Interview with Bey Deckard

By hinesandbigham on April 9, 2014 • ( 3 Comments )

Interview with Bey Deckard, author of the Baal’s Heart series

About the Author

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy. Caged is his first novel.

Caged (Baal’s Heart #1) is an erotic pirate tale. To me, it had the perfect balance of the dark side of piracy and the passionate side of love. How did you find and maintain that balance?

Well… first off, I just want to say I’ve always been interested in pirates, wanting desperately to be one when I was a kid. For me, pre-industrial-era pirates were a fascinating bunch because they already had the basis for that kind of balance you’re talking about: during the Golden Age of Piracy they were both highly democratic and fair even though they could be positively ruthless when it came down to it. I wanted to keep that interesting juxtaposition but, in Caged, I gave Baltsaros more control to really infuse his own personal brand of darkness into the story. I then used Jon’s innocence and Tom’s painful jealousy to continuously punch holes in that darkness, letting the passion shine through like stars in a nighttime sky. As the story went on, it just became a question of throwing scenarios at them that put more and more stars out to soften that sky without ever letting the night truly end.

A shorter, less poetic answer would be this: they’re human, even Baltsaros… just three lost souls with holes in their hearts, and I continuously played into that desperate humanity to keep the darkness at bay.

Most of the gay (M/M) erotic novels I’ve read include a sense of uncertainty from one or both of the main characters. Caged is different. Although Jon is new to his feelings and hesitant about his situation I never felt that uncertainty with him. How did you come up with three such strong lead characters, each with completely different personalities?

I’ve never had a moment’s uncertainty about my own sexual identity, and that could be why it’s missing from the story – it’s possible that it just didn’t occur to me to have anyone question themselves or their choices.

See… I believe that almost all people are somewhere in the fuzzy grey area between straight and gay. Jon’s a passionate, loving guy whose life has been devoid of any sort of intimacy, and I feel like if you thrust him into a situation where he gets meaningful pleasure from someone, it’s not really going to matter much to him whether that person is physically male or female. Even in the brothel scene, it’s not about the prostitute’s sex but about whether they’re the right person at that given time…

I needed the three main characters to balance each other out while still maintaining a level of tension that would keep their story interesting. Baltsaros and Jon are variations on a pair that I’ve worked with before, and Tom is… well, Tom is special to me. Let’s just say that there is a lot of me in the three of them, I just had to tailor them to fill the gaps left behind by the others’ faults: Baltsaros’ coldness, Jon’s lack of physical prowess or leadership, Tom’s emotional vulnerability.

They’re fully fleshed-out characters, so there’s a lot of “off-screen” time during chapter writing where I have to wrestle them back to where I want them to be, and it’s almost never easy to get them to behave.

I remember complaining at one point: “I spend far too much of my time aboard a fictional ship mediating arguments between fictional men.”

Caged has started this series out with a bang. The storyline is intriguing with enough twists to keep you on your toes, not to mention it’s filled with always entertaining and ‘sexy as hell’ sex scenes that are each filled with a mixture of raw emotion that manage to even turn a straight girl like me completely on. Can you give me a little insight into how you’re able to make each sexual encounter completely unique, each filled with a different array of emotion, and each filled with an almost tangible intensity?

For such a great question, this is an utterly boring answer: the sex in this book based partly on experience, partly on personal fantasies. As someone who’s always been comfortable in either dominant or submissive roles, I can play the scenario out from everyone’s perspective and try to come up with something that is both believable and engaging.

While I’m writing, there’s a whole lot of me staring off into space, trying to pull the right words out of the air to describe things that have gone through my head, or the heads of my partners, during a particular act… and I try to arrange them in a way that hopefully resonates with the reader.

The tangled webs we weave, was a phrase that popped into my head frequently while reading Caged. Baltsaros and Tom both knew how to stretch the truth of their words, and sometimes even completely create truth in them since they were obviously lies said to get the outcome they desired, but although Jon knew almost every time he was lied to he never really called anyone out on it. For Jon there is power in that knowledge, but how do you know when he needs to actually yield that power? And will his empathic abilities continue to play a prominent role in the series?

Ah Jon. Having lived in such utter isolation he’s a little starved for attention. While he should be calling people out on things, he holds back partially because he knows he’s basically trapped where he is by his own emotions.

Maybe that power is the ace in his sleeve that he’ll need to use if/when things get really dire.

And yes, Jon’s empathy will continue to play a prominent role.

I see that you are currently working on Baal’s Heart #2. How many books do you plan on having in the series? And without leaking any spoilers, can you give us a hint about what we may find in the second book?

I was just saying the other day that I hope I haven’t written myself into a corner calling it a trilogy. I’d like for there to be three, but let’s see where the sequel leaves things.

The next book? Well, the working title is Beyond the Spires. Let’s see… adventure, new characters, death, deception, sacrifice, and, of course, sex. To quote someone who’s been reading it as I write: “I love how you’ve built this world […] it’s full and real and terrifying.”

Not to scare anyone off, of course.

Okay, enough about your wonderful book, let’s find out a little more about you. What made you decide to write and publish the Baal’s Heart series?

Caged was inspired by a few things but, first and foremost, by a line from a Decemberists song called Don’t Carry it All:

Let every vessel pitching hard to starboard Lay its head on summer’s freckled knees

I know… seems a little odd, but it makes such a meaningful picture in my head.

Before last June, the only things I’d ever written before were term papers, bad high school poetry, and something that could be considered The Lost Boys fan-fiction when I was 14.

When I suddenly started writing fiction, people liked it, so I decided to try my hand at writing what had started taking shape in my head from those lyrics. When folks really liked it, I decided to go ahead and publish it.

Do you have any writing habits/routines?

I write every day (thank you Neil Gaiman). Even if I am sick to death of the scene I’m writing – which happens when I’m anxious to get to the next part – my aim is to write at least a thousand words a day.

I drink a lot of coffee.

I drink.

I make a lot of backups in case I get Hemingway’s advice backwards and start editing while drinking… which does happen.

I draw scenes and characters from my writing to blow off steam and to stop thinking consciously about words.

I write a chapter of three thousand words, I walk away, I reread it, delete three quarters of it, rewrite, and edit, edit, edit. I read it out loud. I make my computer read it out loud… and then I edit the whole thing all over again.

Most writers tend to stay busy between their ‘day’ jobs and writing, but do you have any hobbies or things you like to do for fun?

I watch a lot of movies and TV. I draw and paint. I go to concerts. I head down to the local pub for a pint with a friend. I get tattooed. I used to club a lot, once or twice a week for years, but I’ve decided to step back from a lot of social engagements.

Sometimes you just need a break. I’ll get back to it, I’m sure of it, but for now I’m just enjoying being a bit of a hermit.

There’s so much left to write.

Most authors are somewhat inspired by their favorite books and authors. What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors? And what’s your favorite genre to read?

I read a lot, or at least I used to before I started writing all the time. If you look at one of the fiction bookcases in my house, you’ll see two over-full shelves of fantasy, two more filled with sci-fi, one of horror, and two full of what I categorize as “other”: spy novels, Shakespeare, stuff like Dickens, Tolstoy and Brönte, everything John Irving and Mary Roach have ever written, and odds and ends that I’ve enjoyed over the years like A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I honestly don’t really have a favourite genre.

Favourite books?

Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice. I have a thing for the history of castrati and I love opera. The relationship between Tonio and Guido just does something for me.

Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett. Yes it’s a Warhammer 30K book, but the setting and description is just gorgeous. Seriously. I’m half in love with the main character.

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. I actually love the whole Gormenghast series, but the first one is the best in my humble opinion.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I’m a huge HST fan… but this one is my favourite of his.

I could keep going as my brain keeps ticking off gems I’ve read over the years, but I’ll stop here.

Random Question: I’m basically a music junkie so please indulge me. Choose three of your favorite sex scenes from Caged and give me a song or two that goes with each. A sexual playlist so to speak.

Hm. Interesting question.

There’s actually a soundtrack I made for the novel (I think a lot about music while I write). However, it’s not specifically about sex but about the main themes of the chapters themselves. I’ll give it to you anyway, just because, and then I’ll try to focus on the sex:

Ch 4 – Run Boy Run by WoodkidCh 6 – The Difference Between Us by The Dead Weather Ch 10 – Brutal Hearts by Bedouin Soundclash Ch 13 – Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons Ch 14 – Gasoline and Matches by Buddy & Julie Miller Ch 18 – The Only Time by Nine Inch Nails Ch 21 – Prison Sex by Tool Ch 24 – I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day by the Pogues Ch 29 – This is Why We Fight by The Decemberists Ch 31 – #1 Crush by Garbage Ch 32 – Out of the Woods by Justin Rutledge Ch 33 – When I’m Up by Great Big Sea

 

Now, now for sex scenes in particular… I can’t decide which three, so how about four?

Ch 8: “You’re not such a bad guy” – I love this one.

• Bad Things by the Jace Everett
• Jealousy and the Get Free by Bedouin Soundclash

Ch 18: “I’m yours… but not like that.”

• The Only Time by Nine Inch Nails
• Stripped (Highland Mix) by Depeche Mode
• Silver by Moist

Ch 28: “Of course I meant it…”

• Fire in Freetown by K’naan
• Black Leaf by The Cave Singers

Ch 33: “On your back.”

• If I Had a Heart by Fever Ray
• Striptease by Hawksely Workman

I know some of those songs, but others I’ve never heard of. Looks like I’ll be checking out some new music. And I can’t wait! Thank you Bey for the lovely interview, it was definitely entertaining and I enjoyed it very much. ~Jennifer

If you would like more information about Bey Deckard and what he’s currently working on check out his website: http://www.beydeckard.com/. If you want to see my review of Cagedclick on the book cover above.

Categories: Interviews

Tagged as: Baal's Heart, Bey Deckard, Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas