Here’s an author interview with Celine Chatillon. Take it away, Celine…
How did you start writing erotica?
I suppose you could say I accepted a challenge. I was writing (and still do write) PG-13 rated romantic fiction when I heard a talk at a local romance writers’ group about this up-and-coming sub-genre called erotic-romance. The author who gave it was also published in more mainstream romantic fiction, but she found that there was more demand for the “hot stuff” and told us to look into writing it ourselves. (This was a few years back before the huge e-book explosion.) I read the author’s books and others and had to take several cold showers while doing so, but I quite enjoyed them and thought I’d give it a go. I was happily surprised that my first erotic short story (which was an excerpt from my erotic-suspense novella A Middle Class Existence) was published and then my first novella was snatched up. I’ve never looked back since that time.
Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?
I love all my characters, and it’s difficult to single any one out as a “favorite”, but I do enjoy the personality and gumption of my character Brandi from the serial Brandi Whyne and Her Incredibly Erotic Adventures. I write Brandi’s stories in first person, acting as a ghostwriter for her “memoirs.” It’s Brandi’s voice that comes through as she relates the fantastical and sometimes humorous sci-fi action and erotic high jinks she finds herself involved with. She’s bold, brave, confident in her abilities and very adventuresome when it comes to expressing her sexuality. Brandi enjoys pleasuring her body and wants everyone she meets to have a good time—and what better way than by hosting a friendly orgy or two? You could say Brandi Whyne is the open-minded and free-loving heroine that I’ve always wanted to be.
Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?
Since my husband also writes erotic fiction (Mr. Grey and the Hotel Ghosts series author A. J. Matthews), that’s not a problem… But my daughters, siblings, cousins and friends have all been fairly supportive and accepting. I feel they really don’t understand me as a writer and what exactly I do write, however. When I was writing only PG rated romance, they called it “porn”, so moving over to write R rated and NC-17 rated material doesn’t seem to have caused any real change of attitude on their parts. They know I’m a creative-type and not a desk jockey, so anything I do, say or write doesn’t really surprise them anymore.
What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?
The best tip is the most direct and simple one: “Plant hips into chair and write. Repeat.” It’s what it all boils down to in the end, doesn’t it?
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished book five in my Kindred Vampire series (Thinker, Sailor, Vampire, Spy), and I’m contemplating which direction to go with the next story (and with which cast of characters I’ve developed). My immediate plans are to pen another chapter in Brandi Whyne’s “memoirs” and let readers in on what is happening in Brandi’s crazy and humorous sci-fi universe. I hate leaving them in such a cliffhanger moment! (Tentative title: Brandi Whyne and Her Incredibly Erotic Adventures- Chapter 8: Brandi Courts Disaster.)
What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?
My biggest writing achievement is that I’m still writing after all these years and after so many personal and professional setbacks. Life and hard times often get in the way and keep me from picking up the pen or keyboard, but somehow I keep returning to writing fiction and finding myself falling in love with the process all over again. I guess I write because I can’t help it—it’s in my bones. Maybe a person can be a “born writer” after all. So how can you fight against your destiny?