Author Interviews
Author's Interview
Let's start with you telling us a little bit about yourself, Lucy.
I’m Lucy, I’m 31 and I’m from Derbyshire, in England. I write erotica and erotic romance in a variety of pairings, subgenres and lengths. What can I say—I like variety! I also enjoy reading, watching TV and films, spending time with my other half, walking my dog, spending time in the countryside and travelling.
What would people be most surprised to learn about you?
I also enjoy knitting and jigsaws.
When did you start writing, is it something you've always been interested in, or did it develop later in life?
I’ve been interested in writing ever since I could physically write. As a child, I always had my head stuck in a book, whether I was reading or writing. I used to scribble endlessly in notebooks and create what were no doubt wildly imaginative stories. I really wish I still had those notebooks—it’d be so interesting to see what my baby brain came up with!
Has it been everything you thought it would be or not?
Yeah, pretty much. As much as I wish I could say I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams, I’m not. Not even close. But I know that doesn’t happen to every writer, but others still earn a decent living from it, and that’s what I’m working towards. Fortunately, I’m not afraid of hard work.
How did it feel when you realized that your very first book was going to be published?
I was ridiculously excited. My earliest publications were online, followed by a print magazine, which was exciting. Another couple of magazine publications followed, then a print anthology. All massively exciting! As for when my first solo publication happened… well, my brain practically exploded ;)
What's your favorite part of writing a book?
When the characters and the story really pull you in and your fingers just seem to move of their own accord and create a story and it feels like you’re not even thinking about it.
Do you get time to read for pleasure? If so, which books do you enjoy?
I make time. Reading is a big part of my life, always has been. I enjoy a huge variety of books—erotica and erotic romance, of course, non-erotic romance, women’s fiction, crime fiction, thrillers, autobiographies, non-fiction… the list goes on. Pretty much anything except for scifi.
Are there any other genres you'd be interested in writing?
One of the things I enjoy so much about writing erotica and erotic romance is that you can explore different genres within it. For example, I recently finished my first spy thriller novella. It’s still erotic romance, but a spy thriller also. It’s a way to explore without getting scared of being outside my comfort zone.
I think one day I’ll probably end up writing a non-erotic romance, though to be fair, my books do vary in heat level. For example, one of my most recent releases, a co-authored novel called The Billionaire and the Wild Man has a fairly low heat level.
Please tell us a little about your most recent release.
Window Dressing first appeared in the Ladies Only anthology, and is now available as a standalone story. It’s an F/F short story set in London—more specifically, it’s famous shopping area, Oxford Street. My inspiration came from a documentary I watched about Oxford Street and what happens behind the scenes to keep it all running and geared up to the shoppers and tourists.
What can we look forward to in the future from you?
I have been rather busy! My final release for 2016 will be Doctor’s Orders, a M/M kinky erotic romance which first appeared in the Brit Boys: With Toys boxed set. That comes out on the 22nd December. Then I have two more projects coming in early January, both of which are re-releases. I’m waiting for confirmation of a date for my spy thriller I mentioned, which should be February. I also have books releasing in late February, and March. After that, I’m not sure. I guess it all depends on how fast I write, and the schedules of my various publishers.
Anything you want to say to your readers?
Oh, that’s easy. THANK YOU. Thank you for buying my books, reading them, and (hopefully) enjoying them. Thank you for your kind comments and your reviews—they remind me why I’m doing this, and keep me going when things get tough!
Lucy Felthouse’s recent releases
Window Dressing
Buylink: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/window-dressing/
Can Jessie work with a woman with the looks of a pixie and the personality of a dragon to complete the most important task of her career?
Shop-fitter Jessie is sent to London’s Oxford Street to work on a flagship store’s front window overnight. It’s the first time she’s completed such an important task by herself, but the plans and organisation are solid—it’s just a case of getting it turned around before the store re-opens the following morning. What she’s not betting on, however, is the woman in charge of the project—Edith. She has the looks of a pixie but the personality of a dragon, and it soon becomes clear to Jessie that the job isn’t going to be plain sailing, not with Edith being awkward and putting Jessie down at every turn. As the hours drag on, Jessie somehow manages to peer beneath Edith’s frosty exterior, and much to her surprise, she kind of likes what she finds. But will she abandon her principles—and potentially risk her job—for a one-off thing?
Eyes Wide Open
Buylink: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/eyes-wide-open-totally-five-star-london/
An ordinary girl catapulted into an extraordinary world meets two even more extraordinary men—but what will she do when she discovers their sexy secret?
Fiona Gillespie moved to London shortly after graduating to take advantage of the opportunities the capital could offer. However, months later, she’s still living in a horrid flat and working in a grimy East End pub. The problem is, she doesn’t really know what she wants to do, career-wise. So when she happens upon an advertisement for a job at a plush Mayfair hotel, she jumps at the chance. A great deal of determination and a spot of luck land Fiona her dream role.
But working at the Totally Five Star London is just the beginning. She adores the role and flourishes, impressing her bosses and making her increasingly determined to climb the career ladder.
While her career is flying, though, her love life is non-existent. She hasn’t even thought about men, never mind met or dated one for months, so when she bumps into two gorgeous businessmen in the hotel, she’s surprised to find her head has been well and truly turned. Even more surprisingly, they flirt with her—both of them! She’s drawn to James and Logan, despite feeling that they’re way out of her league.
When a misunderstanding leads Fiona to James and Logan’s sumptuous top-floor suite, she has no idea what she’s about to uncover. Scenes of people-trafficking, drug-pushing and wild sex parties all appear in her active imagination. Yet what she actually sees is something she’d never even considered before, something that piques her interest.
After discovering their sexy secret, what will she do with this new-found knowledge?
Excerpt from Window Dressing
With a sigh of relief, I followed the satnav’s instructions and indicated right, swinging the van into the side road off of London’s Oxford Street.
“You have reached your destination,” remarked the posh voice coming from the machine.
“Thank fuck for that,” I shot back, removing the device from the windscreen and wiping at the tell-tale ring it left behind on the glass with my sleeve, hoping to remove any temptation for potential thieves. No doubt they swarmed around this area, tourist Mecca as it was. I didn’t want them to catch me out.
I stowed away the satnav, switched off the van’s ignition, and grabbed all my stuff. Hopping out onto the road, I locked the van and pocketed the keys. Then, wiping my damp palms on my black work trousers, I approached the rear door of the shop where I was to work.
Come on, get a grip, Jessie! You may be new at this, but you know what you’re doing. You’ve got this.
I wasn’t totally insane to be nervous. I’d been working for the shop-fitting company for just over a year now, and it was great. I really enjoyed the work, the variety. But this was the first time I’d been sent out on a job by myself. It hadn’t been intentional, either—the job was last minute, and the client had made it worth my employer’s while. Normally there’d been a team of two coming here, but there was another big job, one that needed the more experienced fitters on board. Therefore I’d been pulled off that task, in order to do this one. Alone.
Adding more worry was the warning one of my colleagues had given me on finding out where I was being sent. “You watch out for that Edith woman, Jessie. She may look like a pixie, but she’s actually more of a dragon. She frightens the bloody life out of me.”
The warning ringing in my ears, I took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. I could do this. I could. I’d made it all the way from Leeds to London, navigating busy motorways and the complete insanity that was England’s capital city, venturing right into the heart—the craziest of the crazy. Fortunately, by the time I’d hit the West End, the traffic wasn’t too bad, given that the shops were closing and rush hour had been and gone. There were still morons galore, naturally—honking taxi drivers, swerving, lane-hopping cyclists, oblivious rickshaw drivers, suicidal pedestrians—but I’d kept my cool throughout, telling myself I was so close to the end of my journey that I could almost touch it. Taste it.
And here I was, at the back entrance of the flagship store of the world-famous fashion chain, ready to change over its window display in time for when the shop reopened in the morning. I glanced at my watch, relaxed a little. It was ten p.m. Eleven whole hours until opening time. No problem, not even for a relative newbie like me.
The door opened a crack and a sliver of a dark face peered out at me. “Yes?”
“Oh, hi. I’m Jessie—from the shop-fitters? Here to work on your window display?”
The woman—the voice had given it away, as she was still peering through the crack between the door and its frame—eyed me up. The black trousers, black T-shirt, black fleece—the latter two bearing the name of the company I worked for, clearly weren’t enough. Turning her attention to the van behind me—emblazoned with the company name in huge letters—she now seemed convinced.
“All right,” she said, opening the door wider and stepping back to let me through. “Come on in.”
“Thanks…”
“I’m Jacqueline. Edith’s already in the window. She’s the one in charge.”
I nodded. “Okay—lead the way.” I followed Jacqueline through the dimly lit storeroom. I’d known instantly she wasn’t Edith, because she looked nothing like a pixie. More like a goddess. She had a curly black afro, curves you could lose yourself in for days, and a wiggle that would have turned me instantly if I wasn’t already into women.
Blinking as we emerged into the blazing lights of the shop floor, I continued in Jacqueline’s wake, adjusting my ponytail and fixing a smile on my face as we grew closer to the window…and Edith. She was the big cheese—when it came to the window design and execution, anyway—so I needed to make a good impression. Hopefully she’d give good feedback to my boss, and I’d get more projects like this in future. Maybe even a raise—a girl could dream, right?
“Hi,” I said as we came within a couple of paces of my soon-to-be workspace. “I’m Jessie. Pleased to meet you.”
After a brief pause, the pixie took the hand I was holding out and shook it. Firm, confident, but brief. She was no-nonsense, this woman. But I’d known that already.
