Guest Author Day With Lucy Felthouse

Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?

I've wanted to write since I was a small child. I was always surrounded by paper and pens and scribbling madly. But it wasn't until I got much older that I realized I was actually good at it. I was lucky to have encouraging English teachers throughout school. Eventually I ended up doing a Creative Writing degree, and it was there I penned my first erotic story and started writing for publication.

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

I think this varies dependent on the genre, but for me, key elements when I'm reading should be that the story pulls me in, and that it's well written.

Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters? Who has been your favorite character to write? The most challenging?

I'm primarily a short story writer, so character development hasn't been a huge issue to date, as I'm usually capturing a snippet of their lives. But I've recently started writing  longer pieces and it's a learning curve as I have to make sure that the character stays consistent in their behavior and mannerisms, and so on.

My favourite character ? That's a good question. I would probably say that Meg, the main character in my upcoming release from Noble Romance, is my favourite. Without giving too much away, she's sassy, fun and leads an incredibly interesting life.

So far, I haven't really found any of my characters tough to write. Though at the moment I'm working on an outline and chapter plan for a novel and I think I'm going to struggle to nail the personality of the protagonist in this tale. I usually write sassy outspoken female leads, but this young lady is going to be quite different.

Have you ever found that you didn’t like your Hero or your Heroine? If so, what did you do to change that?

If I've ever disliked any of my characters, it's because I was meant to, and because I wanted the readers to dislike him/her too.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?

My most recent release is called A Bit of Rough, a short story published by Noble Romance. It tells the story of Alison, a young woman who meets Andrew when she's out with friends. He comes across as really arrogant, and a total bad boy. For this reason, Alison's astonished to find she's attracted to him. Against her better judgement, she goes home with him and ends up having a rather steamy time!

What do you do to unwind and relax?  

I'm quite an outdoorsy person, so I like to go out with my other half, walking in the Peak District and visiting country houses and things like that. I'm also an avid reader and watcher of a handful of TV programmes, including Supernatural, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

Is there a genre you haven’t done that you would like to explore in the future?

Oh yes, several. I've mainly written contemporary, f/f and paranormal to date. I'd really like to do some m/m and historical writing at some point, too!

Tell us about your favorite restaurant. 

There's this great place up in the Peak District that I love. It's just beneath a rocky range of hills that I love to walk in so when you come back down, exhausted and starving, there's nothing better than going to The Rock Inn for a nice steak or a roast dinner. Delicious.

Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?

Now if you'd asked me this question two or three weeks ago, my answer would have been very different. I always used to find listening to music a real distraction from writing.

But over the past few weeks I've found that certain songs actually help me to tune out all other distractions – basically the noisier the song, the better. However, none of the music has yet influenced my writing.

Does your significant other read your stuff?

No. He's incredibly supportive of what I do, but his preferred genres are crime fiction and thrillers.

Plotter or Pantser? Why?

I'm a bit of both, I guess. With short stories, I have a loose idea of what I want to write, and I go for it.

Since starting to think seriously about writing a novel, though, I've been outlining. I don't know yet whether I'll stray from that plan, only time will tell, I guess!

What is your favorite meal?

I have very simple tastes. I love a big plate of steak and chips, with a side order of cheesy garlic bread.

What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

No, it's pretty much all I do!

What do you have coming up next for you? Care to share any details with us?

My next release is another title from Noble Romance, called Bite with Height. It's about the character I mentioned earlier, Meg. She's a vampire living in Paris, and this tale is the first part of her story. There's definitely potential for expansion of this story though, so watch this space!

Bite with Height is due for release in early June.

Who are some of your favorite authors, and if we were to visit your home, what books would we find on your bookshelf, end table, floor or e-reader?

I have far too many favourite authors to list them all! As for visiting my home, you'd find an awful lot of erotic books, paranormal books and chick lit on my shelves, in my cupboards, under my bed and on my Kindle.

If you could be any character of any book or movie, who would you be?

Well that question opens up an awful lot of naughty possibilities! I'll go with a topical answer, and say that I'd like to be Natalie Portman's character in Thor as she gets up close and personal with my latest celebrity crush, Chris Hemsworth.

Where can readers find you on the web?

I have my own website at http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk. I'm also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lucyfelthouseauthor and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/cw1985. 

 A Bit of Rough

Lucy Felthouse

Noble Romance Publishing

Buy HERE

Blurb:

When Alison meets Andrew, she instantly pegs him as a moron. He's a total bad boy and does nothing but chain smoke and brag about his stream of past conquests. Yet, much to her confusion, Alison still finds herself attracted to him. She's not had sex in a while, so Alison figures there's no harm in going home with him to get herself a bit of rough.

Excerpt:

When I met Andrew through friends of friends, I instantly pegged him as a bit of a moron. We were in a pub, and he was telling anybody that would listen about the many mishaps in his love life. Turns out he was quite the ladies' man and had many close calls. The one he was regaling the room with when I arrived was an incident where he'd blown off a woman for the evening, only for her to turn up at his house and see him getting hot and heavy with someone else. Despite the fact he was mocking himself, it sounded like he was desperate for the people listening to know just how many women had been in his life, for however brief an interlude. He was one of those guys you love to hate. And yet, I still fancied him rotten. It was totally bizarre. He was not my type at all.

He was just a little taller than me, slim and lightly tattooed. His facial hair was somewhere between stubble and beard, his hair had no discernable style, and he smoked. I like my men tall, muscular, and clean-shaven. And I hate smoking. Therefore, it took me a while to put my finger on the reason—or reasons—for my odd attraction to the guy. When I finally worked it out, it was like a light bulb clicked on in my head.

He was—or at least he thought he was—a bad boy. What many would call "a bit of rough." He was the guy you never introduced to your friends and certainly not to your parents. You kept him completely under wraps—preferably between the sheets—and enjoyed.

I got the vibe from his oozing self-confidence and the way he recounted his colorful sex life, that he was probably good in bed. I resolved to find out. I didn't need to make a move; his arrogance assured him he was irresistible to all women, and he came on to me, knowing I wouldn't refuse.

I almost did, just to take him down a peg or two. But he was hot, and I was horny, so I didn't mind him picking me up. After all, I had no intention of becoming one of his amusing anecdotes. I wasn't going to stick around long enough for that. I was simply in it for my "bit of rough"—then I was a goner.

We decided to go back to his place. I wouldn't have been bothered either way, but it was clear he felt more comfortable in familiar surroundings. Plus, the more I thought about it, the more I realized going to his place was the more sensible option. I could scoot home whenever I wanted, and he'd never know where to find me. Not that I thought for a moment he was the type to stand below my bedroom window, declaring undying love, but I wasn't about to take that chance.