Author Interview

I'm interviewed today on the "Authors of MySpace" blog ...

Author: Alessia Brio

How long have you been writing, and what influenced you to get into it?

I penned my first fiction in the fall of 2003. I started writing because I couldn't find what I wanted to read on the free sites I visited online, namely well-written erotica. I started posting my stories at Literotica.com, and in less than two years, I had a publication contract. The rest, as they say, is history.

How many books have you published ?

At this writing (June 2007), I have thirteen published ebook titles. Four of those are Coming Together anthologies which I've edited. I have one title in print (fine flickering hungers), which is available from Amazon and other online booksellers. In its ebook form, it won the 2007 EPPIE Award for Best Erotica.

Have any of them been national releases, if so through which publisher?

They're all available online for purchase by any adult with Internet access anywhere in the world. Readers can find them at FictionWise, All Romance eBooks, Phaze, and Charles River Press.

What current book/books are you promoting?

I'm currently pimping ArtiFactual: Tales of the Erotique Mystique. It's a collection of four novellas written with Will Belegon about a unique sex toy shop & museum.

What projects do you have coming up in the future?

Will & I just finished a novella entitled Bound for Success that will be released in early September, and we just started working on a new series featuring a very sexually liberated woman named Andrea Spring. Double Header will be released in October, and its sequel in the spring of 2008. In addition, the print release of ArtiFactual is scheduled for September.

I'll have another volume of Coming Together released in ebook in August (and print in October) entitled For the Cure. It will benefit the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Special Hurricane Relief Edition of Coming Together will also be released in print this fall. It benefits the American Red Cross and victims of weather-related disasters.

Amidst all that, I'm trying to find time to work on my solo projects.

What author/authors influenced you to start a writing career for yourself?

Bad ones. Seriously. I thought, "I can do better than THAT." I have, and I will continue to do so.

Are you a member of a writing group/organization?

I belong to EPIC and RWA, although I don't consider myself a "romance" writer.

What are some of your favorite hobbies other than writing?

I sew, do genealogy research, paint, and lose myself in SuDoku. And, of course, I read.

Has "The Authors of Myspace"/or Myspace itself helped you out with sales or networking/friends?

It's difficult to determine which online promotional activities are producing results. Other than website hit counters, we authors don't have much data with which to correlate our specific efforts & expenditures with sales. I'd like to think every little bit helps in some way, even if it's just increasing name recognition.

What tips do you have for beginning writers?

Proofread your shower shoes... erm, work. In the words of Crash Davis: "Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob." Don't expect an editor to punctuate your work or fix your homonymic errors.

Leave your Myspace URL below:

Alessia Brio's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/alessia_brio
Coming Together's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/erotic_anthology
Artistically Inclined, LLP's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/artistically_inclined_llp

Additional Comments:

Thanks for the interview opportunity!