\n \nI started out writing erotica on a dare. I had no idea about \n \nI was very lucky in that I got one of my first few short \nWhy? Because it became my comfort zone. I entertained vague \nThen I panicked. What would I write about? Did I have a plot \nEventually, I finished it. My first novella. I read it, \nYes, April brought the release of my first ever novella, as
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\nthe market, what was being published, or what wasn’t… but once I’d written a
\nshort erotic story which got a very good reception, all that changed. I found
\nthat I’d really enjoyed writing the story, so I wanted to continue. What’s
\nmore, I wanted to get my work published. I started researching books and
\nmagazines, and continued to write naughty short stories.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/erotica-readers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/scarletJun06.jpg\")
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\nstories published in the now defunct Scarlet
\n<\/em>magazine. The buzz of publication was immense. It spurred me on to pen more
\nsmut, and soon afterwards I was fortunate enough to have a story accepted for
\npublication by Xcite Books, in one of their anthologies. From there, I wrote
\nand wrote. Through University and through a full time job (I’m now
\nself-employed), I never stopped. But although my plots became more adventurous,
\nthe sex became quirkier, kinkier, and (hopefully) the quality of my work
\nimproved, one thing stayed the same. The length of my work. Granted, my average
\nword count per story increased from two to four thousand words, and I even started
\ncreeping up towards twelve thousand words on occasion, but I was still firmly
\nwriting in the short story category.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nideas of novels, and stashed them away in the darkest corners of my brain to be
\nbrought out “one day,” but stuck with short stories. That is, until I
\nwas enticed out of my comfort zone, like a donkey with a carrot. I was asked if
\nI would like to write a novella for a brand new range of books being put
\ntogether by Xcite Books. I umm-ed and ahh-ed for a little while, then sent back
\na “yes please,” before I changed my mind. I knew that once I agreed to
\nit, I wouldn’t back out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\ndetailed enough to sustain a novella length piece of work? Would it erotic
\nenough? Romantic enough? Interesting enough? My panicking was irrelevant, of
\ncourse, because I’d signed a contract and promised to deliver a manuscript by a
\ncertain date, so I could waste time worrying, or just start writing. So I did.
\nAnd it was a huge learning curve for me. I actually drafted out a plan before I
\nstarted, which I’d never done before.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nre-read it, tweaked it. Then I hit send and promptly panicked again in case the
\neditor hated it. Thankfully, she didn’t. Other than a couple of minor changes,
\nit was good to go. Woohoo! Then it was a waiting game until the release date…
\nwhich was this month.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\npart of Xcite Books’ The Secret Library <\/em>range
\nof books. My novella is called Off the
\nShelf, <\/em>and appears in the book entitled Silk
\nStockings. <\/em>Here’s the blurb:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/erotica-readers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/silkstockings.jpg\")
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