Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?
I write contemporary, erotic fiction. Real people doing real jobs, finding themselves in situations where they are simply drawn to someone else, whether it’s a co-worker, a colleague in their industry, or someone they’ve just met in some sort of highly charged atmosphere. No vampires, werewolves, fairies, or other magical creatures--it’s not that I don’t enjoy reading that if it’s done right. Sunny’s series about a supernatural race of people dominated by women who rule their kingdoms by having hot sex with the men who work for them is sheer bloody genius. But not something that I think I could create.
What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?
I think everything I’ve done or am working on is completely character driven. My characters are typically in high-stress jobs--either as entrepreneurs driven to succeed or else, are Type A personalities trying to be all things to all people, whose stories tend to write themselves once I open up a page. I use my own experience as a former highly successful Realtor and now micro brewery owner to guide the situations my characters find themselves in--for example, I’m writing a holiday themed story, collaborating with a fellow brewery owner using our experiences at various alcohol-fueled events that we find ourselves in. It’s called “XXXmas Ale” which is the name of an actual ale he will brew for me using the exact elements I allude to in the story. Brewers are fascinating people and those of us who employ them or deal with them daily find ourselves in all sorts of funny situations or plots, based on our own personalities, or characters.
Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing? Sort of. I have several “beer crushes” on some successful and attractive brewery founders that I’ve used as mental fodder but it’s a kind of inside baseball thing I won’t bore you with (although I got to meet ALL of them this weekend at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver--I’m still flying high from that I can tell you). The longer project I have in editing now has been completely cast since I’ve been living with this particular set of characters so long I couldn’t help but cast the no-doubt inevitable blockbuster movie--it helps when all my beta readers tell me that the way I write lends itself to a visual style--they could see it as a movie, in other words.
How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish? I started my Long novel series (or as I think about it The Big Ass Project) last summer and am on a fourth revision. My short stories tend to take one or two sittings, or about five hours to create. Then of course once they are accepted, there is that little “editing” thing that takes over.
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
The Rookie is the story of two people who are successful in their jobs as beer sales rep and brewery owner whose worlds collide when he finagles his way into her life, hoping to watch her sales finesse in action. She of course thinks he’s some lame rookie on a “ride along” sales day. He’s not, and proves it in more ways than one. I have gone on “ride alongs” that had potential, and my imagination just takes over.
How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author? Do you read your own reviews?
I’m up to three reviews, 2 glowing one lukewarm. Ask me that later.
What are you working on now? Anything you want to tell us about?
Of course, I’m constantly in some state of development on what I like to think of as my character map. The Big Ass Project is about Realtors in a small mid western town, connected to the people in the Brewing Passion Series that starts with The Rookie. If you think about it as one long project that’s fine, but I’ve broken it up into two. “Floor Time” (a phrase that refers to the time all Realtors are required to spend “on call” in their office) is a series of three novella-sized books. It spans about 15 years. “The Tap Room” (the name for a space that is like a bar, connected to a brewery, where typically only the beers brewed on site are served along with simple snacks) is a serialized novel that currently resides on one of my websites (www.aabedwench.blogspot.com). The Brewing Passion series for Breathless Press are the “missing chapters” of that series.
What books are currently on your nightstand/bedside? Anything coming you are dying to read?
The new Jonathan Franzen book which I can’t wait to open once I’m done with the Audrey Niffenegger novel “Her Fearful Symmetry”. I also keep a copy of “Brewing up a Business” by Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewing (and my major beer crush) on hand, for....inspiration. And I always have one my favorite erotic authors around, Cat Grant, or Shayla Black and am always “studying” my genre for better ways to express the most intimate act we participate as humans. Some of the crap out there is embarrassingly bad, but you gotta know what’s really bad so as not to repeat it.
If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why? Well, yeah, the first one! The Rookie. Then check out the rest of the story “The Tap Room” on my blog. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?
Gee, I never quite thought about a famous person whose laundry I’d like to fold but I guess I’d be delighted to clean the toilets that belonged to Colette or maybe Virginia Wolfe. But as anyone who knows me can tell you, I don’t do laundry or clean toilets so I’d be fairly useless. Now if I got to pick a famous person to clean for me--well that would be obvious: I’d love to see Frank Sinatra folding my underwear and providing other servant-like services.
What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?
It IS the future, pure and simple. I have been arguing with my significant other for years about it, resisting it on principle (“I WANT to hold a book, dammit, not a computer”) but my recent epiphany came in my local Borders store when I stood with an armload of books, and found myself staring at the e reader display. I felt sort of silly with what seemed like a big pile of anachronism in my arms. As if I were holding onto my Polaroid camera hoping that it, or the 8 track tape would make a comeback if I wanted it badly enough--so I bought one and on my first out of town trip have absolutely loved it. As an e-published author it seems ridiculous to think otherwise--but don’t try and pry this turntable out of my arms--I will listen to my records until my last breath!
Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why? I will use the characters most well known to my current readers and followers: “Erin Brady” (yes she has her own Facebook fan site) is the female owner of a brewery, with two male partners and a male brewer employee. She moves in a man’s world, fights its battles daily, has a collapsed marriage because of her commitment to it and struggles to make sense of her emotional life while simultaneously attempting to be a successful business owner. Frankly I love/hate/fear/pity her all at once.
Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/he/it refuses to inspire you? My muse is tall, dark and handsome and always brings an excellent bottle of Amarone and a great Pandora station with him when he shows up so I deal with his absences by trying to run my micro brewery and get my own Tap Room open and am so thrilled to see his handsome face when he peeks around the corner, I will just drop what I’m doing and write, and drink and listen to music while he rubs my feet.
Where can readers find you on the ‘net for more information on you, your books and other fun stuff? I have 2 websites. For those of you who want more info on my beer life,
www.a2beerwench.com chronicles my progression from marketing expert and completely green beer drinker to my place now as marketing expert, not so green beer consumer and explainer (thanks to my brewer and business partner) and completely evolved Ann Arbor Beer Wench. Here is where you’ll get the full story on my beer crush that culminated with a fateful moment in Denver this weekend!
The other, naughtier stuff (including the serialized novel The Tap Room) is at:
I’m all over the place otherwise too:
TheBeer Wench on Facebook (with Erin Brady as a fan page).
beerwencha2 on Twitter.
Find, Friend and Follow me. I’m pretty entertaining.
Excerpt of The Rookie:
She was the pro here. He was the annoying sales rep rookie. Time to start taking her role and showing him his.
When the passenger door opened, she pressed her lips together and flipped the visor back in place. As Trent eased himself back into her car, she resolved to ignore his intense sexual energy and concentrate on work. They were behind by at least half a day for most of her domestic accounts, although he had more than made up for her Michigan beer sales goals in just one morning. She smiled with renewed composure and looked over at him.
As she opened her mouth to tell him about the brilliant new schedule she had just devised, Trent grasped the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his. He eased her lips open with his tongue.
Lisa closed her eyes and gave into the incredible sensation of sharing a kiss, not merely receiving one. His touch was firm—no wasted energy or sloppiness. She moaned and closed her eyes, giving into the need that had been pulsing through her all day long—since she'd first laid eyes on him.
His large callused hands cradled her face as he increased the pressure of his lips. Her hands gripped tighter around the steering wheel as if letting go would imply losing control. When he pulled away, Lisa resisted the urge to whimper and beg him to kiss her again.
“Look at me, Lisa,” he demanded. She opened her eyes and met his stare. “I’m not done with you yet,” he said, his voice low and husky with desire. His finger traced the outline of her mouth. The tip of her tongue darted out to make contact. His slow, almost lazy smile nearly sent her over the edge, and her brain actually began to formulate ways to get him alone and not in full view of the busy parking lot. All logical thoughts about beer sales evaporated.
His eyes held her captive. She wanted his mouth back—to feel the firm pressure of his tongue, taste his addicting masculinity. Never in her entire life had she ever experienced such a sexual connection to a guy—a complete stranger to her just this morning. The moment seemed to last for hours.
“Let’s go.” He suddenly let go and settled back in his seat and looked at her. “Got more selling to do, don’t we?”
Lisa stared at him, open-mouthed. She clenched the steering wheel, again; body burning, erect nipples pressed nearly painfully against her bra. It was as if he wasn’t even affected by their amazing and intense kiss. Her eyes narrowed in irritation. She sighed, then started the motor. He was right--they had sales to make, dammit.
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