Pollygraph (interviews with erotica authors): Sommer Marsden

Why erotica?
Erotica chose me, I didn’t choose erotica. I sort of fell into it and never looked back. I decided to try one story and seven years later…
What kinds of erotica do you write?
I pretty much run the gamut from BDSM to erotic romance to zombie hunters (the hunters get it on, not the zombies, mind you). I’m all over the board.
  Tell us about your experiences as an erotica author. What have the big challenges and successes been?Big challenges have been training myself to work for myself. At first I felt I didn’t work enough, now I feel if I don’t pay attention, I will work all the time. And that’s as bad as the first part. I’m a full throttle kind of girl. If I like it and I need it to work and it’s important to me, I’m like a pit bull. But sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. In this case, roses are my family and smelling them…um, means spending time with them and wow, that turned into an awkward comparison. For the record my family does not smell…bad, anyway. ;)

Successes were getting into my first Alison Tyler anthology (now I’ve been in bunches), getting into my first of Violet Blue’s Best Women’s Erotica anthology (now I’ve been in four, I think it’s four). My first stand alone ebook. My first paperback book. My first contest win. I’ve had a bunch of successes that made me keep pushing on.
  Do you write in other genres, too? I do. As my original self aka my real name, I write horror, crime, flat out mainstream fiction, and the like. Even a kids’ book once! That was at my daughter’s request. But Sommer and my other erotica pen names get more play time than lil ole me.
  Do the people around you know what you write? How have they reacted, or how would they react?Most know. Most are fine. My moms (my mom and my mother-in-law) are supportive. My husband and my kids are super supportive. The kids are older now (teens) so they know basically what I write. Most extended family knows too. I pretty much tell the truth about it seeing as I’m proud of my career and what I’ve managed, and if the person doesn’t like it, then the burden of how to react falls on them. I will cop to not telling certain people what my pen name is. LOL. So, they know what I write but not the name I write it under ;)

Tell us about your most recent titles. Gladly! I love my most recent title, very much. It’s a lovely little book (just came out in paperback in the UK Thursday the 26th and coming to US print August 1…*ahem*) called Restless Spirit. It’s the tale of a young woman who starts a whole new life in a brand new place after leaving her hometown and an abusive ex behind. When she gets to Allister Lake she meets up with her new neighbor, Shepherd; an ex TV star turned berry farmer, Reed; and an old flame, Adrian. That’s when things get interesting. And when I say interesting, I mean dirty. Tuesday’s not shy about sowing her wild oats.
Do you have a favourite, or favourites, among your stories?
Stories? As in shorts? Gosh. I’d have to say Grip is one and She Looked Good in Ribbons is another. And there’s a story in Shanna Germain’s new anthology Bound by Lust called Reclaiming Spring that I absolutely flat out adore.
  How do you normally go about writing an erotic story? Is there much, ahem, research involved...? Most of my stories are just because the characters start talking to me and I follow behind, diligently, taking dictation. But I do believe in as much physical research as possible. I would rather over research than under research ;)
Do you have any favourite erotica authors?
Another tough question. I can’t pick just one, to be honest. Alison Tyler was one of my first and continues to be a writer who delivers every single time, she’s super hot both on and off the page. Justine Elyot always rocks my world when it comes to dirty words and Charlotte Stein gets my vote for the awesome combo of sexy and LOL funny. (That LOL is just for Charlotte).
  And finally, what can we expect to see from you soon?Soon is a secret. I have a book coming out with a new publisher (to me) and I have yet to announce because I fear I will blink and it will all have been a big fat hallucination. And my other two projects are also secret at the moment. Hunh. Go figure. But I do have a lot of short stories coming out in a lot of anthologies. So if you follow my blog or check in, I update regularly about not only short story appearances but super secret projects too!

More about Sommer Marsden:
Restless Spirit: UK print edition at Amazon; US Kindle edition; UK Kindle edition.Sommer's blog: http://sommermarsden.blogspot.comSommer on TwitterSommer on FacebookSommer at Goodreads