Featured Interview With Blake Allwood
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Lamoni, Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once gay marriage was legalized. In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.
Typically, Blake can be found relaxing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs demanding attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. When I was still too small to read them, my granny, whom I adored, would put books in my hand and then tell me about her love for them. Naturally, I learned to love books from her. When I was in high school, the librarian put Mary Stewart’s book in my hand and said, “try this…” I did and have loved romance novels since then.
All I can say is how lucky I have been to have such strong role models in my life.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is probably still Nora Roberts, although I’ve begun to love Lucy Lennox, Lily Morton, and other MM romance authors as well.
What’s my favorite genre? I love romance, but also fantasy. I’ve recently found some urban fantasies YA novels that I’ve fallen in love with.
Who inspires me? I think people, in general, inspire me. I write MM/gay romance, and most of my works either come from my own experiences or from people I speak to about them.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just released Love’s Legacy, which is the first book in my Big Bend Series. The special thing about this book is that it’s based in West Texas just outside the Big Bend National Park. I fell in love with the enormous park when I visited there a few years back.
Naturally, because it’s Texas, I needed to incorporate a little paranormal activity in it as well.
These three books are definitely different from my other writing. They also took a couple of years to write. Mostly because they aren’t standalone books, but also because of all the research I had to do about the area.
I love genealogy and have been learning so much about my ancestors lately so that’s influenced these books as well. What would happen if your distant ancestors could help you? Would you want to know them? Would it be creepy? The answer for most of us is yes on both parts. So, naturally, I made that part of these books.
The Big Bend Series is full of suspense, a few cliffhangers, yeah I know… sorry, but also lots of love and support from their friends and family.
In the end, this series has been the most difficult books I’ve written, but also the most rewarding.
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