Debut: MR RUMPLE AND MR. GRIMM by Echo Ishii

MR. RUMPEL & MR. GRIMM
by Echo Ishii

Hi, I'm Echo Ishii, author of romance with fantasy, SF, speculative and any other weird elements that I can think of. 

Mr. Rumpel and Mr. Grimm started because of the title. That's it. I had no idea what it would be about, but I made up mock covers and fake blurbs.

During my lunch break, I wrote in a notebook to cope with a job I hated. These stories will never see the light of day. There was an epic fantasy saga featuring psychic twin bird people; an urban fantasy with a sorceress who worked night shift at Piggly Wiggly; and a high fantasy that had something to do with elves and a haunted house. Concepts like character arc and story structure had no place in those early stories. Needless to say, they were not destined for greatness.

The common theme (other than crappiness) was fantastical worlds, magic, and magical creatures. I love to read mythology and folklore. I love to walk around a library and pick out books on history, culture, and anthropology at random. All these things fed my imagination.

I've read a fair amount of fanfic over the years, which uses male-male pairings and I was familiar with the manga use of male-male pairings as a narrative convention.　(This is different than gay romance with a different history and audience). I decided Mr. Rumpel and Mr. Grimm should be a romance.

There's a lot of talk about why so many women write and read M/M Romance. I can't tell you why because all people are different. I can say that I found an encouraging community of fellow writers. I can say that I write what pops into my head.

After a lot of workshops, editing, and generous help from fellow writers, I finally completed my novella. It also took many rejections, but Less Than Three Press (http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/) saw something in it so it became my debut.

I now have another great title that I can't let go of. So, for me, it's back to writing.

BLURB:

Claude Rumpel is a goblin turned human, living a quiet life in his little repair shop at the edge of town. He is in sore need of money to fund his inventions, and a cure for his hands, which he must keep covered at all times.

Daniel Grimm is half elf, descended from a wealthy family but now down on his luck. He is determined to restore his family's prestige and has a daring plan to do so.

The gold thread that Claude spins, and Daniel's ability to sell it, seems a perfect plan for their goals. The casual sex is a pleasant bonus. But they are constantly thwarted from all sides: Daniel's dealing with a powerful witch, the opposing magic of their lineages, and Claude's dark goblin desires... (Contains some explicit material.)

  

Join Echo on Pinterest (@mrsbookmark) and she will gladly follow anyone who pins about steampunk/deiselpunk clothes, desserts, and Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz paraphernalia.

Or hang out with Echo Ishii on Goodreads because she's there a lot. There is also a blog (http://echoishiizone.wordpress.com) and Twitter (@mrsbookmark)

Her alter/ego RK contributes to the wonderful Smart Girls Love Sci Fi blog (http://smartgirlsscifi.wordpress.com/) 

and the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly

(http://www.scifiromancequarterly.org/ ).