Author Chat Friday with Phoenix - More Questions Authors Don't Like

So once again I'm back to discuss three more questions authors don't like being asked. These three questions are suggested by fellow author Dy. 

"You must be good at sex."
Obviously specific to romance and erotica authors, this question is extremely confronting. An author's ability and confidence to write hot sex scenes is no reflection on their skills in the bedroom, and in fact it's quite rude to ask. It's natural to wonder, of course. But to actually ask an author such a personal question, or make the statement, is a little bit more information than an author usually likes to provide about themselves. The fact that an author writes about steamy sex scenes doesn't mean that they're asking for such questions, either. Rule of thumb: if you wouldn't want people asking about your sex life, don't ask other's about theirs. Even if they are a writer of erotica and/or romance. 

"What does your mother think?"
There are a number of reasons why this question is a drag. Not every person knows their mother for one thing; you can't be sure the author hasn't lost their mother, or that they're in contact with their mother. 
Aside from that, this is a question that suggests writing certain genres is shameful. Many authors have open relationships with their mothers, and so their mother might fully support their son or daughter in the genre they write; or maybe it's a sore spot between author and mother. This is another question that, although is natural to be curious about, is one best left unasked. It's personal, and only between the author and their family. 

"Where do the ideas come from?"
I've been asked this in a few blog interviews, which I don't mind. But when you're asked by every fan you come across, it can quickly become a hated question. 
Ideas come from many places. Maybe the author sees something on the news and the mind goes in to overdrive, spinning out possible story lines to follow or lead up to that event. Or maybe an odd conversation with a friend or fan sparks a story. Let me list two different examples for where some of my ideas have come from.
The Wolf in the Neighborhood, for example. I was lying in bed, trying to drift off to sleep but my mind just wouldn't pipe down. A random scene (the opening scene, in fact) popped in to my head vividly; I could feel the satin dressing gown, the heat of the sun and the cool breeze. It started writing itself in my mind so I flipped over to my stomach, grabbed my phone and started typing away in Drafts. That little snippet, probably only about 150 words, sparked the entire story, which then sparked the two sequels.
Acapello's Lady is one that I always share for a laugh. I was dancing around to Zumba with guilty pleasure song Cotton Eyed Joe on repeat, blasting away. The idea began to tease me. After the zumba session, the song still on repeat, I jumped in to the cold shower and the idea started forming in to something solid. Allowing it to form a bit more, I hopped out, straight to the computer and started writing. I always shake my head and grin at how random that one came about! 

So while a newbie like myself might be happy sharing a story or two about how some of our ideas come about, not all authors like hearing that question. Sometimes the ideas just come out of thin air; there isn't an interesting story behind everything we write. So just keep it in mind next time. Just because we write interesting stories, doesn't mean we have something interesting behind them. 

And so ends another episode of "Questions authors don't like." To see what other questions I've discussed so far, you can view the previous blog posts here and here. For the next two Fridays, I have two new guests, Karenna Colcroft and Kharisma Rhayne will be joining the roster due to busier schedules of Liz and Delena. These two ladies are quite lovely and very interesting, so I hope you're looking forward to see what topics these saucy ladies come up with! 

More Common Questions Asked of Authors, with Phoenix Johnson

Another month is under way and we're back to me for Author Chat Friday. Last time I covered three of the most common questions asked of authors; "Will your book be in print?", "What happens in the next one?" and "Being an author must be so awesome, you get to stay at home all day!".
This week, I have another three doozies authors are asked or may overhear readers saying. What I'm aiming for with these posts is to let readers know that the obvious questions are questions we are tired of hearing, and there are some that are down-right rude and disrespectful. So please, next time you get the chance to talk to an author, be they friend, family, or your favourite author of all time, just stop and think before you speak. You'll be doing everyone involved a huge favour!

"I love *insert favourite character here* from your book. I'm thinking about writing my own novel, do you think I could use *aforementioned favourite character*?" 

Derek: please don't "borrow" him!

Yes. Sure. Because we love having the characters we worked so hard for to be "borrowed" and, in a lot of cases, not credited back to us. (Sarcasm, by the way) NO! Fan art can be great, I will admit, but when it starts to make money and become famous, then there could be a problem. Copyright. The author who originally wrote that character/storyline has legal ownership of that character/storyline, and if it can be proven that the now-famous-fan-art has indeed used said character/storyline without accrediting it to the original author, the fan-art author can find themselves on the wrong end of a law suit. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when we're talking about intellectual property, then it's called theft. So please, if you're interested in writing your own story, put the same amount of hard work and thought in to creating something original, just like your favourite authors have done. Sure, the fan-art thing worked for some authors, but many others would face law suits. So play it safe, and create your own. You'll find more satisfaction from creating your own worlds, characters and stories anyway, believe me!

"What is the wildest/weirdest thing you've done in the name of research?"

I get that, with erotica especially, it's a natural reaction for a reader to be curious. Has the author tried those positions? Is this what the author enjoys sexually? Now, while the want to have those questions answered is natural, please, PLEASE do not ask us. What we write and what we do in private are often completely different. What we write is supposed to be fairly wild to get your attention; what we do in private... well, that's private. Think of it like this: would you ask your siblings what they're craziest sex-capade is? More than likely not. So please, when it comes to our sexual lives, think of us as a sibling; too much information! 
As for non-erotic... well, that comes down to the author, if they want to share or not. I know myself, after seeing the first Saw movie wondered what the heck made the writers think of those storylines. And I did wonder if they'd tried any of that for real... Then I thought I really don't want to know... So for the non-erotic authors, you could probably ask, but I wouldn't promise an answer. It's an irksome question!
Now, this leads on to the next question...

"Have you done everything your characters do in the story?"

Well for some stories, it's physically impossible. I mean, there are some characters that fly, for crying out loud, or, like in Wolf Smitten, there are werewolves or other paranormal creatures. Just not possible, though it can be fun to pretend. However a lot of authors live vicariously through their characters. What they write is what they'd love to do but don't have the courage or time to. Thinking that authors do everything that their characters do, out of research or just because authors write what they know, is a little naive. Some authors are able to actually live their books; most of us have to settle for less. Doesn't mean we're not happy, we just don't all have the crazy, dreamy lives that we give our characters. 

So hopefully I've helped enlighten you some more on what authors hate being asked or hate overhearing. We're people too, just like you. If that question might annoy you, then it will probably annoy an author, so think before you ask. I would also like to thank Delena Silverfox, Angela Castle and Imogen Nix for helping me with the questions this week!
Thank you!

Author Chat Friday with Phoenix Johnson

So once again I am a little late, and I do apologise. Yesterday was a pretty silly day, and then by the time I had a chance to post, I had no idea just what to write. So I slept on it, and I think I have an idea now. Of course, the way my mind works I'll probably start of talking about topic A and then end up talking about a dream I had last month on a Tuesday night... If I do go off on a tangent, please do bare with me; I plead pregnancy brain! (For those who don't know, my partner and I are expecting our second child in August. So I will probably be a little silly with posts for a while, and with moving to a bigger place in a couple months, things will be a bit hectic. But I won't forget about The Naughty Pages, I promise.)

Alright, what was I saying... Oh, that's right. What my author chat today is about. The annoying and silly questions authors get asked. Knowing as many other authors as I do, I can tell you, there have been some real doozies! 

"Will your book be in print?"
Now, in itself, it doesn't annoy me. My first one has only come to ebook, but I'm hoping it's popular enough the publisher finds it worthwhile putting the trilogy in to print. We'll see further down the road. I know, however, that other authors quite probably get frustrated by this. Ebooks are becoming more popular than print, yet there are so many people still asking for print. I love that, personally. I'll always prefer hard copy to digital as a reader. However, the digital copy means that stories that are short, yet don't necessarily belong in an anthology can now stand on their own and be read, and loved, by readers like stories are meant to be. Unfortunately, with so many readers still preferring print, many authors will be asked this question A LOT, and more than likely get quite frustrated by it. 

"What happens in the next one?"
I have had a few people try to pry the plot out of me for Once Bitten Twice Shy (book two of Wolf Smitten), but I've been able to laugh it off. If you want to know, you have to sit patiently and wait. I know, it's frustrating to wait so desperately for a sequel. I have done plenty of waiting for "the next book" myself, so believe me, I know. And it's not just the reader waiting; often, the book may already be written, but it needs to go to an editor. Editors have many other books to edit, so they can't drop everything just to get one particular one published. Besides, the wait makes it all the sweeter, doesn't it? 
Back to the question, though. Many readers might try to claim they know what the next book in a series is about. It's the same with movies. Goodness knows how many false trailers for movie sequels I've seen. The Fast in the Furious series is a great example. The sixth movie is only just about to come out, yet there are already false trailers for a seventh on youtube, using clips from movies not even in the FF series! It's really a bit idiotic, in my opinion. There isn't even a promise that there will be a seventh. Seriously, fans, just calm down and continue with your actual lives, please. Leave that up to the writers. 

"Being an author must be so awesome, you get to stay at home all day!"
Ok, I haven't been asked this, but I know it's an assumption many people have. One I intend to correct. No, this is not always the case. I have a few friends who work 60+ hours a week in a "normal" job, then come home and still manage to write a few thousand words before crashing in to bed, to start it all again tomorrow. One in particular, I still just shake my head at the amount that she does every day. Wow. (You know who you are, lady!)
Myself? Ok, yes. I stay at home all day. But I'm not kicking back doing nothing until inspiration hits. I study full time. I have a 3-almost-4-year-old with another on the way. I proof-read. I have a place to keep clean (thank you so much to my fantastic man for helping with that!), and food to cook (again, thank you for helping most nights, babe!). Then, when I can squeeze some brain power after studying and proof-reading, THEN I might be able to get some words written down for the next one. Very few authors are able to sit at home all day to focus on writing. Most of us have full time jobs we need to keep to support the family and keep our backsides in a house with power so we can type away at our computers. Or, in my case, study so that I can get a great job. Point being, it's not an easy ride like so many people assume. Life does get in the way quite often. So unless it's someone like J K Rowling (who would still have public appearances and all that famous person stuff), then don't assume they sit at home all day doing next to nothing. 

Well, I think 3 questions is enough for this week. I might have some more for next time. It's a month away, so we'll just see now, won't we? 

Next time you go to ask an author a question, stop and think for a minute. Make sure it's not a question that could make you look like an arse. The author will thank you for it!