Here’s an author interview from Douglas Black.
Take it away, Douglas…
- How did you start writing erotica?
When I was at university, ‘money’ became a mythical concept. I was sitting late one night in the kitchen of my barely habitable flat, warming myself by the open oven, when my friend got up to go to her room. She did this every night at eleven o’clock without fail. I knew she didn’t go to sleep and that night curiosity got the better of me. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was writing porn. It turned out she was making quite a decent bit of money writing gay, erotic stories for magazines. I decided that night to do the same. I like to think my logic was, ‘I’m a gay man, so this is something I can do’, but more likely I was just hungry and desperate. My first short story was published three weeks later and I was able to buy meat again. That was a good day!
- What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?
I will admit to having a bit of a soft-spot for K.A.Mitchell; on the whole she writes great characters, and her storylines are simple enough to not detract from the sex! I think my favourite (for this month at least!) is James Lear. I liked his Mitch Mitchell trilogy and I always find myself coming back to his books. If I’m honest, he’s probably the author who inspired me to write a novel.
- Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I want to say from my own life experiences, but my parents always told me it’s wrong to lie!
- Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?
Without a shadow of a doubt ‘Jake Castle’ from ‘Port in a Storm’ is my favourite. He’s confident, outgoing, well-educated and well-travelled. He’s a free spirit and he lives life without restraint; I love those qualities. He’s also hot. Which helps.
- Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?
Naturally my boyfriend knows; he’s been a great support. My friends are also really supportive. As for my family, let’s just say Sunday lunches are already awkward enough!
- What was your ideal career when you were a child?
When I was five, I copied out ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ word-for-word and tried to convince my parents I had written it myself. That was when I decided I wanted to be a writer. When I was seven I watched my first Indiana Jones movie. That was when I decided I wanted to be an archaeologist. I suppose I never thought I would be an erotic writer, and I definitely thought working as an archaeologist would involve more guns and less digging, but, all things considered, I think I’ve done not too badly with my childhood dreams. I’m still working on finding a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory though.
- What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?
“Sit down, shut up and write.”
- If you get writer’s block when you’re writing, how do you get around it?
Going to my day job helps. When you’ve spent eight hours, scrunched over in a muddy trench excavating a two thousand year old post only to have the rain come on and wash away all your hard work, you realise that, like most things, writer’s block is just a state of mind and is therefore nothing that a good meal, a hot shower, and a stiff drink won’t fix. (I said ‘drink’, not ‘dick’.)
- Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?
Truman Capote; ‘In Cold Blood’ is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. He achieved something truly wonderful when writing that book, and I would just like to sit with him and bask in his presence. Then again, corpses smell bad.