Carla Croft: What turns you on?

Carla Croft is the author of Letters Around Midnight (available on Amazon). Are the Letters Around Midnight anthologies of short stories or a series of novels? What else would you like us to know about them.

The Letters Around Midnight books are anthologies of stories as related to me, the main character. There is a brief introduction of the person making the confession, or the situation, and then I change the point of view to be about the confessionee telling their story. The tale then wraps with a short dialogue between the characters. I do try to develop the character of the confessionee in some way. I don't always manage it. But, I do feel that it is important that the story is not just about peg A in hole B. People have said very nice things about the way the stories work, which makes me happy.
At the end of my books, I always put in a short note to the reader. I ask them to contact me to let me know if they enjoyed the book, what they liked, what they didn't like. It's important to me. I want to write better and the people to tell me are the people that read my stories. I am working on some new projects at the moment which change the direction of my writing slightly. It will involve me much more as a character in the book. It's something I've avoided so far but I am so excited about the way they are shaping up.

Your blog obviously comes with an adult warning. What drew you to erotica?

I've always been a sexual person, so I suppose erotica came naturally into my life. I can find anything around me to be erotic. First of all, I find myself moved by any number of things, not necessarily erotic; but then once I find my emotions have been stirred, I get moved emotionally and then erotically.

You refer to everything from Lesbian BDSM to Threesomes and sexual health. Are any topics taboo? Do you have a favourite?

I haven't really thought about taboo subjects. It's probably that I think about what to write, rather than what not to write. If I had to have a taboo it would be non-consensual sex. I love bdsm, but even that comes with a consent at it's heart. Rough sex is okay too, but every partner has the right to say no at any time for any reason, it doesn't have to be definable or even consistent. In my mind no is no, period.
Do I have a favourite? I get really turned on by what I am writing, otherwise there is no point. If I am not moved then reader will not pick up on what I am trying to relate. So, it's a bit of a cliche, but my favourite topic has to be what I am writing right then and there.


Do you plan your posts in advance?

My posts are rarely planned in advance. Something moves me to react and I just write. Occasionally I react too fast and make a twit of myself. But, if I get something wrong, or if I overstep the mark I am always the first to admit a mistake and post an apology. I tend to fire from the tip of my pen. It doesn't always work, but that is just the way I am. I am very much a person of the moment. If someone wants something done, I just get on with it. If I leave it too long, it tends to get buried under other stuff.

I notice a revival in your blog. A few posts for several months and then, bam! 10 in March and 11 so far in April. What brought you back to blogging?

I did lay off blogging for a while. Life got in the way. There are so many things to juggle that, although I love writing, there just aren't enough hours in the day. At the moment, I am getting a lot of inspiration from a lot of wonderful people, so the creative juices are flowing. I do try to keep the blog punchy. People have so many other things to do that I like them to be able to dip in, get the message and move on. I love sound bites. Sometimes I think I should have worked in advertising. It works against me in my story writing as I find have short changed the reader and they need more. I have given them a quickie and they need a longie, a shower not a long, hot sensual soak in the bath. But I am changing, honest.

You've had a few reivews on your blog. How do you find them and what about a book or story makes you want to review them on your blog?

I started doing reviews simply for something different for the blog. Instead of just me wittering on about stuff from the world of erotica in general, I thought, why not do some reviews? I spend so much time writing that I don't get as much time to read as I would like. So I don't review as many books as I want. I currently have about half a dozen to do. I am very lucky in terms of reviewing. All the books I have reviewed are by authors who I admire greatly, so I do tend to pick and chose. I have even on occasion asked an author if they would be so kind as to let me have a review copy of a title I have heard good things about. I like doing reviews. I like to help authors who write good work reach a wider audience. I am fiercely loyal towards authors I have reviewed. If I like their work I will often tweet out their titles to ensure they are getting the coverage I think they deserve. I seem to spend as much time promoting the works of others as I do my own.
I am a great believer that if you want anything in life give it away and it will come back to you tenfold.

How did you build your audience?

I never think consciously about building an audience. I just write, post and if people enjoy reading it and that pulls in other readers then that's great. I enjoy the writing experience. I find it draws all sorts of things out of me. Sometimes I am writing and think where is this going? And then other times, I look at what I've written and think, where did that come from? It is truly amazing what pops on to the page when you are writing.

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your blog. You can find Carla on twitter.