Authors’ Reader Corner

by Jack L. Pyke

Huge – huge thanks to the Blogger Girls for agreeing to host me on this BDSM, psych thriller book tour!!!

Over 9 days, with 10 stops, we’re going behind the scene to Backlash, (Don’t…book 4), with loads of Backlash e-books to win along the way, as well as a paperback copy up for grabs! For a full list of tour dates and prizes, please see here at Forbidden Fiction Publications. http://forbiddenfiction.com/backlash-book-tour/

Today I’m hijacking a few Don’t series readers to see what they’d like to know about the Don’t lads from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Backlash is the 4th novel in the Don’t… series, and I can tell the ride hasn’t been easy for these lovely lads and ladies who have stepped forward with a question. The first comes from Nicole Colville (author of Saving Samuel and Discovering Dalton), but also just such a lovely and bubbly person to talk too!

Jack L: What’s your question, Nicole?

Nicole: Where did the idea of Don’t… come from, and did you plan it out, take ages weaving the threads of the plot through your mind, or did it just spill out onto the page? It’s probably one of the most unique plot lines I’ve read, and the series has such a deep range of characters. I’ve always wondered how much research and details went into it.

Jack L: I have to admit that my eldest lad is OCD, and as a mom I’ve been there at two, three, and four of the morning as he finds the new antibacterial hand wash I’ve bought. I’ve also had friends from my childhood who had a father with OCD. Transferring that into an environment such as a garage always played on my mind with just how well someone would cope with OCD, so it wasn’t really hard to give Jack Harrison his career choice as a mechanic.

As for the main psychological thriller theme that handles Conduct Disorder, especially surrounding controlling how a person reacts to the word Don’t…. Oh boy, tell any kid don’t and they only grin at you and do the opposite just for kicks. Yet saying something like that to my older lad as he reached for the soap a fourth time, seeing that need to bypass the order, that conflicting ‘playful rebellion’, it showed a more serious side of being caught in a loop you can’t escape from, and it became such a powerful draw for me. My lad can have such a dual personality at times, with that aggression kicking in, and the leap from Jack to Jack’s dissociative identity disorder over the creation of Martin crept in too.

When it then comes to the main romance element, the psychological implications over someone finding that weakness and exploiting it for their own sexual gain seemed hard not to cover. Especially when it came to seeing how loved ones cope with a lover being exploited in such a way, and the damage it causes to them over the years that they cope with the fallout.

Thank you, Nicole! The next question comes from the stunning Joseph Lance Tonlet (Author of The Brothers LaFon). Hi, Joseph!

Joseph: Who IS Jack Harrison? Meaning, is Jack simply a coping mechanism (born out of necessity to deal with immense psychological trauma) and the ‘real’ person is Martin, or vise versa? Or neither? Or a combination? Or…?

Jack L: Great question! And I think this ties back into Nicole’s question on where the idea for the series comes from. For the most part, Jack exists in his bubble, but that crumbles at times, and when he can’t cope, Martin comes in. Antidote and Breakdown touch on this dual personality, but in all honesty, I think that with a life without his disorders and complications, Jack would be so much closer to how Martin is, and probably behind bars. But with those disorders, the vulnerability splits him for the better, so that by the end of Backlash, there’s only one possible outcome: there’s never really any cure, just coping mechanisms for everyone concerned.

Thanks, Joseph! The next author question comes from the gorgeous Eileen Griffin (author of Dinner For Two).

Jack L: Hi, Eileen!

Eileen: Which scenes are more difficult for you to write: the emotionally painful ones or the physically painful ones? Why?

Jack L.: Oh boy. Antidote in general had to be the most difficult novel I’ve ever written. With the physical damage, Vince and the psychological reconditioning scenes toward Jack and Jan had to be done in small chunks, with so many breaks. But in all honesty, I hated the catalyst for seeing Jack and Jan walk away from Gray, just before Vince came into play. I knew how the series would end, what they’d go through in the following novels, and it hurt to put all of that in play and see Gray pull away from Jack, for Jack to hurt and walk away, and for Jan to be taken through hell for it. So definitely the emotional turmoil is harder to write for me. It’s why I need to see these guys catch a break with each other and just be able to get through the night. But the emotional side is harder, though, because I’m a mum, and knowing what my lad goes through with OCD, thinking anyone could twist and make an already intense condition harder to live with is… well, one very sick individual. I didn’t much like a certain someone in Antidote.

I just want to say a final thanks to all three authors who took time out to ask questions. Also to the Blogger Girls for hosting me! Thanks also to everyone for stopping by for a look at some of the behind the scenes decisions to Backlash! Tomorrow’s tour takes us to KathyMac Reviews, where I’ll be interviewing my BDSM consultant, Dilo Keith, who’s helped fashion my BDSM world: want to know who helps Gray make the choices he does? Check us out tomorrow and enter the Rafflecopter there for more chances to win Backlash in paperback. There’s also still chance to enter the Rafflecoptor with yesterday’s Book Tour stop over at Prism Alliance, plus also the chance to find out just how Gray Raoul came to work for the Masters’ Circle.

About Backlash

In the aftermath of Jack Harrison’s release from the psychiatric unit, Gray Raoul’s first instinct is to take brutal revenge on the one responsible for financing Jack’s and Jan’s torturous psychological reconditioning. However, that person is a plays the game dangerously well, knows exactly how to manipulate everyone in Gray’s life. To help negotiate this delicate situation, Gray contacts Trace and his ex-Diadem Dom, Gabriel Hunter. But the more Gray seems to regain control, the clearer it becomes that there’s something not quite right about Jan Richards. Jan quickly unravels, taking Jack and Gray with him, and bringing out one particularly deadly player, Gray’s left with one last defence: break Jack down in order to partner up with his alter ego, Martin. But once freed, Martin has plans of his own, and he wants to make it personal with Gray. Complete trust between Master and sub, between Gray and Jack, will be tested to the absolute limit.

Available at: Amazon

About Jack L. Pyke

Jack L. Pyke blames her dark writing influences on living close to one of England’s finest forests. Having grown up hearing a history of kidnappings, murders, strange sightings, and sexual exploits her neck of the woods is renowned for, Jack takes that into her writing, having also learned that human coping strategies for intense situations can sometimes make the best of people have disastrously bad moments. Redeeming those flaws is Jack’s drive, and if that drive just happens to lead to sexual tension between two or more guys, Jack’s the first to let nature take its course.

Find out more about Jack on her Website, Facebook or Goodreads.

As part of this blog tour, Jack is giving away a paperback copy of Backlash!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of Backlash to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!