Tell our readers a wee bit about yourself. What are 5 things you wished you’d done, have done or are still to do, on the Bucket List?
Crew a sailing boat out of sight of land
See whales swimming off the coast ofIceland
See whales swimming off the coast of
Fly in a hot air balloon again – dreamy!
Spend time with a community which is cut off by the tide every day
See an active volcano from close up (smoking vents counts!)
Tell us about the genre you write, why
do you love it and how did you get into it?
I write mostly erotic romantic fiction. I enjoy it as it’s a natural extension from romance and it’s fun to consider erotic encounters and experiences I’ve not experienced in real life, imagine what they might be like in reality and try to express that in writing.
I write mostly erotic romantic fiction. I enjoy it as it’s a natural extension from romance and it’s fun to consider erotic encounters and experiences I’ve not experienced in real life, imagine what they might be like in reality and try to express that in writing.
What’s your most favorite restaurant in the world? Where, why and the best dish/es they make?
There was a restaurant in a nearby town which sadly closed down a month or so ago. They never served me a dish I didn’t like. Their sorbets were perfect. My favourite was rabbit ravioli, made with meat
from a wild rabbit. A close second was the rib-eye steak I had at another nice little restaurant in my home town, Jericho's in Launceston, Cornwall, UK
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| They didn't have a piccie of the rib-eye steak sorry, but this looked pretty yummy anyway! |
Remember those ads for Expedia (if not, just play along) that asked, ‘If you could go anywhere in the world, but have to go right now?’ Where would you have gone and would you have said to YES to right now? What pulls and entices you to that country?
I’d probably jump on a plane to most places in
What parts of you, are incorporated into your characters?
My characters are a fair old variety, both genders, gay, straight and bi, the odd supernatural... I suppose there are a proportion who are sort of alter-egos, or express aspects of me (eg the sarcasm I usually keep under wraps).
Favorite male hero/public figure you admire in the world, dead or alive, and why?
No-one comes to mind. There are a lot of people who did things I admire, but they had a fuller personality than we normally see, not all of which I might find as admirable
Favorite female heroine/public figure you admire in the world, dead or alive, and why?
Ditto
Have you ever had a character just “do their own thing?” Have you ever had an argument with one of your characters? Or anything else odd happen?
Sometimes, a story or a scene I’m working on seems to just take off and write itself, as if someone I can’t consciously hear is whispering in my ear. The closest I’ve come to the question about character is where I have an idea about them, but I don’t seem to be able to develop that and something else comes to mind which works better.
What’s your passion in life?
I enjoy writing, something I can think about even when I’m not doing it. Photography is another passion. I do enjoy trying things out and have taken up a number of hobbies that way. But I think my abiding passion in life is learning, discovering something or coming up with a question and wanting to find out more.
What’s your writer’s routine? Do you
write whenever or at certain times? Are you a pantser or plotter? Where do you like to write?
Routine – when I can! Having a day job which can require a lot of my poor old brain, as well as a life of sorts, I can’t be certain of having both free time and mental energy on any given evening.
Routine – when I can! Having a day job which can require a lot of my poor old brain, as well as a life of sorts, I can’t be certain of having both free time and mental energy on any given evening.
I get
most writing done at weekends, or at least the ones where family
arrangements allow. Bit of pantsing and a bit of plotting. I always
have a general idea of the flow and conclusion, but don’t write out a
plot outline. Considering trying it out with my next major effort.
I
tend to sit at the dining table to write, as it’s the least
uncomfortable spot I’ve found.
If you could pick a past life, what time period would appeal to you and why? Would you be male or female? Rich or poor?
If I had to go back in history, I’d be rich and male. That’s purely selfish and practical, as men have had an unfair advantage for most of history in both social standing and the chances of living longer (no pregnancies). Having read up on what life might have been like in the past, I’d restrict myself to a peaceful period with decent healthcare,
antibiotics and equality of the sexes. Add reliable and readily available contraception and it might be interesting to experience life as a woman.
Oh, bollocks... That about limits it to my own lifetime!
If you could pick a past life, what time period would appeal to you and why? Would you be male or female? Rich or poor?
If I had to go back in history, I’d be rich and male. That’s purely selfish and practical, as men have had an unfair advantage for most of history in both social standing and the chances of living longer (no pregnancies). Having read up on what life might have been like in the past, I’d restrict myself to a peaceful period with decent healthcare,
antibiotics and equality of the sexes. Add reliable and readily available contraception and it might be interesting to experience life as a woman.
Oh, bollocks... That about limits it to my own lifetime!
You can contact Ian on:
What are you currently working on Ian?
Where do I start?
I've got
at least four ideas for novel-length
pieces, either a continuous story or a collection of sequential short
stories featuring the same characters.
I'm a contributor to the ERWA
and, flatteringly, their current "flasher" editor. A
"flasher" is a
200-word short story, and they're great fun to write. I manage to come
up with at least one idea every week, some better than others. And a
few have been the seed for a longer piece of writing.
WALKING OUT by Ian Smith
Which leads me neatly on to the draft novel I'm working on... Provisionally entitled "Walking Out", it's an everyday sort of erotic romance where the woman just happens to be a werewolf. I had a few ideas for "flashers" with the two main characters and then I wrote a short story, then thought "hey, maybe I can make this a novella"... I'm nearly at the end, about 100,000 words in and a couple of chapters still to go to wind everything up.
It's set in modern-day
Well, we have a lot of immigrants from
So I made my poor old main character unwittingly interfere with one of their schemes and make himself unpopular... And a hero is anyone who does what has to be done when the going gets so tough, the tough go shopping to keep out of the way. He's a typical sort of guy, and doesn't really like shopping. And, being a British author writing about British characters, I use UK English. It's set in the south-west of
A brief excerpt (approx 1000 words) from early in the story, when my first-person character Mark and his girlfriend Maggie are in the very early stages of their relationship, shortly before anything hits the fan and a fair while before he finds out that supernatural creatures really do exist.
They met at a gym in the university where he works and she's a mature student. The character Paul is another lecturer, a mutual friend who gets involved in some of their subsequent misadventures and is part of a just-for-fun knights-in-armour jousting team. Mark had arranged to view a house he was interested in buying and invited Maggie to go with him. The house was in a small town not far from Maggie's family farm.
We were just finishing in the gym
the following evening when Maggie came over and stood next to me, looking uncomfortable. I’d half-thought she had something she wanted to say, but had done my best to convince myself it wasn’t a change of mind. Or a change of heart about me.
“Mark, er... about Saturday.”
“Hmm?” I said. I hoped I hid the wave of panic which washed over me, and steeled myself to be gracious about an apologetic cancellation and
a return to form in my relationships.
I glanced at Maggie and saw she was blushing. She always seemed calm and confident, so this display of insecurity surprised and touched me.
“When I told Mum and Dad I’d be popping out to meet you on Saturday, Mum said they want to go shopping anyway.” She looked like she was
almost terminally embarrassed. “And she, well... suggested we might all meet up for lunch.”
I grinned at her, and not just from my sense of relief. “Lovely idea.”
She looked relieved. “You’re sure? I honestly didn’t set it up. Mum and Dad are really nice. I mean, they’re not going to bite you or anything.”
Paul stopped pedalling on his exercise bike and laughed. “So Maggie
and Mark are an item?”
Maggie glared at him. “Yes, we are. And?” she asked, quite sharply, then crossed her arms.
He grinned, apparently non-plussed. “Which is worse, Mark? Her bark or her bite?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Not annoyed her yet, so far as I know.” I was surprised at her sudden transformation. I’d not seen any obvious signs
before of her having a quick temper.
I glanced at her and saw she was pretty tense, fists clenched and shoulders hunched. I wondered if she’d been worrying for some time about my reaction to her mum’s suggestion, or was just overdoing it because she’d felt embarrassed a minute ago.
Paul looked a little puzzled and held up his hands in a placatory gesture. “Maggie, I’m not taking the piss. And I’m not in the least surprised. You two obviously get along very well and I’m really happy for both of you. And I had the same experience recently, meeting her parents for the first time.”
We both looked at him. I was just curious, but Maggie’s jaw dropped open slightly.
“You’ve got a girlfriend? And you’ve met her parents?” Maggie asked, sounding almost incredulous.
He nodded. “Yes to both. Met her at the Cornwall Show, through the jousting displays we did there. Her parents live inSussex
He grinned at me. “Just make sure Maggie’s dad sees you’ve got her under control, it’ll be fine.”
Maggie stuck her tongue out at him. “Just like you? Not. I bet she’s got you wrapped around her little finger already.”
“Well, you might be surprised.”
Maggie crossed her arms and smiled at Paul. “So, when are we going to meet Miss Wonderful? Maybe a double-date sometime?”
He kept a perfectly straight face, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ll suggest it. Who knows, the idea might even be acceptable to Miss Wonderful.”
I grinned at him and stood up. “Come on Maggie, time I bought you some dinner. Get your blood sugar level back under control."
I turned to Paul. "See you on Saturday evening, Paul. And say hi to the boss for us.”
Maggie gave him a warm smile. “I hope you’re really happy together, Paul.” “Thanks,” he said, returning her smile. “You too. It’s going pretty
well so far.”
As we left, he called out, “She’s Hayley, by the way. Miss Hayley Wonderful. And I think she’s pretty damn perfect, but what do I know?”
While we were eating a little later, I looked up when Maggie paused.
She looked worried, her brow crinkled. “Mark... was I rude to Paul?”
“You were pretty abrupt. More than I’ve seen before.”
“Bollocks.” She sighed. “I thought so. I’ll call him and apologise. He’s always been really sweet.” She paused. “I had some trouble with my Land Rover a few months ago and he fixed it in no time at all. I’m hopeless with mechanical things. We swapped numbers in case I needed any more help.”
“Any idea what made you bite his head off?”
She shrugged. “I suddenly felt really annoyed and upset, as if he was having a go at you.”
Paul had always seemed really friendly and courteous. And he was getting on for a foot taller than Maggie. I suddenly remembered the terriers we’d tended to have as family pets. They were all delightful little bundles of fun, but reacted instantly whenever something made them feel threatened, just like Maggie had.
“And you felt you had to defend me?" I asked. "Even though he was just winding us up a bit?”
She looked a bit uncomfortable. “Maybe. Not something I remember ever feeling before.”
“I’d wondered if you’d been worrying about Saturday. You know, me meeting your parents when we’ve only just started seeing each other.”
“I’m not worried about that, but I was concerned you’d feel I’d tricked you somehow.” She paused and looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve, er, mentioned you to them a few times.”
I raised an eyebrow.
She blushed, which I thought made her look even prettier. “Just as part of our usual chats,” she said rather hurriedly. “You know, saying we’d met at the gym... had a few meals out... went to the fireworks... that I thought you were, well, rather nice.”
I couldn’t resist it. “You know, Maggie, you blush very attractively. I might just have to kiss you right now and see how red you can really get.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said. Her expression suggested she might not be completely averse to me so daring.
I did dare. We kissed sitting side by side at a table in a busy pub. By the time I opened my eyes again, her blush had faded and had been
replaced by a rather happy smile.
“Well, that didn’t work,” I said. “You’ve stopped blushing completely.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work,” she murmured. She leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Just depends what
effect you were after.”
It certainly had a bloody strong effect on me. A rapidly growing erection can be pretty uncomfortable when you’re wearing tight jeans
and sitting down.
“Mark, er... about Saturday.”
“Hmm?” I said. I hoped I hid the wave of panic which washed over me, and steeled myself to be gracious about an apologetic cancellation and
a return to form in my relationships.
I glanced at Maggie and saw she was blushing. She always seemed calm and confident, so this display of insecurity surprised and touched me.
“When I told Mum and Dad I’d be popping out to meet you on Saturday, Mum said they want to go shopping anyway.” She looked like she was
almost terminally embarrassed. “And she, well... suggested we might all meet up for lunch.”
I grinned at her, and not just from my sense of relief. “Lovely idea.”
She looked relieved. “You’re sure? I honestly didn’t set it up. Mum and Dad are really nice. I mean, they’re not going to bite you or anything.”
Paul stopped pedalling on his exercise bike and laughed. “So Maggie
and Mark are an item?”
Maggie glared at him. “Yes, we are. And?” she asked, quite sharply, then crossed her arms.
He grinned, apparently non-plussed. “Which is worse, Mark? Her bark or her bite?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Not annoyed her yet, so far as I know.” I was surprised at her sudden transformation. I’d not seen any obvious signs
before of her having a quick temper.
I glanced at her and saw she was pretty tense, fists clenched and shoulders hunched. I wondered if she’d been worrying for some time about my reaction to her mum’s suggestion, or was just overdoing it because she’d felt embarrassed a minute ago.
Paul looked a little puzzled and held up his hands in a placatory gesture. “Maggie, I’m not taking the piss. And I’m not in the least surprised. You two obviously get along very well and I’m really happy for both of you. And I had the same experience recently, meeting her parents for the first time.”
We both looked at him. I was just curious, but Maggie’s jaw dropped open slightly.
“You’ve got a girlfriend? And you’ve met her parents?” Maggie asked, sounding almost incredulous.
He nodded. “Yes to both. Met her at the Cornwall Show, through the jousting displays we did there. Her parents live in
He grinned at me. “Just make sure Maggie’s dad sees you’ve got her under control, it’ll be fine.”
Maggie stuck her tongue out at him. “Just like you? Not. I bet she’s got you wrapped around her little finger already.”
“Well, you might be surprised.”
Maggie crossed her arms and smiled at Paul. “So, when are we going to meet Miss Wonderful? Maybe a double-date sometime?”
He kept a perfectly straight face, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ll suggest it. Who knows, the idea might even be acceptable to Miss Wonderful.”
I grinned at him and stood up. “Come on Maggie, time I bought you some dinner. Get your blood sugar level back under control."
I turned to Paul. "See you on Saturday evening, Paul. And say hi to the boss for us.”
Maggie gave him a warm smile. “I hope you’re really happy together, Paul.” “Thanks,” he said, returning her smile. “You too. It’s going pretty
well so far.”
As we left, he called out, “She’s Hayley, by the way. Miss Hayley Wonderful. And I think she’s pretty damn perfect, but what do I know?”
While we were eating a little later, I looked up when Maggie paused.
She looked worried, her brow crinkled. “Mark... was I rude to Paul?”
“You were pretty abrupt. More than I’ve seen before.”
“Bollocks.” She sighed. “I thought so. I’ll call him and apologise. He’s always been really sweet.” She paused. “I had some trouble with my Land Rover a few months ago and he fixed it in no time at all. I’m hopeless with mechanical things. We swapped numbers in case I needed any more help.”
“Any idea what made you bite his head off?”
She shrugged. “I suddenly felt really annoyed and upset, as if he was having a go at you.”
Paul had always seemed really friendly and courteous. And he was getting on for a foot taller than Maggie. I suddenly remembered the terriers we’d tended to have as family pets. They were all delightful little bundles of fun, but reacted instantly whenever something made them feel threatened, just like Maggie had.
“And you felt you had to defend me?" I asked. "Even though he was just winding us up a bit?”
She looked a bit uncomfortable. “Maybe. Not something I remember ever feeling before.”
“I’d wondered if you’d been worrying about Saturday. You know, me meeting your parents when we’ve only just started seeing each other.”
“I’m not worried about that, but I was concerned you’d feel I’d tricked you somehow.” She paused and looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve, er, mentioned you to them a few times.”
I raised an eyebrow.
She blushed, which I thought made her look even prettier. “Just as part of our usual chats,” she said rather hurriedly. “You know, saying we’d met at the gym... had a few meals out... went to the fireworks... that I thought you were, well, rather nice.”
I couldn’t resist it. “You know, Maggie, you blush very attractively. I might just have to kiss you right now and see how red you can really get.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said. Her expression suggested she might not be completely averse to me so daring.
I did dare. We kissed sitting side by side at a table in a busy pub. By the time I opened my eyes again, her blush had faded and had been
replaced by a rather happy smile.
“Well, that didn’t work,” I said. “You’ve stopped blushing completely.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work,” she murmured. She leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Just depends what
effect you were after.”
It certainly had a bloody strong effect on me. A rapidly growing erection can be pretty uncomfortable when you’re wearing tight jeans
and sitting down.
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