Practice Makes Perfect
by Ryder O. Cox

Sparks fly when best friends Mateo and Morgan decide to work together to get good at dating. They’re two good-looking college guys, they just need a little practice.

Too bad they have no one to practice with but each other. Hey, at least Morgan looks cute in a skirt, right?

Getting dumped sucks, and nobody knows the truth of that statement more than Mateo and Morgan. They’ve been best friends for a couple years, but neither of them can keep a girlfriend for more than a couple months! Mateo hasn’t even kissed a girl, let alone get past first base with one. So of course he turns to his bestie, Morgan, for help. And, after all, practice makes perfect, right..?

Content & Trigger Warnings! This book contains:

• groping
• best friends to lovers
• crossdressing
• first time gay / bi romance
• first kiss
• frotting
• nonpen/non-penetrative sex
• copious consent (consent is sexy!)
• bi / gay for you
• questioning gender
• questioning sexuality

5 out of 5 fairies

This might’ve been a quick read, but it was absolutely brilliant. I admit, I actually laughed out loud a few times. Cox wove a funny, sexy, sexually explorative story that grabs you from the outset. When I read the blurb, I knew this was going to go one of two ways – I’d hate it or love it, and I absolutely loved it. Mateo and Morgan are great, likeable characters who have found a unique solution to their lack of luck in the love and sex department. I won’t spoil anything, but this is one you definitely don’t want to miss, and I look forward to reading more by Cox in the future!

Til next time,
Lily

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Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Ryder I really enjoyed reading Practice Makes Perfect. First, I have to say, I love the pen name. What led you to pick this particular one? 

Ryder:  Thanks for having me, and I’m so glad you enjoyed reading it! The pen name was kind of a journey. My partner and I love puns and I had been trying to think of a good pen name. I knew I wanted to write primarily spicy romance books and short stories, so I was hoping for something a little raunchy. I actually ended up Googling stripper names and was inspired. I originally thought of going with Ryder O’Cox, but I’m not Irish, so I decided to imply a middle name instead. I’ll let the readers imagine what they think the O might stand for.

Lily:  Haha I have some ideas what it might stand for. What inspired you to write this?

Ryder:  Practice Makes Perfect was actually a bit different for me. I typically write more dark and/or kinky taboo romance stories. This one was more sweet than spicy, which was a great change of pace.

My readers may not know this, but I’m a professional dominatrix for my ‘big kid/paying the bills’ job. So this story was inspired by stories from some of my clients. 

Lily:  That’s awesome! Were Mateo and Morgan based on anyone?

Ryder:  No one person or story in particular – the discovery of finding out what you like in relationships, what your sexuality and gender identity are, etc is a unique journey for everyone. But the themes of nervousness, sometimes even revulsion or denial, and wanting to make excuses as to why they’re ‘not like that‘ are all very common. 

Lily:  I know I’ve heard some stories from friends about struggling to accept who they are. Be honest – is Mateo or Morgan your favorite?

Ryder:  I feel like I go back and forth on this. I see more of myself in Morgan (and he is actually named after my Dungeons & Dragons character haha). I struggle with self-love sometimes, so there are aspects that I love and hate about his personality.

I feel like I strive to be more like Mateo. I love how he’s open with his emotions and is able to articulate his feelings without being too afraid of them. He got an idea and went for it, and it led to something beautiful, and I really admire that. 

Lily:  I can totally understand going back and forth between the two, especially for those reasons. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Ryder:  Is it bad if I still don’t consider myself a writer sometimes? I’ve been writing since high school (mostly fanfics – feel free to judge as long as you don’t find any of my old pen names LOL!). But for some reason, I struggle with mentally accepting that I have overcome the hump of actually finishing a book. And not just a book, but four at this point, with three more in the works! I’m sure one day my brain will catch up with reality, but I don’t think I’m there yet. Maybe when my writing starts to become my main source of income, or at least pays for itself? I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

Lily:  I totally understand waiting for your brain to catch up to reality, even when you’re far into what you do! (Seriously, I’ve been running this blog for almost 7 years and it still feels weird to say I’m a book blogger). What time of day do you prefer to write?

Ryder: I’m a night owl through and through. I just hate mornings because no matter how many cups of coffee I drink, I never feel awake. I typically wake up no earlier than noon, and I try to get my writing in after dinner.

Lily:  I’m a night owl too, and I totally understand what you mean about mornings. What would your ideal writing space look like, and where would it be?

Ryder: My partner and I are currently looking at buying a house, so I’ve been thinking a lot about this. I want a computer that is exclusively for writing. I have severe ADHD and I feel like the fact that I have other programs (let’s be honest, mostly video games) on my current computer is too much of a temptation to procrastinate.

As for where it would be, I need quiet when I write. So either a room with soundproof walls or quiet (or preferably no) neighbors. The cats tend to wait until I’m writing to demand my attention, so I’d love to have some quiet way to distract them too.

I’m not ashamed of what I write, but the nature of my stories tends to make me blush sometimes. It gets worse when someone is in the room with me. Yes, I know, I intend for these stories to be read by people, but I don’t want them to see my face when they’re doing it haha. Because of that, I’d need my partner to have their computer in another room.

I’m also more a fan of the country than the city, so I’d love to have a little getaway in the woods somewhere where I can write at night and listen to crickets instead of highways. For now, I have noise-canceling headphones and youtube soundtracks for things like binaural beats, concentration/relaxation music, rain, and night sounds. 

Lily:  That sounds like the peaceful space, and I hope you find your perfect house! Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?

Ryder:  Oooh hard choice! I live in Michigan, and we’re the actual birthplace of the Coney Dog. So if I’m having a hot dog, it better have chili and cheese on it! I also love pickles, so lots of relish too.

Lily:  I remember the first time my husband took me to a Coney Island in Michigan, coming from New York I was so confused when he mentioned going there for lunch. Now I’m hooked on Coney Dogs. Would you rather live by the ocean, by a lake, deep in the woods, or in the middle of the desert?

Ryder:  I think deep in the woods. I actually have Thalassophobia, which is the fear of large bodies of water. I live in Michigan, and we’re surrounded by the Great Lakes. I’ve been on boat rides where you get so far out that you literally can’t see the shore and it’s just so scary for me! And it’s not just the ocean or large lakes, it’s the idea of being underwater and it just being so large and empty to where you can’t see anything. I remember playing Subnautica and needing to take anxiety breaks LOL!

Lily:  The woods can be so peaceful too. If you could go on vacation in any book, which book would it be, and which character(s) would you hang out with?

Ryder:  This is the question that I had to overthink the most LOL! I finally ended up choosing the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. I just love all the puns and magical nonsense. I’d love to hang out with any of the characters, honestly, but I will always have a soft spot for Bink from the beginning of the series. 

Lily:  Sounds like it would be a really fun time! What’s the funniest/strangest insult you’ve ever heard? (I’m partial to calling someone a soggy McChicken)

Ryder:  The bard in my D&D campaign uses vicious mockery a lot and their favorite insult is calling the enemy ‘no-purpose flour.’ It makes me giggle every time.

Lily:  Ok, that one made me actually laugh out loud. If you could throw a party for any reason, with any theme and no budget, what kind of party would you throw? What would you wear for it? 

Ryder:  I don’t really know on this one. I’m not a huge party person. I’d rather just have a group of friends to hang out with, something to do together like watch a movie or play games, and good food to share. 

Lily:  It’s always nice when you get to hang out and just chill with friends. What are your favorite and least favorite holidays? Any particular reason(s)?

Ryder:  Love Halloween because I never grew out of my goth kid phase. I also love sewing and cosplay, so that’s always a great excuse to break out the costumes! And horror movies are my favs too! 

Least favorite would have to be Christmas. It was always so stressful growing up, and still is as an adult. I’m trying to create better memories every year with my chosen family, but it still has that lingering feeling of dread to it every year.

Lily:  Halloween is my favorite too! Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Ryder:  I should probably share about what’s been happening between me and Amazon lately. I had planned to have the rewrite of Discovery out on March 1 and had set it to auto-release and be available for preorder until then. Amazon approved it and it was available for a couple weeks, but then I decided to tweak something minor and now Amazon says it violates their guidelines. So, I don’t know if or when Discovery will be available on Amazon, but I’ll keep everyone posted on my website and mailing list.

Other than that, nothing that I can think of. This was super fun and made me think about things that I hadn’t in a long time. Thanks for having me!

Lily:  I had a lot of fun, thank you so much for dropping by. How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Ryder:  The best way would be checking out my website and joining my mailing list. My site has all of the important information on it, but mailing list subscribers get an update every other Wednesday with extra bonus information before anyone else, plus pictures of my cat children. 

Ryder doesn’t exist. Well, she didn’t, anyway, until some time in early 2022 when I decided to make my silly smut into something more. The person behind Ryder is me – just a silly, pansexual, polyamorous, demisexual, nonbinary, neurodivergent mess of a creature who enjoys telling sexy stories with and for my friends. I live with my partner in Ann Arbor, Michigan along with our three cats (and beloved overlords).

I love hearing from my readers, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! My email is ryder@ryderocox.com

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