Welcome, Romance Lovers! Lyla Sinclair is with me this morning!

         Available at Jasmine-Jade

This is a repeat of the June 22 interview with Lyla Sinclair.  Due to technical difficulties, her article didn't upload properly.

Welcome, Romance Lovers!

Today I am interviewing a Romance author who changed genres in mid-career, and has never looked back! Help me welcome Hot Hot Hot Romance author Lyla Sinclair! Lyla writes for Ellora's Cave Publishing.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Well, hmmm…as a kid, I was a goody-goody honor student type, always worried about my “permanent record.” (I’m still annoyed that no one ever asked for it.) But recently, I seem to have turned quite naughty.

When did you start writing erotica and erotic romance?

I was writing non-erotic romance for several years first. The manuscripts won awards and got a lot of great comments and interest from agents and editors, but they were a little different than the typical romance novel, so I suppose no one quite knew where they fit in marketing-wise. I switched to writing erotica and erotic romance a couple of years ago.

What made you switch genres? I hear stories of your "nude guitarist"...?

I met my “nude Spanish guitarist,” as I call him on my website and blog. (He does actually exist and will play whatever music I’m in the mood for in whatever state of undress I request.) He found the vixen in me and encouraged me to try my hand at some erotic romance. That’s how The Johnson Obsession was born.

Up until then, I’d told everyone I’d never write anything erotic because I just couldn’t write hot enough. From the response I’m getting so far, I guess I was wrong.

I guess so! So, Lyla, other than your nude guitarist, how do you find ideas for your books? Real happenings? Dreams? A great imagination?

Well, I’ve always been an idea person. The plot ideas can come from anywhere. The Johnson Obsession which will appear in Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy 3 (Sept. 22), was partly inspired by the fact that I kept receiving someone else’s mail.
Hard on Miss Hardin and two other upcoming stories, all set at the same university, are actually twists on classic fantasies with a few sexy surprises, as well as some humorous ones.

As for the really naughty parts, they’re typically inspired by that nude Spanish guitarist I was telling you about.

How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

Extremely difficult, especially with erotic stories. I have to be alone, door shut, left to my own devices for hours. I’m not one of those people who can write with a baby screaming, kids asking what’s for dinner, cell phones ringing…although I worship women who can write (or shop) that way.

Your first story was just published. Tell us a little about it.

Although my Cavemen anthology story (an erotic romance) was contracted first, Hard on Miss Hardin, an Ellora’s Cave Exotika, is the first that’s been released.

I call Professor Katherine Hardin my “accidental cougar” because she’s a model of decorum until Jarrett Jones comes along and rocks her world.

Um...did you bring us a blurb?

Of course!

Blurb:

Professor Katherine Hardin can’t believe she’s agreed to give a man control over her—three wishes, any time, any place of his choosing.

But just after her fortieth birthday she was blindsided by sudden, thigh-clenching lust for a twenty-two-year-old senior whose bold stares said he saw her as more than his professor.

To cover her desire, Katherine grilled him with questions all semester in front of the class. Now Jarrett Jones has appeared, demanding she make amends, and she can’t resist fulfilling her fantasies of him.

Unaware of what Jarrett’s willing to do for domination and retaliation, Katherine finds herself walking a dangerous line between honoring her secret agreement and maintaining control over her personal life and professional reputation.

Wow! Sounds very interesting! What do you love about your publisher?

So far, I like practically everything about Ellora’s Cave. My editor is kind and helpful. I feel respected, which isn’t always the case for writers. I also have a marketing background, and I can see that E.C. is constantly looking to break new ground, uncover untapped markets, and make new inroads wherever they can.

What does your writing schedule look like? What's your best time of day to write?

I get the most done if I work mornings. The trick is not to change out of my night clothes, try not to interact with the outside world, and write until I get too hungry to think. If I do anything else first, I may not get any writing done that day.

Do you have another project in the works?

Next, after Hard on Miss Hardin and the Cavemen anthology is Checking Out Audrey about a painfully shy librarian with an unusual hobby that gets her into a compromising (yet hot) position. This one is an erotic romance and is set at the same university as Hard on Miss Hardin.

I don’t have a release date for “Audrey” yet. I’m currently working on one more story at the same university, but I’ll have more on that later.

Is there a big difference between your erotica and erotic romance stories?

I know a lot of romance authors don’t feel good about writing erotic stories unless the heroine and her hottie end up together. To me, what’s most important is that my heroine has something positive by the end of the story that she was missing in the beginning.

This can be a better self image, a great guy, or some knowledge she needed to live a more enjoyable life. I guess I need to feel like I’ve accomplished something for her during the writing process. Emotionally speaking, if she ends up in the same place as she began, what would be the point? I want to leave her happy. However, since I’m a romantic, she’ll usually get the guy too.

So, how can fans find you on the web?

Website: www.lylasinclair.com

Thanks so much, Lyla, for joining us today and sharing with us! I only wish you'd brought your guitarist friend.

You're welcome, Fran. It was great visiting with you this morning!

For more info:   E-Mail Me!