My latest interview is with US erotica author Ria Restrepo
First
off, about you as a person:
(1)
Where do you live now, and where did you
grow up?
I currently live in Central Florida along what's called the
Space Coast, just south of Kennedy Space Center. When they were still using the
space shuttles, you could see them go up from the front yard—on a clear day,
from a distance, but you could still make it out. And you could hear the sonic
booms when they came back. It actually rattled the windows in the house—scared
the hell out of me a couple of times until I realized what was.
DS - I don’t like when some kid on a motorbike revs too much
as they drive past our house, but I think it’d be cool to have the space
shuttle rattling my windows every once in a while
I was born in Pennsylvania, about an hour outside of
Philadelphia. My family moved to South Florida when I was seven, so that's
really where I grew up.
(2)
Which of the following best describes you?
(a) single (b)
involved with someone (c) married (d) married with children
Technically single, but not looking right now. How's that
for vague? I don't have any children.
(3)
Do you have a real job, or does your
writing pay the bills?
That’s a long, complicated story, but I'm in a position that
I can put all my effort into writing. It doesn't pay the bills yet, but
hopefully it will in the near future.
DS - Lucky you. I don’t think I’ll ever be in a position
where my writing pays for my coffee!
(4)
Of the places you’ve visited, where was
your favourite?
I haven't been to too many places long enough
to get a really good feel for it. I spent the day walking around Chicago,
seeing the sites, which was awesome, but at the end of the day, I was covered
in soot. The shower water literally ran black. That was around 1990, so I don't
know if the air is still that dirty.
DS - Chicago is one of the few places in the US that I’ve
been to. I loved the city, and my only regret was that we didn’t visit a blues
club to see live music being played while there.
I never noticed any soot, but we came out of a bar at around
midnight to find the streets filled with thousands of cyclists who were raising
money for charity. Everyone was so friendly.
My maternal grandparents retired to a small
farm in West Virginia and I visited a couple summers. It's beautiful country,
but not a lot to do there.
I went to university in Central New York
for a year, which was also beautiful, but the winter was a little harsh.
I had a short stint in the Atlanta area,
which was great, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite. I also briefly visited
New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
Of course, I was born near Philadelphia, so I
have a natural soft spot for the city—especially the famous art museum.
DS - I can no longer hear the name Philadelphia without instantly
thinking of these guys - a brilliant show.
I really loved living in Miami. There was so much
culture, so much to do, and it was so easy to hop on the Metrorail and go to
all sorts of interesting places in the city.
(5)
Is there anywhere you haven’t been that
you’d love to visit?
Everywhere! I've always wanted to go to
Hawaii—oh, and Florence, Italy.
DS - They’re two places I’d also love to visit. My brother
went to Hawaii a couple of years back and did the boat trip to see humpbacks. I
was so jealous.
(6)
How do you spend your spare time when
you’re not sleeping or writing?
Spare time? What's that? Reading, mostly.
Recently, I pulled out an old keyboard I have and I'm trying to relearn playing
the piano—which also involves relearning to read music. I used to be an ace at
music theory, knew all the keys, knew the notes by site instantly in treble
clef, bass clef—even alto clef, at one point. Now I need to go one space and
line at a time to figure it out. What was a simple Bach Minuet in G is turning out to be a major challenge, but it's slowly
coming back. Just goes to show that if you don't use it, you lose it. I'm
hoping to get back to where I was, at least, once things calm down and I can
practice more regularly.
DS – Yip, this sounds familiar. My
7-year-old daughter is taking piano lessons, and I’m now familiar with how to
remember the notes on the staves of treble and bass clef (All Cows Eat Grass). I
even found a couple of memes to help you remember:
RR - I never heard of that one. I
remember the lines on the treble staff were: Every Good Boy Does Fine.
DS - We’re taught the treble stave
lines with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and the gaps spell FACE.
For bass stave the lines are
Good Birds Do Fly Away, and the spaces are All Cows Eat Grass.
Speaking of these ways of learning
to remember sequences, when I was at school the teacher told us that the
colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) could
be remembered by Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. But when I got to
college the lecturer had a better one: Roll Over You Great Big Innocent Virgin.
Guess which one stuck in my mind the best?
Okay,
moving on to your writing:
(7)
Is Ria Restrepo your real name or a pseudonym?
Pseudonym.
(8)
I use a female name as my penname, yet
I’m a guy. So, ‘Cock or Minge?’ (that’s a crude way of asking if you’re actually
male or female)
I'm female and was born that way. Cis
female is the current term, I believe.
(9)
How many people who know you in real life
are aware that you write smut?
My mother knew before she died and my
father knows. I don't think either were thrilled about it, but happy that I'm
being published. More recently, I told a friend of the family who was a good
friend of my mother's when we lived in Miami. She's kind of a surrogate
grandmother and I've kept in touch with her after my Mom died. Anyway, I told
her my pen name and her daughter, who was actually my high school vice
principal at one point, looked me up and told her mother what I was writing.
Thankfully, she was cool with it.
(10)
Do you remember your first dirty story,
and why you wrote it?
While I was waiting to hear about a
chick-lit manuscript I'd submitted to a major publisher, I discovered the
erotic story site Literotica. I loved the dirty stories, but many were poorly
written, so I became a volunteer editor. I thought I should write some erotic
stories myself, since I was editing for others. I wrote a story for their
National Nude Day Contest. It didn't win, but was very well received and
encouraged me to write more.
(11)
Why do you write erotica?
I enjoy it and seem to be pretty good at
it. Also, I've always been a people-pleaser, so this is great way to give a lot
of people pleasure—from a distance, anyway.
(12)
If someone reading this interview had
never heard of you, how would you describe your stories?
I write erotica, romance, and all the
shades in between, featuring strong women exploring and embracing their desires,
especially when they involve dominant men with a sensitive side.
(13)
What’s the nicest thing anyone’s said about
your writing?
That my story aroused them so much that
they just had to masturbate.
Yikes. I often wonder what reaction I’d like from the people
who read my stories. I suppose I like the idea of them being turned on enough
to drag their partner to bed. As a straight guy, the idea of women readers
masturbating to my stories is a much sexier image than the thought of men doing
it…
RR - Actually, a couple women readers have
told me that.
(14)
What’s
the nastiest thing anyone’s said about your writing?
Someone recently commented—by tweet—that a
snippet I'd used in a teaser for my story "Elevator Confidential" was
"bossy and vulgar" and they didn't find it at all erotic. And that
was the sanitized for social media version of that quote! That's actually the
first negative comment I've ever received, so I'm really not too bothered by
it. Different strokes for different folks.
(15)
Do you write in other genres under other
pennames?
Not currently, but in the past, I've
written just about everything from literary fiction to political humor. I did
write and have some erotica published under another pen name, but some
unfortunate events caused me to abandon it and start over as Ria Restrepo.
(16)
Talk us through your writing process. Do you
have definite plot-lines, or just start writing and see where the characters
take you?
I'm definitely a "pantser," meaning
I write by the seat of my pants. I'll get an idea and just start writing.
Scenes will just start playing in my head and I get them down as fast as I can
before I lose them. Sometimes I jump around from the beginning, to the end, to
the middle, and back again.
I really don't do any heavy-duty plotting
beforehand. I may have a vague premise or an idea of what I want to do in the
story, but that's it. In the refining stage, I'll go back and make connections
that maybe weren't there initially and fine-tune the story. I'm pretty
character driven. That's usually where the story starts—with a character doing
or experiencing something and what happens from there.
(17)
What’s your most satisfying writing moment?
Having my story "Restitution"
accepted into Best Women's Erotica of the
Year, Volume 1 was pretty sweet. I kind of felt like I'd hit the big time
as an erotica writer. But then my story "Eminent Domain" was accepted
into The Sexy Librarian's Dirty 30,
Volume 3 and I was elated. And then Oleander Plume actually asked me to
write a story for Chemical [se]X 2: Just
One More and I was incredibly honored.
Recently, the Sisters in Smut [http://www.sistersinsmut.com] asked me to
join their ranks and I was thrilled. They are truly the most supportive and encouraging
group of women I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Writing-wise, I've
been incredibly lucky in the last few years and it's impossible to pick which
is the most satisfying.
(18)
I
know many writers of smut get derogatory comments through social media. Do you
get these, and how do you cope? Have you ever been sent pictures of men’s
tackle? [For the record, I’ve never been sent photos of women’s bits, but if
people want to send them, my email address in on my website J]
Apart from that one critical tweet I
mentioned, I really haven't gotten any derogatory comments. I guess I'm lucky
in that department too.
Yes, I have been sent dick pics and full-on
nude or partially clothed pics. I just brush it off. I delete them and block
the person if they get annoying or abusive. Out of the blue, some guy I didn't
know sent me a fresh-from-the-shower pic of himself in the buff and wrote,
"What do you think of this?" I replied, honestly, "I've seen
better." Then he called me a bitch and I blocked him. Hey, if you can't
handle the truth, don't send the pic. Actually, please, don't send them at all.
I'm really not into random dick pics.
(19)
If
someone was going on holiday and could take only one of your books with them,
which would you recommend, and why?
I've only been in anthologies so far, but
I'd have to say Chemical [se]X 2: Just
One More. It's a varied collection of tantalizing erotica from some of the
hottest writers in the genre with something decadent for everyone. I'm really
proud of this anthology and the fabulous women I got to work with.
(20)
Are
there any subjects you wouldn’t be comfortable writing about or including in
your stories?
I'm really not into watersports, scat, or
extreme BDSM. I'm not into humiliation or degradation, either. I wouldn't be
comfortable writing anything in that department. As a heterosexual female, I've
never really had the desire to write F/F or M/M erotica—although I have nothing
against it and haven't ruled out giving it a try at some point in the future.
(21)
Do you set yourself targets? What are your
long-term writing goals?
I tend to be a very in-the-moment person,
but I do want to get my own single-title novel published in the very near
future.
(22)
What
are you writing at the moment?
I've been mostly writing short stories for
my blog and doing promotional stuff for Chemical
[se]X 2: Just One More. But once things calm down, I plan to resume working
on an erotic romance I have partially completed, called Bounty Girl, about a submissive bounty hunter.
(23)
Last Question: For twitter, I’ve invented my
own hashtag, #BMBTAF, which stands for Buy My Books, They’re About Fucking.
What hashtag can you come up with to help your sales?
#STHTPD—Stories Too Hot To Put Down
Thanks Ria – great to have you
answer all my questions.
Find out more about Ria and her
work from the following links. There’s also a giveaway at the end of the book
blurbs to celebrate the release of Chemical [se]X 2 Just One More
Books & Blurbs
From
the sunny streets of South Florida, to the bars of Paris, to the backstreets of
Rome where a secret club for old spies lies hidden, Spy Games is a collection
of nine tantalizing tales in which spies and detectives seduce and deduce in
all corners of the world.
Ria’s
story: "Undercover Desires"
An FBI
agent goes undercover as a Dominatrix to get some critical information, but
while being followed by henchmen, she runs into a guy she hasn't seen since
high school. The seemingly mild-mannered librarian not only helps her catch the
bad guys, he also uncovers her secret desires.
Best
Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1,
edited by award-winning author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, delivers risky,
romantic, heart-pounding thrills. Featuring a diverse range of characters,
sexualities and scenarios, these 22 steamy stories revel in erotic adventure,
from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of longtime
lovers.
Ria’s story: "Restitution"
How far will a pop star go to save
her career?
Come
inside, experience the breadth, inspiration, and excitement of superb erotic
storytelling.
Browse my card catalog. Find the perfect story to suit your mood, with subjects tantalizingly indexxxed to whet your appetite!
Browse my card catalog. Find the perfect story to suit your mood, with subjects tantalizingly indexxxed to whet your appetite!
Lose
yourself in these thirty risqué adventures, loaded with fabulous characters in
provocative situations. Get ravished by flirty-frills and sassy petticoats in
our hot bodice-ripper romance. Keep it strictly confidential as you fall in
love with a dangerous undercover spy. Feel your heart quiver as you lust after
two brothers on the lone frontier. The choice is yours in this library of
sexy-sharp stories!
Ria’s story: "Eminent
Domain"
Pushed to her
limit, a good girl gets even in the naughtiest way possible. There might be a
Maserati and a biker involved.
One hundred percent delicious with zero calories,
let yourself be tempted by our chocolate-infused delights. These bite-size
erotic treats are guaranteed to satisfy even the most discerning tastes.
Best friends become more, beauty is tamed by the
beast, a music festival turns erotic, strangers collide, shy lovers go wild,
roommates break down barriers, and a chance encounter at a holiday party leads
to sapphic delights.
Trapped in an elevator with her secret crush and some aphrodisiac
chocolates, Jackie's bad day turns delicious. Walden may be her father's friend
and business partner, but how much temptation can he endure before succumbing
to both their forbidden desires? What happens between them is dirty, decadent,
and strictly confidential.
Excerpt:
Even as hungry as she was, chocolates that fine were to be savored, not
scarfed like M&M's. She brought one of the tiny cocks to her mouth and
filled her lungs with the enticing aroma. Unable to wait any longer, she sunk
her teeth into the hard, outer shell—only to be surprised when filling spurted
out. Giggling, she used her free hand to capture a runaway stream of sticky
sweetness before it dripped off her chin and ruined her favorite red silk
blouse.
Jackie admired the wicked brilliance of filling naughty chocolates with
white cream. Before any more of it oozed out, she put the rest of the morsel in
her mouth, but let it dissolve on her tongue. Her taste buds exploded with the
flavor of bitter chocolate and a sweet, minty confection that had a trace of
something else. She didn't recognize the unknown ingredient, but it was
definitely intriguing.
Humming with pleasure, she licked and sucked her messy fingers clean
until every drop was consumed. "They're delicious, but messy."
When Jackie looked up at Walden, she froze at his heavy-lidded
expression. If he looked hungry before, he looked positively ravenous now.
"You did that on purpose."
She knew what he meant. As much as she'd love to take credit for teasing
him, she was innocent in this instance. Still, Jackie was smart enough to seize
an opportunity when she saw one.
Giveaway
Enter to win a free e-book copy of Chemical
[se]X 2: Just One More and a $10 Amazon gift card!
