The Cougar Book – interview with Tara S. Nichols

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Tara S. Nichols, author of “Labeled.”

Ever since Tara Nichols was a little girl she has had an affinity for romantic adventures. With crushes on the likes of Tarzan and Hans Solo she grew up looking for the perfect gentleman rogue. When she is not writing about romance, erotica or paranormal fiction she can be found tending her garden, keeping bees or reading a spy novel. Tara roams free on the flat prairie land in Manitoba Canada where she lives with her young son and husband.

Could you see yourself being a cougar?
Oh sure. If going by my dating record is any indicator, my trend is to go for a younger man. Either they are naturally attracted to me, or I’m naturally attracted to them, I’m not certain. I think out of all the guys I’ve dated only one was older than me. That said, I’ve been with my husband (who is only a year younger than me) for seventeen years.

I don’t have anything against older men, and I wouldn’t seek out a guy just because he was younger, it is just the way things tended to go for me.

Does your writing turn you on?
Yes. I don’t know which comes first, the sex or the plot, but sometimes the two meet in the middle. One often leads to the other, so to speak. I’m just lucky to have a husband who doesn’t mind talking out loud, or, as we call it, plotting.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?
The hardest thing about writing for me is finding the time. I have a young son whom we home school, which doesn’t leave much time for me to get any work done. It used to be that my mother-in-law would take him once a week but that has dropped off significantly as of late. I often work hard and fast late into the night but my son wakes early and that doesn’t always make for a sharp, active mind.

As for what comes easy… I don’t really know. For me writing is involuntary. It sort of just happens. I get a chunk of a story all at once and I scramble like mad to write it all down. If I get enough parts of a story I can weave them together, work the plot so it fits and makes sense. It feels easy when an idea comes like that, but then I often have to wait for more of it to come, and that’s bloody hard.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?
I’d like it if they’d plant a tree, or maybe go for a hike and appreciate their surroundings. If they brought a dirty book along on the hike and partook in a little nookie in the grass, that’s cool too.

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?
One book! Oh, that’s not easy. I could be a pain in the arse and say a survival guide of my choice, but I’m going to go with Jane Austen’s complete works. I haven’t read them all, but they are well written, long, and would entertain me for quite sometime. As for what music, a mixed CD would be ideal, but again, that feels like cheating, so… I’ll go with Corb Lund, Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer. I don’t usually go for country music but there isn’t one song on that album that I would get sick of. It’s blues, it has a great beat, and he’s just awesome. (my runner up would be , Homogenic by Bjork.) And as for what person? That’s a no brainer, my husband. He’s hunky, he’s sweet, and he’s very clever, (we’d have an all weather shelter built in no time,) but he’d better have our four-year-old son tucked under one arm.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?
Currently I am working on a joint paranormal project, titled Black Phoenix Rising, with an amazing writer, Keta Diablo. This is my first attempt at writing with another author and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I’m a bit of a loner, both in my writing and my everyday life, but working with Keta is fun. I am also putting the finishing touches on a ménage amour novella titled Island of Three. I had intended to submit this story a year ago but the plot continued to grow, the characters continued to strengthen and deepen, so I took the time the story required and hopefully it will be all the better for it.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?
My author homepage is www.tarasnichols.webs.com, my blog is http://tarasnichols.blogspot.com, my GoodReads is http://www.goodreads.com/tarasnichols and I can be found on many erotic, romance, and paranormal Nings, as well as http://www.romancewiki.com/Tara_S_Nichols. My myspace page is www.myspace.com/tarasnichols and my twitter account is http://twitter.com/TaraSNichols. I am a member of the Romance Divas, Coffee Time Romance, The Romance Studio, and a rather long list of Yahoo groups. I’m also available far too often at my facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1478861395 where I’ve recently started a fan page.

The Cougar Book – interview with Blue Canyon

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. First up is Blue Canyon, author of “Inter-Office Men-O.”
Blue Canyon has been writing since age 22. Now age 52, Blue is a single parent of six children. They all live together in Florida. As part of a self-improvement program, Blue belongs to several writer’s groups including Florida Writer’s Association, frequently meeting with authors such as Steven King, Tim Dorsey, Don Bruns, Dona Lee, Susan Klaus, and H. Terrell Griffin.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.
Even though inter-office romance is strictly forbidden, Carol discovers her growing need for physical satisfaction pulling her closer to a young mail boy named Harry. Unable to avoid his daily mail deliveries, she finally succumbs to her lust and creates the perfect setting to seduce him. But who is seducing whom? Without restraint, she draws Harry into her and discovers he’s wanted her as much as
she’s wanted him. Who says inter-office relationships can’t work?

Could you succumb to a cougar?
Abso-tively! Posi-lutely?

Does your writing turn you on?
Yes, sometimes a little too much. It’s difficult to type one-handed.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?
While I’m resistant to the ‘new’ way of things, as so many people are, I suspect e-readers will become the wave of the future. Fewer and fewer people will continue to collect books in printed format. Perhaps the new ‘green’ thinking is part of the reason.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?
I have no trouble sitting down and getting it done. I can create new ideas and new twists at the rate of about a dozen an hour. My problem comes from length. I’m often over or under the target for word count, and like Mozart, I not only don’t know how to change it, I see no reason to. It seems to say what I wanted, just the way it is.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?
Roman orgies.

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?
I’ve always enjoyed The Expendables by Richard Avery. There were only four. Instead of a CD, I’d prefer a guitar (I’ve played for 33 years). The only person I could imagine spending that much time with is author Dona Lee.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?
I actually have a collection of racy/literary novellas (about 20K words each) I’d like to put together and have published. These cover a variety of genres, as my tastes are often eclectic.

Interview with author and artist, TreSart L. Sioux

TreSart L. Sioux

Today’s blog guest is the extremely lovely TreSart L. Sioux, erotica author, artist, and photographer extraordinaire. TreSart also has a short story entitled “Aiyana’s Affair With Mother Nature” coming out with Logical-Lust Publications this month, and another soon after. It will add to what is an already growing portfolio of publishing successes for TreSart!

Those successes include the story “Unpacking an Adventure” in the superb anthology “SWING! Adventures in Swinging by Today’s Top Erotica Writers” published by Logical-Lust Publications.

How/when did you decide to become a writer?

Years ago, my lover at the time and I created a story for Reader’s Digest and we won something like $50. I didn’t think much about it until later on in life I joined erotica-readers. Slowly I began to create flashers and stories. It’s been a wonderful process and I’ve loved meeting so many talented folks.

Describe your experience getting published for the first time. Would you have done anything differently?

I never thought I would be published until a friend of mine kept pushing me to submit to Renaissance. I did, and really wasn’t expecting anything, but when I found out they liked my writing I think I about fainted. Needless to say, I had a party that evening! I don’t think I would have done anything different because it’s a growing process. I feel my stories run a lot smoother now, but there are always ways of improving, and I take every crit seriously even if at the end I decide not to change.

Does your family/significant other know and support your writing? What do they think?

Yes, everyone supports my writing. They all think it’s wonderful that I’m able to do something I love.

I’m single and loving every second of it! I don’t think at the moment I could find a woman that could put up with my work schedule. I’m dedicated and my career comes first. Now I really sound like a bitch. LOL!

My Nana laughed when she found out what I wrote and made me promise to one day create a kids book.

Does your writing turn you on?

Lordy! If my writing didn’t turn me on, I wouldn’t send it out for folks to read. You just have to have the passion!

What makes your writing different from your peers? What kind of reading experience can you give your audience?

I think because I create such a variety of stories. Some are funny, sadistic and horror related, but they have my own twist. I want the audience to keep reading, wondering what’s going to happen next. I also want to turn them on.

My goal is to take them away for a few hours to another place. Let them be with the characters I’ve created and hopefully relate in some form.

Who or what has been your best teacher when it comes to writing?

I’ve learned from various people. I’ve been slammed with folks telling me I could do better than what I created which makes me work even harder.You have to be able to take the crits/nits, but I will never let anyone change my style of writing.

When I was attending Camden College, the art teacher told me that I wasn’t a true artist because I wasn’t following her rules. Little did she know that since high school I had won several art competitions and had exhibits with people twice my age.

I will always remember my high school art teacher telling me to never let anyone change my artistic talent. My junior year I was in an advanced art class that held only 6 students. I’m proud of my accomplishments!

Now I own a small art company that I run from my home and love every second!

Generally speaking, what do you develop first? Plot or characters?

Another thing I don’t do. My stories come out of me. The only type of outline I will do is just characters and descriptions of them.

I guess you could say it hits all at once. I know the type of characters and where I want the story to go.

Do you preview your work to reader groups or fans?

Yes. On my erotic site I will post the first two chapters of a book along with flashers. Belonging to several reader groups has been a big plus also. They can help you in so many different areas.

What is one of the nicest things a critic or fan has said about your work?

I love them all, but I really enjoy hearing that it turned them on, or if it is one of my comedy/erotica that it made them laugh. With the variety of subjects I write about, I get mixed emotions. I can write one hell of a dark story. Variety is always a good thing in my eyes.

What is your philosophy on writing?

I write from the heart, but also have been trying new areas that I never thought I would. I love to do research and just let everything else flow. If you believe in yourself and what you are truly capable of accomplishing then you have no excuses.

My God, I sound like an after school special! 

Visit TreSart’s website