From the wilds of Canada (ok, maybe not so wild actually) comes erotica author Shawna Hunter. At the ripe ol’ age of 29 Shawna is making a name for herself writing books with such titles like Beauty and the Bitch and Their Wild Little Girl. With a unique twist through lots of her work, Shawna has created a fictional town where her characters come to engage in all kinds of naughty fun and tell their rich stories. I had occasion to speak to this prolific naughty wordsmith as she makes her warm hearth in Ontario with her two dogs and black cat, getting her take on what she does and the world of modern erotica publishing in general.
You created Brooke’s Hallow, the fictional town where most of your stuff is based. What’s the benefit (and conversely detriment) for a writer employing this conceit?
Brooke’s Hollow provides an easy jumping off point to draw stories from as well as opening the door to cross-over and ensemble pieces. One such example is “Alyssa†from my book Submission Backstory: Memoir of a BDSM Authoress appears in my Beauty and the Bitch. In my latest work, I will also have Alyssa meet the characters from Their Wild Little Girl.
The idea is drawn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only on a much smaller scale. The stories can stand alone and/or connect in a series. The only drawbacks are maintaining continuity and suspension of disbelief. With such a small town I don’t want to make it seem like every person is having sex all the time and with established characters, I want to avoid having the essentials of each character change from story to story (though the perception may change based on the observer).
Do you write to a niche or any particular kink? Is that informed by your personal life or fantasies you have?
I try to avoid niche markets and mix kinks as much as possible. I have a few recurring ones such as multiple forced orgasms, bondage, spanking and muscular women, which suit my own tastes, but generally I try to draw inspiration from a variety of sources and not just my own life. I do find I have difficulty with submissive males but I will be working to overcome that in later books as these will become necessary to a broader story arch I’m planning.
What was your first reaction to hearing your books read into audio book? (Wordwooze Publishing has recently published Shawna’s books in audio book format).
Off the cuff I was a little put off because the narrator didn’t quite sound like the voice I had in my head for the character but a few chapters in I began to prefer her take on it. Now I can’t imagine the character sounding any different.
Other than the books you mentioned above, where else have you published? Are you primarily a novelist or long form author? Do you write short stories?
My first novel-which Wordwooze is publishing in audiobook format in early November-was published through Stormy Night initially. It was my first novel of any description. Aside from that, my only published piece of writing was a book review I wrote in high school, which was published in What If magazine.
Do you write any other kind of stuff other than erotica?
I’ve attempted other genres (horror, mystery, adventure, etc.) but I never completed a manuscript. Erotica is the only genre that’s held my interest long enough. I do occasionally publish short stories on social media but these are mostly just little things I jot down between actual books.
What is your particularly favorite kind of erotica to write? What happens in your favorite scenes or between characters that you really like to explore?
Playful, light-hearted and yet highly sexual. I like witty, emotionally stable characters who don’t take themselves too seriously and realize that sex (and BDSM) are meant to be enjoyed. Too often characters in these genres are brooding, damaged and depressing. I like characters who crack jokes while getting spanked and laugh at their foibles.
What are you working on currently?
My current work is almost finished and should be ready to submit to publishers by mid- November. After that I have a psychological horror idea that will focus on a girl who’s agoraphobia is broken by a seductive mystery man who may be far less than trustworthy and far more than human (but not a vampire, that’s been done to death).
Where can people find you?
My FB fan page is: https://www.facebook.com/ShawnaHunterErotica/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shawna_Hunter_A
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14982661.Shawna_Hunter
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shawna-Hunter/e/B01BPPELTY
