Interview with Author Kristina Wright:
Hi Kristina. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women is a collection of erotic fairy tales by 18 fabulous authors. The book pay homage to the ever-popular fairy tale genre and includes retellings of classic fairy tales with an erotic twist as well as original stories that capture the spirit of the classics. The authors in the collection include Delilah Devlin, Andrea Dale, Craig Sorensen, Justine Elyot, Louisa Harte, Alegra Verde, Janine Ashbless, Shanna Germain, Allison Wonderland, Jeremy Edwards, Aurelia T. Evans, Carol Hassler, Saskia Walker, Alana Noel Voth, Michelle Augello-Page, Charlotte Stein, A.D.R. Forte and myself, with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Angela Knight.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I am in the process of selecting stories for my next anthology, Dream Lover: Paranormal Stories of Erotic Romance, to be published by Cleis Press in Spring 2011. It promises to be a delicious collection of stories by some of the top authors in erotic romance.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
You can visit my website, kristinawright.com! I blog about everything from writing to babies to my lifelong love/hate relationship with insomnia. I also announce recent sales and publications as well as my calls for submissions for the anthologies I'm editing.
- Do you allow readers to contact you? If so, how do they reach you?
Absolutely! I love to hear from readers. They may contact me at my primary e-mail address: kristina@kristinawright.com. They can also friend or follow me on Facebook or Twitter. (see links below)
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I came of age reading the Harlequin Presents line and the gothics of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels and Phyllis Whitney, so I think I always had a love for the romance genre. But it wasn't until I started reviewing romance novels for The Literary Times back in the late 90's that I finally got up the nerve to write one. It was a western historical and it will never see the light of day. However, the second romance I wrote, Dangerous Curves, won the Golden Heart for Romantic Suspense and went on to be published by Silhouette Intimate Moments. Shortly after that, I found myself gravitating toward writing erotica. At the time, the erotic romance genre hadn't really taken hold yet, so I started submitting short stories to anthologies. 80+ anthologies later and now I'm writing and editing erotic romance collections for Cleis Press.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I think there is a lot of my personality and life experiences in everything I write. I also think there is a lot of creative license and pure imagination. If I'm doing my job right, the reader shouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
I try to write 4 to 5 days a week, 5-6 hours a day. That can vary with the week, depending on what projects I'm working on, what deadlines are coming up, how much childcare is available and what other commitments I might have. A lot of writing time gets eaten up with other writing-related things like answering e-mails and doing book promotion and interviews and the like. I also wear the editing hat for anthologies such as Fairy Tale Lust and that takes a big chunk of time, as well. But I try to make sure to write no matter what else is going on. After all, it's the writing that got me here in the first place.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
Coffee, coffee, coffee. I practically lived at my neighborhood Starbucks before Patrick was born, but I'm still enough of a regular that they often have my drink started when I pull into the parking lot and finished before I reach the counter. If I need a mental break, I hand the baby to my husband, get in my "baby-free zone" (my 1992 Miata) and go curl up in a comfy chair at Starbucks with a coffee and a book.
- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)
I grew up on South Florida (and the "South" distinction is significant only to other Floridians). I've been married for almost 20 years (!!) to my husband Jay, who is an officer in the U.S. Navy. In December 2009, we had our first child, Patrick. Yes, after almost 20 years of marriage! Life is a little more hectic (and a little louder) with a baby around, but oddly enough it's hard now to remember a time when he wasn't here.
I hold a B.A. in English and a M.A. in Humanities and I've taught College Composition and World Mythology at the local community college. I also have crazy aspirations to get my Ph.D. someday. I'm a bit of an education junkie and I get the bug to go back to school every few years. I also love the back-to-school time and buying school supplies, so I'm looking forward to Patrick's elementary school years!
As for hobbies, I love to read (what writer doesn't?) and I love going to the movies. I will watch movies at home, but nothing beats the movie theater experience for me. I also love to travel and hope to do more of that when the baby is a little older. Other hobbies I dabble at include photography, gardening, various crafty things that I suck at but enjoy doing anyway and cooking.
- Fill in the blank favorites -
Favorite dessert: chocolate! Doesn't matter what form it takes-- cake, ice cream, truffles, plain ol' Hershey bar
Favorite city: London, England
Favorite season: autumn (with spring a close second)
Favorite type of hero: I like the bad boys! Alpha males all the way.
Favorite type of heroine: I like strong, independent, intelligent heroines-- women whom I would admire and like in real life.
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I'm a member of RWA and would like to be more active in a local chapter, if I can ever find the time. I'm also a member of Passionate Ink (the erotic romance chapter of RWA) and ER(WA the Erotica Readers and Writers Association).
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
A good critique group can make the difference between almost published and published. A bad critique group can make you want to claw your eyes out and give up writing entirely. I've belonged to both. I had a wonderful critique group for several years and I really do credit them with helping me get published. In fact, I dedicated Dangerous Curves to them. But we drifted apart over the years as each of us switched genres or came to different places in our careers. If I ever found the right combination of personalities and experience, I would love being part of another critique group.
- Do you think critique groups are a necessity to becoming a good writer?
Necessary, no. Helpful-- see above. If it's a good group, it can be invaluable. But I know many, many authors (including myself, these last several years) who prefer to write alone and share their work with their editor and/or agent only.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Goodness, I wish I had a crystal ball! I would like to return to writing novel-length fiction while also continuing to write short fiction and edit anthologies. I envision having a little more writing time by then since the baby will be starting kindergarten in five years, but who knows? Whatever I'm doing, I can absolutely guarantee I will be writing something and have several projects in the works at any given moment.
- Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Honestly, yes. I know that's a terribly boring answer, but I wrote my first story in the first grade (about a shape-shifting witch, demonstrating my early interest in paranormal fiction) and fell in love with storytelling. The A+ I got for the story probably helped inspire me. I haven't stopped writing since, trading in my pencil for a pen for a manual typewriter for an electric typewriter for a word processor for a PC for a laptop for my current MacBook Pro. I can't wait to see what technology will exist in another twenty years!
- How long have you been writing and working to that goal of being published?
As I said, I wrote my first story in the first grade. My first published piece was a ghost story that I wrote when I was 15 and submitted to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel's Halloween short story contest. I won in my age bracket and was paid $50 for my story. I've been working toward publication every day since.
- If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
If I had any musical talent, I would want to be a rockstar. On the practical side, I'd likely be teaching college or working in a library-- both of which I have done and would be happy to do again.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Remember that a rejection is one person's opinion about one specific manuscript on one particular day. That's all it is. Don't give a single rejection more power than that.
Thanks so much for the fabulous questions! I've really enjoyed the interview and I invite readers to visit my website! Happy reading!
~Kristina Wright
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Website Email MySpace Facebook Twitter Fairy Tale Lust Blog Kristina's Publisher
RaH Links:
Interview Review Coming
Purchase Links:
Buy Kristina's Books at Amazon
Buy Kristina's Books at Cleis Press
Buy Cleis Press Books
Amazon Direct Link to buy Fairy Tale Lust