For my next Author Spotlight I’m joined by the fabulous D.K. Sutton. We talked about writing in the mornings, reading as much as possible, crocheting eggplants, and her upcoming release!

Over to you…

First things first, please introduce yourself!
My name is D.K. SUTTON and I write contemporary gay romance. I’m a little, okay a lot, geeky and a bit obsessive when it comes to a fandom I like. I live in a small town in very rural—no Walmart Supercenter for forty miles—Missouri with my roomie, who also happens to be my ex-husband. I have a Master’s in Social Work which has been useful for developing and understanding characters. I’ve been a trauma specialist for many years with an emphasis on childhood trauma. With all that, you’d think my books would be angsty. But after a career of seeing the terrible things people can do, I like to write stories that are low angst. I also write YA LGBTQ+ romance under the name Addison Lloyd.

Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
As I mentioned, I write mostly low angst and slow burn but not exclusively. I’m a pantser but I do start with a basic plot. If I outline too much then I find I’m trying to make things fit versus letting the characters lead the way organically. As you can guess my books are character driven. My writing has been described as witty and sharp. I add humor whenever I can as well as lots of sweet and swoony moments. I write various levels of heat, determined by the characters and the books, but most of my books are steamy with a slow burn. Some characters can’t keep their hands off each other so my book coming up is one of the exceptions.

Describe your books in only three words.
Fun, sweet, irresistible.

What’s your next book about and when is it coming out?
My next book in the Not So University series releases September 16^th.  My (Not So) Bossy Professor is the fourth book in the series, and it involves two characters who met in book three. In this book, Detective Liam Mason goes undercover at the university as a professor but continues to clash with football coach Trace Powers. They try to fight the attraction between them, but things get messy when Trace learns the investigation points to someone on his coaching staff. This story includes fake boyfriends, an outspoken assistant coach named Becky who doesn’t put up with any crap, a sweet British techie, and two men fighting for dominance while secretly wanting to be dominated.

Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my book Broken Sidewalks. It was the first book I published and while it’s not my most well written book (I’ve learned a lot since then), I’ve had many positive comments from readers on how it has made an impact on them. 

What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
I’ve had a lot of people influence me as a writer. I tried to read as much as possible because it’s the best way to learn. Some notables are: Anyta Sunday-she’s one of the best romantic slow burn authors out there, and I adore her books. Lucy Lennox—I really enjoy Lucy’s writing—especially when she writes enemies to lovers—but it’s her willingness and ability to share what she knows with other authors and to bring us all together so we can learn from each other that has been invaluable to me as an author. Gregory Ashe-his knowledge and generosity are endless. He’s an amazing author and a down-to-earth human being. After reading his books—which are angsty and soul-crushing and fairly violent—I was surprised to find he’s this sweet boy scout cinnamon roll of a person. I truly appreciate his guidance and friendship.

I’m also inspired by all the authors in our genre who continue to write even when things are hard.    

What inspired you to start writing?
I started writing stories in my teens. I loved romance and mysteries. But I didn’t write seriously until much later. I started with fanfiction and that’s where I fell in love with the MM romance genre. My first fanfiction story was a present for my sister. She was and is still my biggest fan.

What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
I write early in the mornings—this is a new process and it’s really working for me—and at night. I sprint with other authors and this helps keep me on track. I also try to prepare each evening for the next day’s sprints so I’m ready to go. This had helped me really increase my word count.

What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
It can vary—I can have an idea for a plot pop in my head that I have to write—but usually the characters come first. My books are very character driven.

What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
This is a really hard question! I’m going with Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert. The reason I say this is because when I was reading it, I had that feeling a great book gives you—you can’t wait to finish it, but you want to take as long as you can to savor it. I didn’t expect to love it that much, which was a super-cool surprise.

If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Enemies to lovers. I love having characters who can’t stand each other learn they’ve misjudged the other person and fall in love. I especially enjoy writing characters who can’t resist each other while still not liking the other person. My (Not So) Bossy Professor is a good example of this trope.

What would be your three desert island books?
Saying a book on How to Get off a Desert Island for Dummies or the Complete Works of Jane Austin seems like cheating so instead I’ll say: Pisces Hooks Taurus by Anyta Sunday. I’ve read this one over and over, and it’s one of my comfort reads. Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert—see above for why. And because I’d need a little angst The First Quatro box set by Gregory Ashe. (This isn’t actually out yet because the 4^th book hasn’t been published so I’ll need to stay away from cruises or airplanes until then.)

If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
I would love for the Not So University series to be a TV series. Of the books I would pick the first one. My (Not So) Slutty Professor. I would cast Matthew Gray Gubler as nerdy Professor Reid Emerson (he inspired the character), but I’d need to think about who I wanted to play his charismatic and persistent student, Maddie Evans. It can’t be just anyone. 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Do you have a secret passion or hobby that we don’t know about?
I love to crochet. I make the normal things like blankets and scarves, but I also enjoy amigurumi which is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures (or objects). Last year as a prize for GRL I crocheted an eggplant. I did make it large though, because why not?

Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
Brachiosaurus-they are big and majestic.

D.K. SUTTON is a writer and social worker. She uses these superpowers to create flawed characters you can’t help but love. As an introvert, she has always been a little awkward (and a lot geeky). Turns out, those are handy traits for an author. She writes mostly low angst simmering with a slow burn and a side of humor. Her newest series, Not So University, is both swoony and geeky. If you enjoy more angst in your stories, check out her Broken series. All her books have a HEA or HFN.

For more information on D.K. Sutton and her work you can visit her website, sign up for her newsletter, and also follow her on BookBub, Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also join her Facebook Group, Cafe DK, for more news and updates.