Tell
me a little bit about yourself.
I
think you can say I’m an ordinary woman with secret passions, the biggest of
which is writing erotic romance. If I’m dragged away from my computer I go into
survival mode, which for me means cooking enormous quantities of curry and
inviting friends over for a boozy meal and great conversation. My husband and
children are my lodestars, and I am owned by a plucky cat who has her own centre
of gravity. Patience is something I missed out on at the ‘virtues’ queue and I’m
quick-tempered, but I like to think I make up for these defects with a quirky
sense of humour and a generous heart. When hurt, I try to forgive and understand
rather than carry a grudge—they make your blood bitter and dull your eyes.
Nothing brightens my day more than throwing my characters together and giving
them what they crave—intimacy and passion.
When
did you start writing?
I
began writing taboo erotic romance a few years ago, for myself, because I got
tired of the same conventional happy-ever-afters. During a conversation about
books with a friend, she made a similar comment about being bored with romance
novels and I showed her one of my taboo stories. She loved it and asked for
more. Word got around and soon I was writing a story every few weeks to feed my
friends’ habit! They were brutal about what worked and what didn’t, but I needed
their criticism to become a better story-teller. A year later I was at a writer
event for newbies and met an editor who requested a few pages of one of my
stories. Imagine my surprise when she wrote back to say she loved my voice and
story! I haven’t looked back since. I now write full-time, and fill my day with
men and women who flick my switch to on, On, ON!
Are
there pen names you wish to share, or are you in stealth?
STEALTH!
What
opened you to the world of “taboo” writing and brought you to Stiff Rain Press?
I
grew up in a strict religious household and was taught there’s only one way to
love, something I believed less and less as I grew older. Why couldn’t
consenting adults form threesomes and moresomes? Or cousins have feelings that
went beyond familial love? If it’s consensual and they’re adults, then why the
pitchforks? Equally, some would say men and women who have passionate affairs
should be lynched and left to the elements. Not me, and I enjoy writing about
these fantastic and flawed individuals and giving them the extra-marital loving
they crave. But
where to publish my stories and make them accessible to readers who wanted taboo
romance? On a writer’s forum on day, I saw Stiff Rain Press mentioned as a taboo
romance publisher and I immediately purchased several books that grabbed my
attention. They were great, and I knew I wanted to join the Stiff Rain Press
team of writers. Luckily, they liked my writing, and here I am, delighted to be
releasing my first story, After Party
Affair.
Find Isabel Raven on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isabelrraven
Nineteen-year-old Becky Smithton never imagined she’d be invited to her friend Lorna’s birthday bash only to be humiliated. The party is over and Becky’s seething with fury, wandering outside and itching for revenge. But what can she do to get back at Lorna and her snobbish mother? A walk through the woods and a chance encounter with Lorna’s bodilicious father, Grant, presents the perfect opportunity. Seducing the dark, handsome—and forbidden—thirty-eight year old should be easy, right? But Grant is made of stronger stuff than other men and soon it’s Becky who’s struggling with frustrated desire. What’s more, her heart is doing funny things and so is her mind, filling her with sudden what-the-fuck? pregnancy fantasies involving Grant. As for her body, well, it’s naked and wet, and all she wants is for Grant to dive into the swimming pool and give her what she craves—shallow and deep. After all, if her seduction succeeds then their tryst would only be a meaningless, after party affair… Right?
