pulp Friction group for letting me play in their world, and thank you, Becky, for having me visit with yours.
Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.