And the Beagle Makes Three: An Interview and Giveaway with Author Geoff Knight

Lisa: We’re so pleased to have author Geoff Knight joining us today on the tour for his brand new novella, And the Beagle Makes Three. Welcome, Geoff! Let’s start with a question about the book: what’s your favorite scene in And the Beagle Makes Three, and what makes it a fave?

Geoff: I love the first dinner scene at the home of Bethany, Stu’s sister-in-law. I’ve always been a big fan of family dinner scenes, in fiction and in real life it’s when everyone’s personalities seem to come to the fore. You always get laughs or arguments or something at a big family dinner. It’s like the saying goes, you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family, so when you get all these different people gathered together who really haven’t ‘chosen’ to be together, that’s when you get fun and fireworks. Again, later in the story, there’s a scene between Stu and Bethany when things reach breaking point. Kitchens are like dinner tables, and I specifically wanted to set that scene in the kitchen. It’s the heart of the house, so what better setting for a scene that gets to the heart of the story!

Lisa: If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?

Geoff: Definitely Bethany! Still waters run deep with her. On the surface she’s very superficial, but by the end of the book we’re only just beginning to get to see her for all her flaws and insecurities. She’s the reason I want to write a sequel.

Lisa: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?

Geoff: Oh, definitely Bethany’s husband, Brad. He’s the king of dad jokes and idle chit-chat. Poor guy, it’s not his fault, he’s been written that way.

Lisa: What are your least and most favorite things about being an author?

Geoff: My least favorite thing is not having enough hours in the day to write all the stories I want to write. I have a huge backlog of stories that want to be written, and the list doesn’t get any shorter. On the contrary it just keeps getting longer and longer. My most favorite thing about being an author is getting to explore all these themes and characters that I find fascinating. I love choosing a theme for a story and delving into it. For example, the theme for And the Beagle Makes Three is denial. It affects everyone in the book in one way or another, and the effects come out at particular points through the story. I wanted to take average people and look at how we let denial control us, and how we deal with it when we acknowledge that it’s a dominant force in our lives.

Lisa: Have you ever written a line, paragraph, or passage, and thought, “Darn, that’s pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself”? What was it?

Geoff: I absolutely love the last line in And the Beagle Makes Three. I think it’s crucial to make the last sentence in a book memorable and leave the reader with a real sigh of satisfaction.

Lisa: If you could choose one of your books to be adapted for the silver screen, which would you choose? Why do you think it would translate well to film?

Geoff: It would have to be The Cross of Sins, the first in my Fathom’s Five adventure series… and then hopefully all the books in the series would follow. I’d love to see a big-budget action version of those books with hot hunks to steam up the silver screen. When I write action and adventure, I tend to think like a movie director and a set designer, I try to make everything as visual as possible so I think Fathom’s Five would make for a really fun movie experience.

Lisa: What’s the one book you’ve read in your lifetime that you wish you’d written? Why did this particular book leave such a lasting impact on you?

Geoff: Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave. It’s the true story of a guy who falls in love with the captain of the football team and they end up falling in love. It follows their ups and downs, their family dramas and the trials of their relationship. It’s so very real… probably because it’s a true story. The emotions, reactions, events, everything is written with so much truth. I remember finishing it at the beach one day and as I turned the last page I was crying and I had to run into the surf and swim off the tears so that strangers didn’t come up to me and ask if I was okay. If you haven’t read it, it’s a must!

Lisa: What’s the best piece of writing/author advice you’ve received that you’d pass on to someone else just getting started in the business?

Geoff: Find a good editor and listen to them. Heed their advice. Before you disagree with them, really hear what they have to say and see if their alterations will improve your book. Don’t just disagree with them because you were the one who wrote the novel. You may be a writer but you’re not always right. Your editor is there to help make your book better. If you still disagree with them, talk through your concerns and work together to come up with the best solution for your story. Editing is a very different skill set to writing. Use each other’s strengths to create the best book possible.

Lisa: If you won the lottery, what’s the first completely self-indulgent thing you’d do?

Geoff: Take a holiday to a place far away that I’ve never been to before. Croatia. Norway. Tunisia. Somewhere fabulous and completely out of my comfort zone!

Lisa: If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things you’d absolutely have to have?

Geoff: All the books I’m yet to read on my ginormous TBR list. My glasses so I could read the books. Wine so that I could sit back and relax while reading.

Lisa: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you choose? Why?

Geoff: I’d have to say a bird, something fast like a swallow. They look like they have so much fun swooping about. Besides, who doesn’t want to fly?

Lisa: If you could travel back in time, with all your years of experience and wisdom intact, what advice would you give to your teenage self?

Geoff: Have more sex! Fool around. It’s natural. Damn that guilt-filled Catholic upbringing of mine.

Lisa: Star Trek, Star Wars, both or neither? Explain.

Geoff: I quite like both, but I’m loving the trajectory that Star Wars is taking with all its spin-off movies. They’re really exploring the true potential of that infinitely complex universe and doing a great job of it. There’s a galaxy of characters out there waiting to join the Force, I can’t wait to meet them all. Oh, and Solo looks awesome!

Lisa: It’s the zombie apocalypse. It’s up to you and 5 other uninfected humans to save what’s left of humanity. Which fictional characters would you want on your team, and why?

Geoff: I love this question! Okay, I need someone who can fight, so I’m thinking someone like Tyler Durden from Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club would be useful, he can totally take a beating and stay standing. I’d need someone who can fly and think strategically to get us off the ground and away from the zombies when necessary so I think Ender Wiggin from Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game would definitely come in handy. I’d need someone with a strong moral compass when things get stressful amongst us, so Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird is a must. I’d need someone with a sense of humor to lighten the mood when things get bleak, so Bridget Jones can join us if she learns how to handle a weapon. And finally a little magic wouldn’t go astray to get us out of those perilous scrapes so welcome aboard Harry Potter!

Lisa: I’d definitely want to be a tag-along on your team! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us, Geoff, it’s been a pleasure!

About the Book

Genre: Gay Drama /Comedy
Length: 26,000 words
Release Date: 04.12.18
Buy Link: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Blurb: When Stuart Summerfield finally realized he was gay, he knew that telling his beloved wife Claire would be one of the hardest, most heartbreaking things he would ever do. Unfortunately Stu’s coming out wasn’t simply heartbreaking… it had the most unexpected and tragic consequences imaginable.

Now, almost one year after the car accident that took Claire’s life, Stu has buried himself in his work to push through the pain and guilt while doing his best to raise, Atticus, their young son, who has himself handled his grief in his own unique way. While getting by one day at a time proves difficult enough, it never crossed Stu’s mind that the family’s annual weekend away at the lakeside home of his sister-in-law, Bethany, would still go ahead now that Claire was gone.

Atticus, however, has other ideas. With his loyal beagle Digby by his side, Atty makes a phone call to Aunt Bethany in an effort to keep the family tradition alive, no matter what chaos and calamity might ensue.

And so over the course of one weekend filled with commotion—and emotion—Stu and Atty are about to learn that healing can open up your heart, that grief can sometimes be good, and that nobody travels the road to recovery alone.

Tour Excerpt

Atty sat on a chair outside the principal’s office. He turned his head when he saw a flash of daylight reflect on the well-mopped floors as the door at the end of the corridor opened and his father come running toward him.

Stu practically slid to his knees in front of his son, grabbing Atty’s arms, feeling his forehead, looking for any bruises from bullies or red marks on Atty’s knuckles on the off-chance he’d fought back.

“Atty? Buddy, you okay? What’s happened?”

Atticus gave his father a concerned look and said quietly, “Dad, I made the whole class cry.”

“What do you mean you made the whole class cry? Why? How?”

“I didn’t mean to. I don’t think they liked my presentation.”

“What presentation? You didn’t tell me you had a presentation.”

“You were busy, I didn’t wanna bother you. I’ve never failed an assignment before. What do you think it feels like to get an F?”

Stu gave Atty a tight, long hug. “It’s okay to get an F once in a while. Nobody’s perfect all of the time, Atty.”

At that moment, the door to Principal Parsons’s office opened.

“Ah, Mr. Summerfield. I thought I heard your voice. Would you mind stepping inside?”

Principal Parsons gestured for Stu to enter the office, but as Atty moved to follow his father the principal held up his hand. “You can stay here for the moment, Atty. We’d like to have a word with your father in private. We won’t be long.” The door clicked shut and Atty took his seat and waited.

Inside Principal Parsons’s office, Mrs. Tilbury was already waiting for Stu to join them.

“Mr. Summerfield, it’s nice to see you again.” Mrs. Tilbury shook Stu’s hand but had trouble looking him in the eye.

“Is this about the beagle again?” Stu asked, taking the spare seat as Principal Parsons gestured to it.

“Yes, and we’re concerned the problem isn’t going away,” the principal answered. “It seems to be in complete contrast with the way Atticus appears to be working through his issues creatively.”

Stu shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Mrs. Tilbury sat forward. “A few weeks ago, the children were given an assignment. They were asked to put together a presentation in any medium or format they liked, so long as it covered the topic of ‘The Story of My Life So Far’.” She took a breath and lost eye contact with Stu once more. “Naturally, given the last year that

Atticus has had—”

“Eleven months,” Stu interrupted quietly. “It’s been eleven months.”

Mrs. Tilbury cleared her throat and continued. “Given the last eleven months that Atticus has been through, I gave him the option not to participate, but he insisted on putting together a presentation.”

“Was it bad? Did he do something wrong?”

Principal Parsons and Mrs. Tilbury exchanged glances before Parsons said, “Why don’t you see for yourself. If you wouldn’t mind turning your chair around.”

It was only then that Stu noticed the film projector facing the back wall of the office. Mrs. Tilbury switched off the lights and set the projector running, the rickety film of Atty’s presentation jerking into motion.

About the Author

Geoffrey Knight is the author of more than 30 gay fiction novels, novellas and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense and gay comedies. He is the recipient of two Rainbow Awards including Best Mystery Winner and Best Overall Gay Fiction Runner-up. His work has been featured in several anthologies including Best Gay Erotica 2013, and he appeared as Guest of Honor at the inaugural Rainbow Con in Florida, 2014.

Geoffrey has worked in advertising, politics and journalism, but nothing is as fun as telling stories. He lives with his partner, their baby daughter, two dogs and two cats in a rambling old house in North Queensland, Australia, where the paint is fraying and life is good.

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