Today’s interview is with KD Grace, author of The Initiation of Ms. Holly. Learn about her upcoming novel, when she knew she wanted to be a writer and who her favorite erotica authors are.
LUX ZAKARI: How did the idea for The Initiation of Ms. Holly come about?
KD GRACE: The Initiation of Ms Holly was inspired by two things. The biggest was being stuck in the dark in the Eurostar tunnel for 4 ½ hours. I may have griped and moaned a bit, but being a writer, I didn’t miss the chance for some inspiration. I got to thinking about what it would be like to have a sexy encounter with a man whose face you never see. But what if it didn’t end on the train? What if there were more encounters, same man, same heat, but always without seeing his face?
With that in mind, the second thing that inspired me was the story of Psyche and Eros from Greek mythology. Psyche’s forbidden to see the face of her lover. Her sisters insist she’s married to a monster, and when she gets bold enough to check it out, she discovers the man in her bed is none other that the god of love himself. But a drop of oil from the lamp falls onto his face while she’s gawking at him sleeping. He wakes up, realizes she’s broken his only rule, so he leaves. In order to win him back, heart-broken Psyche must undergo a series of grueling tasks leveled on her by Aphrodite.
So I set about bringing that basic story into modern times. Once off the Eurostar, the rest of Holly takes place in London, in a very trendy, very mysterious dance club and restaurant called The Mount. The Mount is a place of sex and secrets and rules. Lots of rules. It’s a place where there’s a lot more going on than what meets the eye. Our lovers, Rita and Edward have to follow the rules in order for Rita to see Edward’s face, and in order for them to be together.
LZ: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
KG: I wanted to write before I even knew how to write. I used to draw pictures — you know, stick figures — with crayons to illustrate the stories I didn’t yet have words for. It’s an obsession, sort of like a chronic disease. There’s no cure. I just have to manage it. I do that by writing sexy romance.
LZ: On your site, your bio states that writing for you “quite often interferes with normal, everyday functioning.” In what ways?
KG: As I said, writing is like a disease I have to manage, and I often don’t manage it very well. I get tunnel vision and I don’t see anything around me when I’m writing. I can forget the time of day, I can forget where I’m supposed to be and I can forget what I’m supposed to be doing. Housework goes undone, dinner goes uncooked, phone calls don’t get made. I suffer from lack of sleep when I’m in the grip of a novel. My characters keep me awake, my plot twists keep me awake, whether or not I’m getting it all right keeps me awake. When I’m in a novel, whether I’m doing the first draft or whether I’m doing the final edit, I’m driven. There’s no giving it a rest until it’s done. It’s that way right now while I’m finishing up The Pet Shop. I love it, really I do, but geez, I could use a good long nap. :)
LZ: You have another novel coming out soon — The Pet Shop. Can you tell us about that?
KG: I’m fascinated by the animal side of our nature, and that comes out some in Holly. The Pet Shop, however, is based on a short story I wrote several years ago for Black Lace called “On Keeping Pets.” From the beginning I felt that story should have been a novel, and I often found myself imagining what would happen between my heroine, Stella, her Pet, Tino and his alter ego Vincent if they were given free rein in the space of a novel.
In appreciation for a job well done, Stella’s boss sends her a pet: a human pet for the weekend. That pet is the mischievous Tino, straight from The Pet Shop with a collar, a leash, and an erection. Stella becomes obsessed with Tino and with the reclusive philanthropist, Vincent Evanston, who looks like Tino, but couldn’t be more different. Her obsession draws her into the strange world of The Pet Shop as she unravels the secrets of Tino and Vincent. But secrets revealed always come with a price.
LZ: Who are your favorite erotica authors?
KG: That’s a hard question. I adore Charlotte Stein. I think her novel, Control, is one of the best novels I’ve ever read. I also love Justine Elyot, Kay Jaybee, Polly Frost. I think Jeremy Edwards has the most wicked, sexy sense of humor of any writer out there. I love his stories. Actually there’s a long list, and it keeps growing. I’ve only been writing, and reading erotica for a little over three years, so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do in sampling all the yumminess out there.
LZ: What’s next for you? What goals — writing or otherwise — do you have for 2011?
KG: My first paranormal erotic romance will be published in 2012. I’m excited about that, if a bit nervous, since it’s so different from Holly and Pets. But it was lots of fun to write. There are several more short stories that must happen at some point. The ideas are there, but I don’t have time to write them at the moment. There are also two more novels in the pipe line, one is a paranormal romance and the other is epic fantasy, part of what I hope will be a trilogy. There are lots of ideas. More ideas than I’ll ever get into words.
Otherwise, my husband and I hope to walk the Wainwright Coast to Coast this summer, or at least half of it. It’ll be our longest walk ever. The whole walk takes two weeks. And then there’s the veg garden. I think it may take over the lawn completely this summer. But mostly I’ll be writing. A lot.
Thanks for letting me ramble, Lux! It’s been a lovely experience, and a real pleasure to meet you.
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For more info on KD Grace, visit kdgrace.co.uk.
