BLURB:
Sweet, innocent Ophelia--she wants nothing more than to marry
Hamlet Elsinore. But what does a simple virgin know about pleasing a man like
the sophisticated and charming Hamlet? Not a whole lot, but when her seductive
roommate, Portia, learns of Ophelia’s interest, she gets Horatio to “teach” the
innocent girl everything she’ll need to know to seduce his best friend, Hamlet.
Set in modern day, this prequel to Hamlet is steamy enough to have
even the Bard blushing! Enjoy this first book of Literotica in the Naughty
Shakespeare series.
INTERVIEW:
Thanks for having me on your blog today! I love
reaching new readers about my Naughty Shakespeare series and the book Ophelia’s Lessons. This was a fun
interview!--Esmae Browder
- Where did you get the idea for the novel?
Well, I’m
sort of in love with William Shakespeare. Have you heard of him? Old guy? Lived
about 400 years ago? Had a thing for iambic pentameter? Anyway, as a writer, I
can’t help but admire his turn of phrase. My only hang up with Will is that he
doesn’t write the strongest, most developed female characters. The idea for the
Naughty Shakespeare series came to me when I started thinking about that.
Specifically for Ophelia’s Lessons, I
started to wonder about Ophelia’s back story. In the play Hamlet, she’s a good
girl who is bossed around by her father, her brother, and then totally dumped
on by Hamlet. But who was she really? What if she wasn’t as innocent as we were
all led to believe? Viola! Ophelia’s
Lessons was born!
- Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever
change your title?
I came up
with the title. It just sort of fit the story line--young Ophelia is taught
sexual lessons on how to capture Hamlet’s attention with the help of her
roommate Portia and Hamlet’s best friend, Horatio. I think titles are important.
They should not give everything away, but yet should offer a clue as to what
the story is about.
- Why did you pick this genre? What do you like
about it?
I’ve
actually written in the genres of romance, urban fantasy, YA, and even middle
grade. I do have a pen name that I go under which helps me with genre writing.
I love erotic fiction because it’s a challenge to write great sex scenes, but
also keep a story line that keeps the erotic fiction fan interested. I’m always
up for a challenge!
- Since becoming a writer, what’s the most
exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Having
people buy my books is pretty exciting! But I loved the moment when I held my
first published book in my hands. It was like finally seeing your baby without
all the disgusting after birth and goo on it. This was the clean product, the
one that everyone wants! The Naughty Shakespeare series is currently only
available as in ebook so I didn’t get quite the same experience. But that’s
okay! It’s still exciting!
- What book are you currently reading or what
was the last book you read?
The last
book I read was Something Blue by
Emily Giffen. I really enjoyed the way she took a spoiled, selfish, somewhat
unlikeable character and made me root for her.
- What is your writing process?
I hate
that question, because I never have a great answer. My writing process changes
as the story style changes. Sometimes I outline, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I
edit as I go along, and sometimes I just write hard and fast. With Ophelia’s
Lessons, I had a clear picture and thanks to Shakespeare, a working knowledge
of where the story would end--though Ophelia’s Lessons is a modern day prequel.
- At a book signing, do you just sign your name
or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say?
Typically,
I just sign my name. If it’s a book giveaway or someone I know, I try to write
a note in the book to make it even more personal. I never know what to say, and
I’m the absolute queen of messing up my signature. I even spell my own name
wrong sometimes! Still, book signings are so much fun!
- What is something people would be surprised to
know about you?
I have a
true fear of wooden spoons. The texture of them freaks me out. Please do not
send wooden spoons as presents.
- How do you react to a bad review?
I pout. I admit it. I’m human. However, if the review is bad,
but the criticism constructive, then I pay attention. Maybe this reviewer has a
point! On the other hand, if the review is just negative about how much they
hate the book, but don’t tell me why they hate it, I kind of ignore it. It is
what it is and you can’t please everyone.
- How did you celebrate the sale of your first
book?
With vodka. And champagne. And then a really bad hangover the
next day. Still, it was one of the best reasons to have a bad hangover. I kind
of do the same thing anytime I sell a book--whether it’s through a traditional
publisher or as an indie writer.
Thanks again for having me! Just to let all you readers know,
from July 23-26 I will be attending the Romance Writers of America 2014
Conference. For those days, all the stories in the Naughty Shakespeare series
will be free at Amazon.
EXCERPT:
“There’s a difference between flirting and sex.”
“Are you sure?” Horatio moved to her, his gaze
intense, as he tucked a stray ringlet of her dark hair behind her ear. “Why
don’t we find out?”
“But--“
“Portia, you can go now.” He cut off her protests,
but never took his eyes off Ophelia. “Come back in a few hours.”
“Have fun!” Portia winked at Ophelia. “You look
fabulous.”
The click of the door behind her best friend caused
Ophelia jump.
Could she do this? Should she do this? It was one
thing to want to learn the art of sex to please the man you loved--even if he
didn’t really see her like that yet--but another altogether to be seduced by
his best friend.
And could she even claim seduction? After all, she
was a willing party. She’d gone along with Portia’s plan without much thought.
Anything that would make her better for Hamlet.
“I didn’t know it would be you.” Ophelia swallowed
hard. “I assumed it would one of Portia’s ex-lovers.”
“And who’s to say I’m not one of those?” Horatio
laughed lightly. “Would you like a drink?”
He gestured to the champagne Portia had prepared
for them, and without waiting for her answer, went to it. He popped the cork
with expertise, filled their glasses and handed one to her.
“To you, Ophelia,” he said, raising his glass. “To
the woman you are about to unleash.”
She drank deeply, letting the bubbles tickle her
throat, letting the warmth of it relax her.
“Come here.” Horatio took her hand and led her to
the mirror. “I want to show you something.”
He twirled her so she could see herself in the wide
mirror on the wall above the couch.
“You are gorgeous.” Horatio stood behind her,
barely pressing against her back. He sipped from his champagne glass. “Have you
ever really looked at yourself?”
“No,” she whispered and to avoid doing so any
longer, Ophelia drained the rest of her glass of champagne. “It’s not right to
think about yourself like that. Very vain.”
“Who told you that?”
“My father, maybe my brother.”
“They were fools, afraid of the power you represent
as a woman.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have everything a man wants.” His voice
rumbled as he wrapped an arm around her and placed his hand over her heart. “We
want this.”
She could feel him pressed harder against her,
could feel his breath tickle her neck.
“And we want this.” He moved his hand to rest on
her crotch. “Your heart and your desire. That’s what we want. Fathers and
brothers don’t like seeing it in their sisters and daughters. It reminds them
of the sexual animal inside all men.”
He dropped his hand, but didn’t move away from her.
For a long moment, their eyes met in the mirror. Then Horatio stepped back just
far enough to put down his glass of champagne.
He placed both hands on her shoulders.
“Let’s begin.”
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Esmae Browder is an ex-Catholic school
girl from New Orleans who loves vodka tonics and romance. Combining her love of
literature with a flair for erotic fiction, she has created a unique series
which includes prequels and retellings of some of the Bard’s most famous works.
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew--nothing is sacred in Esmae’s
Literotica world. You may know your Shakespeare, but you haven’t heard the
whole erotic story! An avid blogger at All Things Writing, you can learn more
about Esmae there or stop by her website: www.esmaebrowder.com
Author Website: www.esmaebrowder.com
Twitter @esmaebrowder
All Things Writing Blog:
http://allthingswriting.blogspot.com
Esmae will be awarding the first three ebooks in the series: Ophelia's Lessons, Ravishing Rosaline, and The Taming of the Prude to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting and interviewing me today!
ReplyDelete#8's interesting
ReplyDeleteI know #8 is strange, but I've had that phobia a long time. It's hard to explain!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I think the genre you picked is awesome! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete