Guest Author Interview: Angelica French

Alexis: We are very pleased to have Erotic Romance author Angelica French here with us as she celebrates the release of her debut book Streetwalker coming out next month!

Angelica: Thanks so much, Alexis, for having me on HEAT. I’ve been a reader for a while now, and I appreciate the range you cover here. It’s exciting to be where some of my favorite authors appear!

I feel so blessed because I received a contract for my erotic romance in January and then a contract for my first culinary mystery in February. Talk about writing books 180 degrees apart!

My debut novel, Streetwalker, is part one of a trilogy (“Sex Sells”) about Carrie’s journey to self-actualization. It’s an erotic romance, but I believe it has strong elements of women’s fiction as well.

Alexis: Where did you get the idea for this story?

Angelica: Streetwalker came whole cloth. Carrie popped into my head one day with her story. Then she wrote it. I felt that I channeled her the whole way, though she hasn’t interfered with the editing process, thank goodness! My writing pattern for Streetwalker varied from most of my other novels. I wrote most of it in scenes that I linked rather than in a linear progression. I wrote much of it at night, even though I’m a morning person. I felt I was just the fingers on the keyboard! My very first novel was done that way as well. Lucinda may never find a home, but she took over her book and made me write her story instead of the one I planned to write. Carrie must have trained with Lucinda, because she was very insistent about what I write!

Alexis: What are your favorite traits of the two main characters?

Angelica: Carrie is my 24-year-old prostitute who works her way into a deal to partner with Harlan, the older male “madam” of a high-end brothel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The fact that he’s black doesn’t bother her, but the way he works his way into her life does! Harlan is the sexiest man she’s ever met, and he threatens her vow to never let a man get close. Carrie is vulnerable while trying to be tough, and Harlan just doesn’t get ruffled about much. She’s smart but doesn’t think she is. She’s curious and a voracious reader. Harlan’s extensive vocabulary intrigues her, and she requests he define words he uses. Harlan is a fixer. He sees Carrie for who she truly is long before she’s aware of it, and he sets about to ensure she attains her potential. Their sex is sizzling even as she fights her attraction to him. His dark demons cause him to withhold part of himself, too. While they have a HFN ending to book one, more misadventures await the two of them in the remaining books in the trilogy.

Alexis: What was the first romance you ever read?

Angelica: Peyton Place was the hot book in 1956, and my mother must have bought it and set it aside somewhere. I happened on it a few years later and read it in the bathroom, hiding it underneath the Kotex napkins box my mother, sister, and I shared. I’m sure the family wondered why I suddenly had constipation problems in our one-bathroom house.

Alexis: What was your first writer’s conference?

Angelica: I heard about the Southern California Writers’ Conference from a critique group member during the year that I “transitioned” (retired is an old person word!) from my 39 years as an educator to full-time writing. SCWC offered opportunities for one-to-one meetings with agents and editors who had previously read the beginning of your manuscript and gave you feedback. I was in! I flew to California with copies of four full manuscripts to distribute to the folks who would be requesting them after reading my brilliant pennings. Needless to say, the recycle guy got some extra work after that weekend. Still, I was grateful to have professionals evaluate my work. They didn’t request fulls for Streetwalker, but I got positive feedback (?) about how well I wrote sex scenes! I’ve been back several times since. It’s a great conference for learning and networking.

Alexis: What are you working on now?

Angelica: This summer, my business plan production schedule has me tied to three major projects and a few smaller ones. I am a writer who has to work on more than one manuscript at a time. For me, that keeps both boredom and writer’s block at bay! This summer I am finishing my second full-length play, book two in my culinary mystery series, and book two for Carrie and Harlan in the “Sex Sells” series. Additionally, I am working on three novellas and searching for publishing homes for some of my other completed novels.

Alexis: Do you have a particular question you’d like to ask our readers?

Angelica: Why shouldn’t we legalize prostitution in the U.S.?

Alexis: Angelica, thank you so much for visiting with us. Hey everyone, check out the excerpt below :-)

 Excerpt from Streetwalker:

Carrie convulsed and her laughter sputtered out. "Only you, Harlan, would worry about SPF levels when you take a girl on a picnic. I love you," then realizing what she had said, she tacked on, "like a brother. Oh, God, no. Not like a brother," remembering her past a beat too late. "Like ... a business partner."

He shook his head. "That's better. I do not want you thinking of me as a brother!"

About Angelica French:

After 39 years as an educator, Sharon Arthur Moore "transitioned" to the life of full-time fiction writer. She's an intrepid cook, game-player, and miniatures lover. She writes culinary mysteries, women's fiction, historical fiction, short stories, plays, and erotic romance (Under the pen name Angelica French). Sharon has lived in every region of the country except the Pacific Northwest and loved every single one of them. Her current favorite region is the desert Southwest. She is married to the most extraordinary man and claims four children, one daughter-in-law, a grandson, and dog Maudie.

Alexis: To find out more about Angelica, visit these links:

www.sharonamoore.com

www.angelicafrench.blogspot.com

www.samwriteaway.blogspot.com

Facebook:Angelica French

Twitter: @RomanceRighter