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URL:
www.erinmleaf.com
Contact:
erin.m.leaf@gmail.com
ABOUT ERIN
Erin M. Leaf has been reading and writing since she was five
years old. Her first story, written in third grade, involved a
burning house, a desperate jump, and the last-minute save of her
older sister. Unfortunately, her sister never forgave her for
that push out of the window despite repeated apologies in the
form of limericks. Since then, Erin has been a technical writer,
an editor, a proofreader, and a poet. She has won awards and
published poetry chapbooks, learned to crochet, and worked as a
full-time mom. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and
two sons.
INTERVIEW
Q: Do you ever get embarrassed about writing erotic
romance?
A: No, not at all. For me, the steamier the sex is the
better. I’m easily bored, so while I’m writing I try to put my
characters in either fun (sex!) or dangerous (is that a gun?)
situations so I don’t fall asleep while typing. My goal is to
write a scene in my next novel that combines the sex and the
danger. Making love during a shootout? There must be a way to do
that!
Q: What is the most difficult part about writing ménage
scenes?
A: Visualizing who is doing what to whom when you have three
people is the most challenging aspect of writing threesomes. I
don’t like scenes where people are left out or waiting around
for their “turn,” so I like to keep all three people involved in
the sex. That makes trying to figure out where this person’s arm
is resting while the other person is kneeling over the third
person somewhat tricky at times. Of course, it’s not like I find
sitting around imagining those scenes tiresome, so it all works
out in the end.
Q: How do you decide what your characters will look
like?
A: I often pick out actors or celebrities as a starting
point, so that I can visualize a character. Then, as I begin
writing, the character takes on personality, and his or her
appearance changes in my head to fit their quirks and habits.
Q: Do you ever use your dreams as a basis for a story?
A: Oh definitely. Sometimes people ask me where my ideas come
from, and I reply: I can’t stop them! Almost every night I
remember my dreams, and sometimes I wake up with an incredible
scene or character. I usually jot some notes down on a piece of
paper when that happens so I don’t forget about it later.
Q: Do you have a secret vice when it comes to reading?
A: Yes! I love to read fanfiction. And I love to read poetry.
These two types of writing could not be more incompatible, but I
enjoy the juxtaposition of fun prose with difficult literary
works. It makes my brain buzz.
Q: How many books do you own?
A: I stopped counting when the number hit 7000. That’s when
the piles of books everywhere got ridiculous. I was absolutely
thrilled when ebooks became popular because you can only use a
pile of books as a nightstand for so long until your friends
find out and mock you unmercifully.
Q: Do you publish any other type of writing?
A: Yes. I have published two poetry chapbooks and numerous
poems in various journals under my real name. I have also
written a science fiction/literary novel and hope to get it
published soon.
Q: Are you planning on writing more erotic romance?
A: Definitely! I love writing romance, and I have several
novels planned out in my head already. I just need to make the
time to sit down and type the words. I can’t wait.
Q: How long have you been writing?
A: When I say I’ve been writing since I was five, I’m not
kidding. For many years I thought that everyone daydreamed like
I did: complete with dialogue and scenes and dramatic tension. I
went to college and majored in creative writing, then I went to
work and wrote technical manuals. There was a time in my
twenties when I didn’t write much fiction, but I think that I
needed that time to gain life experience so I would have
something to say once I began writing in earnest.
Q: How do you deal with rejections from publishers?
A: Simple: I just keep trying. And I whine about it a lot to
my incredibly patient husband. And sometimes I eat too much
chocolate. That helps. I think the most difficult thing about
becoming a writer is the realization of how much time it takes.
It takes years to become a good writer, years to send out your
work, and years to get published. However, I have never wanted
to do anything else, so that makes it easy for me to keep
improving my skills and sending my words out.
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