Please give a warm welcome to Ashlynn Aimes, erotica short stories author of the College Deviance series.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
Well, I’m an ex-military housewife. I have a degree in Psychology (I joined the military to help pay off student loans). My husband is the one who convinced me to try writing smut, and he’s been very happy with the results (after all, you can’t write good smut unless you enjoy what you’re writing about if you know what I mean). I hope someday to make a decent living at it.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
Currently I write strictly erotica shorts. I like writing about gangbangs and extreme kink fetishes such as watersports and fisting.
Who or what inspires you?
Everything inspires me. I get inspiration from weird things, like a random object I see on the road, or a street sign(even ones that I’ve passed by more times than I can count). But I get a lot of inspiration for my erotica from porn. I mean, let’s call a spade a spade. All we’re doing is the written version of it.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Stick with it. You’re not going to become financially solvent in a week or with just one story. It takes time to build up a catalogue. Until that catalogue is built, there isn’t going to be a steady financial impact. Even then, there won’t be. Writing is a lot like sales, where there will be setbacks, lean months, and flush months. It just takes persistence and the belief in your own ability to write.
Do you set writing goals and if so, what are they?
I’m starting out small, since I’m just getting started, but I try to write around one thousand words a day. I’m hoping to eventually increase this so that I’m writing somewhere in the realm of five thousand words a day, and start working on larger projects to sprinkle in between my short stories.
Do you outline your stories or just go with the flow?
I prefer to go with the flow, then go back and edit a little bit. This isn’t bad, since my works are usually short, but I think I’ll have to start doing at least some outlining when it comes to writing longer fiction.
What does your writing space look like?
My writing space is a mess. I have books laying all about me for research purposes, plus all of my knick-knacks that I like to have. I keep a lot of toys(no not those kinds!) around my area to keep me happy and motivated. I like comic book character action figures, which are scattered all about the surface of my desk. Often times, I have a cat or two sitting around, staring at me, obviously wondering what I’m doing. They can be quite the distraction at times.
Do you have any writing rituals or interesting writing quirks?
So, first off, I write naked. Yup. Totally in the buff. But I also keep a tumblr feed up, just in case I get stuck on a particularly juicy scene.
What project are you currently working on?
Currently I’m working on a series about Messalina, the wife of Emperor Clausius of Rome. She was Caligula’s cousin. She is an interesting character because the only things known about her are what her detractors have published, which was all pretty scandalous. There were all sorts of derogatory stories put out about her, about how she was sexually insatiable, how she had a contest with a prostitute as to who could have sex with the most people in one night. It isn’t known whether or not any of this is true, but I feel it would make a great story.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
Writer’s block is my biggest challenge. That and making my word counts. Pushing myself to write every day, even though I have a very busy schedule. Writing takes time, which I don’t always have. I usually have to sacrifice my sleep in order to make my counts, and to get my stories out. Also, the making of covers is quite a challenge for me. I’m not very visually oriented, so creating visually appealing covers takes me more time than it really should.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Yes, I do. My characters are based on my own fantasies and ideas, so they are naturally an extension of me and my wants and needs. So far, I have even gone so far as to name my character after myself. She does all the things I like to do, though she gets to partake in some things far more often than I do.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing I take care of my family, cook dinner, clean the house. I also read quite a bit, play video games, etc. I lead a pretty normal life outside of writing. Well, as normal as someone who has my particular interests in sex can be. I also like to experiment sexually, trying things such as BDSM, group sex, etc. All in the name of research, of course.
Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
No, I don’t. I think reading reviews can go one of two ways. They can either spur your on, or they can stifle your creativity. Bad ones can be even worse. I don’t want that kind of stress in my life, and as long as I continue to sell, I know I’m doing at least something right. Writing in this particular genre, there aren’t a whole lot of reviews happening anyway. Even with the changes in society, nobody wants to admit that they’re reading smut books for fear of being judged.
You can find Ashlynn on her Facebook, Facebook page, and Amazon.