Morning, commies and kinky peeps!
Today's guest is Shaunna Peterson, a daring and prolific author of fantasy and erotica.
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MJN: One of the hats you wear
is being a stay-at-home mom. There seems to be this popular myth that full-time
moms are somehow bland and sexless. As a woman and a writer, do you make an
effort to maintain a certain level of appeal? If you write erotic stories, it
definitely helps to have an alluring head shot to go on your Amazon page. I
really need to update my bio on Amazon. :)
SP: I am no longer a stay at home mom. I am a full
time mom, I work full time and write. It's a lot on my plate but there is no
rest for the wicked, with the help of my husband I am able to juggle this most
of the time. As far as full time moms being bland or sexless I would have to
disagree, we just learn to prioritize. I don't find it necessary to get all
dolled up to do laundry and clean house I am no June Cleaver. But I do try to
maintain my appearance. If I am working or have an outing that requires more
than yoga pants and a tank top then yes I will take the time do my hair and
make-up. :) I agree having a head shot that is alluring or attractive might
make readers take another look is great, but I would much rather them read my books
than stare at my picture.
MJN: There are many venues,
digital and print, that publish romantic and erotic fiction. You have published
your works independently. Was it a conscious decision, to gain more control
over the final product? That's one of the reasons many independent authors
cite.
SP: I like the fact that I can be hands on with
every aspect of my book. From the template I use or the design for front and
back cover. I like the control I have over it. If something doesn't look right
or doesn't come out the way that I wanted it then I have no one to blame but
myself. I am still fairly new to writing and publishing and I really wanted to
be able to have final say in how my book was published.
MJN: Some romance publishers
have a "heat level" scale and they assign a number/category to each
book based on the content. When you write your fiction, do you make an effort
to adhere to any particular heat level?
SP: No, not really. I make sure that there is a
disclaimer in my books warning the reader that what they are about the read has
nudity or strong language, ect. I strongly recommend that anyone under the age
of 18 not read my books. They are not young adult or for the faint of heart. It
is written for adults by an adult. In my mind I don't feel it’s necessary to
give a heat level. For this reason not everyone finds the same things sexy or a
turn on. For example: One might be completely turned on by the thought of being
spanked, where as another person may find it archaic or barbaric. So they heat
level wouldn't really apply to either of them. Everyone has different level of
what they consider sexy or arousing. All I am doing is trying to titillate your
mind a bit. If you like reading my erotica that's great! If not then go back to
reading Chicken Soup for the Soul, my books are obviously not for you.
MJN: Many of your reviewers
have commented on one particular technique you use: throwing curveballs and
constantly surprising the reader. Diamonds in the Sea contains an
element of ... almost X-files? The novel starts off as a rebound romance
between a single mom and her ex brother-in-law and ends with government
conspiracy.
SP: I like curve balls but I hate cliff hangers.
One of my pet peeves when reading a book is predictability. If I am reading a
book and I can see how the end is going to happen before I even get there then
I become bored with the book. I want my readers to think they know where I am
going and then BAM I throw you a curve ball that you will either love me or
hate me for. But in the end you keep reading and that's the goal is to keep the
readers reading, keep them interested. I want my readers to be able to escape
there real lives and slip into the ones I write. I want them to think about my
book even when they aren't reading it. Curve balls keep them on their toes.
Diamonds in the Sea was my baby, my first published book. It is surrounded in
danger, action, lies deceit, love and my favorite part....mermaids! I wanted to
give people a story that they could become attached to. I knew I was on to
something when my mom called my crying asking me, "Why? Why did you have
to kill that person off?" Hence she did not like my curve ball.
MJN: With so much romantic and
erotic fiction released, how does an author who writes in this genre stay
competitive? One of the reasons why I've avoided writing in that genre myself
is because the scenarios are really limited. At first it seems like with sex
possibilities are endless, but in reality there are just so many potential
combinations. MF, MFF, MMF, and only so many potential outcomes. The
originality is in the details. It's not the sex itself but what happens before
and after.
SP: As far as competitiveness goes the only
competition I feel like I have is myself. When I first stepped foot onto the
writing scene I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know if other authors would
be catty or degrading or what. But I was surprised at how I was welcomed with
open arms and the amount of friends that I have now that are also authors. I am
not trying to compete with anyone. I am simply trying to follow my dream
instead of sitting around and talking about following my dreams. When I first
started writing I had no interest in become an erotic writer, however after
publishing Diamonds in the Sea, I literally had these amazing opportunities
fall into my lap. These opportunities would give me a platform to explore that
side of writing. My first erotic short story was Dirty Little Devil a FF story
with a twist at the end, followed by Wicked Temptations: An erotic twist onnursery rhymes. After writing them and reading the reviews it turns out that I
have a dirty mind and people like to read the stories that are produced from
it. I think that one thing that readers get wrong is that they think that
erotic writers lead the lifestyle they write about. That is not always the
case. I have never had a FF encounter, I have never been to a brothel. I have
never had group sex, yet I can write about them. I write what I know, I write
what I like and I write what I think the readers will react to.....good or bad.
I realize I am not everyone's cup of tea and I am okay with that. As long as my
fans and followers keep coming back for that teas then I am good.
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