Interview: Jenny Lyn

Here’s an author interview with Jenny Lyn. Take it away, Jenny…

• How did you start writing erotica?

Timidly and not very well. I remember the first time I typed the word pussy I blushed to the roots of my hair. I was just that green about it and not much of a dirty talker in real life. However, I knew I’d found a genre that I loved to read, both erotica and erotic romance, and that’s what I wanted to try and write as well. So I kept at it. I think I eventually got the hang of it.

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

My favourite published piece so far is my short story, The Tow Job, in Best Women’s Erotica 2013. I think I love it so much because of all the different emotions it carries throughout the story, and the sex is a little unconventional. I don’t mean it’s wildly kinky or taboo. Instead, it’s awkward and somewhat one-sided, and there’s more riding on it than just sexual gratification.

• What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?

I’m a huge fan of Cara McKenna, Charlotte Stein, Alison Tyler, Lucy Felthouse, Sommer Marsden, Megan Hart, and Annemarie Hartnett. I’m sure there are many more I’m leaving out. I read a lot!

• Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The weirdest places and events will spark ideas for me. The supermarket, traffic, sports magazines. Sexy athletes are always inspiring.

• Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

Not really unusual, no. I do seem to get going really well about the time I need to be thinking about sleep.

• Where’s your favourite place to write?

Where I am now: propped up in bed where it’s quiet with a mound of pillows behind my back.

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

I adore Elle from Bite, my recent release through Etopia Press. She’s an insecure smartass who doesn’t know a thing about cooking and she has a huge crush on a hot chef. I had so much fun writing her, I didn’t want to say goodbye.

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

My family and friends know I write, but only a select few know I write erotica. They’re my biggest fans!

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

Oddly, Jacques Cousteau fascinated me. I wanted to be an oceanographer and dive in one of those metal cages to study sharks. I’m kind of glad I grew out of it.

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

I don’t have to be in the mood, though wine does help relax me.

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

To just write, write, and then write some more. And stay away from Twitter. The internet is a colossal time suck.

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

I usually work on another piece, or simply take a break and read. Reading invariably breaks through the logjam. Music sometimes helps too.

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

For purely aesthetic reasons, it would be Sam from The Tow Job. To hang out with, it would be Elle from Bite.

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

If I could choose ANY author, living or dead, it would be Mark Twain. I just think he’d be a hoot to hang around, share a bourbon, and listen to him tell stories. He wasn’t known for biting his tongue.

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

I’m a contemporary girl. I enjoy ménage a lot, especially m/m/f. Mostly because of the variety. And it’s just damn hot!

• What are you working on at the moment?

Many, many things. I’m doing a three-book series about naughty chefs for Etopia (Bite was the kick-off), I’ve got a full-length novel out on submission that I should be hearing something back on any day, and two other novellas I hope to have finished by the end of the year. Plus, I still need to write a short story and submit it to Lucy for her Alfresco call before the end of December. Whew!

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

So far I think it might be the series I’m doing now for Etopia, mainly because I’m working so hard to get all three stories done by the end of the year. And no, as of yet, I haven’t succeeded, but I will. 🙂

• What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?

To date, it’s having a story chosen by Violet Blue for Best Women’s Erotica. For her to pick one of my stories so early in my writing career is like a dream come true. I floated around on a cloud for weeks after I got that news. I still have to pinch myself occasionally. The cream of the crop makes it into BWE every year and I’m in some great company, including one Ms. Lucy Felthouse. Cheers!

Visit me at http://www.authorjennylyn.com; on Twitter as @jennylynwrites; Facebook as Jenny Lyn; or at Goodreads.

*****

Elle Conner can barely boil water in the microwave, but that doesn’t stop her from lusting after hot, celebrity chef, Kevin Lattimore. When her best friend sets her up with cooking classes as a birthday present, the teacher is none other than her sexy obsession. After only two classes, Elle’s certain her culinary ineptitude has made her the most despised student ever to tie on an apron. That couldn’t be further from the truth, at least when it comes to her instructor.

Turns out Elle’s fascination with the handsome chef is not so one sided after all. Kevin has cooked up a plan, and he’s going to teach her a thing or two about heating up the kitchen without ever turning on the stove.

Warning: After reading this you may never look at artichokes the same way again.