Ayla bakes away in the sunny south but dreams of warm fires in a cabin anywhere it might be snowy. Then she could let her muse loose on a writing rampage that would probably result in the loss of limb function! Instead, she sits in front of noisy fans and types in waves while fielding the needs of her family. She loves to hear from readers and you can find her almost anywhere on the web.
Connect with Ayla here: website | blog | facebook
Generally, how long does it take to complete a book?
If the story idea has been stewing in my head for a bit, I can knock out a rough draft of a 30K story in about a week. Then comes the edits and revisions which can take another couple of weeks. All in all, about one month.
Do you have a schedule you work by?
I should have a schedule, but nothing's set in stone with me. It drives my family nuts. Typically (as I am NOT a morning person), I write when everyone's gone to bed. When deadline time approaches, I squeeze in writing time in every free moment I have. And, if I'm on a good roll, everything else in my life falls to the wayside while I type.
How do you come up with story ideas?
Everywhere and everything. I get a lot of ideas from songs. A song is basically a very short version of a longer story. Sometimes the refrain or idea of a song will spark something in me and I'll develop a whole tale around the words. Other times it can be something put out there, like a submission call. A publisher may say, ""we want stories that explore this idea."" I'll sleep on it, as the saying goes, and something good will spark and off I'll write.
What are your thoughts on love scenes?
Unless the romance novel is geared toward young adults, I think love scenes are very important to romance stories. I'm not one who is picky over before-marriage/after-marriage; I'm more interested in the developing relationship, period. I've read stories I've enjoyed where the love scenes were behind closed doors. The stories themselves were good, but I always felt it lacked something vital. It's not because I'm a voyeur, but because I believe strongly that intimacy can and does reveal a great deal about the characters and how the love story progresses. There is a vulnerability and openness to trust and deeper emotions during lovemaking. I want to see that part of the relationship. I want to read about how moved the heroine was that she cried and how the hero reacted to this emotion. I want to read about how the heroes dominance carries over in the intimate relationship. Is his heavy-handedness valid and can it make me believe how the heroine can fall so deeply in love with him? These kinds of things, IMO, can only be revealed through lovemaking.
What does your husband think about your writing?
I smile as I write this because it's mixed. Secretly, he's proud of me, but it's not something that he'll ever share. Most of the family in general has no idea what I write--or that I'm published--and he'd rather keep it that way. I mean, it's enough I write romance, but that I write erotic romance? Very few people I know would react kindly to this knowledge.
Do you ever ask him for advice?
Believe it or not, I do. Well, not advice per se, but I will talk about my stories with him as I'm developing them. He'll help me brainstorm and even give ideas if I'm feeling stuck. The other night, in fact, he helped me work through a wall I'd had in a new story I'm writing. He may not ever read my stories, but he knows enough about them to understand when I say, ""the alien one,"" or ""the pirate one.""
Tell us about your latest book
FEVER HITCH (EARTH CON) was created from my publisher's series idea. At it's basic form, we (the interested authors) had to create stories set in a comic book convention with aliens. This discussion started my mind to spinning and my result is FEVER HITCH. As far as genre, it's classified as sci-fi/paranormal romance at Changeling Press.
Felicia Walker loves her job as an illustrator at Fever Hitch Comics. During this year’s annual Earth Con, she will not only draw caricatures, but she’ll also be decked out in body paint to represent the F’ldae -- an alien species from the comics. As she starts off a night exploring the off-limits, alien side of the convention, Felicia is unprepared for the spiraling events that will make her behave like a true F’ldae… in full mating heat.Agent Slate Reese, along with his best friend Agent Ryker Seals, are Metons who want to settle down, but they’re having a difficult time finding the female to complete their mating trio. With the vast assortment of alien species converging on this area, surely there’s one female who wouldn’t mind spending a night with both of them.
Changeling Press | Amazon
Share what reviewers are saying about Fever Hitch.
5 stars from Alberta (Manic Readers): ""I loved the characters, the premise, the word pictures, the sex and the excitement of the Con, just everything.""
4 Taps from Daria (We Love Kink): ""it was entertaining bit of sci-fi mixed with erotica. The characters as well as the story was fun.""
Enjoy an EXCERPT!
Ryker lifted the drink to his lips and took a long swig. “Ah, Tazar beer. Nothing else like it in the universe.”
“You aren’t shittin’ me,” Slate mumbled, sipping modestly of his drink. “Stuff tastes like crap. I don’t see how you stomach it.”
“Acquired taste, my man.”
Slate grunted and set his forearms on the table.
“Do you think we’ll get any hits?” he asked Ry.
Ry shrugged and watched various species interact on the dance floor. “It’s a big convention. We made our rounds, dropped our hints, left our contacts. Now we sit and wait.”
Slate rubbed his huge hands together. “Something feels off.”
“You ever been to a con before?”
Slate shook his head no.
“They always feel off, like the universe is tilted or something. I think it’s because of the huge intermix of species coupled with the fact that we’re in an alternate plane here. Remember, the humans have not accepted other species as a general rule, so our presence is still relatively unknown to the humans next door.”
Slate chuckled. “You’ve always been the analyzer.”
“It’s why you keep me as your partner.”
The men shared a brief chuckle, then Slate spoke up again.
“Remember that walkway over on the human side? It was near the booth for that comic book place.”
“You mean Fever Hitch -- they’re the ones sponsoring this whole thing. But yeah, I remember. Why?”
“Did you see the F’ldae onstage?”
“No. Really? They don’t go out much. That species is frightened of their own skin.”
“Exactly. So why am I seeing the same F’ldae on the dance floor?”
Ry whipped his head around to where Slate was boring a hole through a female. Yes, it was a F’ldae, and Ry couldn’t believe his eyes. The little female was snuggled up next to a Bulzant, and that overgrown plastic looking thing looked to almost swallow the female. She turned bright eyes up to it and said something that made the Bulzant quiver.
“Damn, I never knew that species could move like that,” Ry said, amazed.
“What? The F’ldae?”
“No, the Bulzant.”
“Does it look like she’s okay to you?”
“Who? The F’ldae? Yes. She’s jamming right along --“ Ry cut his words off as his eyes zeroed in on her.
“What?” Slate wanted to know.
Ry chuckled. “Looks like your timid little creature is in heat.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wait until she turns -- there. See the orange markings along her ribcage? When a F’ldae goes into heat, those markings show up.”
Ry shifted back to his drink and noticed Slate hadn’t taken his eyes off the female. Hmm…
On the human side, he’d noticed Slate staring at the walkway but hadn’t thought too much about it. It seemed that F’ldae had caught his eye. And seeing her move on the dance floor just a little bit ago had caught Ry’s eye.
A F’ldae. In heat.
They didn’t have to ask her to be their third in a permanent relationship, but maybe he could sweet talk her into being their third for the night.
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