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Author Profile Josephine Myles

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Today I’m profiling author Josephine Myles from Great Britain who is well known to most of the readers who are regulars on the site and also in her own right as an author. Profiles are different from interviews because you get to ask the questions, not me, and I think that Jo is an ideal candidate because she’s so multi faceted. She has a lot of spunk and is never short of opinions on any topic you care to introduce, which is how I met her. 😆 I wanted to profile her so that you could get to know the real Jo *not sure that’s a good thing, but what the hell* 😈

Jo is very talented and was one of the authors who spearheaded the recent Tea and Crumpet and British Flash anthologies which celebrate “Britishness” – i.e. what it means to be queer in Britain past and present. Jo had a major role in acquisition and subsequent editing of the stories, not an easy task. Here’s what she has to say about herself : 🙂

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Hi there, I’m Josephine Myles, but seeing as how that’s a bit of a mouthful, you can call me Jo. I’ve been writing gay erotic short stories for the last couple of years, and now finally have my first novel coming out tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me onto the site, Wave!

So who am I? Well, I’ve never been particularly good at doing what was expected of me, as I have a rebellious streak a mile wide. I also have an insatiable curiosity about the world around me and truly believe real life is much stranger than fiction. Fortunately, these dubious qualities, combined with a rather feckless existence moving between countless jobs and addresses, have proved invaluable as a writer. The two years spent living on a narrowboat were particularly inspiring, and when at parties I still like to bore enthrall listeners with watery tales.

I’m still not entirely sure why I’ve landed myself a gay muse who insists I write him plenty of smut, but hey, I’m not complaining! At the moment he keeps muttering in my ear about how I really should write him some BDSM. I keep threatening him with a big stick, but I think the idea of getting hit excites him. Come to think of it, that’s probably why he wants the BDSM…

I live in Somerset, England, with a long-suffering husband and mischievous daughter. I have a habitual preference for comedy rather than tragedy, am addicted to tea and allergic to housework. Honest. I’ve got a doctor’s note and everything.

Hope you enjoy the stories,

Jo x

Jo has quite a backlist for someone who hasn’t been writing very long. She has written many short stories, most of them published in anthologies, as well as a couple of ‘shorts.‘ Some of her published stories are shown below starting with the two projects she spearheaded – Tea and Crumpet and British Flash. This is some of what she said when I interviewed her back in July and asked how she and a group of authors managed to persuade British writers to be part of this project where they would be donating their talents:

“A combination of threats and bribery! Seriously, I was amazed and extremely grateful that so many talented and popular writers submitted stories, especially as we couldn’t offer any kind of remuneration and I’ve never edited an anthology before.”

….. and about the process

“A very steep learning curve, but an awful lot of fun. I think my favourite moments were reading stories from first time authors and discovering some absolute gems. That gave me a real buzz.”

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Here are some of Jo’s stories

Tea and Crumpet (UK MAT) –  Blooming Marvellous

Respectable businessman James isn’t the type who usually ends up on a community service order, but streetwise graffiti artist Ky is more than happy to show him the ropes. Attraction blossoms over the municipal flowerbeds, but what future could there possibly be for two so very different men?


British Flash (UK MAT) – Giving it Up

Gay men can’t donate blood without breaking the rules, can they? A student protester caught in the act is mortified to have to explain himself to the bloke he fancies.

 

First Impressions (TQ)

When ugly socks attract.

Surly artist Jez just can’t help staring at the brightly colored socks of the businessman who sits opposite him on the train every day. He weaves a whole history for the mysterious stranger in a vain attempt to stave off his attraction, but it only ends up feeding his bizarre obsession. Then one hot morning, Jez finally snaps and starts sketching…

 

 

 

Getting Better (TQ) –  Last Chance (First Impressions #3)

Finding the strength to face up to your past is much easier with the love of a good man.

Surly artist Jez can hardly believe his good fortune in ending up in domestic bliss with a warmhearted man like Steve, but one morning a letter arrives, stirring up old hurts. Jez finds it hard to believe Steve will still want him when he reveals his sorry history. Steve, however, is determined to prove that he loves Jez just the way he is — and he’ll even do it before he finishes knitting his first pair of socks…

 

 

The Handsome Prince – The Frog Prince

When diffident bookseller Simon Goodchild volunteers for the Henley Organic Allotment group, he’s only looking for a way to spend more time with its charismatic leader, Jasper Fitzroy. An evening helping frogs cross the road isn’t Simon’s idea of a hot date, but the horny amphibians bring the two men closer together…

 

When a Man Loves a Man – Halfway Up the Stairs

When Charlie wakes up alone and remembers arguing with his boyfriend the night before, it seems like nothing will resolve the situation. Josh wants them to move, but Charlie is too attached to the house. It’s not just all the work he’s put into it, though, it’s all the memories. One memory in particular, of standing hidden halfway up the stairs, watching and wanting…

 

 

 

Insta Love – Dreamspinner Press

When Skip wakes up next to a naked man, his first impulse is to kick the stranger out as quickly as possible, especially when the stranger wants to stay and get to know him better. It turns out that the previous night was Wildman’s first experience with a mood patch, and Skip treats his affectionate advances with cynicism, believing them to be nothing more than the aftereffects of the Insta-Love™. But attraction and mixed emotions will fool them both as they learn more about love.

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Jo’s first novel Barging In will be released by Samhain Publishing on Tuesday, September 20 and she’s going on a blog tour to celebrate this event. Here’s some information and a link to the tour.  All comments during the tour will be entered into a prize draw for a 10 x7 signed and mounted print of her photograph of the Kennet and Avon canal, near Bath –  used on the cover of Barging In! The draw is on October 2nd and to enter you need to leave your email address in the body of your comments so that Jo can get in touch with the winner. This site does not do blog tours but it seems that timing is everything, so unofficially I guess this is the first stop on the tour.

Jo will be giving away a copy of Barging In to one of the commenters on her profile. I know you have lots of questions – she lived on a damn boat for chrissakes!!!

Ever the opportunist, Jo asked me to remind you to visit her website for saucy free reads and regular blog posts.

Jo’s Contact Information

website: http://josephinemyles.com/
email: josephine_myles@yahoo.co.uk

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49 comments

  • Jen

    Coincidently, I only just stumbled across Josephine Myles on ARe a few days ago. First Impressions and Fuzzy were just delightful and I look forward to reading more.

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Jen – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed Jez and Steve. They’re two characters who just won’t move out of my mind entirely. I foresee a Christmas freebie short story featuring those two, with all of Steve’s crazy socks hanging on the mantelpiece 😀

  • Prue

    Jo’s blog is an active and exciting place so I’m off on the Blog Tour.

    There are some awesome pictures on this page – thanks for brightning up my Monday morning 😀

    What I’d like to know, Jo, is how you combine writing about real-life issues which can be hard, tragic even and yet still maintain that lightness and humour – I suspect there’s no easy answer to this question 🙂 – it’s a wicked combination though!

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Prue! Excellent question, and almost impossible to answer too… I often don’t realise I’ve written something humorous until people point it out to me, as that’s just the way my mind makes sense of the world.

      I suspect it’s simply a reflection of my innate outlook on life. I know the world can be a scary, hostile place and I want my stories to be grounded in reality, yet at the same time I think we have to laugh in the face of fear. The late, great Bill Hicks (who was a closet Taoist) said “life is just a ride” and we should enjoy it while we can and not take it too seriously. I’m inclined to agree with him 🙂

  • Tam

    Hi Jo. *waves vigorously* Congrats on your new release tomorrow, I know it’s going to be a success. Good luck with all your upcoming works, I have to say your stories are always a win for me. 🙂

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Tam! *waves back grinning like a madwoman*

      Thank you so much – it’s been lovely to discover reviewers and bloggers out there with an appreciation of the short story form. I love a well-crafted short story and you and the team at Brief Encounters are doing a great job of critiquing them 😀

  • Feliz

    Hi Jo,

    congratulations on your new release! I’m looking forward to read the “Tea and Crumpet” anthology soon as I like author’s “british” voices very much (blame it on an old infatuation with Miss Marple and Dorothy Sayers’s mysteries…). Are you going to continue to work as an editor?
    And, cause I’m nosy like this: What is a narrowboat and what did you do there?

    :cow: Pirate day? 😮

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Feliz!

      Thank you so much – I hope you enjoy T&C – it’s definitely one of the most “British” GLBTQ anthologies I’ve read… well, okay, the only one apart from British Flash if I’m being brutally honest.

      The UK MAT team are definitely planning on editing another anthology for next year’s Meet, but I wouldn’t want to do two again as the workload was phenomenal. I have no particular ambitions to edit as I’d much rather write, but it was a fantastic learning experience and it has really shaped my understanding of what good editing is, and how much time and effort it takes.

      As for narrowboats – they’re a traditional boat on the English canals, and have a beam (width) of 7 feet or less in order to navigate through the locks on our waterways. They don’t have a keel so you can’t take them out on the ocean, but you’ll see them on many of our larger rivers as well as the canals.

      Years ago narrowboats were used for transporting heavy cargo, but these days they’re used purely as either hire boats for holidays/daytrips, or as homes.

      As for what I did on my narrowboat? Pretty much everything! I cooked, made wine, drank wine, had friends over – about the only things we couldn’t do there were take baths and use a washing machine – the water tank was too small. I lived on it all year round for two and a half happy years, but after my daughter came along it did start to feel a bit cramped so we moved back to dry land 🙂

      • Feliz

        Now that you explained it, I recall my parents hired something like that for a canal tour some 15 years ago somewhere in England (on the Wash river?). Must have been so cool! (as in great, not freezing, mind you…;-))

        Good editing is priceless, no two ways about it.

  • Helena

    Awesome pic!!! I should have visited when I was in the area 🙂
    So, did you get also the top pic of the cover? 😯
    Thank you for this profiling and congrats on the new release 😎

    • Josephine Myles

      Oh yes, it’s a lovely place to visit if you’re in Bath, although most tourists tend to stay in the city and never venture out that far.

      Hehe, I wish! Just imagine what I could do with a photography studio and an endless stream of gay models… I’d never get any writing done! 😉

      Thanks Helena – I’m feeling insanely excited and nervous about tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s nearly here! :happydance:

      • Wave

        To make you even more nervous Jo, LeslieS. is posting his review of Barging In on wednesday. tee hee. 😀

        Christian and his damn “Talk Like a Pirate Day” is driving me crazy. He even wanted me to find a book about a pirate to review. 😮

        I hope you enjoy being on the site more than you usually do.

        • Josephine Myles

          Now you’re just being mean, teasing me like that!

          Speaking of gay pirates, take a look at this video – although I warn you, you’ll end up humming it all day!

          I have an academic book about gay pirates on my shelves I keep meaning to read, called Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. Why do I get the feeling the title makes it sound more exciting than it’s going to be?

          • Wave

            “Rum, Sodomy and the Lash?” This is an academic book??? Good Lord!!

            Psst You won’t be unhappy with the review but don’t tell Leslie I mentioned it or he will give me 40 lashes, and force me to drink gallons of rum. *don’t know about the sodomy part though* 😯 😮

            I saw the video and was it ever funny. You’re right about the song – it is catchy. 🙂

          • Josephine Myles

            @ Lasha (since WP won’t let me reply directly to her comment, let’s see if this works!)

            Thanks! I’m glad to know it’s a good read, although I’m wary that if I do read it, I’ll have to write something about pirates…

  • Raine

    I’m really looking forward to reading your book I have had my eye on the release date for a while.

    Who are your favourite M/M authors?

    Hope you have a great time tomorrow.

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Raine – that’s great to hear! Thank you so much 😀

      My all time favourite three m/m authors have to be K.A. Mitchell, Jordan Castillo Price and Josh Lanyon, but there are a huge number of other authors I love too. I’m mainly a fan of contemporaries, and always enjoy reading Heidi Cullinan, Marie Sexton, Ethan Day, JL Merrow, Clare London, Jaye Valentine… and many others. I’m worried I’ll leave someone out now! Basically, anyone who can write complex, difficult and lovable characters, then throw in some scorching hot sex. If they can make me laugh too then they’re definitely onto a winner :yes:

    • Josephine Myles

      Hey Idamus! 😀 *Hugs back*

      I think you already know the answer to this one, but for the benefit of anyone else reading, it was a piece of Torchwood fanfiction about two years ago. I was distressed at having my favourite character killed off and really wanted to put things right. Writing a story where a Ianto from a parallel universe took his place seemed to be the best solution, although the story ended up at novella length which I’d never expected – also I found myself writing smut which was never part of the original plan. Still, it was a proper romance and I think it’s a fairly good bit of writing even if I was just cutting my teeth on it.

      I didn’t write fanfiction for very long as I soon realised it was much more exciting to make up my own characters and settings, but I’m grateful for the experience as it taught me a lot about the process of writing a longer story 🙂

  • LadyM

    Oh, Jo, I too suffer from housework allergies. There’s nothing like ironing or vacuuming to bring tears to my eyes. 😥 😀

    I enjoyed British Flash a lot (and that cover!) and I have Tea and Crumpet on my long, looooong reading list, though, I admit it, Barging In will probably make the top of that list earlier. The Product Warning made sure of that. 😆

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi LadyM – thanks for stopping by to say hello 🙂

      Ha! You’ve just named my two least favourite household chores there – I avoid them at all costs! Strangely enough, though, I do love sharpening knives and polishing boots…

      I’ve always loved the Samhain product warnings – it was a real blast to be able to write my own! 😆

  • rdafan7

    I’ve already pre-ordered “Barging In” because I adored the excerpt…can’t wait to read more with Dan & Robin (I also love that cover (grin:)
    I’ll be sure to check out the other stories listed as well.

    Life on a narrowboat sounds like a challenge, what did you miss most when you were living on one?
    What was your favorite memory from having lived on the boat?

    • Josephine Myles

      Yay – thanks rdafan7! The cover certainly seems to be doing a good job of attracting interest – although I’m not surprised, given what the two guys are up to at the top :flirt:

      What I missed most? I think it has to be the washing machine. And the bath. It’s kind of strange to be living on the water, yet having to limit your use of it so strictly because you only have a small tank on board. Not that you’d want to bathe in murky canal water… :fish:

      As for my favourite memory? There are many, but I think I’ll go for the duck flying inside. She was a real cutie!

  • Clare London

    Great to see you here Jo and congrats on the new release! I’m looking forward to welcoming you on my blog next week, too, you’ll be all Blogged Out at this rate :).

    I’ve spent several holidays on narrowboats though I’m not sure I’d want to live on one full-time. But what I love is the way it forces us (i.e. me!) to slow down and move at a more relaxed pace. See the world as you pass by!

    What I love in your fiction is the blend of romance, drama and wit – especially British wit! Do you really think there’s a vast difference in humour in different countries, or are the principles the same? Also, do you ever find yourself holding back because you’re worried your readers won’t understand a joke that’s too specific to the UK?

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Clare – lovely to see you too! Yeah, I’m feeling blogged out today, all right!

      The canal does force you to slow right down, doesn’t it? I love that way of life. Boaters have a totally different concept of time, and hardly any of them seem to wear watches.

      As for the humour – yes, I have had to hold back on certain gags when they’ve been based on very British word usage or aspects of our popular culture. I’ll let the odd one slip through now and then (it was fun doing that in Tea and Crumpet), but on the whole I think it’s offputting to readers from other countries so I do resist the urge. Fortunately, and awful lot of humour translates across international boundaries. Slapstick in particular, and all kinds of absurdist humour.

      My favourite kind of humour is situation comedy, where your expectations are built up for one scene outcome, and then it’s something completely different and possibly ridiculous. I’m fairly sure that type of comedy is universal, especially if everyone knows the genre conventions. I like leading people in one direction and then pulling the rug out from under their feet 😀

    • Josephine Myles

      Hi Lou! :hug:

      Ah, Jane Austen. She hated Bath, yet they have a museum to her there! 😕

      The idea of all that research is so daunting, yet I have to admit the urge is there. I have an idea for a novella set in the 1970s – I’m not sure if that’s long enough ago to qualify, but I’m fairly certain I’ll write that one over the next year or two. It calls to me…

  • Ella Jane

    I can’t wait for the release tomorrow! My questions: what do you like most and least about writing? And do you have a ritual you perform to get in the zone when you write a smutty scene? Deets please. 🙂

    • Josephine Myles

      Thanks Ella!

      What I like most and least… Hmm – I think the excitement of a new idea has to be the best bit. Before you begin writing the story looks so perfect. I also love it when my characters take control of a scene, even if it is alarming at times.

      What I like least about writing is staying focused on longer pieces, and working through the difficult part where the crisis is building towards the end. Sometimes it’s so painful to have to drag the characters through it – I don’t like seeing them suffer, but it’s necessary for a really satisfying read.

      Uh, smut rituals? I make a cup of tea to help relax (I drink a lot of tea), then I spend a long time sitting there in front of the computer with my eyes closed, trying to feel the scene in every last little detail. I want to know all the sensory feedback the character would be getting, and exactly how it makes them feel. It can be intense and I usually find writing the smutty bits mentally exhausting. I end up having to go and lie down to recover 😉

  • Eden Winters

    Congrats on tomorrow’s release! :hurrah: I so loved First Impressions. I’ve thought of that story several times when I caught a glimpse of a particularly flashy pair of socks. Who knew socks could bring two people together?

  • Buda

    Congrats on the new release, Jo. I just have to say Barging In has the most exquisite cover. Just, wow! Can’t wait to read it now. (I know, I know. I’m easy–I mean easily influenced.)

    • Josephine Myles

      Thank you Buda! It’s so good to hear that about the cover – isn’t it hot?! I was amazed to see such a raunchy picture on there when I was sent the proof – not that I’m complaining or anything… 😉

  • PD Singer

    “When ugly socks attract” has to be the best blurb hook ever! And the story lived up to it.

    I did the tourist “river trip” in Bath about 100 years ago (ok, 17) and never suspected a network of canals attached. Silly American. Must read and learn. And drool. I know someone who’s been looking smug about having read “Barging In” already. Can I smack her for gloating?

    • Josephine Myles

      Thanks Pam – it was my most inspired blurb writing moment ever, I think. Wish I could come up with hooks like that every time…

      Actually, 17 years ago the canal system might not have been in very good shape. It was allowed to fall into disrepair for a long time, before a concerted effort was made to maintain them in the 80s and 90s.

      And yes, smack away. Was it Chris? or Tam? I dunno, these book bloggers who get sent ARCs… 😉

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