Author Interview: Barbra Novac

Author Name: Barbra Novac
Year started writing for LI: 2008
Titles: Double Crossed
Web Page: www.barbranovac.com



What genre do you write in, and why? :

This novel is contemporary suspense and the sex style is BDSM. I will probably stay with these for a while, though I will try ménage instead of BDSM next. I like to write about modern women. I’m a feminist, and I like to think and challenge my way through contemporary issues for women.


How much time do you spend writing every week? :

I write at least an hour every day. (Writers write. If I’m not writing, I’m not a writer)


What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) :

A woman who purchased socks in a bazaar and got home and found that they didn’t match. She decided to keep them anyway, fantasizing that a woman just like her purchased the other mis-matched pair, and that they both wear them together having never met.


How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? :

My partner reads them, but I have some on line editor friends that read for me and give me honest feedback.


Do you ever try out the sexual positions you write to make sure of accuracy? :
Yes.

Ever been told, Um...sweetie, that's not how it works? :
Yes.

What one word best describes your toy collection? : Extensive.

Favourite candy while writing? :
(sob) I’m off sweets. I eat almonds to quell the cravings.

Where did your most unusual plot idea come from? :
From other writers and their stories. From ‘strange but true’ new articles.

What inspires you to write? :
Women. Who they are, what they are, what they think and what’s behind what they think. They are the last great undiscovered frontier.

What music inspires your writing? :
Whatever I think my heroine would listen to, or music to suit the mood I’m looking for.

Plotter or a Panster? :
A little from column A and a little from column B. I really need a plot and the better its worked out the better I feel, but I always seem to change it when I’m in the thick of the work.

Does your cat insist on sitting on your keyboard like mine does? :
I don’t have a cat, but that’s a cute idea. Maybe I should get one.

What is your most embarrassing moment as an erotic romance author? : My partner wanting to know if this stuff happened to me for real before we met or not.


Most challenging place you've ever written a spicy scene? :
A train.

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? :
I am one of those discipline freaks who want to just work through it. Even if the writing is shocking, and needs to be thrown out, I will write rather than not. If I am straggling around and can’t find my feet, I tend to search for a short story comp or something short term to work toward to get me back into the grove again. My partner is a writer and we find that technique works for both of us.


The Personal stuff:

Any outrageous liaisons in your past?
Yes.

Where's the most unusual place you ever managed to have sex? :
In a small cage.

What was the most romantic meal you've eaten? :
Takeaway pizza, naked, on my boyfriends bed in the early days, when we couldn’t stop sex long enough to get food for ourselves, and had to have it delivered.

What kind of books do you read for fun? :
Romance, erotica, mystery fiction. I really like erotica and old/historical erotica.

Is your real life anything like your stories? What about your fantasies? :
My life USED to be like my stories, but I have settled down now. My fantasies are like my stories – yes!

Soulmates? Do you believe? : yes

Sex with anyone famous? :
Yes. I dated a man with his own TV show in New Zealand for a while.
One of my ex lovers was heavily pursued by Nicole Kidman (before she was married to her current husband of course) while we were lovers. We weren’t exclusive, and he could go with her, but he wasn’t very attracted to her. I took that as an affirmation! Oh, and Keanu Reeves hit on me in a bar once, but I was with someone and got myself out of there REAL FAST! I’m not a cheater. I seem to meet a lot of famous people. It just happens to me.

Cake or Pie? Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? :
Both cake and pie when I can have sugar.
Neither coke nor pepsi
Both tea and coffee depending on my mood.