I'm thrilled to be featured in the debut issue of Secret Pleasures eZine:
1. How long have you been writing?
Well, I could be a smart ass and say I’ve been writing since I was 7 years old (which is true), but I’m guessing you want to know how long I’ve been writing erotic fiction. I penned my first short story in the late summer of 2003. (Until that time, my writing had been exclusively non-fiction: essays and editorials involving various civil rights issues.) A year later, I wrote my first poem.
2. Tell us a little about your road to publication.
I almost wish I had an angst-ridden tale to tell – an office wallpapered with rejection letters or some such – but it was really quite painless. Last spring, a bunch of my author pals from Literotica decided to self-publish a print anthology to benefit charity. One of my roles in the project was (is) to paste the stories, poems, and illustrations chosen into manuscript format. Since I already had the file format all set up for Coming Together, I figured, “Why not?” I compiled a manuscript of my own work, submitted it to Phaze, and promptly forgot about it. Two months later, I had a contract.
3. You also write poetry. How do you balance poetry and fiction in your work?
One of the things I’ve discovered as I attempt to write longer and longer stories is that I write fiction with a poetic voice … which typically results in very concise, powerful prose. Every word is weighed for its emotional impact, and that tends to slow me down. I prefer to think that it’s quality over quantity, but that’s for the readers to decide.
4. Can you give us a sneak peek from your latest release?
My latest release is actually my very first release: Erotique, a Phaze HeatSheet Shiver, was released on October 24th. An excerpt is available on my blog at http://alessiabrio.blogspot.com as well as via the Phaze site by clicking on the Erotique cover. It’s been very well received. Here’s the blurb:
“Mandy stands to inherit the family legacy – a famous Philadelphia adult toy store and museum called Erotique – but she first has to meet the terms of the will and spend the night. With the help of her best friend, Bruce, she soon discovers the exhibits are VERY educational and her feelings for Bruce run deeper than she realized.”
5. What do you have coming up? Any works in progress you’d like to tell us about?
My first full-length work will be released by Phaze in the very near future, perhaps even before this interview is published. It’s a single-author anthology entitled fine flickering hungers and is a collection of eight short stories and six poems. I’m very excited about it.
I have several works in progress, including a contemporary novel called Snatch. Plus, I’m currently participating in National Novel Writing Month with a historical erotic fiction story entitled Zane – set on the frontier near the end of the Revolutionary War.
We’ll also release the fourth edition of Coming Together in December.
6. You have a beautiful chocolate covered cherry logo on your blog. What’s the story behind that particular image?
I have long found chocolate-covered cherries very erotic. Something about the sweet, innocent-looking shell and the succulent, creamy center just stimulates all of my senses. I tape the image to my computer monitor when I’m writing a sex scene. It’s verrrrrrrrrrry “inspirational” … so much so that I included the candy in one of my stories – the final story in fine flickering hungers.
7. Share one of your secret pleasures with us.
But then it wouldn’t be a secret any more! *grin* Writing erotica IS my “secret” pleasure since very few people who know me are even aware I do it. So, you just never know when the soccer mom standing next to you might be choreographing a hot ménage scene in her mind … maybe even one involving chocolate-covered cherries. ;)
