Pollygraph (interviews with erotica authors): Katie Cramer
Why erotica?
Why not? I have another life where I write fairly mainstream stuff, but I've always been a very sexual person - I'm a 100% monogamous, happily married woman with two children but I still have fantasies! Erotica gives me an opportunity to live those out with the characters in my books. There's a little bit of me in every story I write.
What kinds of erotica do you write?Everything from erotica for couples to paranormal and niche kinks like lactation and cuckolding. It's funny how you can write something without even realizing you've hit a particular fetish. My first ever story, "What Lisa Did", was about a woman whose husband buys her a night of passion in a swish hotel with a hunky male escort. She's never been unfaithful, but he wants to watch her have sex with another man. It was only after publishing it that people pointed out I had written a cuckold story! I've done very well with those but I'm also throwing myself into sci-fi erotica at the moment. The normal rules don't apply and you can just write some cool stuff with wild characters that encourage total suspension of disbelief.
Tell us about your experiences as an erotica author. What have the big challenges and successes been?
It's just been an absolute blast since day one, a wild ride. I set out very early on to be as successful as possible - I can be very driven. I knew that Christmas 2011 was going to be huge for ebooks with the launch of the new Kindles in the US. I saw that boat docked in the harbor and wanted to be on it when it set sail. My biggest problem? I only had one title!
I worked tirelessly for two months to get as many stories up on Amazon before Christmas hit. I managed to do it - I had 15 stories for sale as those Kindles were getting unwrapped - and things just exploded. It was only my second month of writing erotica, but I quadrupled my sales from that first month and it's been growing ever since. I have over 30 titles available in different sub-genres now and they all sell well.
I can't stress enough how helpful and giving other erotica writers have been, both in the early days and since. If it wasn't for their advice I would have never got to grips with pricing, one of the major challenges for any indie author.
Do you write in other genres, too?I don't write fiction in other genres at the moment. I'm totally committed to erotica for the foreseeable future. My plans for a great crime novel I have in mind are currently on hold. I write non-fiction and editorial though.
Do the people around you know what you write? How have they reacted, or how would they react?
My husband is the only one who knows. He's so supportive and loves what I write - it means he gets to see inside my filthy mind that little bit more! Nobody else knows. They just wouldn't get it. As a mother, I also have to be very aware about what people do and don't find acceptable. Whether I like it or not, other people's attitudes towards erotica could negatively affect my children and I'm not willing to let that happen. I'm not looking for praise or recognition from family or friends - it can be my little secret.
Tell us about your most recent titles.For the last month or so I've been concentrating on alien and tentacle erotica. I wanted to develop a little niche that I could potentially do quite well in and I've always been into science fiction, but I wanted to do it with a twist. I came up with "Sluts In Space" - a serial with 6 books planned - and it's out-and-out played for laughs. That was really fun to write. My most recent story was "Good Sense Of Humor, Must Have Tentacles". It's about a woman who, sick of loser boyfriends, joins a dating agency and falls for an alien. It's tongue-in-cheek but it's also quite romantic. Again, something different from what's already out there.
Do you have a favourite, or favourites, among your stories?
Oh, lots! The two above and also one called "Loving The Alien". That was a sci-fi horror that quickly becomes something else entirely. Also, a story called "The Ghost Inside Me", about a woman haunted by a hunky ghost and her journey to uncover what's happening. That one has really resonated with readers, it's a bit of a tearjerker. Also, "In The House Of Shadows" is a personal favorite. Hardly anyone buys it, it's by far my poorest seller, but I think it's one of the best things I've written. Nothing is what it seems in that one. Finally, "The Cougar Gets Her Stud". It's a straight-up, boy-meets-girl sexy semi-romance, but I kind of fell in love with the characters when I wrote it.
How do you normally go about writing an erotic story? Is there much, ahem, research involved...?Lots. I admit to knowing nothing about certain kinks. If I don't think I can do it justice, I won't attempt it. I know very little, for example, about the BDSM lifestyle and I think there are authors such as Aphrodite Hunt who know what they're doing beautifully in that field. I wouldn't attempt to compete, nor want to. Some things I've written just to challenge myself, however - lactation erotica, for example, was new to me and I found it surprisingly enjoyable to write. And as for research...well, I have a very sexy husband and a dirty mouth. Not surprisingly, he's very keen for me to try out some ideas in the bedroom! But there are times where the Internet is the erotic writer's best friend and you have no choice but to get, shall we say, hands-on.
Do you have any favourite erotica authors?Where do I start? Virginia Wade, Selena Kitt, Gia Blue, Terry Towers, Kelly Haven, Tawny Taylor, Aphrodite Hunt...the list goes on and on. I must read about twenty stories a month. And you, Polly! I've just started reading your "Knee Tremblers" series and I'm loving it! Very sexy, snappy dialogue...and a character called Katie! Perfect.
And finally, what can we expect to see from you soon?More sci-fi. I have a new title, "An Alien In Venice", that's just come out and "Sluts In Space 2" will be released after that. Then it's the conclusion of my "Lisa" trilogy, with back-to-back releases of "What Lisa Did Next" and "What Lisa Did Last". Once that's wrapped up, I have a few more sexy ideas up my sleeve.
More about Katie Cramer:Website/blog: www.katiecramer.com Amazon Author CentralTwitter: @katiecramerbook
Why not? I have another life where I write fairly mainstream stuff, but I've always been a very sexual person - I'm a 100% monogamous, happily married woman with two children but I still have fantasies! Erotica gives me an opportunity to live those out with the characters in my books. There's a little bit of me in every story I write.What kinds of erotica do you write?Everything from erotica for couples to paranormal and niche kinks like lactation and cuckolding. It's funny how you can write something without even realizing you've hit a particular fetish. My first ever story, "What Lisa Did", was about a woman whose husband buys her a night of passion in a swish hotel with a hunky male escort. She's never been unfaithful, but he wants to watch her have sex with another man. It was only after publishing it that people pointed out I had written a cuckold story! I've done very well with those but I'm also throwing myself into sci-fi erotica at the moment. The normal rules don't apply and you can just write some cool stuff with wild characters that encourage total suspension of disbelief.
Tell us about your experiences as an erotica author. What have the big challenges and successes been?
It's just been an absolute blast since day one, a wild ride. I set out very early on to be as successful as possible - I can be very driven. I knew that Christmas 2011 was going to be huge for ebooks with the launch of the new Kindles in the US. I saw that boat docked in the harbor and wanted to be on it when it set sail. My biggest problem? I only had one title!I worked tirelessly for two months to get as many stories up on Amazon before Christmas hit. I managed to do it - I had 15 stories for sale as those Kindles were getting unwrapped - and things just exploded. It was only my second month of writing erotica, but I quadrupled my sales from that first month and it's been growing ever since. I have over 30 titles available in different sub-genres now and they all sell well.
I can't stress enough how helpful and giving other erotica writers have been, both in the early days and since. If it wasn't for their advice I would have never got to grips with pricing, one of the major challenges for any indie author.
Do you write in other genres, too?I don't write fiction in other genres at the moment. I'm totally committed to erotica for the foreseeable future. My plans for a great crime novel I have in mind are currently on hold. I write non-fiction and editorial though.
Do the people around you know what you write? How have they reacted, or how would they react?
My husband is the only one who knows. He's so supportive and loves what I write - it means he gets to see inside my filthy mind that little bit more! Nobody else knows. They just wouldn't get it. As a mother, I also have to be very aware about what people do and don't find acceptable. Whether I like it or not, other people's attitudes towards erotica could negatively affect my children and I'm not willing to let that happen. I'm not looking for praise or recognition from family or friends - it can be my little secret.Tell us about your most recent titles.For the last month or so I've been concentrating on alien and tentacle erotica. I wanted to develop a little niche that I could potentially do quite well in and I've always been into science fiction, but I wanted to do it with a twist. I came up with "Sluts In Space" - a serial with 6 books planned - and it's out-and-out played for laughs. That was really fun to write. My most recent story was "Good Sense Of Humor, Must Have Tentacles". It's about a woman who, sick of loser boyfriends, joins a dating agency and falls for an alien. It's tongue-in-cheek but it's also quite romantic. Again, something different from what's already out there.
Do you have a favourite, or favourites, among your stories?
Oh, lots! The two above and also one called "Loving The Alien". That was a sci-fi horror that quickly becomes something else entirely. Also, a story called "The Ghost Inside Me", about a woman haunted by a hunky ghost and her journey to uncover what's happening. That one has really resonated with readers, it's a bit of a tearjerker. Also, "In The House Of Shadows" is a personal favorite. Hardly anyone buys it, it's by far my poorest seller, but I think it's one of the best things I've written. Nothing is what it seems in that one. Finally, "The Cougar Gets Her Stud". It's a straight-up, boy-meets-girl sexy semi-romance, but I kind of fell in love with the characters when I wrote it.How do you normally go about writing an erotic story? Is there much, ahem, research involved...?Lots. I admit to knowing nothing about certain kinks. If I don't think I can do it justice, I won't attempt it. I know very little, for example, about the BDSM lifestyle and I think there are authors such as Aphrodite Hunt who know what they're doing beautifully in that field. I wouldn't attempt to compete, nor want to. Some things I've written just to challenge myself, however - lactation erotica, for example, was new to me and I found it surprisingly enjoyable to write. And as for research...well, I have a very sexy husband and a dirty mouth. Not surprisingly, he's very keen for me to try out some ideas in the bedroom! But there are times where the Internet is the erotic writer's best friend and you have no choice but to get, shall we say, hands-on.
Do you have any favourite erotica authors?Where do I start? Virginia Wade, Selena Kitt, Gia Blue, Terry Towers, Kelly Haven, Tawny Taylor, Aphrodite Hunt...the list goes on and on. I must read about twenty stories a month. And you, Polly! I've just started reading your "Knee Tremblers" series and I'm loving it! Very sexy, snappy dialogue...and a character called Katie! Perfect.
And finally, what can we expect to see from you soon?More sci-fi. I have a new title, "An Alien In Venice", that's just come out and "Sluts In Space 2" will be released after that. Then it's the conclusion of my "Lisa" trilogy, with back-to-back releases of "What Lisa Did Next" and "What Lisa Did Last". Once that's wrapped up, I have a few more sexy ideas up my sleeve.
More about Katie Cramer:Website/blog: www.katiecramer.com Amazon Author CentralTwitter: @katiecramerbook
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