Interview: Indigo Skye

Here’s an author interview from [intlink id=”483″ type=”post”]Indigo Skye[/intlink].

Take it away Indigo…

• How did you start writing erotica?

I’ve always been a big reader.  I became a fan of erotica at the tender age of ten.  My best friend and I used to steal her father’s Playboy and Penthouse magazines when I was a kid.  We were curious about the pictures, of course, but I was really drawn to the stories and letters.  Honestly, I read my first erotic novel when I was too young to understand most of it…I just knew it was naughty, and I wanted more!  I’ve always written literary fiction and poetry, but never tried my hand at anything in the Chick Lit, erotica, or romance genres until recently.

I was first inspired to write erotica and Chick Lit after reading Cathy Yardley’s book, Will Write for Shoes. Something in Yardley’s book really spoke to me, and helped me to free my Inner Sex Goddess.  It’s been so much fun, I may never go back!

Since I’ve begun writing erotica, I’ve noticed that it has definitely influenced my work as a whole.  My more recent poetry contains a powerfully heightened element of the sensual, and hotter sex scenes are finding their way into my regular fiction.  I’m even crossing over into the realm of non-fiction!  I’m currently penning a humorous non-fiction expose of the phone sex industry entitled, “Dialing with Sticky Fingers: Confessions of a Phone Sex Goddess.”

• What’s your favorite published work of yours and why?

Right now, I’m in love with “Cherry-Boy,” a short story about a young man’s first time.  It’s told from the point of view of his more experienced girlfriend, who’s determined to give him the fabulous first time she never had.  It was first published online at The Erotica Library, (http://www.eroticwriting.co.uk), and- more recently- on the Erotica for All website (http://www.eroticaforall.co.uk).  I like it because it’s such a sweet story, very romantic and heartfelt…with a sexy edge.  It’s always been my fantasy to deflower a sexy shy guy.

• What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?

Right now, I’m really enjoying some new work by Keta Diablo and Mahalia Levey.  I love Scarlet and Harlot Magazines.  I also enjoy classic erotica; Anais Nin and Henry Miller are two of my favorite writers.

• Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Some of my work, like “Dialing with Sticky Fingers: Confessions of a Phone-Sex Goddess,” is drawn directly from personal experience.  I worked in the industry for a few months, and shared fantasies with some very interesting callers- I just had to write about it!

Other works, like the short stories “Cherry-Boy” and “True Confession,” are inspired by my fantasies.  Sometimes, it’s just the character that intrigues me- with the right character, stories practically write themselves.  I started “The Artist’s Muse,” an erotic novella with a darker edge, because I couldn’t get the main character out of my mind.   Brendan Delaney is a real anti-hero- a part-time artists’ model and full-time junkie.  In need of some easy money, he applies for a modeling job with Morgan Roan, a powerful, domineering artist.  He soon becomes her Muse, her lover…and her prisoner.  I needed to find out if Brendan could escape Morgan’s clutches, and that urgency drove the story.

• Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

I love to write outside, surrounded by the beauty of nature- I find that very inspiring.  My writing ritual consists of a hike, with a notebook and a camera in my pack.  Luckily, I make my home in one of the most gorgeous places in the world, the Animas River Valley in the San Juan Mountains.  It’s a hub for creative souls and nature-lovers alike.  If I need a little extra inspiration, I’ll visit my favorite gallery, or walk down to the Animas River (el Rio de las Animas Perdidas, or The River of Lost Souls) and listen to her stories.

I find it difficult to be creative when I’m tapping away on my laptop, so I typically write fiction and poetry in long-hand, in a series of notebooks and journals.

Strangely enough, my creative cycle seems to be tied to the lunar cycle.  Sometimes, on nights when the moon is full, I don’t sleep at all…I can write until dawn, without need of rest.

• Where’s your favourite place to write?

In bed, of course.  I also love to write at coffee-shops, on the beach, in the tub, beside a river- anywhere but at my desk!!!

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

Right now, I’m really enjoying working with Morgan Roan and Brendan Delaney.  It’s a stretch for me as a writer, because Brendan is a true anti-hero, and Morgan is a very charismatic villain.  He’s a sexy, irresponsible guy you love to hate; she’s a domineering bitch you can’t help but love a little.  It’s interesting to explore their relationship.

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

My immediate family has no idea I write erotica, and I’d like to keep it that way.  I’m not ashamed of what I do, but I’m not comfortable sharing my fantasy life with them- writing erotica is something I do for me.  I find it very freeing to use a pen name- it’s like having a secret identity!  Indigo Skye writes whatever she wants, without fear of judgment.  I use a pen name for my erotica, and only my partner and my closest friends know about it.  My man and my girlfriends have been universally supportive, for which I’m very grateful.

• What was your ideal career when you were a child?

I’ve always wanted a career as a writer.  I also had various dreams of being an astronaut, a nurse, an explorer, a private eye… but writing stuck.  When I’m writing, or painting, or taking photographs, I enter The Zone, and time falls away.  I am most myself  with a pen or a paintbrush in my hand.

• How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I’m always in the mood…

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

Shut up, sit down, and write.  Repeat daily.

• If you get writer’s block when you’re writing, how do you get around it?

I work on several creative projects at any given time, so if I’m not in the mood for a short story, I can work on a painting, or write a new chapter of my novel.  If I’m having a blah day creatively, I try not to force it.  Even the Muses need a day off once in awhile!  When I’m not in the mood to write, I tweet.  I blog.  I answer emails and return telephone calls.  I spend time working on marketing- there’s always something more I can do to promote my writing, whether it’s tweeting about my latest story, sending off a query, doing interviews like this one, or making new contacts in the industry.

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

I tend to form a strong attachment to my characters- I’ve even been known to fall in love with a man who only exists on paper.  Ending a story or a novel is like a breakup.  You’re sad to leave the characters behind, but you know you’ve got to move on.  It only hurts to look back, so you stare straight ahead.  But sometimes, there’s a character that just won’t let you go…

I’d love to meet Michael, the main character of my short story “Cherry-Boy.”  Why?  He’s interesting, devastatingly handsome, shy, sensitive… and he’s got a great ass.  Aside from teaching him a few new things in the bedroom, I’d love to talk to him.  Lately, he’s been cropping up in a few other stories I’m working on, and I want to find out why.  I guess we’re not done with each other yet…

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

I can only pick one?  I’d say Anais Nin.  She was an amazing writer who was decades ahead of her time.  She began her career penning erotica, and crossed over to become a well-respected novelist and woman of letters.   I’d like to meet her and shake her hand, and talk for hours over wine in a Paris café.

• What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?

I’m drawn to stories with a darker side.  I love the paranormal erotica subgenre- very sexy stuff.  Werewolves, vampires, magic… it adds an interesting element to the work that really calls to me.

• What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve got several things in the works, including more short fiction, a novella, and a couple of books.  There’s a publisher who’s requested excerpts from “Dialing with Sticky Fingers: Confessions of a Phone-Sex Goddess,” so I’ll be working on that pretty intensely in the near future.

I’m also working on building a platform for myself as a writer, and marketing my work.  I just joined Twitter, and I’m loving it.  I’ll be making new contacts there, promoting my work online, and finding new followers for my blog.   Tweet me at www.twitter.com/indigoinkandart .

As the year progresses, look for more fiction and poetry online at Indigo Skye: Ink and Art, as well as exclusive author interviews and work by up and coming writers.   I’ll be posting plenty of fresh new photos as the seasons change.  It’s all happening at www.indigoskyeinkandart.blogspot.com !

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

Last November, I challenged myself to participate in National Novel Writing Month.  In order to win, you have to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.  I wrote 90,000- an average of 3,000 words per day.  I had no idea I could write so fast!  Warning: Nanowrimo is not for the faint of heart.  It’s thirty days of all-out noveling madness, and only the strong survive!

• What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?

The first time I saw my byline in print was a major thrill, although my payment consisted of a bunch of contributor’s copies of the college literary magazine it was published in.   I’m not going to tell you about the day I was offered a sweet publishing contract, or a fat advance.  (That hasn’t happened…yet!)  It’s something simpler…

Although I’ve published dozens of articles, poems, columns, and interviews, seeing “Cherry-Boy” get published made me feel like a real writer.   My dream of being a novelist is very dear to me, and publishing my first short story was a major coup.