When trying to choose which author to interview for this month's newsletter, I got a lot of suggestions. My final choice has a lot to do Gay Authors. Since we see him all over the website, I thought it might be fun to sit down and talk with him. There were many other people suggested, ever published authors, but I felt we needed to get to know ourselves a little better before we venture out.

We caught up with Myr recently at Dinosaur Barbeque in Rochester, New York. We grabbed a table by the window overlooking the Genesee River. Myr was on his way to class when we started the interview.

Myr, you don't have to look very hard to see that your name is all over the Gay Authors Website. What exactly is your relationship with Gay Authors?

"I guess you can call me the CEO of Gay Authors. I am the webmaster and make most of the decisions for GA for the owner."

How long has it been going on? What inspired you to join?

"I started Gay Authors back in 2002, but I didn't give it much attention until August of 2003. The main reason I started it was to have a place where readers and writers could interact. It would encourage, we the writers to write, and it would encourage the readers to interact with us. It is rather hard to write in a bubble."

So, how long have you been writing?

"I've been writing for over 15 years now, but I didn't start sharing anything until November 2001. I was working hard on Harry Potter and the Parliament of Dreams the morning of September 11, 2001. It had been my intention to start releasing that story the next week. But due to the event, I postponed my release and my writing until November of 2001."

How many stories have you written?

"Hmmmm... that's a tough one. I have several hundred files in my writing folders. Most of it will never see the light of day. Some of it I have posted in Sneak Peaks to try to figure out what people would like to see more of. My very first story was about a D&D character I made a very long time ago. Elements of that story have been added to other works... some of which have been seen."

What "type" of story do you most like to write? (ie., fanfic, highschool, sci-fi, etc)

"My favorite type of story, hands down, is fantasy. If there is a fantasy book with a young man/teen as a main character, especially if he has some magical talent, then it is likely to be a story I'd enjoy a lot. If he also happens to be gay, then the story wins," Myr said with a wink.

"Kirith Kirin is a good example of a published book. Gone From Daylight by Comicality, Eternal Dream by Corey Perez, The Kandric Saga by Kyle Aarons, are all examples of good net fiction. I have tried to venture slightly out of my normal fantasy writing with Psionic Corps, which seems pretty popular. I kind of view Fanfics as a way to practice certain elements of writing. I purposely set out writing HP & the PoD because I knew I'd get feedback from the very large fanbase. Hands down, the reason I still share what I write is because of the wonderful initial response I got when I started to release PoD."

What is your most popular story? And why do you think that is?

"My most popular story is Harry Potter and the Parliament of Dreams. I think that is largely due to the huge base of HP fanfiction readers out there though. The sleeper hit that people make the most noise about is Aryn. To the Aryn fans out there, I have a rough outline for a novella of about 30,000 words for you. So, rest assured, it is coming. So is the next chapter of PoD. And the next chapter of Psionic Corps."

A lot of writers say their characters dictate their own feelings and actions ... that they take on a life and personality of their own. Do you find that to be true?

"Yes, most definitely. HP and the PoD was written without an outline. I knew where I was going to end up, but I had no idea how I was going to get there. I tend to write in spurts. Most of my chapters get written in one or two days of intense writing frenzy. Unfortunately for those waiting for the next PoD chapter, I can never tell when those characters are going to talk to me."

When writing FanFics, do you find it difficult to keep characters' personalities true to their published ones? Or do you take creative license and just have at it?

"Well, with Harry Potter, JKR's characters are unbelievably flat for the most part. I seem to be pretty good at mimicry of style. As such, I set out in the first few chapters of PoD to explain WHY certain characters were starting to act differently from canon. After I established why characters could or would be different, I took creative license to do with them as I saw fit."

What inspires you to write? You're not making any money off this, so what exactly is it that drives you to write?

"This is actually two different questions: "What inspires me to write?" and "What inspires me to share my writing?" I write because I enjoy writing. I will always write. I share my writing for one reason: Feedback."

When and where are you when you're at your creative best? What time of day? Do you listen to music? If so, what?

"I'm at my best in my bedroom/office. Writing strikes me at all sorts of times. I often think about scenes when I shower or when I'm just falling asleep or waking up. I write whenever the mood strikes. I have been jolted out of sleep at 3 in the morning to write. I do listen to music when writing. I never listen to anything with words in it, but I do have a special "writing" playlist on Winamp. At the moment, I'm listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack. My mixed writing list includes a lot of stuff from John Williams (I love brassy music when I write) Trevor Rabin's "Titan's Spirit" from Remember the Titans. The theme music from Baldur's Gate and BG 2. The Main theme from Spiderman. The Star Trek 4 theme. I really cool Irish piece Leahy - B minor. The Fox Football theme by Republica. The Galaxy Quest Theme. Anything by Hans Zimmer, though the music from Backdraft and The Rock are particular favorites. The Back to the Future main themes from 1 and 3. Those tend to me enough to keep me moving. They are all uplifting too."

Have you always wanted to write? Did any one thing inspire you to start writing?

"I was always looking for ways to keep my mind busy and writing helped. Trying to work out my feelings of being gay was the largest driving force to my writing."

If your high school English teacher could read what you've written, what would he/she say?

"My high school English teacher was my favorite teacher in high school. But I had her more than that. I had her for most of 7th grade, then I saw her quite a bit in 9th grade. I had her in 11th grade and 12th. I think she rather purposely got me in her 11th grade class, and I requested her for 12th. I needed some extra credit one quarter and she was giving free-form book assignments. I asked her to suggest a book and she handed me "A Separate Peace". If you haven't read the book, it is probably the most ambiguously gay book you can come across in high school literary circles. In fact, there is even one scene where the main character is staring at another boy's backside. I didn't think about it at the time much, as I was still accepting my sexuality at the time. I think she knew though. I think she'd love my writing, to be honest. She always did in school, because "you have heart in your writing, and it shows".

Do you know how a story is going to end before you start writing it, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants?

"I usually have a very basic idea, then I fly by the seat of my pants."

How important is it to "flesh" out your characters, to give them depth? How do you do that?

"I hate to have flat characters, so I try to give them depth. I usually try to give them an emotional depth and try to get the reader attached to whatever plight they have."

Do you write more than one story at a time?

"Yes. I'm currently working on: Psionic Corp 3, Prince and the Ranger 2, HP PoD 29, HP PoD 35 (?), a Valdemar fanfiction, Aryn, Chosen One, Mindmaster, and several other projects."

How do you handle writer's block?

"When I get writer's block on one story, I switch to something else."

At this point in the interview, Myr had to excuse himself to make it to class on time, but agreed to meet me back at the Dinosaur when it was over. Dinosaur Barbeque actually occupies what used to be the Lehigh Valley Train Station in the heart of downtown Rochester, so I took the opportunity to walk around downtown.

A few hours later, we sat back down at Dinosaur. Myr order his favorite Captain Morgan and Coke. Being the professional I am, I ordered a double Makers Mark and Coke and we continued the interview.

What do you think about all the news on national tv about gay marriage?

"I'm for civil unions, but against gay marriage. I don't think we should amend the Constitution of the United States to ban marriage, unless it legalizes Civil Unions at the same time."

Boxers or briefs? Sorry, I had to ask. Hehehe.

"Briefs usually. Boxers occasionally, but if I wear them, it's usually at night."

What part of the world do you live in? Is it gay tolerant there?

"I live in upstate New York. I've spent most of the last 8 years in Rochester, NY, which is considered the one of the most "Gay Friendly" cities in the East according to 365gay.com. Rochester is certainly a great place to live."

How out of the closet are you?

"I'm out to my parents and a handful of friends. People have no clue unless I tell them."

Are you in a relationship?

"No."

How old are you ... not physically, but mentally? Everybody thinks of themselves as a particular age. What's yours?

"I've always been older than my age... I was more mature at 10 than most of the college kids I've seen. But I don't think of myself as a particular age, though I'll be 27 in a few months."

What do you do for a living?

"I'm an engineer for a small manufacturing company."

Myr, thanks for sharing this time with our readers. It is through author interviews like this that we all get to know each other a little better. Good luck in your writing and maybe we can sit down and chat again soon. By the way, the Carolina Style Barbeque Sandwich was great!