Today’s interview is with Stephanie Beck, author of Poppy’s Passions. Read what she has to say about polyamorous relationships, unbelievable HEAs and her Freak Sorority.

LZ: What inspired Poppy’s Passions?

SB: Poppy’s Passions came about after I watched a special on polyandry. The presenters made it sound very dirty and wrong, and I always have a hard time believing most situations are all black or white. So I started thinking about ways that a polyamorous relationship could be good…then started thinking about how it could be even better. Poppy’s Passions eventually came to be because of that curiosity.

LZ: According to your Lyrical Press author page, “Even before she understood what all the thrusting meant, Stephanie Beck loved reading romance.” When did you start reading romance, and what prompted you to start writing it?

SB: I started reading romance when my aunt Barb gave me a copy of Montana Sky by Nora Roberts. I was thirteen and never went back to adolescent fiction. I started writing romance when I was about fifteen when in my reading, I would find I wasn’t always happy with the ending. I mentioned it to my mom and she said to write my own. We were both pretty surprised when I did.

LZ: What about the endings to some of the romance novels you’ve read did you find unsatisfying?

SB: The unsatisfying part was when I wasn’t sure the relationship would last. The “love cures all” was always one I doubted because even back in my teens, I wanted love to be more. I wanted the “happily ever after” to be one I could see still going strong thirty years later. Sometimes that just meant making the love between them more real and practical, which is probably why my heroes tend to cuss and step in cow poo. Those are real things and my leading ladies get the same treatment. They get zits and burn birthday cakes but the love grows despite those things.

LZ: On your Web site, you mention your first novel, Love on the Mats. I must know more about the story behind that story! Think it will ever be resurrected?

SB: Oh,Love on the Mats. That little story provided many hours of entertainment for me and my friends at school. It was my first real story. I spent weeks in my room working on it. The main characters were college coeds. The boy was Nick, I believe, and the girl was Samantha. He was a senior wrestler headed to med school. She was a timid freshman who drew him like no other. I don’t think it will ever be resurrected, but I realize now, that even then I knew what a hero was to me. He nursed her when she was sick and went out of his way to make her smile. He tried to fight her battles and encouraged her to always be her best. Those pieces of Nick find their way into the stories I write today.

LZ: How long does it usually take you to write a story from start to ready-to-submit-for-publication?

SB: That actually varies a lot. I have a bulk stash of stories that I’ve been writing since I was fifteen. If I pick one of those and do a power cleanup and make it a viable, interesting story, it usually takes about two months from when I start to when I’m ready to write a synopsis. If I start from scratch with a completely new plot and characters I’ve never met before, I’d say anywhere between three weeks and three months before I’m ready to have my critique partners look at it.

LZ: Can you tell readers a little more about Freak Sorority?

SB: My freaks are a series of short stories about some extraordinary females. It started as an exercise in writing shorter and finding the important details. It ballooned into more as each character demanded a voice. An angel, demon huntress, succubus and werewolf support each other in sorority sisterhood through life and romance. Freak Sorority is a blast to write and with the demand for more growing with each holiday I post one on my Web site and Facebook, I’m sure they’ll keep me busy for a while.

LZ: Where did the title to Freak Sorority come from?

SB: I’d just been approached about joining a sorority when I started on my first short story. The whole concept of sisterhood was on my mind at the time so the sorority part fit. When their personalities started to emerge, I realized “freak” wouldn’t be a bad thing for them and they have made it their own.

LZ: What makes an extraordinary female, as per Freak Sorority?

SB: The Freak girls are actually having pledge week soon so that is something that’s been on my mind. A Freak is extraordinary in her ability to know herself, her willingness to help and protect others, and her humor at herself and the world. The big part of being a Freak is, ironically, being “human.” Embracing flaws and forgiving those same shortfalls in your fellow Freak sisters is what makes them very special.

LZ: How do you go about creating your characters?

SB: I have a great cheat sheet I use. It has physical descriptions and background information so once I know who someone is going to be I can record and keep it straight. But first I have to get to know them. For that, I do a lot of research. I look through magazines at pictures and read personal stories of amazing women and men who share their motivations for life. Little bits and pieces of the people I know add to the depth of the characters as well. Sometimes it’s a single interesting piece of information that will inspire a character. A trip to a local museum that had an antique typeset next to a display about Rollerblades inspired a very interesting character. Contrast works for me when it comes to my characters.

LZ: What’s next for Stephanie Beck?

SB: She’s a busy girl, that’s for sure. My next work, a BDSM-themed novel, David’s Angel, was just contracted by Lyrical Press and has a release date for October 2010. It looks at a new relationship that thrives in the BDSM mindset but also supports a family and therefore must find a balance. New ideas are always forming and being added as they come.

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To purchase Poppy’s Passions from its publisher, Lyrical Press, visit http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=224.

For more info on Stephanie Beck, visit www.stephaniebeck.net.