I'm excited to have with us today Meta Mathews. She's recently sold her first erotic romance to Ellora's Cave. Welcome Meta. We have a few questions we'd like to ask if you have the time to share with us.
- What made you decide to become a writer?
Reading has always been one of my favorite activities, and my desire to write grew out of my pleasure in losing myself in worlds that someone else created. It was a desire to share in the creation of other worlds that led me to try my hand at writing.
2. How long did it take you to get published? How did it happen?
Actually, I’ve been published in other genres for a while but was just recently published in erotic romance. As a matter of fact, I’d always believed I couldn’t write erotic romance, but I enjoy a challenge, so when Ellora’s Cave started a new line in which sexual relations take place only between a married couple, I decided to write and submit to that new line. Lady Amberly’s Lessons was accepted but, interestingly, the publisher wanted it for the historical line called Legend rather than for the new line I’d written it for.
3. They say hind sight is 20/20. Looking back on your career as a published author, is there anything you’d do differently?
Heavens, yes! But that’s water under the bridge, as they say, and a recounting of my mistakes wouldn’t help aspiring writers. We all have to make our own mistakes and hopefully learn from them.
4. What advice would you give to others pursuing a writing career?
Join a writers group and study the craft and industry. If you want to write romance, I’d suggest joining Romance Writers of America. Then join one or more of the special interest chapters of RWA and subscribe to their email loops. I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the industry from other writers who share their experiences on those loops.
5. Will you share with us how you come up with your story ideas?
Short answer: I don’t know. Long answer: I do a tremendous amount of mental plotting before I begin writing. Usually I start with a character and more often than not, it’s the hero rather than the heroine. But in either case, I then play around with scenarios in which the hero and heroine are in conflict, both internal and external. Once I have a vague idea of those elements, I start writing. Usually the hero’s and heroine’s characteristics and the plot itself develop as I write. Frequently, the changes that take place surprise even me, which is what I find most enjoyable about writing.
6. Do you belong to a writers group and/or critique group?
Yes, I belong to both and find them to be most helpful.
7. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to have built up a substantial following of readers in five years. Lady Amberly’s Lessons has received excellent reviews, and I’m hoping to continue writing erotic romances that readers enjoy enough to continue buying my work.
8. Where can readers find you on the internet?
My website is www.metamathews.com, and readers can contact me from that website.
9. Do you currently have anything you are working on? If so, do you feel comfortable telling us a little about it?
I just signed a contract for another erotic romance set in the Regency period. The working title for this one is Lady Chamberly’s Choices. I’m very excited about it and am looking forward to getting a release date. I’ve also started work on another erotic romance that will have as its hero a secondary character from Lady Chamberly’s Choices. (See, I told you I usually begin with the hero.)
10. What are your most recent releases? Where can readers get these?
Lady Amberly’s Lessons, my only erotic romance release to date, is available as an electronic book both from Ellora’s Cave (http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8585-lady-amberlys-lessons.aspx) and from Amazon for the Kindle. I’ll be announcing news about my upcoming release on the blog on my website soon.
Thank you for chatting with us today, Meta. We hope you will come back again soon and tell us more about your upcoming releases.
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