Author Interview - Belinda LaPage

Today I'm lucky enough to post an interview with Australian Erotica author Belinda LaPage.

First off, about you as a person:

[1]   Where do you live now, and where did you grow up?

I live in Sydney, Australia. I grew up split between the city and country—I won’t say where, because it’s too identifying, but I’ve still got some dirt under my nails.

[2]   Which of the following best describes you:

(a) single (b) involved with someone  (c) married  (d) married with children

I don’t mix my real life with my author life, so I’ll just have to say for the purposes of this interview, I’m not available.

[3]   Do you have a real job, or does your writing pay the bills?

Good God, man—does anyone live off their writing alone? I’m not even close. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done the arithmetic, multiplying out earnings by hours per week I could spend writing … I don’t think I’d be a happy writer though. When it’s a hobby, I can take it where my muse sends me. I wrote an erotic radio play once, just for fun. I couldn’t do that if it was my primary source of income.

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I recently realised the only way I’ll ever make decent money from writing is to spend all my royalties on Lottery tickets and hope for the best!

[4]   Of the places you’ve visited, where was your favourite?

I’m not very well travelled, I’m afraid. Kangaroo Island in South Australia is spectacular. I recommend the Remarkable Rocks, Admiral’s Arch, Little Sahara, and Seal Bay. You can do it in a single day trip, but stay overnight or you’ll end up rushing to get the last ferry.

DS - I’d never heard of Kangaroo Island – but it looks fabulous.

[5]   Is there anywhere you haven’t been that you’d love to visit?

Pretty much the rest of the world. I’d love to ski somewhere with dry snow. Australian ski fields are all below 2km elevation, and New Zealand is only a bit taller. Canada would be cool (literally, yeah I know).

DS - I’ve never fancied learning to ski, but I can see the attraction…

…but then I saw this, and it put off again…

[6]   How do you spend your spare time when you’re not sleeping or writing?

SHOPPING! Yeah, and working, and going out spending money I don’t have.

Okay, moving on to your writing:

[7]   Is Belinda LaPage your real name or a pseudonym?

Pseudonym. I’m tempted to fib (like I said, I’m private), but I need to protect the innocent. To my great shame, there’s actually a British woman on Facebook with the exact same name (she doesn’t francify the surname like me), and I don’t want anyone contacting her thinking she’s me. I’m too invested now to change it, but I do wish I hadn’t done that to the poor woman. I can’t image her reaction when she first googled herself after I invented my penname.

DS - She probably claims to be the talented writer with a dirty imagination, just to impress her friends! I seriously doubt there are many Delores Swallows’ out there, though…

[8]   I use a female name as my penname, yet I’m a guy. So, cock or minge?

I had no idea this was a thing when I got into erotica (I was so naïve!). I honestly thought people who wanted to mask their gender used their initials, or gender neutral given names.

I have no boobs to speak of, but hang on, let me check … yep, still no dick either. Sorry, it seems I’m the real deal.

[9]   How many people who know you in real life are aware that you write smut?

None at all. I’m completely in the closet.

[10]   Do you remember your first dirty story, and why you wrote it?

It was only three and half years ago—I’m such a n00b. I had an unhealthy fascination with an authority figure, so I wrote it out for my own enjoyment, and surprised myself how … ahem … enjoyable it was. So I published it. Turns out other people like smut, too. Who knew?

[11]   Why do you write erotica?

Initially it was to deal with (okay, indulge) persistent fantasies, but now it’s because it’s something I’m good at, and like any artist, I enjoy the attention. I love the interaction with readers (when they choose to write to me [sob!]) and with other writers on ERWA.

[12]   If someone reading this interview had never heard of you, how would you describe your stories?

Sensual, empowered women enjoying new experiences … with wet, sticky endings.

[13]   What’s the nicest thing anyone’s said about your writing?

I wrote a Sherlock Holmes spoof in the same voice as Dr Watson’s memoirs. I got so much lovely fan mail from Holmes readers, saying I’d captured Conan Doyle’s style perfectly, but one reader stood out. He said I’d given him a new Sherlock Holmes story to love, and that he was going to print it out and hide it in his reading copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes for his grandchildren to one day find and read (after reaching the age of maturity, of course).

             DS - Sherlock and sex? Hmm, I like that idea… Though my idea of a sexy Sherlock may not coincide with everyone else’s.

                   

[14]   What’s the nastiest thing anyone’s said about your writing?

I get some trolls, but they don’t annoy me, because they’re so obviously trying for a reaction. I don’t think anyone’s been truly nasty, but it stings a bit when someone says the sex is good, shame about the story.

DS - I know how that feels. I once had a review that said 'Delores Swallows writes really hot sex. The only thing that lets this story down is the plot and the characters.’

Gee, thanks!  I’m going to paint myself orange and call that review ‘Fake News’

[15]   Do you write in other genres under other pennames?

No. I’ve tried writing genre fiction under my real name, but I’ve never been published.

[16]   Talk us through your writing process. Do you have definite plot-lines, or just start writing and see where the characters take you?

The first ten or twelve stories I wrote were pantsed, meaning I wrote them without any clear idea of what was happening, just some basic plot points and a sexy scene I was aiming towards. I wrote a whole novella this way, just setting up the perfect stranger-secretly-fucking-me-while-I chat-with-my-husband fantasy.

Since then I’ve learned some elements of structure, and I do try to use them. I usually start with a sexy scene in mind, and then try to imagine ways in which the characters might get into that situation. That gives me a bit of a character outline to work with, and then I go through a process: who is this person, why are they imperfect, what do they want, and what’s stopping them? How do they do battle with this negative force, and how many ways can I sensibly show that before bringing it to a head? And most importantly, how can I resolve it all in a satisfying way?

All of these things together give me a premise and a dramatic question, which is what you read on the back of a book. Then I map out the chapters from these decisions above, pencilling a few paragraphs for each.

Then I write.

I’m a perfectionist (my friends might say anal retentive), so I edit as I go. I literally cannot leave a previous writing session in rough draft and move on with a new session, so every session gets an edit usually a day after the first draft. When I finish a chapter, I go back and edit again, and I’ll edit from the beginning a third time mid-story if it’s over 10K words, just to maintain consistency.

I proof it by listening to the story in a text to speech engine before sending it to any beta readers, and then edit again based on feedback. A final proofing listen and its ready to publish. Yay!

[17]   What’s your most satisfying writing moment?

A member on Literotica posted a story idea about two straight women hooking up, and she added some specific details that made it obviously personal. Long story short, I made up a lesbian-curious story using her characters (her and a friend) and she replied with the most genuine, heartfelt thanks. She said I’d captured her confusion, guilt, and excitement perfectly, and it helped her to better live out a fantasy that she couldn’t allow to happen in real life.

[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]

I’ve had some nasty trolls reviews on Literotica and on Amazon, but nobody on social media. I’m not very active there, I’m afraid.

Dick pics? Are you serious? I get fewer dick pics through erotica than real life. Guys seriously have no idea. I’m trying to think of a woman who hasn’t received a single dick pic. I’m tempted to say my Mum, but who knows? I haven’t asked.

[19]   If someone was going on holiday and could take only one of your books with them, which would you recommend, and why?

My longest book is only 80,000 words, so it’s not going to last very long. I’d take “What Is Beautiful”. It’s flash fiction, less than 500 words, but I read it often and it never fails to make me smile.

[20]   Are there any subjects you wouldn’t be comfortable writing about or including in your stories?

I can’t see myself writing any slave-girl, bimbofication, slutification, or hucow elements in my stories. Disempowered women are a kink like any other, and I don’t judge, but they’re not something I can write. Oh yeah, scat, watersports, menstrual blood—they’re all on Belinda’s Shitlist too (pun most definitely intended).

[21]   Do you set yourself targets? What are your long-term writing goals?

I don’t. I’m still just mucking about, trying to make each story better than the last. I’m not a very goal-driven person. I live for the moment, I suppose. A big trend now is practicing mindfulness to deal with stress/anxiety. I gave it a go, but it just felt like a normal veg-out session. I have no problem at just sitting still and staring at the world. I don’t think enough about the future to have goals.

[22]   What are you writing at the moment?

I’m finishing up an erotic comedy about a sperm bank run by nuns. Masturbation is a sin, of course, so The Little Sisters Of Grace is a hands-on affair.

DS - I’ve been lucky enough to see part of an early draft, and I know readers are in for a treat.

After that, I’m planning a hotwife story, but my wife will be doing the deed in front of her husband as revenge for emotional abuse. It doesn’t hit the beats of a typical cuckold or hotwife story, so it might flop, but hey, it can’t hurt to shake things up.

[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?

This is where I’m a massive fail with social media. I’m just anti-social, I think. I’d go and choose a hashtag that was too niche to my own writing, like #SABAFI (Start [my stories] anywhere, but always finish inside). Did I mention I suck at this?

Thanks, Belinda - you're a star.

Belinda’s stories are available from most outlets, and you can find out more details on her website:

http://blin18.wixsite.com/belindalapage

Books and Blurbs...

Sparks fly when straight moms Anna and Susan meet for the first time. They're both petite and feminine, but Anna is exotically gorgeous with Mediterranean skin and mahogany eyes, while Susan is a prim and elegant yummy mommy who is blissfully unaware of the stolen glimpses she offers at her silky underwear.
Anna had never felt so wet! How did we even come to be undressed? And the touching!

****

Petite blonde Belinda is an expert at Mannequin; the girls play together in the dorm, and she never loses. They could literally do anything to her, and she wouldn’t move a muscle. Rory is a player too, and he’s determined to have his way. As he gets bolder, the game goes way too long and it gets much harder – Belinda is drenched with anticipation. Things go beyond the point of no return and even though they’re completely unprotected, Rory goes for broke, pounding home for the win. At the final stroke, Belinda is filled with relief, and her unbeaten record is finally claimed.

****

When Margy’s own family fell apart, Emily and Coach were there, and they brought her up as one of their own. Now nineteen years old, petite, and svelte, Margy is spreading her wings and wants some sizzling photos to post online, so she turns to the man of the house for help. Playing the director, Coach quickly warms to the task, telling her how the camera loves her slim body, and all the sexy things she can do in the photos to make a man’s heart melt. Margy can feel the heat washing off him in waves, and she experiences a raw, taboo lust posing and undressing for the only man in the world she must never want. It’s so forbidden, it’s intoxicating, and there’s no telling the things she might allow herself to do, but only if he asks. Her carnal urges wage a pitched battle against civilized principles, pushing her to play ever riskier games versus Coach’s willpower.

****

Sapphic Letters is an epic tale of unexpected lesbian romance. It’s the story of a chance spark that kindles into bi-curiosity and transforms the lives of two straight women. Through three searingly erotic books – now collected for the first time in a single volume – we see them first try to deny their fantasies, then accept, and finally embrace the explosive, Sapphic lust that threatens to consume them.

Book 1 - Note to Self – Undressing with Susan and touching each other in the bathroom was completely innocent, although the alternative ending from Anna’s lucid dream was anything but.

Book 2 - Hypnotryst – A psychiatrist regresses Susan to her first time to discover what’s holding her back in the bedroom, only to discover a third person in the hidden memory – another woman.

Book 3 - Friend Me – Anna and Susan desperately find a way to be together, and with toys and tongues, they embark on an erotic fantasy spa weekend.

****

In an ancient land of warring nations, Selena’s unique beauty marks her as a prize who might secure peace through marriage. Although utterly innocent, she has been thoroughly schooled in the conjugal arts by her mistresses, and now she stands ready to tackle her biggest challenge. 

****

The Sapphic spark from when Anna and Susan first met has now kindled into a white heat that dominates their thoughts and dreams. Anna doesn’t know it, but they want the same thing – the feeling of another woman, touching, tasting, discovering new ways to fit together their sleek feminine curves – yet neither can confess to the need that smolders within.

****

"No Panties Tuesday" started as a harmless school prank, but by lunchtime, Belinda was kneeling splay-legged on the headmaster's desk, his hand (innocently?) between her thighs just moments away from discovering her nakedness and arousal. Completely innocent and utterly unprotected, the stakes had never been bigger. How much could she possibly take?

****

Prim and pretty Susan needs help to deal with anxiety. The episodes seem to happen after going out with the girls – beautiful women, dressed for fun with their short skirts and spike heels, their lips and nails painted in stunningly erotic shades of red. Susan is straight and sensible though, and she has no idea what triggers the anxiety ... but psychiatrist Dr Tamara Watkins does. Tamara thinks hypnosis might help in the search for Susan’s repressed sexuality, but nothing could have prepared her for what she would find when Susan went under.

****

Private investigator Pierra is on the trail of a missing person - a young woman named Becca who disappeared without a trace. She shares with husband Shane her belief that Becca has been abducted to be sold as a sex slave, and her investigations lead her to Heaven Can Wait - a corrupt organisation led by an amoral sociopath.