THE INN ON THE EDGE: An Interview with author Gail Bridges
By Gail BridgesAngela and her brand-new husband Josh have just arrived at their honeymoon destination, a romantic bed-and-breakfast hotel on the breath-taking Washington coast – the Inn on the Edge.
But everything isn’t as it seems. The lessons that come free with the room aren’t for painting the lovely coastal scenery – the lessons are for better sex. Angie and Josh, shocked and titillated, immerse themselves in every sensual offering.It doesn’t take long for things to go horribly wrong. The discover that the old man running the place is a sex demon, who has been stealing their sensual energy. Worse, he’s dangerously in love with Angie and he has plans for her – plans involving an heirloom wedding ring.
Coming soon http://www.ellorascave.com/inn-on-the-edge.html
About the author
I have three grown children. I live in Seattle, Washington with my husband and our five cats.
In the past I have worked in a variety of different artistic media. I have a BFA in painting from the University of Washington, and for over fifteen years I made award-winning Fine Art Jewelry (silver and handmade ceramics) and sold my work at local and regional Fine Art and Craft shows. My business, Vivid Arts, flourished – but always, I felt driven to write. Two years ago, no longer able to deny the writing muse, I took an open-ended sabbatical from my art shows. Since then, I’ve written two novels and a number of published and unpublished short stories.
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/gailbridgeswriter
Twitter: @GailWBridges
Blog: http://gailbridges.blogspot.com/
Website: http://gailbridges.com/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7147145.Gail_Bridges
Literary Addicts http://literaryaddicts.ning.com/profile/GailBridges
Prize for the contest.
Angie’s Travel Painting Kit
Acrylic paints, brushes, palette, canvas board and instructions;
Mr. Abiba’s Wooden “Tool” Box, for decorating;
Josh’s Magic Book, for decorating;
Tazo Passion Tea;
Dark Chocolate bar with almond bits.
Follow the Book Tour
I’m so excited that Gail stopped by to chat! Enjoy this fascinating interview. . .
Tell us about your latest book.
It’s called “Inn on the Edge”, and I’m so excited about this novel that I can barely contain myself. “Inn on the Edge” is erotic horror – a challenging combination to say the least. In the book, my newlywed characters have just checked in to a lovely bed-and-breakfast Inn on the Washington Coast, only to find they’ve been taken captive by a sex demon.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
It was a challenge I gave myself. Not long after my first erotic novel was published, I had a conversation with Carrie Jackson, a lovely editor from Ellora’s Cave. She took the time to share with me what the publisher most wanted to see – at the top of their wish list: erotic horror.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Carrie had told me. Erotic Horror? What a difficult, wonderful combination! How to combine two such opposite-seeming things in the same story? How could I create a scenario where the main characters are scared shitless, fearing for their lives … and yet have plenty of time for hot, wild sex? Could I write such a story and make it realistic? I had to try.
Who and what inspire you to write?
It doesn’t take much to inspire me. All I have to do to find inspiration is to be aware of the world around me, to keep my mind and heart open to the glorious nuances of every-day life. I am an artistic, creative person, and I’ve always loved making things up – characters, stories, worlds, the whole works. I get so excited, creating things where nothing existed before.
Each author has his or her own inspiring journey. How did you begin writing?
If I go all the way back…it makes me smile…I remember a spring day when I was in first grade. I’d just discovered chapter books, and I was determined to write one. I cajoled my mother into dragging her old Royal manual typewriter onto the dining room table. I worked all afternoon to produce my first blockbuster, a memoir: “Betsy is My Friend”.
(“Betsy is My Friend” was recently returned to me when my mother went through her old paperwork. An excerpt: “Betsy is my friend. She is verry verry verry nice. I like her verry verry verry much. We play.”)
What has been the most pleasant surprise about writing? How about an unexpected down side?
A pleasant surprise about writing … it has to be how much I love writing erotica. I never thought I’d write sexy books! I have a rather humorous story about how I came to be published in erotica. I’d never written anything sexy in my life – in fact, even though I’d written numerous novels and short stories, I found myself shooing amorous couples behind closed doors and making them do their thing in private. I would sweat over a simple kiss or caress. I knew I had to address my blind spot as a writer, so I challenged myself to write a sexy story: I would go all out, to be as explicit and hot and outrageous as possible, no holds barred.
Guess what? I loved it. No – I adored it. Who knew that writing sizzling, burning, passionate sex would be so easy, so fun! The words flew from my hands so quickly I could barely keep up. To my amazement the first erotic story I ever wrote, “Paint Job” was shockingly good, so I submitted it to the best publisher of erotica and erotic romance around, Ellora’s Cave. And they accepted it.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Tea. I love to sip Irish Breakfast tea when writing. It doesn’t feel right to be at my laptop if I don’t have my tea at my side. It has to be hot, though. I have this nifty little electric coaster that maintains it almost at my perfect temperature…almost.
Do you write your books in order?
If you mean the chapters and scenes within each book, then yes, I write my books in order. I start at the beginning and write on through to the end, at which point I go back and do extensive revisions.
What is on your writing playlist for this book?
I’m not in the habit of listening to music while I write…but I dearly love classical guitar. A playlist for Inn on the Edge would definitely include classical guitar. Besides, one of the main characters in the book plays guitar.
Any favorite writing snacks?
Unsalted dry roasted almonds from the health food store! They’re so delicious. Just writing about them makes me want to go across the kitchen and grab a handful from the nut container.
What advice would you give writers who aspire to be published?
I’d say the first step in eventual publication is to have a great product, and that takes a lot of work. Educate yourself. Work on improving your writing. Enlist other writers to read your work and give honest feedback. Study how other writers put together a novel. Never stop learning.
Are you working on anything new right now?
I have several ideas demanding attention. I’ve outlined an intriguing three-part story about sexual healers…we’ll see!
Who is your favorite character in your current book?
That’s hard. I’d have to say that while my favorite character is the heroine, Angie, I had the most fun writing about the demon. Oh, but he was awful! He had my characters spinning in circles because he could be so kind and caring one moment, and shockingly cruel the next.
What is your favorite book of all time?
You’re going to make me choose one? There are so many – I’ve read a book or two each week for as long as I can remember. I’m going to narrow it down to erotica, and say that Richard Adam’s novel “Maia” (even if it’s not strictly erotica) has stuck with me for probably twenty years and has been an inspiration.
Tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.
That’s easy! My book is verry verry verry sexy and scary – you’ll like it verry verry verry much!
