Author Interview: Crystal Kauffman

Author Name: Crystal Kauffman

Year started writing for LI: 2009

Titles: The Combat, The Collision

Web Page: http://www.crystalkauffman.com

What genre do you write in, and why? : Erotica and Romantic Suspense. Erotica because I’ve always loved peeking into character’s private lives, both those I write and those I read, and romantic suspense because I love edge-of-my-seat suspense. I’ve always been a very open-minded person in a sexual sense, and I have very strong feelings about the censorship in the US. I do not like erotica being called porn and I do not write smut. Sex -and naked bodies- is not dirty.

How much time do you spend writing every week? : Lots. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Many years ago when the economy was better, I got a job as a receptionist at a major corporation because of their fabulous tuition reimbursement program, and because I could do my homework at my desk. I loved it. I could flex my creative muscles by working on projects, but because I had to stay at the desk and answer the phones, I was never treated like a gofer, copy girl or coffee maker. It’s now almost fifteen years later and I’m still answering phones. (Another secret; the lobby is usually the most elegant place in the building and has the best windows.) I currently spend about four hours of my eight hour day writing. And I have lots of time for email and research too. True, I’m not earning an executive’s salary, but I was never cut out to be an executive. Though I am lucky enough to earn the top of the pay scale for it, and that’s pretty good money-especially when you consider I’m getting paid to write.

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

It was at that first receptionist job I got one of the first Windows computers and was told to “learn how to use it.” Even back then I was a computer geek. I’d learned to type in junior high on a manual typewriter and had been secretly writing fiction on one of the old amber-screened word processors at the local community college. With this new computer I was in heaven! I wrote a 300 page (single-spaced TNR 10pt) erotic escapade about a bunch of small plane crash survivors lost in the Canadian wilderness. So even then, before I knew what it was, I was writing erotica and romantic suspense.

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? :Panty wetness level. : )

Do you ever try out the sexual positions you write to make sure of accuracy? Absolutely! Don’t you? : ) Actually, the third book in my Guardian’s series has an interesting scenario in the forced seduction of the male character. He’s a macho somewhat chauvinist guy (don’t worry, he redeems himself) and he’s been dosed with the vampire drug Tourin. He’s out of his mind horny and tries to rut my vampire heroine’s human houseguest. To keep him from hurting himself or the girl, my heroine binds him face-down to the bed with the sex ties. To teach him a lesson, the girl teases him within an inch of his sanity, stroking him to near climax and then letting him hang. So it’s kind of a tough position; he’s face down, but she’s reaching beneath him to grasp his package. Every time I try to test the plausibility, so to speak, neither I nor my husband has the patience to see it to the end. –And just so you don’t think I torture my characters unnecessarily, yes, my hero gets satisfaction. All he has to do is accept her choice of butt plug. Trust me, he ends up begging for it. : )

Ever been told, Um...sweetie, that's not how it works? :No, but I figured out the hard way it’s very difficult to have sex in a swimming pool. Email me privately and I’ll tell you why.

Favourite candy while writing? : Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

Plotter or a Panster? :

Definitely a pantser, but it comes back to haunt me sometimes and I have to do rewrites. But that’s okay with me, because I love editing. I’m a pantser because I see my storylines in my head like movie scenes. I can even stop the action and look around to see what else is in the room with my characters.

What is your most embarrassing moment as an erotic romance author? :

Well I’m pretty new so I haven’t had one yet. Just wait, I’m sure one isn’t far off.

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? :I think it’s important to have other creative outlets like scrapbooking, photography, or crafts. That will help prevent burnout.

When I find myself stuck on something in a story, the easiest way to fight my way out of it is with research. Find other plausible alternatives. The best advice I can offer is to definitely be part of a writer’s group. Nobody understands a writer like another writer. A while back I had a problem with pacing that I just couldn’t see. I asked another writer for help, and got through it. Most of all be patient and allow yourself to mess up every now and then. You can’t possibly be perfect, so don’t expect yourself to be.

The Personal stuff:

What was the most romantic meal you've eaten? : This might not seem romantic to most, but it was just one example of why I married the most romantic man alive. I had a very clumsy accident: I’d been running, tripped, and smacked my face on a wood rail precisely under my nose. The bruising and swelling ran up my face on both sides of my nose and puffed around my eyes. I had the loveliest set of double-shiners you ever saw. By the end of the next day, I had a splitting headache and was on the verge of tears just from being frustrated. It took too much effort to peel my lids open I just gave up. My husband cooked me soft foods--stewed beef that melted in my mouth, homemade whipped potatoes, creamed corn, and pudding, and fed it all to me because I was essentially blind.

Is your real life anything like your stories? What about your fantasies? :

Well I’d have to say I’ve seen some pretty strange stuff. Once, I was waiting in traffic for a bridge toll and a police car raced past on the rutted shoulder, lights off. It had a flat tire. And a guy in a bright orange suit behind the wheel. I kid you not. Another time at another bridge, I was in the passenger seat when I look out the window and see a guy standing out on the marsh in plain sight, wearing nothing but cowboy boots and choking his chicken for all he’s worth. Legs wide, and one arm thrown high like he’s riding a bronco. It takes just a brief glimpse of something like that to spark an entire story.