AUTHOR INTERVIEW: CELIA JADE

Celia Jade: Breaking Taboos Author Interview by A.J. Llewellyn


1. Hi Celia and welcome to the Dark Divas! You write erotic fiction that covers quite a broad spectrum. You write everything from fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary erotic romance – which do you prefer? And I am curious to know which period in history interests you the most?

Hi AJ and thank you for giving me this interview! Yes, I write within several sub-genres and I love them all, but sometimes, I’ll cling to one for a stretch of time until another gets my attention. As for historical periods, I’d say medieval. Those were dark and challenging times, particularly in Europe but the contrast between our modern days and that period has a certain appeal for me.

2. I know you live in Montreal. What is your life like there and do you ever spend any time in Gay Villiage?

I really enjoy living in Montreal, apart from the long winters. My time here is spent working—which definitely includes writing, lol, spending time with family and friends and enjoying as much cultural entertainment the city has to offer. I love dining out and having a drink downtown. Our bars are pretty cool. The Gay Village—or just The Village is a fun place to hang out for everyone. The gay community here is comfortable being open about their sexuality. There are great bars, quaint restaurants and shops in the village. Life here is generally relaxed with a focus on living good.

3. My boyfriend lives in Canada...close to Montreal, but he swears that English signs are strictly forbidden, even in stores, that the police remove them and fine people for having them up. Is this true? Because I went to visit him and noticed a few. He claims the cops just haven’t spotted them yet…or is he just having a good laugh at my expense, Celia?

Well, the language issue in Quebec still makes many Anglophones cringe. I speak French well enough so it bothers me only to the point where it might affect me professionally. The language law here does not allow official city signs in other languages because Quebec has been recognized as a ‘distinct’ society. So a Stop sign here is seen as: ‘Arret’ but it still looks like a stop sign. Menus are bilingual for the most part as are shop store signs. I read an article about an Irish pub owner who was asked to take down an English ad in his pub, although I think it’s in debate now. So that kind of bothers me too. Your boyfriend is generally correct. There are many years of history behind all this.

4. I know you have two books and one short story (a Fantasy Game) out with eXtasy Books…what’s coming next? You have one coming out with Eternal Press soon, don’t you?

I’ve got four with eXtasy. My very first book published is titled: Captured—a historical romance set in Spain. It’s still doing well, actually. Yes, my latest is The Drakhom Taboo, part of the Fantasy Games series and that’s my raciest one yet. Quick, hot and paranormal. The Hero’s a Drakhom, half vampire, half human, and he desires a woman who has a taboo against dating Drakhoms because she’s afraid of them (they still possess sharp teeth.) Eternal Press will have one of my books out in 2009. It’s a highly erotic paranormal too.
Right now, I find myself in the irritating position of having one too many ideas floating about in my head. So I have to sort those out before getting started on another book.

5. Who are your favorite authors and how much time do you spend reading?

I’ll blame my BA in English for this, lol, so I have to be honest and say: Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare at the top of the classics list. Then it would be: Anne Mather, Sophie Kinsella, Deborah MacGillivray, Daniel Silva, Marian Keyes, Jacquie D’Alessandro in print. Now, I’m going to be secretive here because it’s such a touchy business, and I so do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but there are six eBook authors I truly enjoy reading.

If I’m in the middle of serious writing then I don’t read. Otherwise, I read about a book a week.

6. What is your writing routine like and do you write every day?

I try to be as organized as possible because it is a career after all. I like writing early in the day and when the muse is in full swing it might be almost non-stop till two in the morning. But it’s tiring on the eyes. There are days when I am not inspired to write and that’s okay because it’s a nice break.

7. Who was the first person you ever kissed and what was it like?

I think it was a boy I had a crush on in primary school. I must have been like nine years old.

8. Wait – you think you were nine? You don’t remember the details??

Well, I think it was like a quick peck on the mouth. It was a movie day and we were in the school ‘cinema’ and it just happened. I was excited because I remember running home and announcing to my folks that I was in love. I’m sure they got the teacher to keep a good eye on me after that.

9. Mmmm…so you never tried kissing him again?? By the way, what type of ex are you?

Never. We ended up being good friends. We were only kids. Type of ex: I tend to be sensitive and cry even though I’m usually the one to have ended relationships in the past. But if the guy was a real jerk then I’d forget about him completely.

10. You sound ridiculously rational, especially for a writer. Say, have you ever stalked anyone? I admit, I had a bad breakup once and my best friend and I did a drive-by. Most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done in my life. He was standing right outside his house smoking a cigarette and we were cruising by really slowly and he just stared at me in shock…I flew into such a state of panic, I drove right into a fire hydrant. LOL. That taught me a lesson. So ‘fess up. What’s the craziest thing YOU ever did after a break up?

I lived in Greece for some time, teaching English. When my relationship was on the rocks, I moped around outside his apartment a few times. I don’t know why. Then I felt foolish and stopped myself. I slowly got over him—he was one of those macho, never shed a tear types.

I suppose I am pretty down to earth. But I’ve got the typical idiosyncrasies of a writer; temperamental yet sensitive, with a decent dose of zaniness, dry humor, stubbornness and a love for nature, animals and life in general.


11. If you were a Disneyland ride which one would it be and why?

I probably could never be one because those amusement rides tend to make me ill. But, if I could be any animal I’d be a female tiger.

12. A tiger, eh? Well, considering your er…fetish for sharp teeth, I’m not surprised. I just did a little research and did you know tigers turn on humans when their teeth go bad? Yep…humans are not as tasty but easier to tear through than animals. But you already knew that, right?

LOL, but they are so gentle with their young. Strong, gentle and majestic. My wish is to go to Thailand to stay with the monks who raise tigers from a young age. The animals are tame enough to pet and cuddle with.

13. That’s beautiful Celia, except I would miss you! So tell me, what is the worst piece of advice anyone ever gave you regarding the craft of writing?

Hmm, I can’t say that I’ve ever received bad advice on writing. I’ve received good and okay advice, but never bad thankfully.

14. What does your muse look like and what is his/her name?

I never thought of my muse as a person. It’s just this creative part of my mind that throws ideas at me when I least expect them. Then, the muse takes the form of my characters. Also, my yearning to write thrives along with my desire to read. For me, reading and writing are almost inseparable.

15. I just ran your name through a porn star generator and you came out as PINKY TAIL. Please give me a brief description of a day in the life of Pinky Tail.

Something like that exists? I guess the name could have been worse, LOL. A day in my life is a simple routine actually. Get up as early as I can, do the chores that need doing, any freelance work that I have, then write or plan the outline of a story. Then I work out at the gym in the evening. I rarely watch TV. I’ll have dinner out with friends a few times during the week or margaritas during Happy Hour. They’re so fun and silly. Which, reminds me, another hobby is people-watching. Humans are hilarious.
If I’m working on a book, I squeeze in the other activities in tiny doses because writing is the number one priority. I sometimes write about twelve hours a day.

15. Actually, I meant a day in the life of PINKY TAIL. I bet she has no time for writing! So what is her average day like?

If I were Pinky Tail the porn star, I’d make sure to pick the absolute best and hunkiest male actors to work with. I’d spoil myself with lavish spas and have pink lingerie and pink theme movies. I better stop before I get carried away.

On Behalf of Dark Diva Reviews, I’d like to thank Celia Jade for dropping by today!
This was fun AJ! Thanks for the questions!

To learn more about Celia Jade, Visit her at:
Website/blog: http://celiajade.wordpress.com
Yahoo group: http://tinyurl.com/3gurxd