Here is an author interview with Kelly Ferrall. Take it away, Kelly…
How did you start writing erotica?
I joined the BDSM community after an intimate encounter that introduced me to the idea and awakened my inner wickedness. Later, I read 50 Shades and was so appalled that I felt that I had to do something to depicted what it’s really like.
What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?
I only have one…Ignite35: My Life in the Sex Fetish Community…for now. That’s likely to change.
What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?
Sophie Morgan is the only one that I have found that I love. I do, occasionally find stuff on Literotica that I like. Though, my copy editor’s Supernatural, erotic fan-fic is pretty amusing…even if a bit gross. http://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizaG
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Real life. I write narrative nonfiction.
Do you have any unusual writing rituals?
Love me some Latin jazz and a 7 and 7.
Where’s your favourite place to write?
Alone, behind closed doors, with Jorge Ben playing and Arrow airing on mute behind me.
Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?
Well, as I said, I write nonfiction. But my favorite person to capture and retell is one of my former mentor’s subs, Tinkerbrat. She was so irreverent and depicting her was fun.
Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?
Only my sub, my former mentor, his former sub and a vanilla writer who has given me a lot of help know what I do. I almost never share this part of me. I’m like a superhero.
What was your ideal career when you were a child?
Superhero. 🙂
How do you get yourself in the mood to write?
I don’t. I force myself to work.
What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?
Get help. Writers group, editors, a second pair of eyes… Also, read a lot. I learned a lot about dialogue from Robert Asprin and a lot about punctuation from J. K. Rowling.
If you get writer’s block, how do you get around it?
In the words of my content editor, “Sheer force of will.” You don’t wait for inspiration, you just write. Just like cleaning a sink. You don’t wait for someone to hand you sanitizer. You just scrub. If you don’t get it right, you go back and clean some more. Again, like my content editor says, “The difference between people who want to write and writers is simple. Writers write.” Solid advice. When you clock in, you go to work. If you mess up, then you, at least, have something there to clean up.
If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?
They are alive. Obviously, my sub means the most to me.
Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?
E. L. James, so I could smack her in the head. Kidding. Gotta go with Sophie Morgan. She’s sharp, that one. Although I do love Douglas Addams and Chuck Klosterman.
What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?
Not sure I have an answer there. But I hate the “romance novel” approach to erotica. Formula sucks.
What are you working on at the moment?
Nothing. But I’m considering a sequel based on my former mentor’s life. I just have to get him to agree to it.
What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever taken on?
That’s easy. The one book I did write, Ignite35. It’s an expose’ on the community. That really was like writing a book about being a superhero without saying Bruce Wayne is Batman and Diana Prince is Wonder Woman and still not having them come beat my ass for writing about them to begin with.
Did you succeed?
Personally, I think I did a fantastic job. Anybody involved in BDSM who hasn’t read my book is a fool. …Sorry if that sounds egotistical.
What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?
My only one, writing an epose/memoir/narrative nonfiction story about what the real world of BDSM is like and still managing to make it a fun tale that doesn’t seem like a diary or Motley Crue’s The Dirt.