Malia Mallory
Erotic Romance Author
Thank you for stopping in to meet Malia. With having a new baby in the house, it isn't always possible to do the things we want to so we're glad she's able to be with us this week. Lucky Malia lives in Hawaii and loving it! Grab your drinks or Mai Tai's and let's get started.
Naughty Reader’s: Tell us a bit about yourself that
our readers might not know.
Malia: Thank you so
much for hosting me this week! I started self-publishing my erotic writing last
year. I've been writing on and off, both romance and erotica, for a long time
but only got serious recently about publishing it. I had submitted a bit here
and there and entered a few contests, but now I'm actually selling work. In
previous careers, I've been both a proofreader and a copy-editor and these
skills have been very useful.
I live in Hawaii with my husband, my daughter and our cutie
dog. I spend my "free" time, such as it is, cooking, reading and
watching documentaries (and washing diapers).
Naughty Reader’s: What
made you want to become a writer?
Malia: As a child, my
teachers always encouraged me to write more. I wrote many silly stories as a little
girl and I still have some of them. When I got to college, I had some tough,
but very good, professors. They helped me to improve my writing. I found once I
began working, my employers valued my writing skills and I began writing more
and more. Sometimes I was writing all day at work and then coming home to write
stories for relaxation and entertainment. It might sound like this was easy,
but in fact, I find writing to be hard. I think that is part of what attracts
me to it. I have to work at it.
Naughty Reader’s: Please share a bit about your new release from
The ABCs of Erotica without giving away any spoilers.
Malia: My most recent
release from The ABCs of Erotica is called R is for Revenge. It started out as R
is for Rubenesque. I changed the title because the focus wasn't on the
heroine's body but her actions. The heroine is saddled with a horrible boss who
treats her quite badly and eventually fires her. Grace's new love interest has
a prior relationship with her former boss and gives her the opportunity to get
back at her. Have you ever wanted to be able to spank your boss?
Naughty Reader’s: Do
you write under a pen name?
Malia: Yes, Malia
Mallory is a pseudonym. I am toying with having a different one for my longer,
erotic romance. I haven't decided yet.
Naughty Reader’s: What types of hero or heroine do you like best?
Naughty Reader’s: What types of hero or heroine do you like best?
Malia: I like my
characters to be relatable. That is not to say that you can't have the
occasional billionaire, race car driver, but I enjoy writing about regular
people. I like the hero to be strong but not overpowering, unless of course I'm
writing about a Dominant. I definitely like my heroines to be strong as well.
They might not always know what they want, but they are usually looking for it.
Naughty Reader’s: Tell
us about a typical day in your life as a writer.
Malia: With a newborn
in the house, no day is typical anymore. I try to go for a walk in the morning
with the baby and the dog to clear my head. When we get back, I eat breakfast
while checking my Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and doing promotion. In the late
morning, the baby typically takes a nap and I can try to get some writing done
if I'm lucky. Lately, I've been experimenting with voice recognition software
to help me with my productivity. In fact, I'm using it right now. Score one for
me to feed a baby while I'm completing an interview.
Naughty Reader’s: Do
your books have a common theme or are they all different?
Malia: Some of my
books do have a common theme like The ABCs of Erotica. Thus far, I have
completed some of the stories in the series. For example, A is for Anal, B is
for Beach, C is for Cock Ring, D is for Domination, and R is for Revenge have
all been released. There are a number of other stories in the series that are
in various stages of completion. Some examples would include G is for Gigolo
and H is for Hand Job. Some of the books in this series have characters in
common and many, but not all, have a BDSM theme.
On the other hand, I have some stand-alone stories like Santa's
Backdoor Baby and Mia's Cop Craving. Mia's Cop Craving is shaping up to be a
trilogy. As for Clockwork Caning, I haven't quite decided if it will be a
longer story or series.
Naughty Reader’s: How long does it take you to write
and edit a story?
Malia: This is a
tough question. I really wish I were a faster writer. It depends on what's
going on in my life. Sometimes I'm able to get a good amount of work done quickly
on the story but at other times, it seems to take forever. I've been working on
two stories, the sequel to Mia's Cop Craving and Clockwork Caning, an erotic steam
punk novella. Both of these have been in the works for several months. Only
recently have I made some progress in moving forward. I think I have a good
excuse though; I did give birth to a new baby. Fortunately, my editor is very
flexible and has a quick turnaround time.
Naughty Reader’s: Do you have to be alone to write?
Naughty Reader’s: Do you have to be alone to write?
Malia: I do not
necessarily have to be alone, but I do try to keep distractions to a minimum. I
think over time I will have to adjust this and be able to write under less than
ideal circumstances in order to make progress.
Naughty Reader’s: How do you go about naming characters?
Naughty Reader’s: How do you go about naming characters?
Malia: Sometimes I
just use names that I like. Other times I try to find a name that I think fits
the character. I do try to avoid names of people that I know well so it does
not influence my characterization.
Naughty Reader's: Is
it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you
write or do you write then find character pictures?
Malia: I do try to
find pictures first at times. Usually with longer works, I do try to select a
picture and do an outline of character traits. For short stories and novellas,
I do not always go into so much detail. Not all of my covers have photographs
of the characters, so sometimes there is no specific picture.
Naughty Reader’s: How do you pick locations for your stories?
Naughty Reader’s: How do you pick locations for your stories?
Malia: I often use
places where I have visited or lived. That makes it much easier to describe the
setting. Luckily, I used to travel for my job throughout the United States,
Canada and Mexico. Going forward, I'm sure this will not always work and I will
have to do more research. For example, for Clockwork Caning, this is an
historical piece and I have to do some research.
Excerpt from The ABCs of Erotica - R is for Revenge:
Grace pretended to pout. “Michael, really, tell me what you have
planned.”
“I want it to be a surprise. And I think you will be surprised.” He
smiled secretively.
“Give me an idea? Just a little one?”
“Grace, there’s a part of Victoria you don’t know about. There is a sort
of stereotype, which happens to have a ring of truth to it in her case. She
walks all over everyone. But honestly, what she wants is someone to stand up to
her.”
“How do you know this?”
Michael shrugged. “Let’s just say, Victoria has another side. One I’ve
never indulged with her before. But it’s there.”
The intercom buzzed. Michael answered the doorman and after a short
conversation returned to the seating area. “She’s here.”
“She’s here? Victoria? Now?” Grace's voice rose in disbelief.
He opened the door to the coat closet. “What I want you to do is step in
here.”
“What? What is Victoria doing here?” Grace’s stunned confusion made her
clumsy as she stepped toward the closet.
He gestured inside. “Grace, come on. She’ll be here soon. Take your wine
glass.”
Grace laughed. “Alright, fine. I’ll trust you on this one.” She entered
the closet and pulled the door shut. The closet had louvered slats, and if she
held her head just right, she had a good view of the living room area.
Grace heard a knock on the door and saw Michael go down the hall. A
moment later she could hear murmuring voices. Michael and Victoria entered the
living area.
“Victoria, would you like some wine?”
“Yes, that would be lovely.” Victoria removed her wrap and tossed it over
the arm of the couch. “I was so pleasantly surprised at your invitation. We
should have done this before.” Her voice was warm and welcoming. Grace had
never heard Victoria use that tone before. She had certainly never used it
toward her.
Buy Links
Malia Mallory
is the author of The ABCs of Erotica series, which includes so far A
is for Anal, B is for Beach, C is for C*ck Ring D is for
Domination, and now, R is for Revenge. The ABCs of Erotica
covers the erotic spectrum from BDSM to ménage and everything in between. More
releases in the series are on the way. She has also released Mia's Cop
Craving and Santa's Backdoor Baby. She has hit the bestselling
erotica lists at both Amazon and iTunes. Her books are available in electronic
format at major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and
AllRomance Books. Please visit her sites and follow her blog!
For a free
copy of B is for Beach from The ABCs of Erotica, head to her
website and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.maliamallory.com/Join_My_Mailing_List.php.
Connect
with Malia Mallory
Contest: Leave a comment or question along with your email address and one lucky commenter will win an e-book copy of R is for Revenge! Good luck to all and thank you so much for stopping in to chat with me! I'm ready for your questions!
