Uniforms and Orgasms

What do you think 25-year-old Lucy does for a career? This seemingly sweet looking Derbyshire lass has a naughty side. Find out why…

If I said to you Lucy’s job involves firemen and police officers you might be fooled into thinking she worked in the emergency services. Or how about if I said her job involved multiple orgasms would you think she was in the porn industry?

Well combine the two and add a pen and paper and you’ve got yourself an erotic literature writer.

“It was a dare! Back when I was at Uni, I was chatting with some friends and one of them jokingly said I should write an erotic story. I laughed it off, but my friend pursued the conversation and eventually dared me. I couldn't back down then – so I gave it go! The result was received very well and I continued to write, with my first published story appearing in now-defunct magazine, Scarlet.
“That first publication gave me the confidence to continue and I've never looked back”, said Lucy Felthouse.

Do you ever reference your own life in your stories?

Lucy said: “I think every writer does to some extent, regardless of genre. There are themes that slip into my stories, for example my love of the outdoors and my appreciation for a man in uniform. Other than that, though, I keep my private life private – I'd never write something that was a word-for-word account of something that had happened to me.”

Do your family know what you do? If so, what do they think?

Lucy said: “Yes and no. They know I write, but as none of them have actually asked outright, I haven't enlightened them as to the genre. They see my job as being self-employed, "doing websites and stuff."

Do you have a partner? What do they think?

Lucy said: “I do, and he's fab. He doesn't really read my writing, he's much more into crime fiction and thrillers. But he's massively supportive and listens to me waffle on about various writerly things without complaint. I can't ask for any more than that!”

What’s the best atmosphere you find for writing?

Lucy said: “I have to be alone. Not necessarily in the house, but certainly in the room. I'm getting better at ignoring distractions, but I do find it difficult. I'm massively jealous of writers that go to cafes to write, it seems like such a cool thing to do. But the reality is, if I was sitting in a cafe with a notebook I'd be doodling on it and eavesdropping on people's conversations!

“I also can't have any music or anything. I find myself thinking about the lyrics and humming along, rather than writing. I tried music without lyrics for a while, like classical music, but it was still a no-go area. I just have to knuckle down and get on with it and try not to stare out of the window, or get distracted by the internet.”

Do you have any rituals or traditions you must do before starting a project?

Lucy said: “No, not at all. I guess I like to clear any other pressing jobs out of the way so when I sit down to write I'm not thinking "Oh, I really need to get such-and-such finished," but other than that, I just go for it.”

Do you keep a notebook at the side of your bed in case you get some inspiration?

Lucy said: “Absolutely! I have notebooks everywhere, and if all else fails I can email myself from my iPhone. The trouble is though; I tend to get ideas at the most ridiculous times, like when I'm in the shower or something.”

Do you have friends/colleagues whom you can share ideas with?

Lucy said: “Yes and no. The friends and family I see from day-to-day aren't creative, so I wouldn't bore them with writing stuff. However I have lots of writer friends that I chat to regularly via text, emails, Twitter and Facebook. To be honest, though, I don't tend to share my ideas that often, I just think about them myself, scribble some notes down and hope they develop into stories.”

Whose your best critic?

Lucy said: “Me! I don't have a beta reader or anything. I've toyed with the idea but I'm often so close to deadline with submissions that it's probably not a good idea! During my degree I was taught that it's not good to be too precious over your work – and I've always stuck to that. I'll edit and edit until something is right, even if it means cutting lots out.”

Do you have any idols?

Lucy said: “Oh yes, loads. I think many writers dream of being the next J.K. Rowling, but I don't, necessarily. Obviously having her millions would be fantastic, but I wouldn't want the fame that goes with it.

“Within the erotica/erotic romance genre, though, some of the writers I most admire are Portia Da Costa, Saskia Walker, Kay Jaybee, K D Grace, Justine Elyot and Charlotte Stein. They're all prolific and very talented writers and I'm so happy that I can call them my friends, too.”

Who has been your favourite character that you’ve created and why?

Lucy said: “This varies from time to time. But at the moment my favourite character is Sam, who appears in Just Couldn't Wait, a story in the erotic anthology Uniform Behaviour. He's my favourite because he bears an incredibly strong resemblance to one of my celebrity crushes and is totally gorgeous.”

What’s the best erotic phrase to describe a penis you’ve either created or read elsewhere?

Lucy said: “I literally can't answer that question. There are so many excellent writers out there that I definitely wouldn't class my own work as the best! Plus I've read so much that I couldn't pick out any phraseology. It's characters and storylines that tend to stick in my mind, rather than individual phrases.”

What are you working on right now?

Lucy said: “At the moment I'm weaving my writing in between all the freelance PR & Marketing stuff I'm doing. But I'm finishing up a couple of short stories to be submitted to various anthologies. I'm also trying to find some time to work on a novella I've been thinking about for a long time.”

Do you want to write in other styles/genres?

Lucy said: “I have toyed with the idea of writing chick-lit, but every plot that I've ever thought about has seemed ridiculously cheesy or unbelievable. I know that reading, for many people, is about escapism but if I read something too off the wall, I lose interest.

“I am trying to stretch myself with the erotic genre. The majority of what I've written has been contemporary stuff, but I've also written some paranormal and I'd definitely like to do more of this.

“I also do quite a bit of copywriting and journalistic stuff on top of my fiction, and I enjoy that immensely too. I'm very lucky that I'm getting to do what I enjoy, particularly as so many people don't.”

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a creative writer?

Lucy said: “I briefly touched on this in one the previous questions. I was taught the importance of not being too precious about your own work and editing to the best of your abilities. After all, what's the point of writing a story that you like if nobody else is going to like it?”

To find out more about Lucy or to read her work visit http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk/