Welcome to my cozy interview parlor where, this week, I have the honor of chatting with marketing guru and erotic author, Lucy Felthouse from the UK. Lucy, I can't tell you how excited I am to have you here for an in-depth chat about some of the things that make you tick. I hope our readers learn a few more things about you than they knew before and those who you are new to...will add you to their list of authors.
Before we get started, I've posted a few of Lucy's books for your review. Her websites are listed at the end along with her contest info. Grab your drink of choice and have a seat with us. Things are about to begin!
Tonya: Tell us a bit about yourself. Do you have a day job?
Lucy: I'm 25 years old and a creative writing graduate. I started working in PR & Marketing on graduation, then four and a half years left that job to go it alone. I now work for myself running my business, Writer Marketing (http://www.writermarketing.co.uk), where I create websites and offer PR & Marketing services to writers.
Tonya: That sounds exciting; I love anything to do with marketing and websites! Some of us have things we do to get into the writing frame of mind like music, or drinks. Do you have anything special you do to get into the writing mood?
Lucy: Not really. Sometimes I'll sit down to write and feel more motivated than at other times, but on the whole I can usually push myself to get going unless I'm exhausted. If that's the case, I know I won't output anything decent, so I give it a rest.
Tonya: Are you ever at a loss for ideas? What do you do to get past those time? I don’t have them often but being out in my yard and gardens helps me get creative.
Lucy: It varies. Sometimes I have tons of ideas and no time to write, other times I can't think of an idea. But I have a note book where I write down all my ideas, so if I'm a loss, I can dip in there and work on some past inspiration.
Tonya: Do you have a card file where you keep story ideas? Where do they come from?
Lucy: Oops, think I just answered that question already! As for where the ideas come from – everywhere. It could be a name, a place, a person, a conversation – anything. The fun part is taking those snippets of ideas and turning them into a full piece of writing.
Tonya: Tell us about a day in your life as a writer.
Lucy: It's a constant juggle. Working for myself has allowed me to be more flexible – for example if something urgent comes up, I'm able to juggle work for clients in order to write or do edits. But generally, writing is slotted in between other projects, dependent on deadlines. I'm always doing something different every day and I don't have a 'routine' as such. It definitely keeps things exciting and fun.
Tonya: Are you a daytime writer, night time writer, and do you have to be alone to write?
Lucy: I'm an anytime writer. I'm finding that the more I write, the more I want to write, so I can do it anytime, anywhere. As for being alone – I'd say yes to ‘in the room’, but not in the house.
Tonya: Do you have critique partners or ever been in a critique group? What was the best thing you learned from a critique?
Lucy: No, I don't. I probably should, but I'm usually sailing so close to deadline with my work that I don't then have time to send it off for comments and criticism. Part of what I learnt at University was to become your own critic. To try and step away from the work and read it through fresh eyes and make changes for the better without being too precious over your creation.
Tonya: Do you write better when you first have an idea of what your characters look like or do you write, then add character looks?
Lucy: It varies. Sometimes characters wander into my head fully formed (possibly because they're my celebrity crushes!) and other times I get a vision of what they look like when I name them, or start to think about their character traits. Sometimes they don't even have a description if a story is very much about what's happening and in that case it can be nice to let the reader imagine what the characters look like.
Tonya: I know reader opinion in that area varies as some like the book without a lot of character description. Do you always include HEA and is that type of ending important to you?
Lucy: Noo! I'm more of an erotic writer than a romance writer. My stories tend to be sections of time, like a one night stand, or a hot sex scene. Therefore romantic feelings and happy-ever-afters don't often come into it. Having said that, I have written some more romantic tales. It's just that I don't write them all the time.
Tonya: Where can our readers find you and your books?
Lucy: The easiest way to find details on me and my books is on my website, http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk. There's a full listing of my published works there, including information on where you can buy them. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter.
Tonya: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
Lucy: Yes! I love to hear what you think of my work. Please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, All Romance eBooks etc so I know what I'm doing right and wrong. That way I can improve!
Tonya: Lucy, thank you so much for being with us this week. Readers, leave a comment for Lucy or a question, with your email address so we can contact the winner, because late Friday, Lucy will pick one commenter to win a choice of one of her backlist books! Okay, so who has a question or comment?
