Here’s an author interview with Mina Kelly. Take it away, Mina…
- How did you start writing erotica?
I started with fanfiction, as I suspect a lot of the current crop of writers did. Some of that early stuff is still online, I think, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone seek it out! Fanfic was a great training ground for writing professionally; it taught me about pacing, consistent characterisation, tight PoV, description without exposition, and, most importantly, how to accept criticism.
- What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?
Inescapable, my latest release, is my favourite. Jared and Richard are great characters to play with. I’ve always wanted to write sci fi, but I’ve struggled when it come to plotting – being able to use the worlds I’ve built in the background of a romance was a revelation and it came so much more easily for me. I want to write more in the same universe, using the politic plot that runs throughout Inescapable to drive more unlikely couples together.
- What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?
My current favourites are Katey Hawthorne, Belinda McBride, and Ava March
- Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I always have a lot of ideas, so often it’s just being patient, giving them time to percolate, and seeing if they’ve got any real merit. Usually they’re stories I wanted to read, but couldn’t find available from anyone else so I had to write them myself!
- Do you have any unusual writing rituals?
I used to have several, but after a point I found they neither helped nor hindered. Now I’ve boiled it down to a computer in a room that doesn’t have too many distractions in – like a TV, food, or my boyfriend! Sometimes there’s candles, sometimes there’s music, but at the end of the day the only things I need to write are me and something to transcribe my thoughts on. Computer, notepad, smartphone, napkin, back of a receipt, back of my hand…
- Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Barnabas from Tease. He’s arrived on the page already fully formed, a shy artist who spent his childhood at boarding school and rebelled against his parents’ plans to send him to university.
- What was your ideal career when you were a child?
I always wanted to be a writer, but never ‘just’ a writer – even seven year old me knew I’d go mad if I spent all day alone in a room. Part time writer, part time in something with lots of people, that was what I wanted. Teacher, nurse, and librarian always hit high on the wish list, but if little me had known that one day someone would pay me to work in a museum I think she’d have been pretty happy with that, too.
- What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?
Turn off wi-fi. It’s amazing how much more writing you get done when it’s your only available source of entertainment. It’s also advice I rarely follow, but it’s like eating salad – you know it’s good for you, but the chocolate is sitting right there.
- If you get writer’s block when you’re writing, how do you get around it?
I usually switch to something else I’m working on, maybe try a short story or check out current submission calls to see if anything takes me fancy. I’m lucky in that I’m very rarely completely stuck – I’m far more likely to suffer from laziness than writer’s block!
- What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve got a sequel to Tease in the work that’s got a finished first draft. There’s a lot more research required before it’s ready to go, though – for example, I’ve started teaching myself sign language thanks to this book – but I’m hoping to have it on submission before the end of the year.
- What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever taken on? Did you succeed?
Right now it’s learning British Sign Language! I knew I was taking on a lot when I started writing a deaf character, and I don’t want to offend or upset anyone in my depiction, but the plot demanded it of me and I had to rise to the challenge.