Hi Leslie, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses. I am pleased to have you here today to learn a little more about you and your books.
Leslie : I’m excited to be here! Thanks for having me.
Books-n-Kisses: Tell me a 10 fun facts about yourself.
Leslie: Well, I write erotica and erotic romance in the MM and MMF categories. I read everything from metaphysical books to horror and everything in between. Dark chocolate is too bitter for my taste buds. Most of my story ideas come to me in dreams. Some of my story ideas are inspired by music. Driving scares me. So, I stopped driving in 2001. Art (in every form) moves me. I’m a mother of three girls. I’m also a wife. And where are we? Ah, one more. Hmm, I enjoy watching hot, sweaty men sing and dance on stage.
BK: Tell us about your book Benefits of Sharing.
Leslie: Have you ever had a regret that held you back? In my story, Benefits of Sharing, Cara has a regret that goes back ten years and it’s keeping her from enjoying turning thirty. Her regret? Not enjoying wild and exciting experiences in college with her then crush Ryan. To cheer her up, her husband arranges a sexual tryst between his young coworker Isaac and Cara. As her birthday approaches, she’s quick to learn the Benefits of “Sharing.”
BK: In your story you have a M/M/F relationship. What are the challenges of writing this type of relationship?
Leslie: Well, we have three main characters instead of the popular hero and heroine, or hero and hero. *wink* This is a challenge only because there are more personalities, backstories, dialogue and motives to incorporate into the story. That, and the fact that you have to equally give everyone their time in the spotlight because readers want to know and like each member of the threesome. You have to make sure all participants get equal attention or at least enjoy it as much as the others. In an m/m/f threesome, the men have to enjoy each other as well (maybe not at first but eventually). Oh, and another challenge…making sure you clearly know where everyone’s hands are during the love/sex scenes. Getting it all right should make for a satisfying and successful M/M/F relationship.
BK: Does your family/friends read your books? If yes, what are their reactions?
Leslie: A few has read my erotic romances. Their reactions don’t come as a surprise to me, some are uncomfortable with the diverse sex scenes, and others have a great reading experience. Instead of dwelling on their uncomfortable reading experience, I just look at it this way. You will never fully enjoy a great romantic flick if you keep covering your eyes when the hot lovemaking pops onto the screen.
BK: Do you ever get writers block? If yes, what do you do to get unblocked?
Leslie: The dreaded writers block. When my brain freezes up on me, I use a special trick to defrost it. I jump ahead. I start writing the next pivotal scene, or chapter. Or I jump ahead to the climax or even the end. If that doesn’t work, I type without looking at the screen to prevent self-editing which is sometimes what’s keeping me from making progress.
BK: What are your writing rituals? Anything you have to have while writing?
Leslie: Music. Some writers need peace and quiet. All I need is music to match the mood of the story and I can write for hours. And if a particular song keeps the ideas flowing, I put it on repeat.
BK: Favorite all-time author and why
Leslie: I absolutely love V.C. Andrews’s novels, the first ones especially. My favorite is Flowers in the Attic. While reading that story I was completely immersed in the lives of the children and the wickedness of their grandmother. The family secrets and plot twists in her novels always keep me reading. That’s why I love to incorporate twists in my own stories.
BK: Favorite line or scene in Benefits of Sharing?
Leslie: Cara had once heard, “you only regret the things you don’t do.” Eventually time and fate had led her to a wonderful marriage with James. And being married to James was like falling in love over and over again as the years went by.
BK: How long does it take you to write a story?
Leslie: To write the first draft of a novel will usually take me several months, maybe even a year or so. A novella could take a couple months for me to finish. And a short story a few weeks. It takes me a while to complete a project because I’m so busy with the day job (I work nights as a home health aide) and raising my family.
BK: What is your next work in progress?
Leslie: I have several works in progress but I’m focusing more on Before the Darkness, a post-apocalyptic m/m erotic romance. Yeah, romance. It focuses on the budding relationship between two survivors of an asteroid impact and it will have a happy ending. I’m even playing around with the idea of making it the first book of a three book series.
Books-n-Kisses: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Leslie: Benefits of Sharing is now available at Breathless Press: http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/361
To find more about me and my books visit my website: www.leslieleesanders.com
Once again, thank you for having me and thanks to you readers for reading!
Giveaway Time:
We will be giving away an e-book of Benefits of Sharing.
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Giveaway ends August 26th
Winner announced August 29th
Giveaway ends August 26th
Winner announced August 29th
I would love to win a copy! I got a peak into Leslie's personality with a Guilty Pleasure post and she had me giggling.
Thanks MichelleKCanada @AnotherLookBook (if I win can you just Tweet me?)
I want to thank Books-n-Kisses for having me. Let me tell you, great interview questions!
Hi, Michelle!! *waves* Glad to see you here. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
great to hear from you, and how you beat writers block. I eat chocolate, drink wine, moan cuss and then ignore everything. Then after a period of sulking get on with it… miss that bit out… leave a big red blob where it should be… even leave the darn thing altogether and puddle around with something else.
eventually, and so far luckily its never been too long (Well except for one 40K + that I've just had to leave for months, but i'm trying not to think about THAT).
I'm enjoying learning how other peoples minds work!
Great interview ladies.I have read a few of Leslie's books and really enjoyed them.I am looking forward to reading Benefits of Sharing.It sounds super hot 🙂
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Whats not to love about this type of book… great interview!
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Hi, Raven, elaing8 and Kellie!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck to everyone! 🙂
These books are so my fave, love them!! Very excited to learn about this author. Awesome interview, it kept me interested the whole time!
Leslie Lee Sanders is a new author to me but I would love to read this book. It sounds great. Btw, I too grew up reading VC Andrews books and loved them.
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i would love to win a copy i cant wait
i am following blog etc
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