Too Close For Comfort - Adriana Kraft

Welcome to BRB, sweeties! Can you believe the summer is almost, heaven forbid, over. I can't. I still have to pinch myself. School is about ready to start, which means back to the regular routine. Seriously, where did all the time go? Anyway, while we still have time to enjoy the summer and savour an ice tea, we can also enjoy a steamy novel. And my guests today write just that, steamy novels!

Welcome, Adriana!

Our tag line is Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More. Readers may not know there are two of us writing together under the pen name “Adriana Kraft” – my husband and myself. Each of us has always wanted to be a writer. Our careers took other turns first and we met (well, and fell in love and married) in academia, where we’ve both done lots of writing, together and separately. But fiction is lots more fun and we love living out our life-long dream. We have over twenty five erotic romance books published at Extasy Books, Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, Love You Divine, Logical Lust and Torquere. Pairings include straight m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, with both contemporary and paranormal settings.

Where and/or how do you find the greatest inspiration? 

Anything in our lives can spark inspiration for our books – though of course we never recreate any personal event exactly, just elements. We love to visit places where we may want to set a story. For example, we spent a week poking around the South Dakota prairie visiting historic sites, museums, and just getting a feel for the land, with the idea that we'd set some books with characters who have prairie backgrounds. We use the internet a lot to research specific places, occupations, and even weather. In The Diary our hero and heroine dine at a restaurant in Stratford upon Avon – when they do so, they select from the actual menu that’s available on line. We've “been” at the top of the Eiffel Tower looking through a 360 degree webcam recalling the layout of Paris. We'd traveled to Paris years earlier and visited the Louvre – while writing a book that is still in the pipeline, it was very helpful to revisit the city just as our characters did.

What made you choose to write erotic/romantic, menage literature in particular? 

And is there any other genre you’d like to write? And if so, why? For starters, we’re baby boomers, and strong believers in hot sex at any (legal) age. We love to use erotic scenes as part of our own bedroom activities (we’ll leave the details to your imagination!) and we decided if we like them, readers might, too. We’re a couple writing for couples, and one of our favorite reviews had the following to say, about Colors of the Night (Extasy Books): “The reader will no doubt want either a partner or a bucket of toys close at hand.” That being said, we’re also trying our hand at romantic suspense and historical romance, but you can bet they’ll be filled with eroticism as well.

Which appears first when contemplating a new project: a character, the plot or the title?  

Most of our stories are character driven, so we don’t start writing until we know who’s who, what they care about, what their flaws are, what they fear. There’s a lot of detail at this stage that may never show up on the page, but it’s what drives them and helps keep them consistent. We then develop a plan for the obstacles they’ll face and sketch out the broad arc of the story. Sometimes we have a title right away, and the story flows from there. Sometimes it’s a struggle to come up with exactly the right title, right up until we turn in final edits!

What’s the hardest part of a novel for you to write: beginning, middle or end? Why? 

I’m not sure any one section is harder than any other, perhaps because we always have each other for a sounding board at every step of the way. One of us always puts the words onto the page for each scene, but before we move on, we read it out loud together and talk through next steps before returning to the page. 

Writing sex/romantic scenes can be a challenge for some authors. Do you find it difficult? If yes, how do you compensate? If no, where do you draw your inspiration? 

Not difficult. We work at keeping our personal sex life fresh and exciting, and we pour the same kind of energy into writing our sex scenes. There’s a limit to how many appendages can go into how many openings, but there’s no end to the nuances of each specific sexual encounter in anyone’s life. Sexual experience is so deeply influenced by context – mood, stage of the relationship, events that just took place or are anticipated – so many variables that make each encounter unique. In addition, in fiction, the sex scene only goes on the page if it also serves to drive the relationship/story arc forward. Thank goodness we don’t require that criterion for every personal sex scene!!

Do you have a method you use to write the sensual parts? Do you prefer the sex to be open and bold? Or left to the imagination? 

 All of the above, if the timing is right. Sex scenes need to fit the characters and the stages of their developing relationship. We’re working on a W.I.P. now where the hero is determined not to have feelings for the heroine, so he’s trying to scare her away with his controlling sex games. She’s dying for him to give her soft and tender, but she’s willing to take whatever he dishes out. We love creating their highly nuanced erotic scenes, showcasing the delicate balance of power and control as their relationship heats up.

Who is your favourite character that you’ve created? And, why? 

An answer from each of us, on this one! For me, it’s Kate from The Diary, because she has to really examine herself and do an about face (and a major apology) in order to claim the love that’s waiting for her. Turns out I’m all about personal growth, in addition to hot sex scenes. Hubs says his is Meg, from our Meghan’s Playhouse series at Whiskey Creek. We “lived” with her a long time, across writing five novellas covering ten years of her life, and both of us came to love her unquenchable spirit, her enthusiasm for sex, and her deep love (well, in and out of bed) for the couples she helps bring together.

Tell us about your newest release. 

Too Close for Comfort is Book Nine in our Swinging Games series at Extasy Books. We started this series because we thought Swinging would give us lots of opportunities to give our readers some sizzling ménage sex scenes as well as a chance to be voyeurs into the Swing Lifestyle. Turns out it’s all that and more – once you turn characters loose, they have a life of their own. Our lead pair, Brett and Jen Andrews, have thrown us some wrinkles we never anticipated, and now they’re hot in the middle of a summer threesome that could turn their lives upside down.

Just for fun–

What is your favourite colour? 

Turns out there’s just one, for both of us: Blue. It’s the color of my eyes, so I’ve always gravitated to blue, and it’s his favorite for either one of us to wear.

Which do you prefer, a great hero or a great villain? 

How about a great heroine? Most of our books feature bisexual heroines, someone for partners of either gender to enjoy together. Turns out hubs and I have similar taste in women…

If you could be anyone in the world who would it be? And, why? 

At this moment in our lives, there is no one else either one of us would rather be. There are lots of people we’d love a chance to meet, but we’re finally able to do what we’ve always wanted to, so we don’t want to change a thing.

Where do you see your writing career in the next five to ten years? 

We write for a niche audience (erotic romance featuring LGBT characters) and we see no reason to change that. We hope to get the word out to more and more readers and be able to spend more time with reader and author groups who share our interests. Beyond that, our goal is to keep honing our craft and creating compelling sizzling stories in our genre, so that when readers think of erotic romance for two, three or more, they think of us. 

Website Link: http://adrianakraft.com
Blog: http://adrianakraft.com/blog
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Adriana-Kraft/e/B002DES9Z4

Too Close for Comfort

Blurb:
It all seemed so simple: Sarah Creston would move in for the summer, Brett and Jen Andrews could revel in their new threesome, and everyone else would understand. But now Donna and Ryan – their best friends and lovers – won’t speak to them, and Jen seems so infatuated with Sarah that even Brett is worried about the consequences.
Battered from the double whammy of her husband’s death and caring for her aging parents, Sarah Creston thrills to Jen and Brett’s exquisite care and ravishing sex. Now that she’s had her first taste of a woman, will she be satisfied – or will she want more?  Everything hinges on what Sarah wants.

Excerpt:
Feeling like a human sponge, Sarah sighed. Her eyelids fluttered open and shut as she tried to survey the scene around her, but all five senses were on overload.
“This is beyond my wildest imagination,” she mumbled to no one in particular.
Completely nude, she lay on her back atop Carl and Alice’s massage table. Her naked partners had already rubbed down every square inch of her backside—every square inch before turning her over to tend to her front. Sarah laced the fingers of her right hand through Jen’s hair as her lover suckled a breast as if it were their very first time. Similarly, Brett continued tonguing her other breast.
“We’re pleased that you’re pleased,” Carl said, bending over to kiss Sarah’s forehead without interrupting his steady massage of her temples.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, puckering her lips while reaching up to pull his lips closer to hers. She sighed again as his lips covered hers for another soul searching kiss. Both he and his wife had proven to be incredible kissers. She could hardly wait to see what else they might be incredible at doing to her—or with her.
“Ah,” Sarah moaned. Her hips tensed.
Smiling, Carl broke their kiss and continued massaging her brow, giving her ample opportunity to appreciate Alice’s warm breath flowing over her pussy.
“Relax,” Alice cooed, blowing on her again.
Sarah did her best to soften her muscles, to sink deeper into the massage table and trust her body to her lovers.

Purchase Links:
http://www.extasybooks.com/too-close-for-comfort/
http://www.amazon.com/Close-Comfort-Swinging-Games-ebook/dp/B008IVMFVK
Publisher Link: http://www.extasybooks.com

Thank you for stopping by, Adriana! All the best! ~ Blak Rayne