Spotlight Interview with Erotic Author Liz Adams!

 

 

Bio: Liz Adams, author of erotic fairy tales such as Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land and Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Liz studied music and creative writing at UCLA and worked as a freelance model before making her writing her career. In her spare time she cuddles with her husband on the couch to watch her favorite shows.

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Liz! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

LIZ: when I was 14, my girlfriend and I found a dirty newspaper in the bushes. She and I returned to her house and giggled over the pictures of naked women. But when she read aloud some of the letters of men's fantasies, more than just my face got hot! She was gracious enough to let me keep the paper. That is, I pulled it out of her trash can when she wasn't looking. When I think back on it, she made such a show of throwing it away, she was probably going to retrieve it from the trash herself after I left! Anyhow, I really wore that newspaper down as I read those letters over and over. I finally tried writing out my own fantasies when I was 16. About a year or two later, I sent one to Penthouse Forum and it was published! I was so excited, I decided to work hard at improving my writing so I took up creative writing in UCLA.

GRACIE: What was your first published book?

LIZ: Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land was my first published book. I also put out an erotic version of Red Riding Hood and shared an erotic experience I had when I was in college in the anthology Campus Sexploits 3: Naughty Tales of Wild Girls in College. But both of those are short stories. Alice’s Sexual Discovery is my only full book, albeit a novella.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

LIZ: In the writing business, especially in erotica, self-publishing is the way to go. I have two great book coaches, a husband and wife team. Beth and Ezra Barany have helped me so much with the process on how to get my books published without having to spend a ton of time or money. Beth helped me with getting connected to my readers, and Ezra did the cover art, book layout, and did his search engine optimization (SEO) magic to determine the best titles for my stories. Now the likelihood of readers stumbling upon my writing is much greater, thanks to the titles.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your erotica novella Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land.

LIZ: I was a kid when, at a neighbor's place, I saw a cartoon cover for a rated X video version of Alice. Being the curious girl I was, I got upset when my mother wouldn't let me watch it. I always wondered what was so forbidden about it and eventually did see it when I was older. The idea of making a better story stayed with me. So I started with an erotic version of Alice in Wonderland and went from there!

GRACIE: What do you think is Amy’s Achilles’ heel in Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood and how do you go about stomping it?

 

LIZ: I would say that the Achilles’ heel which Amy Riding – nicknamed “Red” for her red hair – has is a fear of wolves. Ever since she had a traumatic experience finding herself accidentally stuck in the middle between a mother wolf and its cub. Though she survived the moment, the growls of that wolf stayed with her. The trouble with having this fear is that she now loves a lycan named Sean. What will it be like seeing her beloved grow a snout? Will he ever wind up finishing what that mother wolf threatened to do years ago?

That’s her inner issue. The external issue is that she lives in a community that frowns upon human-lycan relationships. She’ll have to be strong to keep Sean as her boyfriend.

GRACIE: What do you think it is in Sean’s personality that makes him a perfect mate for Amy?

LIZ: I’d say it’s that Amy needs an alpha male. Someone who will stand up for her and her love in times when her parents and her community demand that she stop seeing him. That, and his wicked bulge. (wink)

GRACIE: Both Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land and Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood are adult versions of two popular children stories and fairy tales. What was the appeal of revising these two specific stories with prerequisite erotic elements?

LIZ: I mentioned how my desire to write Alice came from wanting to write a better version than the rated X movie I saw. After publishing that, I wanted to write a short story. Something just 2,000 words or so. I flipped through a book of fairy tales and noticed Red Riding Hood was the shortest, so I chose that one. The result ended up being over 14,000 words, though, ha, ha. But to answer your real question of why fairy tales, there’s something about the visceral fear and excitement in fairy tales. The heart pounds, the breath quickens. There’s something about that moment when we can’t tell whether we’re afraid or excited that thrills me.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

LIZ: That’s a hard one. I’ve only written three stories but still, I love them all. And the best part about writing erotica is that I get to edit it. In what other genre can you edit your own work and fully experience the pleasure of the story over and over again? My fingers sure get tired. If I had to choose, I’d say Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood because the story had the opportunity of building a true relationship among the characters. In Alice’s Sexual Discovery, Alice doesn’t stay long enough with any one character to build a relationship. So that was a harder story to write.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

LIZ: My favorite character is myself in Campus Sexploits 3: Naughty Tales of Wild Girls in College, the autobiographical telling of my experience in college. My heart pours out to that younger version of me.

 

 

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

LIZ: In my fairy tales, I think it’s that my characters live in a world where anything can happen. Something else stands out. As one reviewer said, all the characters in my stories come across as real people, not just fillers.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

LIZ: I love discovering what will happen in the story and can’t wait to reveal it to others. My least favorite aspect of writing is the waiting. When I send out the story to beta-readers and when I publish, I have to wait to see how the story is received by the public. Will they like it? Will they hate it? I get very antsy waiting.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

LIZ: Unlike a lot of my fellow writers, I prefer to heavily outline the full story first. It’s the best way for me to make sure the story has a compelling plot and doesn’t ramble into nowhere.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

LIZ: I’d still be a model. I was a freelance model for a short time after college, but now I get to do this wonderful job. I get to do a lot of wonderful research with my hubby. It keeps me on my toes (and on my knees!).

GRACIE: LOL! Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

LIZ: I’m so impressed with Anne Rice’s erotic writing style. I absolutely adore her. I also love Poppy Z. Brite’s writing. No specific books stand out, though.

GRACIE: Wow, another Poppy Z. Brite fan! Cool. I love her work too, and I can see where you would like her sensual writing style. What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

LIZ: I’ve fully outlined an erotic version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where Goldie is a clever thief skilled at picking locks and is caught by three bearish men when they return home. The working title is Goldie’s Locks. I’ll also be coming out with a version of Alice Through the Looking Glass. Alice and her new boyfriend run into each other frequently in this version. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum? They’re twin versions of her boyfriend. Can you imagine being taken by your boyfriend and your boyfriend’s clone?

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

LIZ: The best way to contact me is via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Liz.Adams.Author. I’d love to hear what my readers think!

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

LIZ: The best place to go is to my author page on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Liz-Adams/e/B007VXOXHU) Once there, choose the book you’d like to sample and download that taste onto your Kindle or Kindle app. Ready for the full load? You can get both stories of Alice and Red in my Adult Fairy Tale Erotica Bundle. (http://www.amazon.com/Erotica-Discovery-Wonderful-Ridings-ebook/dp/B009195DZI/)

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

LIZ: The trick is to finish your story. Turn off that inner editor and let yourself write an awful story. When you’re done, then you can edit. Your best editors, however, are your beta-readers. They’re your specific audience, they care about how it comes out, and best of all, they’re help is free. Ask them “What would I need to change to make this be a five-star book?” Then, incorporate their advice in your fiction.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

LIZ: It’s been an honor being with you and for all you readers out there who read this far, thank you so much for your time. I truly appreciate it.

GRACIE:  Liz, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!