Author Spotlight with Lisa Andrew
Lisa! Thank you so much for being here, I know it's taken so long with my busy life to finally interview you, but I'm glad you are here! How are you?
I'm well! Thank you so much for taking the time with me! It's much appreciated! I am honoured!
This interview is where we talk about your work, and your books! I recently read F**k Buddies by you, and I must say, wow the spice! Where did your inspiration come for writing this?
Most of the time, I get my inspiration from dreams, so I imagine that's where this one came from. I most likely saw a spicy scene or two and wrote them down. The characters and the plots flowed from there. I never intended for it to be three books in one! It was originally only supposed to be 20,000 words. lol
Can you tell us more about what this is about, and bits about your other work?
F**k Buddies is about friends who turn on each other when they're blinded by infatuation or love. It's the worst thing that can happen. I told myself to let the drama flow this time! I consider this one a spicy romance, and I have a couple others like this. This one relates back to Room for Two - one of my other spicy romances.
I have other works of straight erotica and erotic thrillers, too. I never force a different genre, I just listen to Muse. Clearly as your username shows, that you are married! Congratulations, how does your partner feel about your writing? Does he read your work? He doesn't read them (he's not a reader at all), but he has no qualms about the content, and has been very supportive as he can tell it's something I'm passionate about, and at times can be very therapeutic. I have something for myself and I think he sees that. Do you feel there is a taboo and some sort of stigma/embarrassment in terms of reading this particular genre, especially in public, or do you think this has died down a lot in recent times?
50 Shades (regardless if you love or hate it) really gave women the ability to feel more comfortable reading something that was hardly ever accepted, so I think it helped in the mass markets. However, there's definitely still a stigma attached. It might be less of one, but it's still there. It's sad because it's a form of creativity, and even as a reader, can help with the expression and relation of creativity.
Erotica is hard to write. Let's be honest here, to execute an erotic fantasy/novel, well, the writing has to be good enough to suspend the reader's interest all the way through, and not just bang in steamy scenes that can get tiresome, you managed this to an incredible level. The plot was very...well let's say, unique, and complicated! What makes you know that your book stands out compared to other smut/erotica books out there?
Wow, thank you! What a compliment! But that's a tough question to answer! Plot and characteristics are really important for any reader to feel for or against a character and plot. Either one works, but you can't just throw two people in bed!
For any writer, it's very difficult to convince someone else to take the time to read their book - especially if they or anyone they know hasn't read your work before. I do my best to take risks, be different in content every time, and the look and title have a lot to do with it. Let's be honest, we're told not to judge a book by its cover, but with the amount of choice we have today, who doesn't?
In the whole of this book, you ask who is Team Johnny, and who is Team Eric, now let's lay it down. WHO'S TEAM ARE YOU ON!? Haha, well, I wrote them so they're exactly equal to me! I made them both with faults and loveable traits for that exact reason. I figured if I was tied between both of them, it would be a difficult question for others. Sometimes I lean towards one over the other depending on how many tell me their team (and I feel bad for the other), but honestly, I can't choose. I really can't! Are any of the characters in this book based on anyone that you know? Fortunately, no. I never write about real people I know, or base them off real people I know. I like working with the base of celebrities and I make them who I want to based on what I need them to do in the book. I use the traits I see and love in how they're presented to us and fill in the blanks with what I need them to be, or believe them to be. What do you like to do in terms of relaxing? How long did it take you to start writing this book, from the drafts to the publishing?
I like to zone out and watch tv or movies, I love listening to music, and I love getting extra sleep. Shopping therapy helps sometimes too!
It took about 6 months to write the first draft, but I made it through 3 other drafts in a couple months. Do you have any advice for any upcoming indie authors out there?
Just keep writing. Write and write even if you think it's no good. You can always edit so long as you have something to edit. And don't give up. If you do this for long enough, you'll start to see some momentum. But it takes work - the fun part is writing. The rest isn't. lol
Tell us something your readers don't yet know about you! I've never been to a book signing/author convention before! I'm a mom of 2 kids with ADHD. I read mostly thrillers! What's in store for the future for you?
I've begun to write my scripts for an agent in Hollywood. They'll be thrillers! Excited, but I also know the process to make movies is a very long one. I don't expect to have anything in the works after they're written for a few years.
I'm also trying to do irl book parties more often to sell the physical copies I've written. It's been a success so far!
Thank you so much for taking part in this interview, so excited to read more from you in the future!
I can't tell you how thankful I am for this opportunity! Thank you Aimee!
To Follow Lisa On Social Media: Instagram: @lisathewife101 Twitter: @TheWife101