Meet Sommer Marsden

Sommer Marsden’s been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler) and “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen). Her erotic novels include Hard Lessons, Calendar Girl, Learning to Drown, Lucky 13 and The Best of Sommer Marsden (coming December ’12). Sommer currently writes erotica and erotic romance for Xcite Books, eXcessica, Ellora’s Cave, Pretty Things Press and Resplendence Publishing. The wine-swigging, dachshund-owning, wannabe runner author writes work that runs the gamut from bondage to zombies to humor.

Julie: Why don’t you start us off by telling us how you discovered/decided you wanted to become a writer?

Sommer: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I think since I could doodle with crayons. As far as finding my niche…that was a total mistake. I was researching for a mystery book and fell backwards into a very steamy story. I thought, “I wonder if I could…”

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

Sommer: I fly by the seat of my pants so often they are all stretched out. My ‘outlines’ are usually one liners that give me a very general direction for my story/novel. And even that sometimes doesn’t work out. My characters sort of run the show around here.

Julie: Give us a sneak peek into your writing life and tell us about one strange writing ritual you have.

Sommer: Hmm. To me none of them are ‘strange’. But I think some people might find it odd that I often work best in the eye of chaos. Everyone running around, talking, making noise, vacuuming, cooking, the dog is barking and my fingers are flying as I sit in a rocking chair and bang out a quick 2,000 words. I sometimes have more trouble working when it’s stone cold silent than I do in the middle of insanity.

Julie: If you were going to cast the hero of your book, what actor would get the part?

Sommer: Ugh. This is the hardest question ever to me. Because people usually think celebrities when they mentally cast a book and I usually do not. If I must choose, my current book’s hero would be Haven’s Eric Balfour. Yum…

Julie: I know you’re not supposed to show favoritism but who’s been your favorite character to write?

Sommer: Ellis Bach, werewolf bad ass and sweetheart. Hands down.

Julie: Do you have a favorite TV show you can’t miss?

Sommer: Right now it’s The Secret Circle. It’s a girl child/mom Thursday night ritual.

Julie: If you could date any character from any book, who would it be and why?

Sommer: Um…again, I must say, Ellis Bach. To know why, you’d have to read the book. I don’t think I can be that dirty here. But he’s pretty awesome. At least to me

Julie: Please share with us some juicy details about your latest release.

Sommer: My about to be released collection The Best of Sommer Marsden has some of my all time favorite stories inside. Sticky Notes is a hands down favorite from the last seven years of writing. And there are a few new shorts in there, too. I think the book contains a good mix of my erotic works from humorous to sizzling to dark and/or literary erotica. I’m excited for its release on my 40th birthday. It’s a pretty good way to celebrate!

Julie: What was your inspiration behind this book?

Sommer: Since it’s a collection, the goal and inspiration was a balance of fun and sexy and literary. A well rounded dirty book, if you will. I think we managed that. I wanted to give readers some of their favorites and some of my favorites and a few new things to nibble on for fun.

Backlist:

Hard Lessons, Xcite Books
Calendar Girl, Xcite Books
Blank (as a novella), Xcite Books
Report for Repair (as a novella), Xcite books
Unexpected (as a novella), Xcite Books
Ferryman (as a novella), Xcite Books
Automagically, Ellora’s Cave
Schooling, Ellora’s Cave
I’m On Fire, Ellora’s Cave
Allure, Ellora’s Cave
Dirty or Die, Ellora’s Cave
Smoking Hot, Ellora’s Cave
Sensitive, Ellora’s Cave
Base Nature, Ellora’s Cave
Corporeal, Ellora’s Cave
Long Lost, Excessica
Big Bad, Excessica
Learning To Drown, Excessica
Lucky 13, Excessica
Bittersweet, Excessica
Man in the Middle, Excessica
Christmas Break, Excessica

Coming Soon:

Restless Spirit, Xcite Books
Taste It (as part of a novella collection), Xcite Books
Highest Bidder (as part of a novella collection), Xcite Books
Long Lost, Excessica
R&R, December Ink

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