My guest today is Lucy Felthouse, a very cool lady and a talented author. I hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better, as well as her books! She's also having a giveaway, so don't forget to enter!!
Has
writing been something you always did, or was it a discovered talent that came
to you at a later point?
I’ve been writing ever since I could use a
pen. As a child, I was always telling people that I’d be an author when I grew
up. Of course, when I grew up I realised that nobody was going to throw money
at me, allowing me to sit and write when I felt like it. However, after being
dared to write an erotic story, I found my genre and have never looked back!
Do
you remember how it felt when you were offered that first contract? What
emotions stand out in your memory?
I was insanely
excited when my first story was published. It was in a magazine which is
sadly no longer around, but it was a very, very exciting time. I told everyone
that would listen that I was going to be published. And as for when I actually
saw my story in print... well, I bet you can imagine how happy I was! I don’t
run around telling everyone anymore, but the feeling of happiness when someone
says yes to a piece of your work never gets old.
Is
this a first book, part of a series, or the latest in a long line of many?
Letters
to a War Zone was written as a standalone story,
but there’s no reason why I couldn’t continue the characters’ story. I guess
we’ll have to wait and see what the reactions are to the piece :D
I’m only just getting into series writing
as I’ve found it pretty daunting, but I’ll definitely be writing more series
books in the future. I have several ideas bubbling around in my brain.
What
is the oddest thing that’s happened to you since you chose to become a
professional writer? Will it ever make it into a book, or is that a secret?
I’m very lucky in that I have many fellow
erotica and erotic romance writers that I consider to be friends, not just
colleagues. It’s always a fun experience when we get together—the conversations
are filthy, hilarious and cause havoc when overheard by other people. Some
examples include: “I want a golden shower,” “he asked for some adult nappies”
and “she set me up for anal fisting.” And no, those won’t be making it into
books.
Do
you have your next book underway, or other titles in the planning stages?
I’m always writing something. Usually
several things, actually. At the moment I’m working on a short story and also a
co-authored novel, and I’m preparing to edit the novel I finished a couple of
months back. I have a constant queue of things to write—I never stop!
Do
you have a favourite genre and why? Is it one you write in, read in, or both?
I really like reading and writing erotica
and erotic romance. I enjoy it because it feels so real—you can tell any kind
of story but you don’t have to stop at the bedroom door if and when characters
get there. That wouldn’t happen in real life, so I like it when it doesn’t
happen in fiction.
What,
to you, is the most exciting part of the writing process? Does it change from
book to book or remain the same?
I absolutely love it when I get good
feedback on my work. Probably my favourite comment to date is from a reader
that said my book was her ultimate fantasy and that she couldn’t put it down.
On top of that, she also said that her partner kept reading it over her
shoulder instead of watching
football. What higher compliment can there be?!
If
you could co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why? What kind
of book do you think would come from the collaboration?
I’m very lucky in that I’ve already
co-authored projects. My good friend Lily Harlem and I co-authored Grand Slam, a BDSM sports romance novel,
which is now part of a series which we’re hoping to get back to soon. I hope
we’ll continue working together—and, as for what kind of books will come from
our collaboration, we both write a wide variety of stuff, so it could be
anything!
I’m also co-authoring with another of my
good friends, Victoria Blisse. We’re penning a contemporary erotic romance
called The Billionaire and the Wild Man. It’s
set in the Peak District in Derbyshire, my favourite place on earth, and we’re
having real fun with it. Our senses of humour and writing styles are pretty
similar, so we keep making each other laugh when we pass chapters back and
forth – in a good way!
In an ideal world, I’d love to co-author
with each of my fellow Brit Babes,
but we’re all so insanely busy with various projects that I don’t know if it’ll
ever happen. But two out of seven isn’t bad!
Thanks so much for having me.
Happy Reading!
Lucy x
Blurb:
When lonely insurance broker, Bailey, gets himself a new hobby, he ends up exchanging letters with a war zone. But he’s not expecting what happens next…
Bailey Hodgkiss is lonely and dissatisfied with his boring life as an insurance broker. In an attempt to insert some variety, he signs up to a website to write to serving soldiers. He’s put in touch with Corporal Nick Rock, and over the course of a couple of letters, the two of them strike up a friendship. They begin to divulge their secrets, including their preference for men.
Nick encourages Bailey to add more interests to his life. As a result, Bailey picks up his forgotten hobby, photography, and quickly decides to team it up with his other preferred interest, travel.
Booking a holiday to Rome is his biggest gesture towards a more exciting existence, and he eagerly looks forward to the trip. That is, until Nick says he’s coming home on leave, and it looks as though their respective trips will prevent them from meeting in person. Is there enough of a spark between them to push them to meet, or will their relationship remain on paper only?
Excerpt:
After clicking all the available links on
the website to find out more about it, Bailey decided to go ahead and sign up.
He’d never know what it was really like unless he gave it a go.
He’d read about the site in an article
somewhere, about how it linked people with serving soldiers, pilots, marines
and sailors in order to write to them. It had been proven that receiving
mail—even from someone they didn’t know—improved military morale. It sounded
like a damn good use of time to Bailey, and it would be interesting, too.
He began typing his details into the online
form. Of course, the chances were that he’d be paired up with a man, given the
ratio of males to females in the forces. It didn’t matter, though. He could
still exchange letters with a guy, become friends. It seemed like such an
old-school way to communicate with someone, given how technology had come on
over the years, but at least it was different. Perhaps it would give him
something in his life to look forward to, something other than getting up,
showering, going to work, coming home, eating, watching television and going to
bed. The watching television—and even the eating—were occasionally replaced by
nights out with friends or seeing family. Weekends were spent cleaning, washing
clothes, gardening and odd jobs. Dull stuff, in other words.
He had an utterly mundane life, and Bailey
knew it. It wasn’t even as if his job was exciting. Insurance broking was
hardly thrilling, game-changing, or going to save the world. He didn’t expect
having a pen pal to change his entire life, but it would certainly break the
monotony. Hopefully.
He went through the various steps to fill
in his details and create a profile, then continued right through to the
information on actually writing and sending the letters. It looked
straightforward enough.
His mind made up, Bailey immediately went
in search of a pen, some nice paper and an envelope. Armed with a print out of
exactly what to do when the letter was finished, he settled down at the kitchen
table. Instantly, his mind went blank. What the fuck was he meant to say? He
didn’t know any soldiers or other military personnel, didn’t know anything
about their lives, other than there was a great deal more to it than shooting
people and being shot at. His own existence was so fucking boring that he
didn’t want to write about it. Unless there were any insomniacs in Afghanistan—telling
them about his day would solve that particular condition right away.
After chewing on his biro until it broke,
covering his lips and chin with ink, Bailey replaced it, resolving to try
harder. He’d tell his pen pal the bare essentials about himself, then ask lots
of questions about them and their work. That was bound to rustle up some
conversation.
That decided, he began to write,
absentmindedly swiping at his inky skin with a tissue. He’d have to scrub it
off when he was done with the note. His wrist and hand had begun to ache before
he was halfway down the page. He rolled his eyes. He sat on his arse at a desk
all day, using a computer. As a result, even writing something short by hand
was hard work! There was no way he was going to divulge that particular piece
of information to someone that was willing to lay down their life to protect
their country.
He just about managed to fill a single side
of the A5-sized paper. And that was only because he’d formed large letters and
spaced his words and lines out plenty. But he tried not to worry—at least he’d
finished it, his first letter to a war zone.
He read through it carefully, relieved to
find no mistakes. He’d forgotten how much more difficult—and messy—errors were
on the written page. Computers let you edit and rewrite to your heart’s
content. No correction fluid or crossings-out necessary.
Finally, he addressed the envelope. It felt
like the longest address ever. The area and country was bad enough, even
without including the soldier’s name and BFPO address. But it was done—Bailey
Hodgkiss had penned a missive to Corporal Nick Rock, currently stationed at
Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Now he’d just have to post it and wait for
a reply. The website had said his missive would take between one and three
weeks to reach Corporal Rock. Then he had to allow for time for him to read it
and send a reply. It could be around six weeks before he heard anything. If he
heard anything at all.
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She
writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and
has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These
include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and
Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has
edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small
publishing house. She owns Erotica For
All, and is book editor for Cliterati.
Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk.
Join her on Facebook
and Twitter, and subscribe to her
newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9
GIVEAWAY!
Thank you for this wonderful interview, blurb and except. I look forward to reading this book!
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