An Interview with Anne Douglas and a lesson on Kiwi's.

Today's interview is with writer Anne Douglas. Anne is a frequent commenter on Melly's Spot and has been sooo patient with me the past couple weeks.

A New Zealand native, she now lives in Florida and enjoys long walks along the beach and...wait, this isn't a dating blog. ;)

So without further ado, I give you my interview with Anne Douglas, the uncut version:

On a scale of 1-10, how awesome do you think I am? Be honest. You can go higher than 10 if you like. (No excuses about how you don’t know me and stuff like that).

You know, Melly’s been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so I’m going to go with a 12, just to make her feel good. I’m nice like that. But I’ll be brutally honest if you ask me if your ass looks fat in those pants.

I read that you are from New Zealand. G’day to you! Wait, is that Australian? Hmm… As you can see, we do our research here at Melly’s Spot. Ok, I have a real question: Why are people from New Zealand called Kiwi’s?

Kia ora! Ta’loa’fa, Hello to you and me! Oh wait, that’s the theme song to that preschool kids progam, isn’t it. G’day mate’s a little universal between NZ and Aussie, but those Aussies make a hash of it with their horrendous phonics. Seriously.

Now some might think we are called Kiwis because of a certain little round, brown, fuzzy fruit… but they’d be wrong.



The little round brown fuzzy fruit got named after a certain endangered, round, brown, fuzzy, flightless bird: The Kiwi.



And for some fun Kiwis:

You might have to think about this one a little, it’s really quite sweet and touching along with being funny:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

And before tv went 24hrs in NZ it used to shut down around midnight/1pm then the midnight Kiwi used to play: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2H2BOGGUbm4

Do you know any hobbits or orc’s?

My palatial mountain peak hideaway (right beside Helms Deep) is free of all Orc and Hobbit infestations at present. Pesky little bastards, they leave stains if you kill trap them so we had to go to catch and release - they’re worse than trying to catch a cat for a flea bath!

I see you now live in Florida. I’ve asked this before, but maybe I’ll get lucky this time. Do you know my grandmother? Maybe my uncle?

Was she that old lady down at the beach with a string bikini on? At least I think it was a bikini… la la la la la la la I don’t want to think about it. Hell, who am I to talk. I haven’t been to the beach this summer for fear that they’d call out Green Peace and the whale watch!

I guess I should ask about your writing now. In your coming soon section, you have a book called Curious Intimacies, which involves a threesome. Do you have an inspiration for that? Are there any hobbits in it?

Hobbits, no - although it’s set here on the beach in Florida, my guys might know your granny. As for inspiration… fantasies baby, fantasies. Especially this short story as its more erotica with a nice ending than anything else. Oh and Porn. Porn is good. Although the plots? Oy Vey! Maybe I should write a porn screenplay? I’d be good at that, especially if I get to be one of those screenwriters who’s on the set to make on the fly revisions to the script. Oh yeah babeee!

Your book Husbands and Wives: Par 3 also involves a threesome of sorts. This book sounds like a real hole in one! I’m sure you had a ball writing it. Are you tired of the golf terms now? Do you play golf? (That was the real question).

I don’t play golf. I don’t think I’d mind it, but my Father’s never offered to teach me. But then again after the disaster of attempting to teach me to drive, play field hockey, ride a push bike (I have a whoa, how’d I end up on my face bad sense of balance), waterski, back a trailer he might have just given it up as a bad deal. Then there was the incident of me being dragged around the course as a ‘caddy’, a bunch of pine tree’s, a Magpie, a driver and me being left with a humongous scrape and bruise that ran up my chest and ended at my chin. Seriously, if ever confronted by a Magpie on the offensive throw away the golf club your holding before you duck and cover…

As for the book? (Look Dad I DID learn something!!) This story came together really fast as I’d pitched it as part of a trio of books (with my cp’s Amanda Young and Michelle Cary). Loose Id tossed it around a little then sort of said we need the first story NOW. There was a lot of swearing, hair pulling and late nights, but got done it did. And yes, I did have a bit of fun with this one as I set it back home in NZ. I never have a problem with the ‘background’ when I write stories set back home, although sometimes I give myself a bit of homesickness.

Now for the hard hitting question… You ready? Who is your favorite author? (You can say me if you want…really, it’s ok. Nobody will think you are sucking up).

GENA SHOWAL… oh wait, wrong interviewer. CRAP!

I like your cover for Accidentally Were, which is about werewolves and looks really funny. Can I have the werewolf? I’ll treat him good! I’ll make sure to walk him every day…

(whispers… he’s a bear, honey. A big ol’hairy beefy bear - I don’t think he’d take to a leash too well.) Mmm, Rex. I LOVE that cover. It’s so pink and sparkly! This is actually the second version. I hope they do as well for the second cover (I just signed a contract for the next in the series - my editor and I are still debating title options)

Okay, this is your turn to add whatever you want. Promote, etc… I’ll be over here looking up what exactly an Orc is. It’s all about research on this blog!

Curious Intimacies is about to be released Sept 19th - WOOO that’s like tomorrow - my first Ellora’s Cave release. Here’s the blurb:

Ready for a night of sports and beer Shane’s straight best friend, Jason, throws Shane a curve ball with the words “Kiss me”. Shane’s gay, but Jason’s not…right?

Jason’s got a problem. His girlfriend’s got a strap-on, and she’s not afraid to use it…on him…and he likes it. Where does that leave him? Straight? Gay? Or in between?

Lucy’s not afraid of sexual experimentation in a safe situation. Who’s safer than your best friend—especially when he’s already curious about your sometimes not-so-private love life.

On a hot, humid Floridian night, friends find being curious can be very intimate indeed.

It’s all about sexual experimentation - seeing if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It started life as a short story for another publisher, by 3-4k in I couldn’t make it work, so I dumped it and started on something else that was rejected but became Red Skirt, Cool Fountain once I added about 20k and sent it to Loose Id. When I went back to the story a couple of months later I instantly saw what was wrong: I was trying to make the story have a happy ending when it didn’t need one - it wasn’t a romance, it was erotica. Once I’d figured that out the rest of the story came easily and I sent it to EC for their Exotika line. It’s short, but it packs a punch. :)

Thanks for reading everyone, and to Melly for interviewing me!

You can find Anne at: http://www.annedouglas.com/