Featured Interview With Brita Addams
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in a small town in upstate New York, but I’ve made my home in the sultry south for many years. I live in the Frog Capital of the World with my real-life hero—my husband, and a fat cat named Stormee. All our children are grown.
I write both het and gay historical romance.
Tarnished Gold, the first in my gay romance Tarnished series for Dreamspinner Press, was a winner in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, Historical Romance category. The book also received nominations for Best Historical and Best Book of 2013 from the readers of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group.
A bit of trivia—I pronounces her name, Bree-ta, and not Brit-a, like the famous water filter. Brita Addams is a mash-up of my real middle name and my husband’s middle name, with an additional d and s.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I think I was born with a book in my hand. I’ve read for as long as I can remember. My mother used to say I wasn’t like other kids. I rarely wanted to play outside. I was much more comfortable reading.
From about twelve or thirteen, I wrote articles for my school paper and for the local newspaper. I created characters for hundreds of short stories, most for my own enjoyment.
Only after we raised our children did I think of writing for publication. Believe me, that is much more rewarding than stockpiling shorts that no one else reads.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love romance novels and authors like Lisa Kleypas, Phillipa Gregory, and Mary Balogh get me to open each of their new works. Historicals fill my reading time, almost exclusively, both het and gay romance, because love is love.
I’m not sure that any particular person inspires me in my writing, but I am inspired by well-written stories and the authors I mentioned deliver time and again. I’m never disappointed in them.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Due to the closure of Musa Publishing, my latest release is temporarily unavailable. Those novels have been contracted by Fireborn Publishing and will return to the shelves in the summer.
I would like to remind readers about Tarnished Gold, a book that came out in March, 2013 and won a Rainbow Award that year for Best Historical.
Tarnished Gold came from my love of old Hollywood. I’ve always loved old movies, with the affected speech and glamour we don’t see today.
My character, Jack Abadie, loves the movies too. Though Hollywood was in its infancy when he saw his first film, one was all he needed. He was hooked.
In love with a childhood friend, Jack wants to spread his wings and take his love with him. Hollywood calls.
Through disappointment and hard knocks, Jack takes Hollywood by storm. Being gay was fine, until it wasn’t, and Jack gets caught up in the almost overnight change in the tide and is given an ultimatum that changes his life.
This is a saga that spans many years. I’ve always wanted to write a book that explores the growth of the characters and how the years affect the way they see the world. That was done in Tarnished Gold.
I researched for about six months before I ever started to write, but the result is an exploration of the old Hollywood star system and how what was one “in,” can just as quickly be “out.”
Jack starts his life on an old Louisiana cotton plantation, fashioned after one very close to where we raised our family.
The book won a Rainbow Award in 2013 for Best Historical and was nominated by the Goodreads M/M Romance group for Best Historical and Best Book of 2013.
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