Meet Erotic Romance Author Kimberly Dean

Do you like your romances sizzling hot? Love that thrill of a hot sexy romance but want a storyline to go with the hot stuff? If you answered yes to these questions, you will definitely want to check out Kimberly Dean and her hot, hot books! You won't be sorry!

Now lets meet Kimberly Dean!

Kim, Welcome to Deb's! We are happy to have you with us!

Hi, Deb. I’m happy to be here!

Please tell our readers a bit about your writing. What kind of books do you write?

I write erotica and erotic romance. I’ve been writing in these genres for a while, so I’m really excited about how they’ve taken off in the last year or so.

How did you get started in your writing career? Was becoming a published author something you always dreamed of doing?

It was something I’d thought about in the back of my head, but I never really took that inner voice seriously. I’d always been a voracious romance reader, though, and my favorite authors didn’t seem to release new titles as fast as I wanted them. One day as I was waiting impatiently, I decided to sit down and try to write something myself. It was more difficult than I thought, but when I read through my attempt, I thought it wasn’t half bad. I started researching the field, trying to figure out what the next step was. Thus began the process of sending out query letters and waiting for someone to tell me I wasn’t a total hack.

How long did it take you to be published? What was your first book and when did it come out? Was it published as an e-book or in print?

It was about a year-and-a-half, although it definitely seemed longer. It was my second manuscript, and my first story of erotica. It was published as Tiger Lily by Black Lace Publishing, a British company, in print form in 2002.

What was your reaction to seeing your first book on sale? Bet it was an amazing experience.

Funny was more like it. I was at the mall with a friend. She wanted to get a book about travel or something, so we strolled into the bookstore. We were heading to the back, and I was glancing down the aisles as we went. All of a sudden, a book cover on a bottom shelf just jumped out at me. I thought to myself, “Why does that look so familiar?” I nearly did a face plant when I realized it looked familiar, because it was my book. Seriously. My toe caught in the carpet, and I almost tripped over my own two feet. But the catch was that I couldn’t say anything! The friend I was with is very, very conservative, and the book was erotica. I’d never told her that I even write, much less what I write. LOL. I quickly regained my footing and continued with the rest of my day. The only change was that I was now walking on air and had a huge, silly grin on my face.

How many publishing houses do you or have your written for? Looking at your list of books, it seems you have books all over the place! How many have been published and are they all still available?

Oh, boy. Let me count. I’ve written for five publishing houses: Black Lace/Cheek, Red Sage, Ellora’s Cave, Avon, and now Pocket. They’ve all been great. To me, it’s all about finding the right home for the story. I believe that all my books (4), novellas (4), and short stories (4) are still available. Some of the older titles are getting hard to find, but there has been some discussion about re-releasing them. (knock on wood)

I have only read a couple of your books but I can definitely say they are HOT, HOT, HOT!!! How did you get started writing these sexy stories and do they all have the same sensuously hot storylines?

I started out writing traditional romance, but I was getting basically nowhere. I was following all the “rules”, but all that did was essentially muffle my writer’s voice. One day after receiving yet another rejection letter for my first manuscript, I decided to throw everything out the window. I sat down and began writing a story that would never have made it as a romance. The situation was too gritty. The setting was too dark, and the characters were too flawed. They made mistakes, said naughty words, and didn’t shy away from sex. The strongest character was the female lead. She had a gun, a wicked history, and a powerful hunger for her boss. Her name was Shanna McKay, and the story was Tiger Lily. I finally had a writer’s voice. Black Lace offered me a contract, and I haven’t looked back since. With the recent interest in sensual stories, I’ve decided to stick with my strengths. I may branch out as time goes by but, right now, I’ve got a lot of stories left to tell.

Tell us about your characters. How do you come up with your ideas? Do you ever base your stories or characters on real people or events?

I write about strong, smart, independent women and the men who can’t get them out of their heads. My guys are intelligent, confident, alpha types who look really good in the buff. LOL. I write erotica, folks!

Anything can spark an idea for me. The song “Hit the Ground Running” by Jonny Lang inspired the concept for “Wanted”, a story about a fugitive on the run from the FBI. An episode of Charmed led to the idea for a story I’m working on now called Dream Wreaker. I once tried to use a real person as a model for a villain in one of my stories, but I didn’t like having her there. That doesn’t seem to work for me.

How long does it take to research your books? What kind of research materials do you use? Do you ever travel to investigate the settings for your stories? Is research something you enjoy doing?

I’m getting better at research, and I usually do it concurrent with the writing. I didn’t do much for my first stories. I can see the flaws now, but my readers haven’t complained. I don’t know why. Do you think they’re reading for the hot stuff? LOL. I enjoy research if it’s something I want to learn outside of the story. For instance, right now I’m learning all about sleep and dreams. I’ve checked out books from the library, searched the Internet, and even asked my doctor a question or two. Sleep and I haven’t always been the best of friends, so this is fascinating stuff for me. I haven’t traveled to conduct research yet, although a vacation spot might be used in a future work.

Your last book IF THIS BED COULD TALK, came our in June 2006. It was written with Liz Maverick and Lynn LaFleur. What was it like to write a story with these two writers. Have you worked with them before? Who comes up with the idea for certain writers to combine stories in one book? Do you enjoy writing the shorter stories in the anthologies or do you prefer the single stand alone books better? Will there be more anthologies from you in the future?

In my experience, the publishing house comes up with the idea for anthology collections. In the case of If This Bed Could Talk, I knew of Liz and Lynn’s work, because they were Red Sage and Ellora’s Cave authors. I was excited about being in a collection with them, but the stories didn’t have any connection between them. We worked individually, and the publisher put them out as a whole.

I like writing shorter stories in between my stand-alone books. Full-length novels take a lot of time and hair-pulling. A short story can be finished much faster and gives me that sense of accomplishment much more quickly. My hairstylist appreciates that. I would be very open to the opportunity to write more.

Is there any other genre of book you would like to write in the future? Paranormal. Mystery, Fiction, etc…

My work-in-progress just happens to be a steamy paranormal (currently) titled Dream Wreaker. It’s about an unknowing witch who performs a love spell that takes her to her sandman. The attraction between these two magical beings is strong, but a witch shouldn’t be in the dream realm. When people stop dreaming, chaos starts to reign in the waking world. Can these two lovers survive, or will the world be in jeopardy because of their match? I’m having fun with it. It’s my first full-length book for Pocket.

What do you do for fun? Do you enjoy movies or shopping? Do you have any collections or hobbies you can share with us?

I love movies. I hate shopping. I know, I know. I’m weird that way. I don’t really have any collections (because I hate to shop). Is going to the gym a hobby? It doesn’t seem fun enough to be a hobby.

How about reading? Do you read much with your busy writing career? What are some of your favorite authors and books? Do you feel that your writing as been influenced by another author or person in your life? If so, please tell us how.

Unfortunately, I can’t read as much as I used to, and it really drives me crazy. I hear about all these wonderful authors and their fantastic stories, and I can’t get to them. I buy some, but they sit on my to-be-read shelf. I save them for vacations or airplane rides.

Linda Howard is my favorite author, as you’ll read below. She’s probably been a big influence on me since I’ve read everything she’s written about five times. I think I’ve been influenced by a lot of writers and people in my life. It all goes into storage in my head. Things get mixed, subtracted, and added. When it comes back out, though, it’s definitely “me”.

Give us an example of an average day in your life. Do you stick to a specific writing schedule?

I don’t really have an average day. That’s one of the so-called writing rules that I buck. Some people will swear that you need to write 8 or 10 or X number of pages every day. And you “have” to write every day. I don’t do that. I need to be ready to write. That doesn’t mean I’m procrastinating – although I’m very good at that, too. If I’m not writing, I’m mulling things over in my head. I’m working out character issues, flow problems, plot points, etc. When I sit down at the computer, though, I work in chapter chunks. I’ll crank out 20-30 pages in one sitting. I’ll revise as I go. Once I finish, I’ll go through it again. And again. And again until I’m satisfied that I’ve achieved what I wanted to do in that chapter. Then it’s on to the next.

How long does it take you to write a book and does this include research and revisions? About how long does it take to see it on the store shelves? I know we are all anxious for more of your books!

It’s hard for me to calculate that. I’ll get started on a story and get partway through it when something else will sell. My work-in-progress will then get put on the back-burner until I get back to it. Some things have sat there for years. If I put it all together, though, I’d say it takes me 4-5 months. I research and revise while I’m writing. And revise and revise and revise… It usually takes about a year from the time I turn something in until I see it in print. E-books can come out in 2 to 3 months. I like that.

Let’s find out a few of fun favorites from you.

Favorite color? Purple

Favorite season and why? Fall, because of the colors and Halloween. I’ve always loved Halloween.

Favorite food? I’m on a diet right now, so I’ll take anything you’ve got.

Favorite genre of books? Romance. I like mysteries and suspense, too.

Favorite author(s)? Linda Howard, Sandra Brown, Anne Stuart, and many others

Favorite book(s)? Oh, don’t ask me that. It’s so hard to pick! If I have to, I’ll go with the Mackenzie series by Linda Howard. Or Dream Man. Or Mr. Perfect. Slow Heat in Heaven by Brown is awesome. As for those interested in erotica, one of my favorite books is The Ninety Days of Genevieve by Lucinda Carrington.

Favorite topic to talk about? Entertainment, probably. Books, movies, television shows, music, concerts, etc.

Favorite movie? This is just like the book question! Well, some of my top favs are: The Sixth Sense, Practical Magic, Speed, the Harry Potter series (books, too), The Princess Bride… I could do this all day.

What kind of writer are you? Are you structured and use an outline and stick to it or are you more relaxed in your writing style? I know from going to RWA in Atlanta and attending some of the workshops that there are as many different styles of writing and advice on how to do it as there are writers. Did it take you time to develop your own style or was it something natural for you.

I’m a structured writer. We call ourselves “plotters”. Once I come up with an overall idea, I sit down with a notebook and write out the story by hand. It will only be two or three pages long, but I’ll instinctively know the beginning, the twists, the secrets, and the ending right away. From there on out, it’s a matter of dividing it into chapters and delving into each piece to flesh it out. I’m amazed at writers who can sit down with a beginning and just start to write, not knowing where they’re heading. I find that to be really brave, because I could never do that. If I don’t know exactly what I need to write when I sit down at the computer, I’m sunk.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer just starting out?

Listen to your gut. Once you step into this business, you’ll be overwhelmed with people telling you how you should write. From critique groups to writers’ associations to reviewers, everyone will have a different take on the matter. Listen with open ears, but only take to heart those things you believe in or that you know will work for you.

What was the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?

It was with respect to reviews. Every author will get a real zinger every so often, but one of my editors stressed to me that even a bad review can be good. As long as it’s not faulting your craft, a bad review only means that you’ve generated a strong response from that particular reader. A one or five-star review means they hate you or they love you. It’s the 3-star reviews you want to avoid. That means you haven’t touched that person at all.

What to you have in the works now and when can we expect it?

The manuscript for Dream Wreaker is due December 1. Yikes! I don’t have a publishing date for it yet. As soon as I do, I’ll post it on my web site.

Kim, thanks so much for chatting with us. It’s been a joy learning more about you and your writing. Please come visit with us again soon!

I will! Thanks for inviting me. Some of these questions really made me stop and think. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me at Kimberly@kimberlydean.com. I’m always happy to talk.

For more information on Kim's books, be sure to check out her website at www.kimberlydean.com