1 What is the title of your series?

The series is called Russian Roulette. It's about a faction of the Russian mafia and the men around the leader. The are dark themed subplots like abuse, sextrafficking, mafia war, and violence. LGBTQ representation is also in the books. All of them have a BDSM sexual content.

2 What inspired the idea of your series?

It was meant to be a stand-alone book when I began it, the readers loved the characters so much that they pretty much demanded books about the side characters.

I had an idea and I ran with it. It was meant to be a sort of therapeutic writing thing about a man who had ghosted me, and I wanted to lay him bare in a book. As I wrote it, I had to spin his character and find motivations for his actions. With that came the background, worldbuilding, and social circle. And then the love interest, and it went on from there. I couldn't exactly make it too obvious it was about him, though looking at the result, those two are nothing alike. I found his character to be likeable and honest, not at all what I initially had intended. But he's become one of my readers most loved characters, and the base for the sequels, where he's also a prominent character

3 How many books are in your series?

There are two out right now and more in the making.

Russian Roulette: Family secrets - completed

Russian Roulette: Flashbacks - ongoing, updating twice a week

Russian Roulette: Past mistakes - in the making

Russian Roulette: Hiding in plain sight - in the making

Russian Roulette: The Devil is in the details - drawing board

Russian Roulette: The silent one - drawing board

4 Is it the only series on your profile?

So far, yes. In theory. I have another book called Taming the Hellbeast that's ongoing, but there are more books about the characters from that particular book with side going plotlines. Blood Sworn is one of them.

5 What do you desire readers take away from your series?

A feeling of having been on an emotional rollercoaster. A deep dive into friendship, loyalty, and love. I want them to sit back afterwards and feel gratification with the HEA and a belief in the good in people. Also, I work with BDSM, which I've seen horribly portrayed in books and movies. I don't want my readers to ever feel that sexual desires are wrong, but to know the difference between toxic and abusive versus safe, sane, and consensual practice of those desires. Being a Dominant does not mean macho, self-entitled prick who looks down on others. And being a submissive does not mean emotionally unstable punching bag. The trust and beauty in a power exchange relationship runs very deep and can be extremely gratifying for the parties involved. I don't mean to be the booming voice of reason or for my books to be a 'How to' guide, I just want to show sensible relationships, and hope my readers take some of it with them.

6 is your series complete or ongoing?

As I mentioned in question three, there is one completed and one ongoing with more coming. So, no, it's not completed.

7 What are your future plans for your series?

I'd like to finish the books. I'm working to get the first one rewritten and edited to query or self publish. But that's in the future. My books are very long and that doesn't work well with publishing, no harm in dreaming, though. I've been looking into getting it made into a webtoon/anime, since I feel with the BDSM and violence level, they would not do well as real movies. They would either be censored or done in a way that made the sex scenes look cheap.

8 What would be a good piece of advice for someone who desires beginning to write a series?

I'm no expert, so please don't look at my advice like I have it all figured out. But I'd advice any writer to outline the story thoroughly. Make sure there's enough material to make it a series. Ether from the mail story running over several books, or with a main book and side character/continuation of the original story plot to fill the next. There's no rule about having to make books into a series, one great book can be a lot better than three long-winded ones that tries to stretch a plot too long.

9 Do you prefer writing a series over a standalone novel?

I like the ones that turned into a series. I love my characters like they were my babies. I know them better than I know some of my friends. So, yes, I like the series and the fact that once the world building is done, I can work continuously within that world. But I do write for people to read the books independently, I hope. Each have a happy ending, and a completion of those particular characters' story. That they show up in the other books I consider a bonus because the readers get more information on the characters and their lives after the HEA. Except for my fantasy books, all other books I write are connected, even if they're not part of the Russian Roulette series. Like Nobles, it has crossover characters, and so does a lot of my other books that I've not uploaded yet. Every book has characters that are part of the same friend group. It's my personal Easter egg in the books. In that way, if you only read some of them, you'll never know how they connect with the others, but if you read all of them, you'll see characters pop up here and there.

10 Who is your main character? Are there any similarities between you and your main character?

The main character in Family secrets is Gareth A. Tempest. He's a workaholic, heavy whiskey drinker, and he likes his horizontal fun. Except for the heavy drinking, I'd say he's me. In terms of being a fierce friend who always has his friend's backs and loves once and without judgement, we're probably the same too. But I'm not a badass, I'm certainly not a billionaire, and I don't have a need for luxury like he does. I like comfortable and not too exciting. The character I'm most like is Jace, the MC of Flashbacks, Gareth's best friend. He's the humorous moron of the bunch. That's me. I love cracking jokes, and I do have a way of spinning everything to give myself a laugh. I pretty much made Jace's personality based on myself.

11 What does your character go through in the series?

Oh damn, ready for a break down of stuff? Well, the first book, Family, secrets, is about Gareth, a British-Russian leader of a Russian mafia faction. He works as a businessman as a respectable front to show the world, and then he does all the shady stuff you suspect from mafia dealings. He's trying to win back the heart of a woman he ghosted four years prior, but she has a lot of secrets and is quite miffed about being ghosted. Not an easy task. While he does that, his reign is being contested by a leader from the Ukrainian mafia, who basically wants to kill him, and he has to work hard to be two steps ahead to keep his men safe and not lose the mafia war it can turn into. Problem is, he doesn't know why the Ukrainians are after him. The reasons are wrapped up in a lot of secrets from the past that he has no knowledge off. but is responsible to handle because of his family name. Secrets, most would have preferred stayed in the past.

12 What does having readers for any of your stories mean to you?

Oh dear, it means the world to me. Not only because I love the idea of my stories being read, but because it's amazing how interested the readers are in engaging with me and living the lives of the characters. Many say they'll buy my books if they get published, and honestly, isn't that what any writer wants? It means that I've created something that speaks to people, and I'm pretty proud of that.

1 What type of stories do you like to read?

I like to read romance. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and eternal love. All that mushy stuff, though it want it mixed in with a great plot. I don't mind if it's fantasy or contemporary, I just want an amazing and creative story, preferably not too cliché. I have a personal favorite in MxM stories and have found a lot that are really good.

2 What type of music do you like to listen to?

I like old-school rock and 80's pop, but I've never really been a music person. I listen to whatever is on the radio when in the car. I'm a movie person. I like movies a lot more than music.

3 What is one of your favorite stories that you've read on wattpad?

One of my favorites is an MxM story. Quite gritty and brutal. It was very well done and though I recommend it, it does have some very troubling scenes that'll hit hard. It's not for the faint of heart. It's called Flightless Slave by @ZephyrVolashki

4 What do you believe is better for a story? {Quality or Quantity}

Quality, definitely. I'd rather read a shorter book with great characters and a flowing plot. I don't mind long stories at all, but there needs to be a reason for the length. Impact of the words and how the story is shaped compared to the quantity for the sake of reaching a specific word count goal is important, something I'm still working on applying myself. Each chapter should be made up of scenes which hold some importance for the story, right there or later on. But there has to be a reason for it.

5 Are you more likely to check out an ongoing or completed story?

I prefer completed books, unless I know the author and I'm sure that person at some point will finish the story. I don't like to be left hanging with a story I'm into. I have a few on hold myself, but my readers know I'm here, updating and know what I'm currently working on, and that I'll get back to the ones on hold. If I know that from others, I'll gladly check out their work and wait for updates.