AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY (CLOSED) – JODI ELLEN MALPAS – BENEATH THIS MAN

This Man is another book I have voted for in every Goodreads list I could come across. I can’t say enough good things about that book! With Beneath this Man, Book #2 (one of the most highly anticipated sequels this year) I just had to chat with the author! PLUS she’s giving away two copies of Beneath this Man on release day!

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Jessy: Welcome to Jessy’s Book Club Jodi! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Jodi: I’m a normal British girl! Does 32 count as a girl? I hope so. I have worked for my Father’s construction business for 12 years, although I recently handed in my notice because I can’t possibly hold down a day job, look after my home and family and write. I have been for too long now, and I am thoroughly exhausted! I was born and raised in the Midlands, UK, and have had a normal life, until now. I have two boys, a husband and a Beagle. Like I said..normal!

Jessy: You’re self published. Why and how did this decision come about?

Jodi: I did my research here. Out of 1000 manuscripts an agent receives, they take just one, sometimes none. It’s a tough world. I planned on self-publishing, but I did send This Man to some London agents anyway. They can take months to respond, if they even do. I went ahead with self-publishing, and I still haven’t heard back from some of them – probably never will, but I went into that with no expectations or hope, so I’m not at all disappointed. Self-publishing is incredible. It’s given authors all over the world the opportunity to get their work out there without a publishing deal, and it’s opened up a massive library of amazing books to readers, too.

Jessy: Agreed. 90% of my favorite books last year were self-published.

So after publishing This Man, did people (strangers or friends) come up to you wanting to talk about sex and erotica? I’ve always imagined this happens to Erotica/Erotic Romance authors.

Jodi: Haha! I obviously get asked where my ideas and inspirations come from, but I have a vivid imagination. I know exactly what I want to achieve in sex scenes, depending on what sort of situation the characters are in -romantic, lustful, frantic… The list goes on! I’ve no doubt people are intrigued, especially the men I know.

Jessy: What would you say is your favorite book of all time?

Jodi: Oh? That’s a tough one. I was most intrigued with The Da Vinci Code. Strange, I know, but history really gets me.

Jessy: Let’s talk This Man. He’s as Alpha Male as they come but some found him a tad crazy. You also refer to him as crazy man. Why the need to create such a complex character?

Jodi: He is a bit crazy, isn’t he? I really wanted to create a man who women would hate but can’t help loving either. I’ve said it before, he’s a lucky bag of a man. Sometimes you’re delighted, sometimes you want to throw him at the wall in disgust! It’s an emotional thing that seems to capture women’s interest and imagination. I really didn’t want women to understand him, not at first, anyway. Beneath This Man will answer some questions that I know are driving people insane. I would like to take this opportunity to give a public apology for ending This Man so horribly. Sorry. But it sets the pace for Beneath perfectly.

Jessy: Yeah I came close to tossing my kindle in the bin after that ending! 

How much of yourself did you put into Ava’s character or Jesse’s for that matter?

Jodi: Haha! There is none of Jesse in me! A bit of Ava. She’s strong-minded, independent and loyal. She’s a normal girl about town, and I guess I am too. Everyone always gets so into the hero of a story. I wanted to create a heroine who my readers could relate to. Like I said, a normal girl about town.

Jessy: Now for a naughty one. Describe to us your process of writing a steamy scene. Do you draw from experience? Fantasies? Google?

Jodi: LOL!!!! No experiences! Fantasies? Maybe, I’m not ashamed to admit that. What woman doesn’t want to be taken with such intensity? I have numerous tracks that really get my sexual juices flowing, and I was surprised how easy I found it to write my first ever erotic scene. It just came, and came! I was dreading it as well – really dreading it, but Jesse and Ava have a lot of sex. They communicate through sex, so it’s a good job I don’t struggle in this area of my writing.

Jessy: There’re definitely a few scenes I can’t get out of my head 😉

I remember the day after I found This Man on Amazon. I searched for your Facebook Page and your post was something like “I slept and in the meantime America woke up and bought my book.” Was that the day you realized your book has taken off? Can you tell us more about the actual day?

Jodi: God, I’ll never forget that day. I don’t even know what happened. It just kind of exploded. I absolutely never anticipated selling a book in the US, so to say I was shocked would be an understatement. I published on October 20th, and I think this happened around the beginning of November. I was in London, shopping at the time. Now, I have more American friends on Facebook and Twitter than I do British. I love the banter I have with my US readers. It’s all about jumpers and knickers!

Jessy: I can honestly say I’ve never used the word ‘knickers’ in my life…I just might start 🙂

Moving on. There are many who credit the success of Erotic Romance and Erotica books in general to Fifty Shades of Grey/E.L James. However, some author’s don’t want their books associated with the Fifty Shades Trilogy. What’s your take on this?

Jodi: This Man has been compared to Fifty Shades a lot, but the only similarity I see is the dominant male. I have absolutely no problem at all with being compared to Fifty. It can only be a good thing, given that the trilogy has captured the imagination of millions of women all over the world. Nope, no problem at all. E.L James has opened up a whole new world to millions of women. She should get a medal.

Jessy: Speaking of medals, as a service to my countrymen and none-English speakers, I have to ask. Are there any plans of publishing the trilogy in other languages?

Jodi: Unfortunately, I believe, you only get your work translated if you have a publishing deal and they sell the rights to other countries. I’m self-published, so the answer is no, I suppose. Maybe one day, who knows?

Jesse: Do you plan on venturing into other genres?

Jodi: No. For now, I’m sticking to romance and erotica! I love the response I’m getting from women. I love feeding their imaginations and fantasies. I love it! I’m definitely happy staying where I am with love, sex and intensity, but keeping a good story line too. That’s top of my achieve list. Maybe in the future, though.

Jessy: What’s next after the trilogy?

Jodi: I had a pure clarity moment the other day. My first standalone novel all fell into place. I mapped it out in my journal so it’s ready to crack on with once I complete book#3 of the This Man Trilogy. That will be strange after devoting the last few years to Jesse and Ava. I’ll be so sad when I finish telling their story.

Jessy: I can imagine… though i’m glad that even after their story is told we have much more to look forward to from you. Thanks so much Jodi! Friday can’t get here soon enough!

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GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is open internationally. All you have to do is leave a comment below. Anything you like. And while you’re at it, why don’t you head over to Jessy’s Book Club on Facebook and like the page 🙂

Two winners will be chosen on Thursday 17th January. Kindly remember that these are Kindle copies. If you don’t have a Kindle Device you can download the free kindle app to your laptop, ipad or phone.

Competition closes on Thursday 17 January 2013. I’ll try to get the books to the winners soon after release. 

UPDATE: Since the book is out on .COM, the giveaway will be closed much earlier today, wouldn’t want to make you wait long for Jesse!

Follow the author – Twitter: @JodiEllenMalpas

– Goodreads: Jodi Ellen Malpas

-Facebook: This Man Page

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Congratulations Tess and Bennita!