Scribal Love Welcomes Lucy Felthouse!
Lucy Felthouse is an author of contemporary and paranormal erotica. Her newest work 'Uniform Behaviour' is available from Amazon and All Romance eBooks.
I was born and bred in Derbyshire in the UK. And I’m still there!
What inspired you to write this book?
I’d wanted to put together an anthology for some time. It almost came to fruition with a publisher, but then they sold up and I was back to square one. So I decided to go it alone, put the book together myself and use a distributor that had been recommended to me to get it into the online retailers.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I guess I do. A lot of what I write is contemporary, with characters around my age. So many of the female characters I write about have a similar personality to me, always come out with wise-cracks and love sexy men. I have been challenging myself more lately to create characters that are nothing like me, both in age and background and to give them a very distinct voice.
What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?
My latest book is called 'Uniform Behaviour.' The title had been rattling around in my ideas book for some time and it was only when I decided to put the anthology together that I knew the title would be perfect for it.
What is 'Uniform Behaviour' about?
It’s an erotic anthology. It has sixteen short stories from fourteen different authors about various uniforms. There are soldiers, pilots, sailors, cleaners, waiters and much more nestling between the covers!
What books have influenced your life most?
It’s difficult to say as I’ve been reading voraciously since I was old enough to read. I’ll read most things I can get my hands on, but naturally I have favourite genres, which are erotica, chick-lit and supernatural books. They’re also the genres I tend to write in so I guess they must influence my life!
Did you find the idea of having your work published for others to read intimidating?
No, not really. I found it really exciting! I figured that if the people who knew what they were doing thought my work was good enough to publish, then it couldn’t be that bad! It’s actually very rare that I like many of my stories when they’re finished, but I think it’s because after working on them and revising them, I get too close. So by the time I submit them I’m convinced they’re rubbish. Luckily, editors don’t seem to think so, and by the time the book has gone through the publishing process and I receive my author copy, I re-read the story and realize it’s not so terrible after all!
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
To be honest, the erotic writing community is so huge, cool and friendly, that I couldn’t consider one person to be a mentor. Many of them have influenced me, encouraged me and helped me along. However, writing is a pretty solitary task and my creative writing degree has given me the strong base I need to make my writing the best it can be. It also taught me not to be too precious about changing my work. At the end of the day, I’m writing for publication so it’s got to impress others, not just me!
What books are you reading now?
I’m glad you said books plural. I’m currently reading Monica’s Secret, by Saskia Walker, which I’m enjoying very much. I’m also reading Michele Hauf’s Seducing the Vampire, Girl Fun One from Xcite Books and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. That last one is proving a real struggle, but I’ve been told to persevere beyond the first fifty pages or so and it gets better. Watch this space.
What are your current projects?
I’m currently working hard to promote Uniform Behaviour. Writing-wise I’m working my way through a huge pile of calls for submissions for short stories. So hopefully I’ll have more books to add to my publications list in a few months – fingers crossed!
Do you find that international audiences are different from your home or native country's audience?
Within erotica, I don’t think there’s much of a divide. I’ll be honest, when I’m writing now I am aware of using words which are very “British” and could have an American, Australian, etc, reaching for the dictionary. I’d find it off-putting when I was reading if I didn’t know what a word meant. Luckily, you can work most words out from their context, but often I just won’t risk it and I’ll find a better word! However, because of the internet and improved distribution it means that all countries read works from other countries so we’re definitely getting a better handle on each other’s slang terms anyway. They’re even creeping into worldwide vocabulary. So maybe in a few years we’ll never know the difference!
Do you see writing as a career?
Not at present. I have a full time job in marketing, so writing is very much my sideline. However I’d love to do it full time, and my long-term goal is to write a full-length novel. Then of course I’d have to hope it was good enough to be published!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No, not really. I’m proud of what I and the other authors involved have achieved with the book. My only regret is that it’s only available as an eBook.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
No, I don’t remember. It’s always been there. As a small child I was always reading and writing. I guess that my love of reading had a lot to do with it though, I probably wanted to create something as cool as what I was reading!
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Yes – coming up with titles! I really do struggle with titles and they often pop into my head quite a while after the story is finished. Other than that I think that writing is a constant learning curve and I hope that I’m improving all the time.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Not so much from the writing point of view, but definitely from the editing side. I learnt that I’m good at proofreading, but not perfect!
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Yes – just do it! For too long I kept talking about doing certain things in writing and never actually getting around to it. Now I’ve set myself realistic goals and I’m doing my hardest to achieve them. Naturally, life and the day job can affect what I’m doing but all I can do is my best.
Thanks Lucy for dropping by!
You can vist Lucy on the web at:
Lucy Felthouse
Freelance Writer
Editor of Uniform Behaviour
Website: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk
Creator of: http://eroticaforall.co.uk
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