Author Interview: BETH WYLDE

Author Interview by A.J. Llewellyn

1. Hi Beth and welcome to the Divas’ Den! When I first met you a couple of years ago, you were a prominent F/F author. I am curious why you think the genre not only does not “sell” but why some publishers are now not even accepting F/F themed stories.

I wouldn't say it doesn't sell I would just say it is a niche market. It takes quite a while to break into the ranks of the top lesbian fiction authors but once you develop a fan base the lesbian fans are the best in the world. The support from readers is fabulous. The books also sell much better in print than in e-book format and I think that is because fans of the genre probably don't realize how many great lesbian stories are available online. This is where those of us that write this pairing need to focus our promotional efforts.
There are several publishers that will not even look at a f/f manuscript but will accept m/m themed submissions. The same also goes for m/f/f vs. m/m/f. But i have noticed that now several more publishers are opening up to lesbian themed stories. Maybe it's just a sign of the times. ^_^

2. You have written a couple of M/M books with Cassandra Gold in a were-lion series. Obviously this was a shrewd move, but do you enjoy writing in this genre? And what did you do to research male-male sex?

I really enjoyed writing this pairing and i didn't think I would. I was very hesitant going into it. I've read and enjoyed plenty of m/m books but i wasn't sure i could pull one off then the storyline for Alpha-Omega hit me. Cassandra does my beta work so I told her my idea and that I was really worried about pulling off the m/m sex scene. She took my hand online and led me through it. She was so patient and the scene turned out HOT!!!! We just released the sequel to Alpha-Omega too which was so much fun to write. It's called The Morning After, and is available from Torquere Press http://www.torquerebooks.com/

3. Is there a genre you would never touch?

So far I haven't found one. My muse seems to believe in equal opportunities for everyone to find love.

4. What do you think of the HOT new genre M/M/M/F. Does it seem to you readers want more and more extremes of emotion?

I have to admit that I haven't read any m/m/m/f yet, my writing has been keeping me really busy so I don't get to read as much as I used to. I think lots of readers read to escape from reality and when characters are more realistic and emotional it makes the escape even more meaningful.

5. You are a wife, mother of three (two of whom are twins!!) and an author. Please describe your average day. Do you write every day?

I'm not sure anything in my house is ever average. LOL I try to sit down at my computer for at least a couple hours a day but that doesn't always mean I'm getting any writing done. Trying to be creative with three young kids running around is tough. A lot of times I'll work on answering emails and promo and then at night, if I'm not totally exhausted, I'll try to squeeze in an hour or two of writing time after the kiddies have gone to bed. When I can't get computer time I usually carry a pen and notebook with me and work longhand then transcribe it to a word document. I do what I can when I can.

6. Does your family know about your work and how do they react?

Not really. They know I write stories with very adult themes but that's it and things for me are better off that way. I get all the support I need from my readers and my close friends. My family likes to turn a blind eye because they think what I write is smut. I know I can't change their opinion so I'm done trying.

7. You mentioned in a recent post your urge to write Y/A. Have you actually done this?

I have a YA story in the works but with so many other projects going on the story has been put on the back burner. Hopefully when things settle down this summer I can pull the manuscript back out and finish it up. I love the storyline and the characters.

8. You once said in an interview you write what you like to read. Who are your favorite authors?

OMG! How long do you have? LOL My bedroom looks more like a library and I still need to add at least one more bookcase before the current stacks start collapsing. I've been a bookworm as far back as I can remember and I've saved almost every book I ever bought. If it deals with a paranormal or erotic theme and the blurb catches my eye I will buy it. Some of my favorite authors are Kim Harrison, Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon, Jolie du Pre, Mychael Black, Cassandra Gold, DL King, Syd McGinley, Kathleen Bradean, Lara Zielinsky...the list goes on and on. I'm such a nerd. ^_^

9. As a writer, do you have ‘pet’ words you tend to overuse and must excise from your work?

LOL
I tend to be pretty good about that. I love my thesaurus!

10. And now…an off the wall question. What is your greatest fear?

Hmm...that's a hard one. For me I think it is getting old and dying.

On behalf of Dark Diva Reviews, I'd like to thank Beth Wylde for stopping by today. To learn more about this awesome author, please check out her links:

My Website: www.bethwylde.com/
My yahoo group for hot excerpts and fun author days at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bethwylde/
MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/bethwylde
Also I have yahoo IM. Just look for b.wylde

Plus you can find me on facebook, ning, twitter, bebo, GLEE... Just visit my group for all the links and info.