BDSM Bedtime Stories Season Two Episode Six: Tara Quan
Today we have an up and coming author, Tara Quan sharing an erotic excerpt of her
book. This delicious piece is narrated
by Sirly Eric. You are in for a
treat! Tara also stopped by for an
author interview.
La Crimson Femme: You travel the
world with your husband: 4 moves in 3 years. Are you allowed to reveal
the locations you've lived? If so, do tell! What did you like about
each place?
Tara Quan: In 2010, I moved from
Washington, D.C. to Abu Dhabi (the capital of the United Arab Emirates). Once I
got over the culture shock, I absolutely adored the city. It was always sunny,
so there were countless opportunities to be outdoors. Two years later, we
relocated back to the U.S. for a few months before moving to Karachi
(Pakistan’s equivalent of New York). What I enjoyed most about my year there
was the close-knit community. It was like being back in college—getting
together with friends involved walking down the hall and knocking on their
door. Of course, now that I’m back in the U.S., I appreciate this country even
more. Next summer, we move to Rome for three years!
La Crimson Femme: That would be a
culture shock! What were differences you
had to adjust to that you didn't think about?
You mention a close-knit community.
Are these basically an ex-patriot community? If so, can you tell us a bit more about this
and what surprised you? Did this group
know you are a writer?
Tara Quan: In Abu Dhabi,
people were used to seeing foreigners. In Karachi, not so much. The concept of
being an Asian-American also didn’t translate very well. Whenever I said I was
from the U.S., no one would believe me. I ended up just saying I was from
Thailand to avoid confusion.
My husband and I were more or less stuck inside a guarded compound with about three dozen other American employees. We lived in a small apartment building next to his office, and we didn’t have the opportunity to go to the city much. As such, I got to know our colleagues really well, and we got along fabulously. A few of them did buy my books as a show of support, but I’m not sure if anyone actually read them.
La Crimson Femme: Since you’ve
been overseas in different locations, does this provide you with more material
you can incorporate into your books?
Tara Quan: The fantasy desert
setting in Warlock’s Pawn was definitely
inspired by my two years in the U.A.E. (specifically the Empty Quarter and a
resort called Qasr al Sarab). I’ve also published a contemporary romance (not
BDSM), which is set in both the U.A.E. and Pakistan.
La Crimson Femme: What made you
decide to write three different series at the same time? Does one series
of characters shout out louder to be written than another? If so, which
one?
Tara Quan: I made a conscious
decision to switch between three writing styles, subgenres, and heat levels. I
need to find out what my strengths are, and I think it helps keep my writing
fresh. Each series forces me to focus different aspects of a romance. Warlock’s Pawn tested my comfort zone when it
came to sex scenes, while More Than Strangers,
a lower heat level contemporary romance, relied more heavily on chemistry and
dialogue. I think the sequel to Tower in the
Woods is much better than it would have been had I written it
immediately after finishing the first book.
It’s
almost impossible to resist starting a sequel once the first is finished. When
I approached the end of Tower in the Woods,
I was chomping at the bit to start writing Catching
Red (tentative title). The same thing happened when I was done writing Warlock’s Pawn. In both cases, I had the
sequels mentally mapped out long before I typed “The End” on the first books.
The hero for the next Captive Fates is the most insistent since he plays a
significant role in the first book and is particularly bossy. But because
his story is going to take the longest to write, I decided to tackle him last
(side note: the other two sequels are in the revision stage, so he shouldn’t
have to wait much longer).
La Crimson Femme: With an Asian
family background and you not being in the accepted doctor, lawyer or engineer
career, how did your family adjust to you being a writer? Do they read
your books? Do they know about the hawt kinky sex you wrote into
Warlock's Pawn?
Tara Quan: I’m blessed (and
cursed) with very cool parents. My mom did buy Warlock’s
Pawn and claims she has read it. However, I purposefully change the
subject whenever she brings it up.
La Crimson Femme: What is
something you'd really like to write into a story but you can't because it
would be too taboo, too out there, etc.?
Tara Quan: Dubious consent. In
certain specific cases, I would love the freedom to tip-toe a bit closer to the
line. But every time I attempt this, it doesn’t make it into the final product
(for reasons I completely understand and agree with). I think the ability
to skirt this line with skill comes with practice, and hopefully I’ll be able
to get closer as I become a better writer.
La Crimson Femme: Is it an editor
who makes the cut with the dubious consent?
Since it ended up on the cutting room table, have you thought of perhaps
offering the deviant snippet as a freebie?
Tara Quan: The first time I made the cut, it was in collaboration with my content editor. And, my offer of publication was conditional upon the removal of this scene, so I knew what I was getting into before I signed the contract. The second time, I was given a “Revise and Resubmit,” and one of the many requested changes involved redoing a few of the sex scenes to clearly establish consent. Since I got to make the changes myself, a large portion of the scenes I originally wrote stayed--I just had to change some words and add a few paragraphs here and there.
I haven’t thought about offering the cut scene because I doubt there’ll be much interest. For one, it’s an F/F scene. My (very awesome) editor also went through a great deal of trouble to show me how the scene could be misconstrued as non-consent, so it’ll need a lot of work to make it ready for prime time. On top of all that, it’s completely nonessential to the story.
That said, authors are known to recycle. A variation of this scene might show up in one of my future books.
I haven’t thought about offering the cut scene because I doubt there’ll be much interest. For one, it’s an F/F scene. My (very awesome) editor also went through a great deal of trouble to show me how the scene could be misconstrued as non-consent, so it’ll need a lot of work to make it ready for prime time. On top of all that, it’s completely nonessential to the story.
That said, authors are known to recycle. A variation of this scene might show up in one of my future books.
La Crimson Femme: What is the
hardest thing you struggle with as a writer? Why?
Tara Quan: Pessimism. I once read
that writers are the harshest critics of their own work. I can’t speak for
others, but I know it applies to me. When I send a submission email, I’m
convinced I’ll get a rejection. By the time a book is about to go live, I’m
certain it sucks. When it’s out there for all the world to see, a little devil
in my brain screeches “Theeeey will haaaate eeet!”
La Crimson Femme: Ah. *nods wisely*
The Asian in you comes out. I can see it
there! *snicker*
In ten years, where do you see yourself as a writer? Let me
clarify. What genres do you think you will ultimately focus on? How
many books do you intend on publishing by then?
Tara Quan: Oh wow. In an ideal
world, I would like to write two novel-length romances per year—one paranormal
(set in this world but with a slight twist) and one pure sci-fi/fantasy (set in
a world completely divorced from reality). I’d also like to sprinkle in a few
contemporary romance novellas, novelettes, and/or short stories so I can have
an occasional break from intense world-building. Multiplying this goal by ten
gets me to twenty novels and ten shorter-length works (yikes!)
La Crimson Femme: *eyes wide* I think I see your over-achieving
background showing through again. Is it
a few novellas and novelettes/short stories a year? If so, I'm counting actually five a year
which translates to fifty in ten years instead of the thirty. *shakes head* Since you have a crazy ambitious writing
load, let's continue in this vein. What
is the craziest thing you've heard of but you are afraid of trying?
Tara Quan: One of the books this
BDSM group picked to read not so long ago involves fire play. Let’s just say
the idea intrigues me from both a creative and personal standpoint.
La Crimson Femme: Oh! I love fireplay. In fact, I have cups and fire wand. Shall I pull them out and we can play? *evil smirk*
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