Q & A with Esmae Browder

All Things Writing has a few questions for our latest blogger, Esmae Browder! 

What is your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?

I’d say the heat is pretty darn hot in Ophelia’s Lessons! Since this is one of the stories in my Naughty Shakespeare series, I go on a Quill Pen system. This tale gets five Quill Pens! That means it was hot enough for Shakespeare’s quill to catch fire. When it comes to sex scenes, I let them unfold naturally. My erotica is very character driven so the style and type of sex they have is based on their personality.

How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?

Lots of breaks and I have an IV drip of caffeine that goes directly to my heart! Just kidding. It can be tough to sit behind a screen for long periods. I take walks, I go to the store, and I sometimes close my lap top and walk away. Those things help me keep my sanity and let me puzzle out my story.

What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?

In all three books of the Naughty Shakespeare series that are currently out, my favorite thing about the main characters is that they aren’t who we’ve been led to believe. You know, the original stories that Ophelia’s Lessons (Hamlet), Ravishing Rosaline (Romeo and Juliet), and The Taming of the Prude (The Taming of the Shrew) are based on are all over 400 years old. We’ve certain preconceived ideas about them. It’s fun to change up those expectations and give each tale and character a new little twist.

What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?

Humor. If you can’t laugh at yourself or situations, you’re in trouble. I think that’s especially true in novel writing, too. If your characters don’t have a bit of humor now and then, than it’s hard to identify and connect with them.

Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?

I try to be. I love me some Facebook time and Twitter time. I’m constantly fiddling with my website because it’s fun. I love going to book signings and showing off my business cards with the QR codes on them. I think social media is an important tool for writers. It’s not going away, so if you’re serious about promotion, you gotta jump on the bandwagon and start learning about it!

What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?

That it’s important to take risks! All my characters take a risk of some sort. Maybe it results in good things, maybe not. But they take the chance instead of lamenting what could have been.

If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?

Hmmm….so many places. However, I think jolly old England would up first. So much history and culture there. Of course, I’d never survive the plane ride. I’m way to anxiety ridden about flying.


Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!

Ophelia’s Lessons is a fun, erotic, modern day prequel to Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet. Ophelia is a sweet, innocent girl. Or is she? When her roommate, Portia, comes up with a plan to “educate” her on the ways of love, Ophelia discovers there’s a lot more to life than she thought. With the help of Horatio, Ophelia’s eyes are opened to a world of sexual delight that she hopes will help her capture the love of her life, Hamlet. But her new found world could also be her undoing. There are lots of secrets and lies surrounding Hamlet’s family which threatens to suck her in and crush her hopes and dreams…

Gotta question for Esmae? Feel free to ask!

A World Apart by CD Brennan---a review

Ah...young love...it's so much fun to read about! Especially when you've already been through it and come out the other side. I love finding a sweet romance where I'm totally hooked by the end of page one and am reminded of what it was like falling in love for the first time....

Once again, Cd Brennan has pulled me in with her Love Where You Roam series. About a year or so ago I read and reviewed the first book in the series called Watershed and loved it. I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her latest release, A World Apart. What I liked about Watershed and the idea of this series in general, is that it blends people from many cultures together, binding them in love.

In A World Apart, the reader is introduced to Australian Lizzy (who actually made a cameo appearance in Watershed) and Scottish Hamish. Lizzy is currently working as a bar maid in a Scottish pub and researching her family tree. She is headstrong, fun loving, adventurous and unafraid of a challenge--which of course, makes her the exact opposite of serious Hamish. Hamish is the local hottie (his nickname is Hottie Hamish), but he is a shy guy who comes off as being a bit brusque and reserved. He may have the money and background that Lizzie doesn't, but he is seriously lacking in social skills.

He offers Lizzy a job as his house keeper which she accepts. Her first day on the job is not exactly a stellar one--she manages to take his dogs for a long walk and gets lost in the process. Hamish comes to her rescue, but ends up stranding them on the side of a mountain overnight. Well, this leads to some intimate cuddling, which leads to feelings of desire, which leads to...well, you get the picture.

Turns out Hamish is angling for a job at a university but when he interviews for the position, he discovers the university wants more than just a "by the books" teacher. They want someone who can relax, relate to the students, be a human being. Shy Hamish feels out of his league, and when the Dean invites him to a black tie affair, he definitely doesn't know how he will get through the event. However, it occurs to him to take Lizzy who is able to charm the pants off of anyone. Unfortunately, the dinner doesn't go exactly as planned and leads to a series of misconceptions and self doubt.

As usual, Cd Brennan brings her characters to life through great dialogue and accents. It is easy to hear Lizzy's Australian voice which is a contrast to the Scottish brogue of Hamish. These characters felt real to me, very believable. Her book is rich in description of the local scene, but it's the interplay between her characters that really makes this tale fun to read. I wished it hadn't ended so soon! I just wanted to go a little further down the road with these two characters.

While there is some sex in the book, it's nothing graphic. This is a sweetheart book where the romance is the focal point and shows the development of the characters relationship and growth as people. I would give it a low rating on the heat level, but high on the romance!

Here is the Amazon link for the book! Can't wait to see where this series roams next!

A World Apart

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