Why did you decide to become a writer?
For some goddamn reason, as long as I’m writing, every area of my life goes great, but as soon as I stop, it all tumbles into chaos and despair. I don’t want to write, in fact, I’ve been resisting putting pen to paper for years. I just don’t have a choice. It’s as if I’m being compelled to by demonic entities. They make my life utter hell unless I write. I’m pretty sure I’m cursed. Help!
Writing is frickin’ dangerous, you know that? The ability to organize your thoughts, to articulate and express yourself, the ability to influence the masses? This is the stuff of fascists and dictators. I spend plenty-a-time at the gym working on these toned abs but lemme tell ya, if you had to pick one person to get into a fight with: a writer or a boxer, go up against the boxer. The writer will demolish you before can even make a fist. A buff body ain’t got nothing on a buff mind.
Why erotic fiction? What is interesting about this genre?
Good writing is hypnotic. There’s no difference between getting sucked into a well-written chapter and getting pulled into a hypnotic trance. And if you add sex to it? If you add sensuality to it? If you ramp up the emotions and get your reader squishy wet and squirmy? Oh lord, that’s some powerful stuff. It will get you hooked like nothing else can.
Wanna know why? Because unlike watching a movie, reading a book is an active experience. When reading a well-written book, you’re constructing sensations, sights, and sounds in your mind, and your body is physically reacting to them. Your breathing hastens, your toes curl, your abdomen clenches. It’s as vivid and real as real life. Not even the metaverse can compete.
How different is erotic fiction from romantic fiction?
I don’t actually write erotic fiction. Erotic fiction is usually very short, no more than a couple thousand words. I write big, thick, throbbing, full-length novels that just happen to be dripping with filthy sex.
I wouldn’t classify what I write as romance either, although there certainly is a good amount of flirting, angst, heartbreak, and can’t-live-without-you passion involved.
Perhaps the best way to classify my books is to call them forbidden, taboo or controversial novels built around lovey-dovey, heart-fluttering plotlines jacked up with insane amounts of freaky bonking
What makes a good erotic story? What are the elements?
My readers tell me that what draws them in are the details and the emotions. It’s not enough to simply describe what happens. Doing that makes your work as exciting as a biology textbook.
What you need to do is get under the skin of the characters, and expose them for all their flaws, insecurities, and animalistic urges. You have to keep your characters raw, on edge, and conflicted, the way all normal humans are.
That said, I haven’t read much erotica so I don’t know if this is how any other writers see it. It’s just how I do things.
What is the most powerful or popular type of character in erotic fiction?
I’ll give you two: dominant older men corrupting innocent younger women.
I don’t know if it’s the most popular of all, but it’s certainly what my readers keep demanding of me.
I wrote one such book long ago and ever since then my readers have continued to demand more and more (and more). I’m up to two dozen such books now.
How and where do you publish?
I’ve got a bunch of free books on my website and a few taboo titles on Smashwords, but the bulk of my work is on Amazon. Most of my income comes from e-books read on Kindle Unlimited.
How can you write so many books in a short period of time?
I’ve got these magic fairies who come to me in the middle of the night. They read my roughly-written first drafts and turn them into well-written second drafts for me to polish into frickin’ masterpieces.
And by “fairies who come to me in the middle of the night” I mean a team of writers in the US and UK who I’ve been training over the years. They write in their time zones (while I sleep) for me to tweak and refine the very next morning. It’s an efficient process. The second draft is usually the most time-consuming, so being able to have an experienced writer crank that shit out saves me plenty of time and allows for me to publish dozens of books every single year.
What tools do you use to ease your writing journey?
Aside from my big veiny cock that goes out and bangs all them hoes in the name of research? Atticus for formatting, Bookfunnel for sending out lead magnets, ConvertKit for world-class email marketing, BookSprout for gathering reviews, and UpWork for finding freelancers.
Who is your target audience?
Womxn. It’s the fairer sex that make up 96.69% of my readers. Mostly 25-45 years old, and mostly in the US and UK.
In terms of psychographics, I’d say what my readers have in common is a thirst for uncovering forbidden secrets, a craving for intimacy, and the need for a secret, hidden part of their lives where they can be as debaucherous as they need to be without being judged for it.
What are your goals for the future in the industry? Do you think you may shift to another genre?
I’m looking into audiobooks, short films, podcasts, and possibly creating exclusive content on subscription platforms like Patreon, but these are all just theoretical for the moment. There’s still mountains upon mountains to be conquered in the written fiction space.
Interview originally published on author Neda Aria’s blog.