Happy Friday the 13th everyone! Today’s author spotlight is with one of the most generous, caring and selfless Indie Authors I’ve ever met! She is an incredible friend and author and I am very honored to have her visiting the blog today! Although I may paint her as an angel, you will soon realize that this little lady is a firecracker! 🙂 Enjoy!

MEET AUTHOR EDEN BAYLEE

Eden Baylee writes literary erotica. Her stories are both sensual and sexual, incorporating some of her favorite things such as travel, culture, and a deep curiosity for what turns people on. “Spring into Summer” is her second collection of erotic novellas.

YOU CAN FIND EDEN BAYLEE HERE

Website: http://www.edenbaylee.com/

Blog: http://edenbaylee.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/edenbaylee

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/edenbaylee

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/edenbaylee?feature=mhee

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/edenbaylee/

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INTERVIEW WITH EDEN BAYLEE, AUTHOR OF “FALL INTO WINTER” AND “SPRING INTO SUMMER”

Name three interesting facts about yourself.

Hmm… I’m not sure how interesting this is, but here goes,

1. I enjoy carpentry because I love power tools
2. I love to eat but I don’t like to chew my food
3. I hate talking on the phone and don’t own a cell phone

What do you do when you are not writing? Any hobbies?

I play guitar and harmonica – both poorly but I keep trying.

I meditate and do hot yoga.

I joined the gym recently because I need more cardio and started lifting weights.

Favorite movie(s)?

Many, here are some: Pulp Fiction, 
Il Postino
, Straw Dogs
, The Last Picture Show
, Citizen Kane
, 
Secrets and Lies, 
The Graduate
, Godfather 1 and 2, 
Apocalypse Now
, Sense and Sensibility, 
Midnight Cowboy, 
Marathon Man
, Milk, Annie Hall

Favorite music?

Impossible to answer because my taste is vast. I love English rock, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck. I’m also a huge blues fan. Most of my CD collection is blues and jazz.

Did you listen to any particular music for inspiration while writing “Fall Into Winter” and “Spring Into Summer?

No, nothing in particular but I listen to Van Morrison’s song “And the Healing Has Begun” every day, less as a source of inspiration but simply because I love it. I’ve been listening to it for over twenty years and don’t tire of it.

Is there anyone who has influenced/encouraged you to write? Who and how/why?

I owe much of my love for writing to Jersey Joe, my high school prof who encouraged my writing when I was fifteen. He had to read my stories about masturbation and stabbing my mother. Thankfully, he didn’t turn me over to the authorities. He’s a fabulous man  – everyone should follow him on Twitter  (@gideonn49)  “OK, Sir, don’t say I never did anything for ya!”

Seriously, he’s a super cool guy to know, and of course, he writes like the wind.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I love Charles Bukowski – always have, his novels and especially his poetry. His style of writing is what I aspire to.

How did you get started as an erotic romance author? What made you decide to do this?

It was a long road. I was a full time banker for 20 years, while writing on the side. I hid all my writing – not because of the subject matter, but because I wasn’t ready to share it. The main reason was it wasn’t very good. I know that because when I quit my job to write full-time, I tried to salvage some of what I’d written over the years and burned most of it—literally.

What was the first erotic romance book/story you remember reading?

I read Story of O when I was eleven – a book of BDSM, finely penned by Pauline Réage. It’s a superb book and not lengthy, but it left a huge impression on my young mind.

Ultimately, I wanted to write and make others feel the same way I did when I read that book.

What inspires you? How do your ideas come to you?

I have a lot of orgasms. It’s fuel to my brain. Kidding…well not really.

Describe your writing process. Are you a disciplined every-day writer who outlines? Or an inspiration-driven, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?

I’m a disciplined every-day writer who doesn’t outline – it’s against my religion, but seriously, I intend to write full-length novels so I will probably have to outline. Right now, I’m the purest form of a pantser you can find.

Tell us a little about “Spring Into Summer”.

It’s my second anthology of erotica – 4 stories, two take place in the spring, two in the summer. All my stories engage your imagination and are character-driven. It’s not page after page of sex because that would just bore the hell out of you.

There’s varying degrees of heat, so you will be touched, it’s just a matter of how much.

What do you think readers will enjoy most while reading your novellas?

Hmm, more of a question for my readers, but from what I’ve heard so far, they like being able to relate to the characters. My themes are pretty simple – love, loss, lust, longing. These are emotions everyone can relate to.

Why do you think people read erotica? What do you think erotic fiction does for them?

For me, all fiction is about some form of escapism – regardless of genre. Perhaps with erotica, there’s another element – the possibility of becoming aroused not just intellectually by a good story, but physically as well. Good erotica can be viewed like a vibrator, a sexual aid, if you will.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your journey to publication with your first piece of
fiction?

Ha! There’s nothing brief about it, but Spring into Summer is my second book, and I set out to self-publish from the get-go.

When I started, I wanted to sell my novellas individually to traditional publishers, but after numerous rejections, I packaged four of them into one book and published them as an anthology called Fall into Winter.

I love the self-publish model as it works for me. I’m a bit of a control freak so it allows me the freedom I need.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been
the best compliment?

The tough criticism hasn’t come from readers but from my current editor, Annetta Ribken, whom I adore.  She improved my writing because she pushed me to be better during the writing process.

I had to rewrite an entire masturbation scene because she said I could do better, and she was right. I had to research it again for a few hours – tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Best compliment? I feel warm and fuzzy any time I hear from readers who say they liked my book. It doesn’t matter what they say as much as their willingness to share with me. It’s always wonderful to hear from readers.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

My mantra to myself: Keep writing. Be persistent. Believe in yourself.

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ABOUT EDEN’S BOOK

SPRING INTO SUMMER

In Spring into Summer, a collection of emotionally-charged erotic novellas, four women explore their sexual limits, marked by love, lust, and loss.

 Life for Claire Pelletier is changed forever when she meets a professor who teaches her a most important lesson in “A Season for Everything.”

Evelyn Sutton goes in search of a man in “Unlocking the Mystery” and discovers the key to her own heart.

With an open mind, Ava Connors attends a party but wonders if reality can ever live up to her hottest fantasies in “Summer Solstice.”

In “The Lottery,” Sierra Zhao sacrifices herself to numerous men to help a friend, fully aware of the consequences.

With locations in London, Dublin, Cape Cod, and Bangkok, these four women will seek pleasure to alter their lives and push their sexual boundaries.

BUY IT TODAY

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.UK

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Eden, thank you so much for the opportunity to feature you on my blog! 🙂