Hello, my name is Rebecca James, and I write MM romance. Much of it is high heat, but I've also written some sweet romance. (If that's your bag, check out y Boys' Love series, which is for sale only on my website, and my novel Wrapped in Red.) For me, writing MM is a dream come true. In my books and series, readers will find bikers, bodyguards, boys' love actors, friends-to-lovers, wolf shifters, and always passion!​

 

I've recently retired from teaching and am devoting my time between writing and my new granddaughter, who was born in November. She has special needs. If you are interested in hearing about that, you can read about it in my blog on this website very soon.

​​

When I'm not writing or spending time with my girl, I enjoy reading novels, including MM, watching BL dramas and the occasional anime with my daughter and her husband, as well as reading books on spirituality. If pressed, I will cook and clean. My journey in MM? Read on.

​​

Eleven or twelve years ago, I'd never heard of MM romance and was just learning about "slash" fanfiction. I'd discovered the internet and was figuring out my way around it. (I think email was about all I could do back then. Fortunately, I had three savvy kids who could help me.)  I have always had a soft spot for watrching men being gentle and concerned with other men (I think I first noticed this when I was around 12 and watching Spock and Kirk on Star Trek and then Starsky and Hutch, the "gay" cops. Even The Hardy Boys made my heart pump faster, and not just because they were cute. My favorite episodes were those wheen one of them got into danger and the other showed concern. Is it any wonder that hurt/comfort is my favorite trope?) When I discovered MM, I was, like, WOW! There are other women like me! I can't tell you what a revelation this was.

​​​

My next big moment was discovering fanfiction. I have written since I was a kid, at first to amuse family members, and later to amuse myself. I would get friends at school to write on-going soap opera type stories with me starring us. I remember in ninth grade having one that was about me and my friend and--get this--a conspiracy surrounding Midol. You heard me right--Midol, the drug for menstrual cramps. (Midol was a teen girl's best friend back then.) Obviously, I wasn't big on school. Looking back, I was ADHD and didn't know it and the only subjects I could concentrate on were those I was interested in--namely, English, Latin, French. In other words, languages. Other girls were into guys, and I was writing soaps about Midol with a reluctant friend, lol.

​​​

So, fast-forward to many years later after having moved to the South (I'm from Northern Virginia) and marrying, having three kids, going to college in my thirties (where I excelled, even though I was still undiagnosed ADHD, but by that time I was way more interested in learning than I had been when I was in high school). The internet became a thing and I began exploring it. Because I had majored in English and what the hell was I going to do with that, I got a teaching job at a local high school. It was a huge struggle that I eventually learned from that left me with little respect for our education system but great memories (and some not-so-great) of the kids. Let me know if you are interersted in more about that, and I will write a blog post on it.) When I found fanfiction on the internet, a whole new world opened to me. I'd tried in the past to publish some Harlequin stuff (I remembered reading those as a kid. I specifically remember the man callling the woman a "little fool" and occasionally slapping her), but it was turned down because "Harlequin women don't divorce." (I wondered if they still got pushed around by men.) Anyway, I was so excited. I would just write off the cuff. I can't believe anyone was interested in reading what I wrote.

​

A huge X Files fan, I began with Mulder/Scully fic, then I found that there was actually a fanbase for Starsky and Hutch (a small one, but there nontheless. Many of those writers had started with Spock/Kirk--the Daddy of all fanfiction--when they were wrting "zines" and mailing them to each other.) I discovered Live Journal and made friends there. This was basically where I got into MM. I'd seen it in the X Files fanbase, but I was so into Mulder with Scully, I didn't look into him with Krycheck or Skinner or (cringe) the Cigarette Smoking Man/Cancer Man! 

​

Ever since I was a kid, I'd always had this "weird" softspot for men being caring and gentle with each other. It started when I watched reruns of Star Trek, and continued as a preteen with Starsky and Hutch (then called the "gay" cops.). OF COURSE I wanted to write Starsky and Hutch slash! I was in my element!

​​​​

Side note: I remember this one chick on Live Journal that everyone saId was such a great editor/beta reader, and I asked for her to look at something I was writing, and she just tore it apart apart in the meanest way. She could have so easily caused me to give it all up, but I was determined to do what I loved. Later, she did that to someone else and I had to talk them down.

​​

I  began publishing on AO3 (under the pseudonym Susanna Powell, if you're interested). It allowed me to explore writing different types of stories. I went on to writing for several other fanbases, including Merlin Merthur ) and Harry Potter Drarry, where I wrote some Veela Draco fics, among other things. I was still just writing off the cuff and throwing it on there. (You'll be able to tell if you read any of it. ) I even wrote this weird Merthur space fantasy thing with huge praying mantis-like creatures. When someone on LIve Journal told me they wrote MM Romance for a living, I was, like, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT'S A THING? I NEED A PIECE OF THAT! 

​​​

Being an English teacher sapped all my energy for twenty long and tedious years. (Lol. I'm being melodramatic.) But, in my spare time, I wrote, which made me very happy. I got my first novella published with JMS Publishing, and, due to the popularity of my Merthur wolf shifter series on AO3, I wrote a wolf shifter series (River Wolf Pack, Cascade City Pack, and Angel Hills Pack), and those and had immediate success (for a new author). Eventually, I got up the courage to go indie. Teaching only got harder and more energy-sapping, and the on-going changes in education made it more and more difficult for me to put out many books in the past few years. Then the universe said, "Hey, girl, you can retire! Look into it!" So, I did, and now I'm retired and writing like it's nobody's business. Check out my blog for updates on that. I'll be posting there a lot.

​​

If you'd like to hear more about any of this, please leave a comment and I will make a blog post about it. I am thrilled to finally be able to share myself with my readers after being closed-lipped and carefully for the last ten years.

​​​

I love hearing from my readers. Join Rebecca's Romantic Readers on Facebook to interact a little more personally with me. We have a great time there. And subscribe to my newsletter if you haven't already. It and this website are my main connection to my readers! COVID in 2020  derailed me from attending conventions, but I plan to do them again soon. ​Leave a comment below and let me know how you got into MM romance!