How did you start writing erotica?
I like reading it. I’m very sexual by nature. When I became of the age to be sexually aware the Internet did not exist. I was limited to magazines like Penthouse Forum, which was presented as letters from readers but were obviously erotic tales purposely written. The stories were sexy, but the majority were written from a man’s point of view. I have no doubt that some of the stories that were said to be written by women were written by men. Writing was easy for me and I just knew that I could write better than most of the books I was reading. I toyed with it for quite a while, always wanting to write a book, but it wasn’t until later in life that I had a chance to make that a reality.
What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?
I’ve only written two books and I love them both. Like a good parent, I have no favourites.
What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?
My favourite author is Diana Gabaldon. I was hooked with the first of her eight (soon to be nine) Outlander novels about Claire and the King of Men, Jamie Fraser. Their love scenes set my soul on fire. Now that her books have been made into a TV series and I have faces to associate with the book characters, it’s almost a living wet dream. Kudos to the casting department, Sam Heughan is the most beautiful and sexy man on the face of this earth. The perfect Jamie.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I get my basic ideas from almost anything; a song, a picture, a movie, or even something someone says. Then I just let it roll around in my brain a while. I let my imagination run wild while thinking of different scenarios and characters. My mind is always working. I get a lot of ideas in the shower. It’s like a portal to creativity for me.
Do you have any unusual writing rituals?
Don’t know how unusual this is but I prefer writing when either no one is at home or at night after my husband has gone to bed, especially if I’m writing a sex scene. When I’m in the writing zone nothing else matters, not food, drink, or needs of the family and pets. I’m so bad.
Where’s your favourite place to write?
My favourite, and only, place to write is at my desk on my desktop computer with a full-size keyboard while looking out my window at our garden and the creek that runs through our property, unless of course it’s night. From this view I can only see nature, no other houses. On occasion I get a parade of deer passing through. There are lots of trees and lots of different birds who live in them. On the weekends we let our horses roam the property and they are always fun to watch.
Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?
My books have strong-willed women who rule; Marie Trousdale and Zoey DeLucca. I’m very strong-willed and those two ladies have a lot of my personality built in. But right now, I have to say Zoey DeLucca, of Zoey’s Place, holds a special spot in my heart because she is so new. I love the Zoey character. She’s pretty, she’s smart, and sassy. She has a unique way of solving problems. I love her logic, her pluckiness, and her endurance. I love the fact that she is so free in expressing her love and willingness to try new things. She is not afraid to surrender herself to the man she loves yet she maintains her own personality and independence. I hope her confidence and unconventionality are an inspiration to women.
Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?
My son knows that I write erotic romance books, but he has no interest in reading it. His wife, my daughter-in-law, loves my books, as does her mother and sister. My siblings, cousins, and other extended family members know and have been a source of great encouragement. My elderly aunts have all read my books and have given them rave reviews. The way my uncles’ smirk when they hear us talking about the books makes me think they’ve read parts and pieces, too.
It took a while after publication before my husband read my first book. He said he liked it. He hasn’t read Zoey’s Place and I’m not in any hurry for him to do so. My characters are so out of character for me that it sometimes makes him wonder who he is married to. I’ve spent hours trying to explain that it’s just all made up in my head. But he is proud of my accomplishments and is always encouraging.
What was your ideal career when you were a child?
I grew up in the 50’s, before women were encouraged to go college or get a meaningful job. I was expected to get married, have children, and spend the rest of my life pleasing my husband. So, I really had no high expectations of my future. That quickly went the way of the dinosaur as soon as I was old enough to realize that I’d been lied to. When I was about 14 or 15, I discovered Rock ‘n Roll, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Women’s Movement, and soon after the whole hippy movement. Life became a party and I enjoyed it. I didn’t get serious about my future until I was in my mid 20’s. I realized that the only job I was qualified to do included the phrase “Do you want fries with that?”
I started college and eventually got a degree, two in fact, and a job doing something that interested me, Computer Programming. I was always a kind of a science and tech geek and enjoyed the time that it was my chosen field. Writing was always in the back of my mind but my logical (Zoey) side said I couldn’t make a living at it, so I put it on the back burner.
How do you get yourself in the mood to write?
I’m always in the mood to write. Sometimes a shot of good whiskey helps.
What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?
It’s not really a writing tip so much as a publishing tip. Don’t skimp on the editing. Sometimes my fingers don’t move as fast as my mind and my writing suffers grammatically for it. Even after reading it over and over I miss errors. You need a fresh pair of eyes on it. Readers notice things like that. A good editor/proof-reader is expensive but so worth it with the quality that results.
If you get writer’s block, how do you get around it?
This doesn’t happen often, thank goodness. It has happened when I’m trying to figure out a resolution to a situation or a way of expressing the feelings of one of my characters. I put it in the back of my mind and let it grow on its own. That’s not right. I obsess over it. The solution usually presents itself in a short time, most often in the shower.
If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?
That would have to be Mickey DeLucca. He is so handsome and a great lover. He loves to please his woman. He’s got a great name, fantastic body. Need I say more?
Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?
Once again it would be Diana Gabaldon. I want to meet and talk to the woman whose mind has come up with not only the best love story ever but so many others. I just love the Lord John Grey series. I want to know about her life, her loves, her pets. What food does she like to eat? Where does she shop? I want to be her BFF. Maybe some of her genius would rub off on me.
What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?
I’ll read just about any erotic genre; western, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, time travel, or modern contemporary. I like to read about all kinds of sex if it fits into the context of the story. In general, I think all books are made better with erotica. I do prefer a book with a good storyline and not just good sex. Don’t get me wrong. The sex is the best part, the more detailed, the better, but the story needs to have something to keep me turning the page. That’s kind of how I try to write my books. Yes, my books contain lots of sex, but my strategy is to create a plot that keeps the reader interested with enough erotica to make her/him want to masturbate.
What are you working on at the moment?
Since the release of Zoey’s Place, I’ve been thinking of doing something a little different. I live in a very small (population 500, maybe) rural town in Wyoming, USA, located in the shadow of the Beartooth Range of the Rocky Mountains. There are many people here who think I am going to burn in hell when I die, and not just because of my books, if you know what I mean. My friends have challenged me to write a book about our area back in the cowboy western times using some of the personalities of the current day local folk. There are so many possibilities, my shower time is haunted by them. Sounds like a fun challenge I might accept.
What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever taken on? Did you succeed?
Writing a book was my biggest writing challenge and I’ve done it twice. Was I successful? Only time and my readers will tell.
What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?
To date, my biggest writing achievement happened just recently. I was notified that my first book, Totally Devoted, is a finalist for a 2019 NERFA (National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award), in the contemporary romance, 56K words or more category, and Best First Book. I’m quite honoured.
Thank you for hosting me on your blog site stop on my Zoey’s Place Virtual Book Tour. Hopefully I’ve enticed some new readers to check out my books.
*****
Excerpt:
Sparks of electric energy surged between them as the rhythmic tempo of their love play created a sweet melody of passion and desire, building until the thunder of their orgasms drained them of their strength.
Through the years of marriage they always kept the spark of excitement alive in the bedroom. Both were still adventurous and, between the two of them, it was just about anything goes. If they liked it, they added it to their repertoire. If they didn’t, it was a one-time deal. They had tried almost all the positions of the Kama Sutra. Some they passed on because it seemed that only contortionists could get into the twisted positions. They experimented with toys of all kinds, a little SMDS, role-playing, and porn.
*****
BLURB:
Zoey DeLucca is a successful Michigan divorce attorney. Growing up the center of a bitter custody battle between her neglectful mother and her caring father convinced her to become a Family Law attorney and champion the father’s that seldom won in court.
Her handsome husband, Mickey, works for an oil development company. The money is great but as he climbs the corporate ladder, he must spend more time traveling and away from home.
It was love at first sight when they met in college. Their storybook marriage is the envy of all of their friends. They keep the spark in their marriage glowing red hot with wild, uninhibited behaviors in the bedroom. So why does the feeling of impending doom occupy Zoey’s thoughts?
Zoey’s Place is a modern erotic romance about bonding friendships and life’s lessons. See how Zoey handles the challenges that come her way. Experience her joys, fears, and unusual solutions.
This book contains explicit sex scenes and very mature subject matter. It is intended for adult pleasures only. So, turn on the fan, because it’s going to get hot!
Available from: Amazon UK | Amazon US
*****
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
E.M. Bannock grew up in the Detroit suburbs. She is the second child of seven and eldest daughter of a working class family. Her parents had traditional, old style, European ideals which clashed with her modern, adventurous personality. The daughters were not encouraged to attend college. Instead they were expected to get married, have children, and be homemakers.
Her father was a great storyteller and sparked her love for writing. In high school she enjoyed writing short stories and poetry. A small inheritance from her father gave her the funds needed to begin her career as a published author. She has published two books, Totally Devoted, which is also available in audio, and Zoey’s Place.
Born with the wanderlust, she found herself in Los Angeles. LA was an exciting place to be in the early 70’s and she experienced all that it had to offer. She met her husband there.
Marie and her small family have lived in California, Oregon, Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, where she now lives with her small family which includes a spoiled dog and cat, two horses, also spoiled, and a brood of chickens that live like queens in the chicken-coupe-de-ville.
She has made her living as an office manager, computer programmer/analysts, project manager, clothing sales person, substitute teacher, and buffalo meat packer. Throughout it all, she never lost her love for writing.
E.M. Bannock is a Goodreads Author, a BookHub Author, a member of the Romance Writers of America, and a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer. Her book, “Totally Devoted” is a finalist for a 2019 NERFA (National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award) in two categories.
Web site: www.embannock.com
Facebook: E.M. Bannock – Author https://www.facebook.com/EMBannock/
Twitter: @EMBannock
Instagram: e_m_bannock
*****
GIVEAWAY!
Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.
Thanks for hosting!
How long did it take you to write your book?
Welcome, bernieblogtest. Thanks for the question. To get the entire story down, it takes about a year. There are usually a few re-writes involved.
I’d like to thank my hosts at Erotica For All for hosting this stop. Loved the interview questions. To the readers, thanks for making this stop. I’d love to hear from you.
Sounds like a good book.
Nice to see you again, Rita.
Happy Friday, thanks for sharing : )
Thank you, Victoria. Thanks for joining in.
Happy Friday! Do you have any specific reading or writing plans for the weekend?
Hello, Beatrice LaRocca, As a matter of fact, yes, I’ll be thinking of the next book. It’s not quite ready for pencil and paper yet. Thanks for the question.
Thank you for your response. I hope that you had a great weekend