Indie Author Crush is back for this week!!! Not for readers under 18 Sorry!

 

 

Lisa Markson is the Winner!!! For some reason rafflecopter hates me and won't announce the winners.

 

 

This week I interviewed Brandie Buckwine. She writes amazing erotica. I'm a newbie in the erotica readership. I recently just started reading it. Yes it tickles my funny bone...but it's also engaging, take me away to another place reading. It's great for readers who need a quickie read. Pun intended. Most erotica that I have come across is relatively short and steamy. I interviewed her and she agreed to giveaway a book for this weeks special. We decided that FIGHTING FAITH would be perfect. I find that what helps one learn to love erotica is find a GOOD erotic writer and have a sense of humor. Life and sex doesn't need to be taken so seriously. Without further ado...meet Ms. Brandie Buckwine.

 

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.

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!



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Lori's Review for Fighting Faith: 4 Stars

Let's go back to that dubious consent warning at the end of the blurb for Fighting Faith. I am so glad that Brandie has it there. It's a great tool. There is only one scene of dubious dubious constent. Which is the only thing that kept this from being a 5 star book.  Otherwise this was a hot and steamy read. For all you contemp romance fans this IS the erotica book for you. If you enjoy reads like Bared to You by Sylvia Day then you will like this story. It's roughly about 81 pages and won't take you very long to devour. I'm really thankful for Brandie giving me a review copy. It is funny, cute (can you call erotica cute?) and a gripping romance. Yes, there is romance in there. The leads are both full of one liners that had me cracking up the entire time I was reading. The male lead is full of Alpha male steaminess with a hidden sweet side. The female lead is a smartass. Really she is. I think she has the best lines in the whole story. Good luck at winning an e-copy. Remember folks this is not for the faint hearted or youngins. Sorry. For the rest of you. Have a blast reading this. :D