Hi to everybody, and welcome to my new, regular column in the wonderful Divine Magazine.
I suspect some of you are a bit puzzled by the title of my column but don’t be…all will be made clear over time as I fill my column with news about my books, the joys of living abroad, my jet-setter lifestyle (I wished!), and things that interest me.
Having moved from London to Tenerife fifteen years ago, I’m not quite British anymore, but I’m not quite Spanish either. Yes, I speak the language and have adapted to their culture, but that’s not enough to consider myself Spanish. So I live between two worlds, and that can get quite confusing at times.
I’m a gay man who can be as hard as nails at times—most people raised in East London tend to be, and growing up as the youngest of five children in a fairly tough neighbourhood meant I had to take care of myself. Invariably, I managed to do that with the words that came out of my mouth, as opposed to using my fists, I’m pleased to say.
Given my sexuality, I think it’s fairly safe to say that I’m capable of being in touch with my feminine side as well as my masculine side. Although Tenerife has made me more of a señor than a senorita. Most of my friends and readers come to that, are heterosexuals, and most of them are women. That said, thanks to social media I still get my daily dose of camp humour which is my daily spoonful of medicine 🙂
At the age of fifty, I’ve fallen in love more than a few times and rejoiced in how fulfilling and satisfying it can be. I still believe you can’t beat that feeling when your heart skips a beat, or flutters when you think about your loved one, or are with them. Taking a walk along the beach holding hands, or sharing a nice cosy dinner together—not to mention the antics in the bedroom 🙂
Conversely, in the past, I’ve been at war with my own sexuality, relationships, the Gay scene, excessive work related stress, drugs, alcohol, deception, and lots of other things. That’s why I decided to call my series of books ‘Men In Love and at War.’ My life experiences have influenced my storylines, plots, characters, writing style, etc. enormously, so it seemed very fitting.
As a successful senior business consultant in London I started to resent commercialism, greed, money, power, and the increasing stress that was put on me to achieve my objectives, so my company could line the pockets of wealthy shareholders. That’s what made me decide to move to Tenerife, so I could escape the pressure, pursue a more fulfilling life, and focus on my writing.
I do my best to encapsulate what I’ve learned over the years, for good or for bad, in my books. I try to post early warning signs for other people, so they don’t have to go through some of the horrid things I’ve gone through. Obviously, I want, and encourage people to go out there and enjoy their lives (I certainly have!), but if I can help some of the younger generation avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made, then I’ll feel I’ve achieved something through my writing.
My friends, and readers, often comment I have a wicked and sharp sense of humour that is on point, and I do my best to maintain that even to this day. My humour has been dampened somewhat by my personal experiences, but my books contain a lot of the old me and are very witty, so please don’t think they’re all serious, and doom and gloom because they’re not 🙂
I hope my books will make you laugh out loud, cry unashamedly, and help you reflect on life, so you can enjoy it even more! That is my primary aim…
My books are available through eXtasy Book Inc: http://www.extasybooks.com/lj-collins/ and numerous other distributors.
My website: www.LJCollinsauthor.com
My YouTube channel, where you can see all my book trailer videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfkmKmxNye4J2aWQeMT3QAw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LJauthor
Happy reading, LJ
