Author Interview with Chris Genovese

Who are you?

My name's Chris Genovese, but I write under three pen names. Right now, I'm focusing most of my attention on CM Genovese, which is the name I use when writing romantic suspense (think motorcycle club, Mafia, etc.). 

Under Chris Genovese, I pen kinky tales - Everything from romantic comedy to poetry to paranormal romance (I even have a tiger shark shifter series). Carver Pike is my darker, more sinister persona where I write horror and dark fantasy. All of my stories have very graphic elements and are aimed at an adult audience.

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Where do you live?

I currently live in my wife's country down in Central America. I don't like to say exactly where, because it's a small country and I want to keep my author-related world separate from my personal life. I tend to get a little bit crazy during live feeds, video chats, and stuff like that. I'm a very open and honest person, and I like to have a good time, so rather than sensor myself, I simply keep a divider between my two worlds.

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What’s your home life like?

Oh, I have a great home life. I'm married (18 years now) and have four awesome kids. My girls are 16 and 14, and I have twin ten-year-old boys. When I'm not writing or hanging out with my readers/friends online, I'm usually binging on TV shows with them, snacking on kettle corn while watching scary movies, or whisking them off to get ice cream. We joke with each other a lot and have a great time. ​

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What genre(s) do you like to write? To read?

My favorite genres to write are horror and dark fantasy. I guess you could say dark urban fantasy. I love creating wild worlds with crazy creatures. I've kind of made my mark in the indie world with romance though. The quite graphic and kinky kind. I try not to use the dreaded "E" word because once you get labeled erotic, it's hard to get out of that, and my books are so much more than that. 

Right now, I'm focused mostly on writing romantic suspense under my CM Genovese name. I have a really awesome, kickass motorcycle club series called Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC. It's like Sons of Anarchy but it gets much darker because it also involves a religious cult called Red Chapel.

So far, in this series, I've published a free prequel (which I'll have to drop the link for later because it's not for sale) called Anger's Fade. Then, I've published Calm's Storm, Lust's Rage, and Pride's Envy. I'm working on the fourth and fifth books in the series now (with multiple spinoffs and crossovers planned). These books really do have to be read in order. You can jump right into Calm's Storm without reading Anger's Fade though. Most people stumble upon the link to Anger's Fade while reading book one.

As far as reading goes, I spend so much time in the romance world that I really can't read it. My go-to genre for reading is always horror. If not horror, I might open a dark fantasy book (like Brent Weeks or George RR Martin). ​

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Why did you start writing?

I think I started writing because it was an escape from the real world. Like so many others, I had a messed up childhood. Way back before I ever picked up a pen or started punching away at a computer keyboard, I'd use my toys to invent stories. I didn't simply play with my GI Joe or He-Man action figures. I made mental movies starring them. When I got grounded and had my toys taken away, I cut people out of the Sunday paper or department store catalogs and used these "paper people" to tell stories. So, I guess it only made sense that when I got older, I'd put my stories down on paper. I started my first book in high school. I wrote a YA fiction novel across six notebooks and would pass them around to all my female classmates. It definitely helped me talk to girls lol. ​

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What do you do when you’re not writing?

I'm a big fan of MMA. I used to practice martial arts myself, but I can't now because of back injuries. So, I watch the fights whenever I can. I watch a lot of movies with my kids. We go to the movies a lot (one of the benefits of a lower cost of living in Central America). My family members are my best friends. I'm realizing as I get older that I'm quite the hermit. I don't really like parties. I don't hang out with friends at night. I just chill with my family. Unless, of course, I'm at a book signing. Then, and it seems only then, I'm able to turn it on and have a good time in a crowd.

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Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

Oh, man. That's a tough one. I have a ton of books on my Kindle right now. I'd still rather read a paperback, and I have a large bookshelf full of them, but it seems like I don't have as much time to read anymore. I mostly read at bedtime, so I tend to go to my Kindle because of the light. As far as picking up books, I have to admit I'm a fan of Bookbub's newsletter. I find myself one-clicking quite a few books from there. Nothing beats the feeling of walking into an actual book store and leaving with a bag full of books, but unfortunately, down here where I live there aren't many book stores with books in English. The selection is very limited. So... Amazon it is.

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At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

I need to be grabbed right at the beginning. Oftentimes, before buying a book on Amazon, I'll read the "Look Inside" section. If the book doesn't capture my attention right away, or if I just can't connect with the author's style, I won't buy it. Also, I'm finding myself less patient lately. I've been listening to audiobooks more often because I walk back and forth to my part-time gig and I like to listen to books during that time. One horror book, and I won't name the book out of respect for the author, almost lost my attention completely with all of its unnecessary flashbacks. For example, there was one flashback where it started out in present time talking about the texture of something being like a balloon. Then, it went back in time to tell me all about the first time the guy got a balloon at a circus or something like that. It really didn't move the story forward. This happened quite often. If it hadn't been an audiobook, I might have stopped reading. But, audiobooks are expensive, man! So, I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did. I loved the book. It was awesome, creepy, disgusting, and super cool. But the author almost lost me.

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Are you independently or traditionally published?

I'm independently published. I started out trying to go the traditional route, but after a lot of rejection letters (and rightfully so as my book needed a lot of work), I decided to go at it alone. Well, I should say after the rejection letters and following a brief contract with a small publishing house that really screwed me over. I'm at a phase right now where I'm not sure where I'll end up. I have about 30 or so books published across my three pen names. I'm considering writing YA, and with those books, I'll probably seek out a traditional publisher. 

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How many books/stories have you published so far?

Ha. I just answered that in the previous question. I'm way ahead of you, Nicholas lol. So far, I've published about 30 books. Probably a few more than that, but I try not to count. Plus, some of the smaller novellas I've also published as collection books.

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What book/story are you currently promoting or working on?

I'm currently promoting and working on my Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC series. Calm's Storm, Lust's Rage, Pride's Envy, and soon to be published Fury's Grace.

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What’s the elevator pitch?

Oh, I suck at these. Ok, let me give it a try: 

"Let me tell you somethin' 'bout my people. We don't take what ain't ours, and we never give up what is."

Link's the new President of the Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC. Trying to run a ruthless group of badass bikers isn't easy, especially when your old flame comes back to town and asks for help opening a strip club. It seems everybody in town wants a piece of the action, including that cult-like religious group less than a mile away. Bikers, strippers, human traffickers, backwoods cops, religious zealots, the Bratva, and a serial killer collide in the Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC series.

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How long have you been working on it?

I published the first book in the series on January 1st of this year. I really wanted to start the new year off with a bang and this series hasn't disappointed. Since then, I've been publishing a book in the series every two-three months. ​

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When will it be available to buy? Where?

Anger’s Fade (Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC Free Prequel): 

All of the books are available on Amazon, and all are Free with KU.
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​**Click on images above for the links: ​

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How can readers find you?

Reader Group

I have a lot of links lol. Hopefully, this is okay. With three pen names, it's a lot to handle

Chris Genovese

CM Genovese

Carver Pike

Some other links:
My newsletter
Razorblade Tumbleweeds MC T-shirts and other apparel
Link to free book

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What inspires you to keep writing?

I write a lot of quotes that I used to publish on Instagram. I need to get back to doing that. Here are some of my favorite writing-related ones:

"My friendships are strange. Circus clowns and jugglers, mafiosos and smugglers, ninjas and swashbucklers, billionaires and strugglers, serial killers, and cuddlers. An author's friends are strange."
​Author CM Genovese

"Who am I?
I'm your hand holder when you walk the world alone.
I take you places you might never go.
Make your panties melt, deliver you the welts,
from alpha males and lovers you can't hold.
I make you ugly cry and have you asking why.
I like to wring your insides out that way.
I show you what it's like to set off dynamite
and suffer bullet holes without the pain.
I'm an author."
Author CM Genovese

What inspires me to keep writing? Readers do. I do believe a writer will always write. That's what we do. But it's a lot more fun when we know someone is enjoying our words. I've saved some of my favorite reviews to help me get through those moments of self-doubt. Positive words from readers and fans can breathe new life into a struggling author. We keep doing it because you assure us we can and we should. ​

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Anything you’d like to add?

I'm working on several horror stories under my Carver Pike pen name too, so please check me out there. I also have an awesome Facebook group, which I shared the link above, called The Grindhouse: Reader Group for Chris Genovese, Carver Pike, & CM Genovese. I try to go live in there every Thursday at 9pm EST to talk about books, the writing process, and whatever else comes to mind. Bring your earbuds because some of the conversations get wild. Here's that link again.

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Many thanks to Messers Genovese for participating in My Laughably Inane Blog. I wish him, and all his other personalities, much success in their future writing endeavors. :)

Sincerely,

Nicholas P. Adams

Just a small-town boy with an overactive imagination.