Lisa Markson is the Winner!!! For some reason rafflecopter hates me and won't announce the winners.
Eric’s band is on the verge of making the big time and life is good. But, when he’s forced to work with Faith, a sexy but hateful videographer, life for the foreseeable future might be a little rocky.
The tension between Eric and Faith is nearly tangible. Their troublesome friction abruptly becomes a lust-hate situation, fraught with vicious barbs and spite, but an explosive sexual chemistry that could burn them both, leaving nothing but a pile of ash in its wake. But Cupid has a wicked sense of humor and the two of them will find that the person you hate the most can sometimes rock your world the hardest.
The tension between Eric and Faith is nearly tangible. Their troublesome friction abruptly becomes a lust-hate situation, fraught with vicious barbs and spite, but an explosive sexual chemistry that could burn them both, leaving nothing but a pile of ash in its wake. But Cupid has a wicked sense of humor and the two of them will find that the person you hate the most can sometimes rock your world the hardest.
This story contains scenes of dubious consent which some readers might find objectionable. (see that warning...take heed. If you are sensative to that kind of thing. I can be. But now that I KNOW that it is there I can mentally prepare myself for it.)
Now for our interview:
LP: When did you decide to become a writer?
BB: I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision. I was
unemployed, depressed, and during that time, I spent quite a bit of time
daydreaming. Daydreaming has always been a preoccupation for me. As an only
child to parents who travelled and moved quite a bit, making up stories for my
own entertainment was the tool I chose to combat loneliness and boredom. When
faced with so much extra time on my hands as an adult, my daydreaming went into
high gear. All my stories were always very personal, but one day it clicked
that maybe more people than I thought might be interested to read them. I sat
at the computer and hammered out chapter 3 of my first novel. Nearly two years
later, I had chapter 1, 2, and the rest of the book. It’s a contemporary
fiction/romance I wrote under my own name, tfc Parks. To date, it’s my only
full length novel. Everything I write as Brandie Buckwine is novella length or
a short story.
LP: What drew you to writing erotica?
BB: After I finished my first novel, Rhythm In Blue, and it
sat with an agent for a year with no progress, I started investigating
self-publishing. Smashwords was the first site I found. Easily distracted from
the task at hand, I discovered they had all kinds of free books, many of them
erotic stories. I fell in love with the genre and decided I could do as well,
if not better, than many of the authors I found. Yes, my ego was a little
inflated. I’ve since discovered there are some really great authors of erotica,
and the competition is fierce.
LP: What is the toughest thing for erotica authors today?
BB: Erotica is a tough sell because, to many people, it’s
their ‘dirty little secret’. Unlike mainstream literature, readers of erotica
aren’t always willing to tell their friends about their favorite read. Word of
mouth is a huge aspect of promotion, and if people are afraid to talk, authors
lose that avenue. It’s harder to reach readers of erotica than many other
genres because of the secretive nature and shame factor for readers. For many
people, it’s hard to admit they enjoy a good romance, but a smutty romance? Oh
hell no.
LP: The mainstreaming of Fifty Shades of Grey…do you think
this hurt or helped the erotica genre?
BB: At first I thought it would help, but when a publisher
took over the marketing of the series, they dropped the erotica label and made
it more contemporary romance. I think many erotic authors are cleaning up their
books, taking out offensive words and coming up with creative euphemisms, to
compete in the mainstream romance market.
I do think Fifty Shades has made readers more open to the
erotic genre, but I don’t think it’s had the impact many of us hoped for.
LP: If you ever choose to write in another genre what would
it be? Why?
BB: It’s hard to say. I recently wrote a short story I would
classify as horror, but it was more of an experiment than anything else. But
hey, that’s how I ended up writing erotica. I wrote a short story as an
experiment, came up with a pen name, published it and gave it away (Crazy
Emma). I couldn’t believe how well it did. It went free on Amazon and it shot
up to the top three free erotic stories and stayed there for over three months.
It even spent a couple of weeks at number one. That little experiment has had
over 100,000 downloads in the past year.
I like to experiment and try new things with my writing. I
want to push the limits – see how far I can push a reader without losing them,
so I’m sure I’ll experiment with other genres to feed that urge.
LP: Can you tell us a little about yourself? I know you are
from the Midwest, as am I. (Iowa). Do
you think this influenced you to write your fantastic, funny and steamy
stories?
BB: You know, I’m not sure. Generally, I like to keep my
story locations generic. The only specific location I ever use is Greece. I
spent about eight years of my adolescence living on a Greek island, and it’s
the only place I go to any lengths to describe. When I set a story in Greece,
the location almost becomes another character in the story. I want to write
more of those.
As for the humor, moving around as much as I did growing up,
I was always the new kid in school, and I often relied on humor to break the
ice and make new friends. That, and I come from a long line of smartasses, and
family gatherings are always a contest of wit.
LP: I’m a relatively new reader of erotica is there anything
you want newbies or curious readers like myself to know about the genre?
BB: There are so many kinds of erotica out there, so many
sub genres… If you normally enjoy fantasy, you can find thousands of erotic
fantasy stories out there. Westerns, sci/fi, comedy. Take advantage of free
downloads and samples to get the feel for a story before you buy. If you find
an author you like, check out their other work. Find out who they read. If you
enjoy their work, chances are, you’ll enjoy many of the same authors they do,
and they’ll probably have a wide range of recommendations. And be willing to
take a chance on something you wouldn’t normally read. My favorite erotic
author writes about shapeshifters and aliens – both subjects I would normally
avoid, but her writing pulled me in, and now I can’t get enough of the stuff!
Thank you Lori for such great questions!
I would love to thank Brandie for such great and honest answers!!! She rocks! a Rafflecopter giveaway
