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.
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!
