I Probe Angela Addams on Erotica Fiction

Good friend, and mistress of fine erotica fiction, Angela Addams, met up with me across the interwebs to discuss this steamy genre. 

We’ll start off with a background question. Have you always written erotica? What was it that made you want to write in this genre?

Actually no, I haven’t always written erotica. I started writing it because of my overactive imagination and these highly sexual stories that keep rolling around in my head. You can call them fantasies, I suppose, many of my story ideas come from dreams I’ve had, things I’ve done or would like to do

Who are your writing role models. What is it about them that attracts you to their writing?

My biggest writing role model is Kelley Armstrong. Her Women of the Otherworld series helped carve a path in the Canadian market for Urban Fantasy (which is also what I write). She has been an amazing support to me over the years and is an influence on my writing, my career and my motivation in so many ways.

You’ve had a number of books published traditionally, what is your experience of this process (working with an agent/editor/etc) and what were some of the hurdles that surprised you (if any)?

Is e-publishing considered traditional these days? Isn’t that an interesting change in perspective? To date I’ve had four novellas published in e-format. Luckily, I’ve had amazing experiences with all of the editors I’ve had the pleasure of working with. No horror stories to speak of! The only hurtles where probably near the beginning of my e-pub experience when I didn’t really feel comfortable advocating for myself during the editing process, but I soon overcame that and never hesitate to provide my input where needed.

I’ve also been working on another ms with my agent, which has been a tremendous learning experience for me. I’ve grown a lot as a writer in the time that I’ve known her and although rewrites can be very frustrating and disheartening at times, I wouldn’t give up the lessons I’ve learned going through them.

Erotica is quite a popular genre by the looks of the various online book shops, how does it differ from Romance? Are there many similarities?

There’s an easy way to identify/define erotica; in erotica the sex drives the plot, you can’t have an erotic ms without it. In romance you’ve got many other elements tied into the hero/heroine’s relationship and sometimes sex isn’t really a key factor at all. In fact, you could remove the sex scenes and still have a story (although a boring one in my opinion). I write erotic romance which mixes the two genres, hot sex scenes and heavy emotional attachment.

What are your writing goals/plans for the future?

Since I really enjoy writing erotic romance, I plan to continue doing that. My preferred format is novella length, which I find to be just the right amount of words to get a good little story out. I’m also hoping to break into “traditional” or what I’ve heard folks now calling “trade” publishing, with the help of my agent, sometime in the near future.

Would you ever consider self publishing? What is your view on this movement?

At the moment, no, but I’m not going to say I’d never consider it. I think that self-publishing suits certain authors with certain goals. Right now my goal is to be published via e-publishers and hopefully, one day, with one of the “big” publishing houses.

Is erotica specifically just for women? Would you ever consider tailoring your books for both sexes? Or is the market just not there?

That’s a good question. I think that the market is definitely there, especially for mm erotica. I have written from a male pov and am comfortable doing so. I’ve toyed with a few ideas that would appeal to men more than woman, but at the moment, I think I like to stick with what I know intimately, and cater to my own preferences.

Thanks for the interview Angela. You’ve got a new book out, would you mind telling us a little about it?

So I’ve got this new release, a contemporary erotic romance called, Going the Distance, and I’d love for someone out there to win an e-copy. All you have to do is post a comment and leave your email address. I’ll randomly draw a winner in a week’s time!

Blurb:

He’s been in love with her since they were teenagers, Steph Randall, the most wanted woman on the planet. Pierced by Cupid’s arrow as teens, Ronan fell hard for Steph, he had plans for them, even bought a ring, only to discover that her ambition was stronger than their love. Cupid had failed to win her heart and join the couple. Now Cupid needs to fix things, an incredible boon if he can succeed. All he has to do is show Steph what she is missing.

As an award-winning actress, Steph has a mind of her own and is blinded by her ambition. Yet, for all her money and fame, the only time she truly finds peace is when she is in Ronan’s arms. She thinks that all she needs is a friend with benefits, but with a little Cupid intervention, Ronan suddenly finds that he can’t tolerate it any longer and Steph is forced to choose. What will she risk losing for her ambition? And what is Ronan willing to give up to get his girl?

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