An Interview with Lily Bly (@LilyBlyLove @goddessfish) #giveaway

How did you start writing erotica?

About a year ago, after nearly three years of working on serious literary fiction, I started to get dismayed by all the heavy plots and hard lessons that I couldn’t seem to stop writing for my characters. Romance has always been my favorite genre for a relaxing read. (Although rarely sweet—bring on the heat 😉 So I decided to give love and sex a try, and my first queries in the genre received more response from publishers than any of my literary works ever did. So far, I haven’t looked back.

What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?

My favorite work so far is the sequel to Enticing the Boss. It’s still under submission with my publisher. I’m looking forward *fingers crossed* to a contract sometime in January. It’s my favorite because the characters really came alive for me while I was writing. The hero is a retired MLB player and single dad, and the heroine is a MD and single mom. Although the story is a little deeper and darker than my published erotic works so far, it still has a happy ending.

 

What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?

I love reading Sylvia Day, Vi Keeland, Alexa Riley, Willow Winters, and many others.

 

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Where don’t I? The oddest things will spark a story in my mind, and my writing brain takes off—a holiday, the weather, even a pair of shoes. I’ll visualize a scene and characters will grow from there. It’s a challenge to sort through all the ideas and settle on the best ones to develop.

 

Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

Burning incense and bowing down to the dictionary before writing. Ha. No. Just kidding. I don’t really observe any kind of hard and fast ritual. I’m more likely to mix things up. I’ll work at my computer desk for a few days and then by paper or tablet in another room for a couple of days. As long as I have access to my playlists, I can write anywhere.

 

Where’s your favourite place to write?

Outside in our backyard during nice weather and inside at my desk during winter, especially after I’ve just organized it (on a rare opportunity).

 

Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?

I don’t have just one favorite. I love all of my characters—even the antagonists. For example, Beth from Enticing the Boss does some pretty awful things to Jean and David, but she does have a past that makes her actions more understandable. Hopefully we’ll explore her in a new light in a future story.

 

Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?

My husband knows. He was surprised when I switched gears from literary fiction (and said drafts in the erotic genre are much more fun to read.) He has wholeheartedly supported me throughout the entire process, while I sent out queries and manuscript submissions and then through editing stages and promotion after I received my contracts. My children know I’m a writer but, of course, have never read any of it. That will be an interesting conversation someday 🙂

 

What was your ideal career when you were a child?

I wanted to be an animator and work for Disney. Looking back, I seemed to spend just as much time writing story ideas for animations and coming up with new characters as I did on drawings and flip books as a kid. I still enjoy art but definitely thrive more on writing as an adult.

 

How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I build playlists for each project and listen to them as I work. The music usually gets me in the mood to write pretty quickly.

 

What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

The first draft will NEVER be perfect. Accept it and get the bones of the story down to flesh out in successive drafts. Oh, and take criticism with a grain of salt. Some of it will make you a better writer and sharpen your stories. Some will just plain hurt. It’s a given—but don’t give up because of it. Stick with it long enough and you’ll find readers who appreciate the stories that only YOU can tell.

 

If you get writer’s block, how do you get around it?

I binge read—new books and old favorites—and that usually brings me through and makes me remember why I want to write.

 

If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?

I’d probably choose Jean Price from Enticing the Boss. She’s a bit of a worrier but has a great heart and is extremely loyal. I think she’d be the kind of friend you could really count on if she stepped off the pages. Plus, since the Passion’s Price series is going to follow members of her family, she could cue me in on the most interesting people and shed some light on skeletons in their closets.

 

 

Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?

I would love to meet Heather Graham. As a teen, I read many of her historical romance novels. I think they’re what set up the romance genre to be my favorite. As an adult, I’ve really gotten into her paranormal romances.

 

What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?

I love erotic historicals. Every era holds its own wonderful clothing styles, manners of speech, as well as hardships. However, contemporary is easier for me to write and seems to be more popular with readers.

 

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a paranormal erotic historical novella that takes place in 1968 with a subplot from 1918. It examines interracial love and prejudice and the toll the latter can take on a small town. I’m also working on the second story in my Gown & Dagger Seductions series of short erotic historicals. The first, Southern Rose, took place during the US Civil War. The second is set in Elizabethan England …and because my plate just isn’t full enough apparently 😉 I’m working on an erotic fantasy romance novel. This one has been through a wringer of revisions, but the characters keep coming back for more.

 

What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever taken on? Did you succeed?

My 1nKed Decisions online web series has been my biggest challenge. I try to write 1,000 to 2,000 words per week (hence the 1K) of a romance novel with a plot influenced by votes from readers. Often the votes don’t fall the way I expect, and my characters take paths I wouldn’t have chosen without the readers’ input. Success has yet to be determined 🙂 Anyone interested can check it out at www.LilyBly.com/1nKed/

 

What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?

Just putting my writing out there to be judged by publishers, editors, and readers has been my biggest achievement—then sitting down and doing it all over again. I’ve been torn down and built back up, and somewhere in the middle of it all became hopelessly addicted to storytelling.

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BLURB:

Jean Price has loved her boss for the last six years. Unfortunately, he’s been engaged to her treacherous stepsister. When the wedding is called off and a project puts Jean in close proximity with the sexy CEO, she jumps at the opportunity to show him how she truly feels. It’s time to start enticing the boss.

David Shep is finally seeing his father’s protégé for the stunning woman she truly is—in the office and in his bed. But when her support is conspicuously absent when he needs her most, he can’t help but wonder if he can trust her with his heart.

Buy links for ebooks at all major retailers as they become available can be found at: www.PassionsPrice.com

Amazon (preorder available prior to 1/14): http://a.co/d/33kz64N

Barnes and Noble (preorder available prior to 1/14): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enticing-the-boss-lily-bly/1129957161?ean=2940161697016

The Wild Rose Press: https://wildcatalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-erotic/6425-enticing-the-boss.html

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Excerpt:

“A little stronger this time?” The warm caress of David’s breath stroked my ear lobe.

“Hmm?” I kept my eyes closed and let myself lean back just a bit more against him. He fiddled slightly with the hem of my sweater.

After a moment, he rested his hand on my hip. “The coffee.”

“What about the coffee?” I asked absently. It had to be the long hours that made me bold as I pressed back against him.

His grasp on the curve of my hip tightened. “Do you want stronger coffee this time?”

“Definitely,” I murmured. David responded with the weight of his own hips, pressing my thighs and lower abdomen against the counter front. We said more with touch and breath in that moment than we had audibly in the whole of the last eleven hours.

I startled as the coffee pot beneath the running faucet overflowed in my hand, dowsing my fingers and wrist with cold water. A key scraped in a lock, and the bell attached to the front door in the adjacent reception area jingled.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lily Bly lives in North Dakota and looks forward to winter. She prefers Marvel over DC, acoustic over electric, and tea over coffee. She thinks that love—whether sweet, sappy, or tough—is the stuff of life and likes her reading and writing to be chock-full of it. Before finally taking the plunge to write full time, she worked in various industries including funeral service, law enforcement, veterinary service, and retail health food. She writes heroines who can hold their own and heroes dying to hold them.

Web: www.LilyBly.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilyBlyLove

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyblylove/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilyBlyLove

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