Thursday, 3 July 2014

Author Hot Seat Welcomes - Lucy Felthouse

The author hot seat specials are designed to help readers get to know both popular, and up and coming authors, a little better. The questions are broken into sections - About your writing, about you, fun stuff and finally. Some of the questions are easy, other may need a little more thought and some may cause our author friends to hesitate before answering—still, they all answer. 

Today we have Lucy Felthouse in the hot seat, talking about her latest book, One Night in Paris, plus lots more. 


Getting Started:

Tell us about your latest book. What was your inspiration for writing it, is it part of an ongoing series, the characters, the genre etc?

CityNights: One Night in Paris is part of a multi-author series by Tirgearr Publishing. Each author chooses a city and writes an erotic romance novella based around twenty four hours in that city. As soon as I found out about the series, I wanted to take part, and Paris was my first choice.

About your writing:

How many books have you written during your career so far and which is your favorite?

I’ve written almost forty solo titles—but if you take into account stories I’ve had in anthologies, too, then that number is over one hundred and climbing. My favourite so far is StatelyPleasures, as it was my first full length novel.

Have any of your books received negative reviews and how did you handle the situation?

Yes, I’ve received negative reviews. Luckily I’ve got thick skin. Plus, so far I haven’t had a book that’s only had negative reviews, so I keep telling myself I can’t please everyone! Now, I try to ignore the negative reviews and concentrate on the positives.

Do you believe in writer’s block and if so, how do you overcome it?

I do believe in it, but fortunately I don’t get it often. I’m normally so pushed for time that I can’t mess around. If I need to write to hit deadlines, then I write. If I’m really, really struggling, then I’ll go off and do something else, then come back to it later.

What is the one genre you would never write and why?

Science fiction. Purely because it’s not really my thing. I have nothing against it, I just don’t enjoy reading it, so I wouldn’t want to write it, either.

Have you ever written a book that you’ve regretted publishing and why?

No, I don’t think so. If I’m not happy with something I’ve written, then I don’t send it out.

If a reader said they wanted to write a book, what advice would you give them? 

Read lots in your chosen genre, learn to edit yourself, and don’t give up!

About you:

Tell us what a typical day in your life is like?

Manic! As well as writing, I run my own business, http://www.writermarketing.co.uk, and I edit for a publishing company, so there’s never a quiet or dull moment. If I’m not writing, I’m marketing, blogging, editing, sending out blog tour materials, chatting with clients, helping them out, and so on!

What sort of things put you in a bad mood?

People that won’t help themselves, and noise.

Do you have a bucket list and what’s one thing you still want to do that you haven’t done?

I have a mental bucket list—I’ve never actually sat down and written a list. And there is looooooads on there I want to do. Mainly visiting places I haven’t been—I could go on forever.

What makes you laugh?

Lots of things, I have quite a silly sense of humour. My other half, my dog and my dad make me laugh the most, as do my fellow Brit Babes.

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

I don’t really do embarrassing things, or get embarrassed easily.

Do you like to read and what are you reading at the moment?

I love to read, and I’m actually between books at the moment. I just finished Out in the Army by James Wharton, a non-fiction memoir as part of some research I’m doing into my next writing project.

If you couldn’t write anymore, what would you do instead?

Cry, probably. I love writing and get grumpy when I haven’t done any for a while.

Fun Stuff:

If you could go out with one famous person who would it be and why?

Just one, seriously?! I think that’s a bit mean ;) At the moment, it would have to be Tom Hiddleston. He’s my favourite celebrity crush at the moment.

Do you have a habit that drives your partner/friends/family nuts and what is it?

Probably lots of things, as they’ve never mentioned one particular thing!

In your opinion, what makes a person attractive?

Intelligence and sense of humour.

What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

I’m incredibly fussy and non-adventurous when it comes to food, I’m afraid. So there’s nothing at all exotic that I can think of, sorry.

Would you rather have a classic 1969 convertible Mustang or have the use of a beach side condo any time you want?

The condo, I think. I wouldn’t install Internet and I’d go there to write and have some peace and quiet.

And finally:

Would you rather survive an apocalyptic event (yes, even a zombie apocalypse) or die instantly without knowing what happened to your family and friends?

I’d rather survive. Then I could find out what the hell happened, and probably write a book about it.

Excerpt:

Jacob huffed out a breath as he reached the kerb, shooting a dirty look at the motorist who’d caused him to leap for the relative safety of the pavement. Christ, he’d heard talk of Parisian drivers, but until he’d experienced the place for himself, he’d thought the claims were exaggerated. Apparently not.

Running a hand through his hair, he tried to regain some modicum of composure. It was not the best start to his day—all he’d done was catch the Metro to the Eiffel Tower so far, and he’d barely caught sight of the iconic monument before an insane motorist had almost run him down.

Checking his pockets to make sure nothing was amiss, he retrieved his pre-booked ticket for one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours of the city while he was there. Horribly touristy, he knew, but given he’d never visited the French capital before, he felt it was excusable. Hell, he’d even booked a plane ticket with a nice twenty-four-hour layover so he could sneak in some sightseeing. It was going to be non-stop work when he got to Abu Dhabi, so he felt he was entitled to a little chill-out time before he got there.

He was the boss, anyway, so nobody could tell him what to do, where to go, or when. If he wanted to head for a brief jolly in Paris before a bunch of intense meetings with his Arabic clients, then he damn well would. What was the point in working his arse off constantly if he couldn’t reap the benefits? His fortieth birthday was approaching and the realisation had made him think. Almost forty and he hadn’t seen nearly enough of the world. Especially if you discounted hotels and conference rooms. Once, he’d flown to Rome, had a meeting in a hotel near the airport, then turned around and boarded a flight home. It had been worth it financially, but only months later, it hit Jacob what a colossally wasted opportunity it had been. Yes, the client had insisted on a face-to-face meeting, rather than a Skype chat, and yes, he’d needed to get back home to continue with yet more work, but it could have waited a day or two. Even a couple of days in the Italian capital would have been better than nothing.

What was the point in having plenty of money if one couldn’t enjoy it, after all?
With a decisive nod, Jacob checked his ticket for the location of the bus stop. He’d just headed for the Eiffel Tower in the first instance because he’d figured it would be the easiest thing in Paris to find. He’d been right in assuming that; the mighty iron structure pierced the sky, impressive and strangely beautiful. It was next on his list, after the bus tour, which he felt would help him get his bearings. He only had twenty four hours—there was no time to waste getting lost.

He quickly located the bus stop he’d been looking for, helped by the vehicle that had just arrived, emblazoned with the tour company logo. There was already a group waiting, and he hurried over to join the back of the queue. After a couple of minutes, it was his turn to have his ticket checked, then he was ushered onto the bus.

It seemed the majority of people who’d alighted in front of him had snagged seats on the bottom deck. It was far from full but somehow already felt crowded, so Jacob headed up the stairs, the child in him making a bee-line for the back seat.

He’d taken a couple of long strides when he saw someone already sitting there. A blonde, maybe a decade younger than him, and gorgeous. Their gazes met and they exchanged a polite smile before breaking eye contact.

Blurb:

Jacob is nearly forty, and has recently come to the sudden realisation that he’s not doing much with his life. Sure, he’s got his own successful business, but what’s the point in earning lots of money and not doing anything or going anywhere to spend it?

He’s in serious danger of being all work and no play, so he starts to rectify this by organising a twenty four hour layover in Paris en route to a meeting in Dubai. Whilst there, he goes on a bus tour of the city, and there meets Annabelle, a fellow Brit who’s studying in Paris. There’s clearly an attraction between the two of them, so when the gorgeous Annabelle makes an indecent proposal to help Jacob fill his time in Paris, who is he to refuse?


About the Author

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, is book editor for Cliterati, and is one eighth of The Brit Babes. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9



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2 comments:

  1. No doubt One Night in Paris will be a great success and I enjoyed the above interview, well done.

    ReplyDelete