M/M Month: AJ Truman Author Interview

A.J. Truman writes college-set M/M romance, or gay new adult. Whatever you call it, he loves looking back on those awkward, exciting, emotional collegiate years. Check him out on his blog.

What was the inspiration behind OUT IN THE OPEN?

I love the romantic combination of uptight boy meets laid-back guy. I’m a huge fan of
witty banter! I wanted to explore the friends-with-benefits relationship, which was
so connected to my college experience. Nobody was dating the person they were
hooking up with, even though they wanted to usually. I thought a fun twist would be
friends-with-benefits, but only in public places. I’d loved writing these characters so
completely out of their comfort zone, while adding in little quirks I remember from
college.

What is the message that you want readers to get while reading your book?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. True friends will like the true you.

Do you have any authors that you look up to?

I really admire indie authors like Kindle Alexander and Alexa Land who’ve crafted
fantastic M/M romances and found an audience for their stories. Also Sara Alva,
whose book Social Skills is fantastic and inspired me to write gay new adult.

If you had to describe your book in one word, what would it be?

Sexy

Have you ever gotten frisky with a guy in public?

Umm...maybe...one time I got a little too handsy on the dance floor of a club. And then there was this other time when I got a little too intimate with a guy on someone’s front steps. If it makes it any better, I’d had a crush on him for a really
long time.