Eric Woods, Author

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Website: https://mjmarinobooks.com

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QUESTIONS:

1. Tell our readers a little about yourself and your writing (including publications).
Hi! My name is M.J. Marino. I write steamy, fast burn, instalust-to-love, over-the-top, protective mercenary biker romances—a good trope mashup, where former navy SEALs turned bikers fall fast and fall hard. My series is called the Mercy Ravens MC Series. It is a series of books that can be read in order or as standalone, so if there is a book trope in the series you prefer more, you can read out of order and not get too many spoilers from previous books. The series comprises five books with many more to come. Each MC character gets their own romance book in my series. The tropes vary between books, with the above mentioned being consistent throughout the series. Since my books have dark themes, I do list book content and trigger warnings on my website www.mjmarinobooks.com for readers to view prior to reading.

2. What writing projects are you currently working on?
Multiple. I’m not the kind of writer who can sit down and bang out one book at a time. I usually have at least two projects going at any given moment. When the words aren’t coming to me with my current WIP, I’ll jump over to the next book in my series. I don’t consider it a waste of time if I plan on releasing the books. It also helps with writer’s block—fresh material has a way of rejuvenating my writing. Currently, I’m editing my 6^th book in my Mercy Ravens MC Series—Kneeling to Candy. I’m also writing the 7^th book in the series, which is a big surprise for my readers.

3. Are you a daytime writer, a mid-day writer, a nighttime writer, or just someone who writes when the mood hits you?
I am, without a doubt, a mood writer. I envy those who can write under a schedule. For me, setting a time in the day to write doesn’t mean the words are going to come. I wish I could carve out a block of time, designating it as my writing slot. But no. That would be too convenient. LOL. Forcing myself to write has never proved fruitful for me. I write when inspiration strikes. What does this look like? I could be in the middle of walking my dog when an idea comes to me and I’ll need to start voice recording my thoughts. It gets pretty uncomfy when I’m literally talking to myself in public places, like the grocery store or at my kids’ sport practices, especially with steamy scenes. It’s always fun transcribing my sexual metaphors I used to mask what I’m really referring to when out in public. I’m sure people look at me like I’m a loon for talking out a book scene into my headphone speakers. But hey, an author has to do what an author has to do.

4. Do you have a writing “Bucket List” (goals you want to accomplish as a writer)?
I set minor goals for myself, and when I accomplish them, I make new ones. Since starting my writing journey, I’ve taken a more chill approach to setting goals, writing and marketing my books and going wherever that may lead me. I suffered major burnout in my decade as a chemist with how hard I pushed myself, with very little to show for my efforts. I didn’t want to fall out of love with writing the way I did with biochemistry. As a result, I am much more fulfilled with my writing career than I ever was a chemist. As long as I’m writing books my readers enjoy and it pays my bills, I’m content.

5. Who is your favorite author and why?
Damn. This is hard. I’m a romance author who loves romance books. However, my favorite authors are not in the romance genre, but the ones who made me fall in love with reading. A little backstory on me. I had a tough time reading as a child. No matter how hard my parents worked with me, words made no sense. I recall my mom doing hours of flashcards with me, showing me the same cards repeatedly, only for me to look at them like I was seeing them for the first time. Educators said I was “not reading ready.” It wasn’t until I was an adult, I learned I suffered from mild dyslexia. Even today, I may write a word and question if it’s correct. You can imagine how much this impacted me as a child learning to read. I hated reading because I couldn’t understand it. It wasn’t until I was in 5^th grade, my teacher gave me the choice between two books. All the other kids in my reading group picked the short adventure novel. But I wasn’t drawn to it. Instead, I picked the beat up, musty book with yellow pages. For whatever reason, I felt bad no one picked it, so I did. I went back to my desk, opened the book, and read it front to back with no help—that was the first time in my life I had ever done read anything willingly and to completion. My entire demeanor towards reading changed on its head because of that book. I went from the kid who couldn’t read to one of the highest honors English students in my school. That book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and it made me the book lover I am today.

6. How many books do you read in a month? What are your favorite genres?
If I’m not writing, I’m reading. I read an average of 2 books per week. Most of what I read is romance—for enjoyment and to stay current with market trends. If I’m not reading romance, I love a good thriller or mystery. And I will always pick fiction or nonfiction if given the choice.

7. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I may be the oddball of writers because I didn’t realize I wanted to be a writer until I was a whole ass adult working as a chemist. When you work in medical production chemistry, you spend a crap-ton of time working solo and without speaking. The hours can get pretty dull and long if you don’t find something to entertain your thoughts. I would create these stories in my head to pass the time, and I would be like, “That would make a great book.” Yet, I didn’t actively start writing until after I lost my daughter at 19-weeks gestation. I wasn’t sleeping and needed a healthy outlet. That’s when I started writing the stories I concocted in my head during the day. Writing was my grieving process, and it got me through a very dark time in my life.

8. HORROR FANS (pick 1-3): What was the first horror movie you ever saw? What is your favorite horror movie? What is the worst horror movie you have ever seen?
1^st horror movie I recall seeing as a little kid was Poltergeist—I think I slept in my parents’ bed for an entire year after watching it. My favorite horror movie is the famous black and white 1931, Dracula featuring Bela Lugosi, followed by the 1932, The Mummy—I love the classics. I guess I’m an old soul at heart. And the worst horror movie I ever watched was the 1932, Freaks, not because it was a terrible movie, but because of the exploitation of the actors with physical deformities and how they were portrayed in the movie.

9. Do you have any “rules” when you write? (EX for me: the dog never dies!)
I have a few. However, one is a must. Since I write romance, all my books MUST end with a happily ever after. To me, it’s not romance if there isn’t one—this doesn’t include an ongoing series with cliffhangers or happy-for-now kinds of scenarios. If the book doesn’t have a HEA, it’s any other genre with a romance trope, but not a romance book. Another rule I follow is writing books I would enjoy reading. If I don’t like the tropes, I’m not writing it, even if it’s popular. Yes, writing to the market will give you an edge. But if you don’t like the “written to market” trends, you will do a disservice to your readers and yourself, writing something you don’t care for. And of course, no animals will die in my books—ever.

10. Speaking of animals, do you have any pets?
Sure do. I’ve got a nearly two-year-old bully mix pup I rescued named Banjo. He’s definitely a mama’s boy and needs to be wherever I am. He’s not above climbing in my lap when I’m working to demand affection.

11. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Just write the book. I wasted so many years daydreaming stories in my head before I finally wrote them down. Don’t be like me. Don’t keep putting it off, assuming you will do it someday. There will never be a perfect time to start. Life is always going to get in the way, so write around it. There’s no deadline for when it needs to be completed. But it sure as hell won’t get completed if you never write the first word. Do yourself a favor and write the book. Your words deserve to be written and your story is important to share.

12. How did you choose the genre/tropes you write?
I picked romance because I love romance books. They’re a refreshing escape from reality. However, my sub-genre was not one I originally loved. The sub-genre I write is motorcycle club, as in bikers. Prior to being an author, I read books in every romance sub-genre to get a feel for what type of romance I wanted to write. But I kept getting hung up on the MC romances. Most authors write about the notorious 1%–think Sons of Anarchy but with a lot more smut. Totally fine. But I grew up with a biker uncle who was involved in a MC representing the other 99% of bikers. I have a completely different perspective on biker life than what many authors were writing about, and I wanted to show readers what my uncle’s crew was like. So because I wasn’t seeing the portrayal of bikers I knew and wanted to read about, I decided I needed to write it.

13. Planner or Pantser?
I’m a planner who will take the pantser path when I feel the story is taking me in a different direction. I will have an outline, but I will deviate from it as inspiration strikes. 

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