Interview with Liz DeBoest

“Bye, Baby," Calvin murmurs on my lips, and then he kisses me hard, grabbing my backside hard, too. ​I soften in his influence, and my insides buzz with anticipation.

     But he releases me, and then he winks at me. Jackass, but a hot one and all mine. But damn, why does he always have to turn me on before he leaves for work? ​

     Hmm, maybe I'll pleasure myself before I have to leave for work.” -DeBoest, E. A. The Live In: Him Her and Her Kindle Edition

     So begins the newest release of Detroit area erotic romance author, Liz DeBoest, June’s author of the Month. Liz has amassed a following with her Construction of the Heart series and she’s graciously consented to an interview.

15) You write erotic romance, with an extra heavy emphasis on the “erotic.” How do you write so many sex scenes while keeping them all unique and fresh?

That's a great question since I do keep all of my sex scenes different from one to the next and different from one book to the next. You won't find a duplicate sex scene in any of my writings, and that is because of my characters mainly. My characters are all so different, male and female (their backgrounds, their cultures, and their lifestyles) and have different styles in the bedroom. But it's also because of my personal experiences in and out of the bedroom (I'm married to a kinky man), my fantasies, and from what I've read myself as a lover of erotic books.

14) How difficult is it for you to be an indie novelist while also facing the demands of running a household and taking care of a husband and two active kids?

It's another full-time job on top of my full-time job of being a homemaker, and my husband is always working, so it makes it a lot harder. It keeps me constantly busy. I'm always moving, but I'm a very organized person, so I always plan out my day every morning.

I get all of my writing done while my kids are in school and on the weekends if there's enough time. And when I'm pressed for time, I write things in my notebook so that I won't forget, and then I add it to my story later. I keep a notebook by my side at all times. I always have ideas in my head that have to come out as soon as I think them.

I don't usually write during my kids summer break though, unless it's in my notebook.

           But even though I'm always busy, I enjoy being an indie author. I get to do things my way, and that suits my personality greatly. But I don't get much sleep.

13) How old were you when you decided to be a novelist and especially when you decided to be an erotic author?

I decided to be a novelist and an erotic romance author at the same time at about three and a half years ago, so I was about 38yrs old. I've been an avid reader my entire life, and I have dabbled a little in writing over the years. But after reading so many stories, I just decided one day that I would try writing my own. I had several ideas and decided I would start turning them into books. And now I can't stop. It turns out I'm pretty good at it.

12) There’s an emphasis on romantic fiction to provide the reader with an HEA (Happily Ever After) ending and you’re no exception. Why is that when real life doesn’t always provide happy endings?

Well, reading is an escape from real life, and fiction does just that, lets you escape from your world. I don't think anyone wants to read something that ends badly or leaves you guessing, unless it's the first book in a series. I don't think people would want to escape with something that's like their real life, or what's the point of escaping? I think people want happily ever after endings when it's a love story. I know I do. And if you're a hopeless romantic like me, you want to believe in love and all of its possibilities.

11) Describe your typical writing day. Do you set word goals for yourself, write in a notebook, laptop or do both?

When I sit down to write, I use my laptop. I don't necessarily give myself a word count goal, but I give myself the goal of completing certain scenes, and if I don't complete them, then I scribble the rest of it down in my notebook. I use my notebook for every idea that pops into my head and for writing general ideas of a scene, because I'm not always by my laptop. And I even bring my notebook out and about with me. I've always got ideas for the current book I'm writing or the next book I plan to write.

I write the majority of my stories while my kids are in school, so I have limited time, and that's why my notebook is so handy. I have a lot of notebooks, too.

10) A couple of years ago, Amazon began a crackdown campaign on erotic literature, including taking down books that weren’t even erotic. What are your thoughts on that and do you know of any authors who’ve been victimized by Amazon’s capricious censorship?

That is the reason that I don't label my books erotic. I write erotic romance, heavy on the romance (95% of the time) and heavy on the erotic entanglements, but I don't use the erotica genre when publishing my books. I use fiction, romance, and then either multicultural/interracial or contemporary. I've heard about Amazon giving erotica authors a hard time, but I don't know any personally that have been affected. But I'm not an erotica writer anyways, so I won't allow myself to be labeled as one. I don't use erotic book covers either. I like to consider myself an extremely steamy romance author. After all, I write love stories.

9) Facebook, it seems, has also gotten in on the act. For the second time this spring, you yourself had been put in Facebook jail over a picture you’d put up.  Why do you think it is that Facebook happily accepts money from people who host the sale of child brides and post videos of mass shooters doing their murderous acts yet crack down on romance authors putting up steamy but hardly pornographic photos?

I think it all starts from someone reporting the post. When I had a post removed for the first time almost two years ago, it was because someone reported it. I posted a pic on my author page and had no troubles with it until I decided to share it to a book group a few days later. It was reported from someone in the group and removed, and ever since then my author page has been flagged. I spend a good chunk of money with Facebook as well, so I really think it all begins with someone reporting the post, and then you're automatically put into their system and watched. Plus, Facebook has this whole thing against sex, but I really have no idea why they don't have policies for the other crap that goes around Facebook. It seems too many people are scared of sex. My theory is that it's run by racist, ignorant prudes.

8) With The Live In: Him Her and Her, you didn’t do a watch party or set a launch date in advance. Instead, you just spontaneously put it out (and missed your own launch because of your capricious incarceration). Is there some benefit to launching a book with no notice?

I never do a launch party or have a pre-order date. If it's ready to be published, I don't see why I should make the reader wait any longer. I keep my readers updated the whole time I'm writing a book and give them small excerpts every so often. Plus, I don't have enough fans that read my books to do something like that anyways. Yes, I have a lot of followers between all of my social media, but that doesn't result in lots of readers for me, not yet anyways. And I guess you could say that I'm not all that experienced in all the ins and outs of being an indie author. I'm still learning and trying to gain a bigger fan base.

7) The history of erotic romance literature goes back to the dawn of human literacy, back to the days of Sappho in the 7^th century BC. One could make a case that human sexuality is the most unchanging constant in the entire human experience. Would you agree?

Yes, for one, none of us would be here without it. Sex keeps life going. The world is always changing. People are always changing. But I think human connections are what we crave, and I think love is what we crave, and sex comes along with those human connections. And when you can connect with someone on that level, it forms bonds. And when there's nothing else left in the world, just people, communication through words, sex, and sexuality will still be there.

6) Like Sappho and so many other authors, you celebrate the bisexual experience between women in your work. Has anyone ever criticized you for that and if so, what’s your answer?

No, not yet. I haven't been criticized. With my new book, The Live In: Him Her and Her, it was my first time writing about lesbian and bisexual experiences. It's not something I ever personally experienced though, but I do know people that have those experiences. So I don't always write about things I know firsthand. There is a gay man in the Construction of the Heart Series, but I never wrote about his personal life that deeply since he wasn't the main character. I talk about his boyfriend, but nothing sexual. There is a gay man in my book, One Night: Two Strangers, but again I didn't get into his personal story, because he wasn't the main character. But I support human beings period in whatever kind of love they desire. Love is love, and if someone doesn't like that, then they don't have to read my books. I don't keep it a secret what type of book I'm writing either. I let my readers know if it's interracial or has gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters.

But my answer to anyone that hates against that is, love is love, and if you don't like it too bad. I write about all kinds of love. After all, I'm married to a black man and have lesbian friends.

5) Plotter or pantser?

I'm most definitely a plotter. I plan out my novel before I start writing it. I plan out the characters entire backgrounds and what I want in their story. I plan out the first chapter until the very end. But as I'm writing, sometimes I guess I could be considered a pantser, because I listen to my characters, so sometimes scenes end up in my books that weren't planned at all. Yes, my characters speak to me. And I love it, because although I like to plan, I also like when I'm adding things that pop up out of nowhere. It makes my writing experience so exciting, and then I get even more excited to present my book to the world.

4) Suppose an acquisitions editor from Harlequin or Mira in Canada approached you with a book deal- Would you take it or would you reject it and insist on being an indie author and maintaining complete control over your work?

Hmm... That's a hard one. I'm a control freak for sure, but I've actually thought about it, and I'm not sure. I guess it would depend on if they would want to change too much in my books. I wouldn't want a traditional publisher to change my books, at least not too drastically, but I would also love the idea of being a well known author. I guess I would have to know all the benefits coming my way.

3) If human sexuality is indeed the least Protean facet of the human experience, what do you see for the future of erotic literature?

I think it will go on forever and get better and better. I think as time goes on, it will be accepted more too. At least, I hope so. I love reading about love and sex, and I love writing about it. And as time goes on, maybe it won't be such a taboo for others.

         Literature will always be around. Sex will always be around. And combining the two will always be a desire.

2) Would you ever consider writing in another genre or are you locked in with erotic romance?

I've considered combining the paranormal with my erotic romance, but I'm still on the fence about that. Before I started writing the Construction of the Heart Series, I had a paranormal erotic romance story planned out, but I decided to put it on the back burner and get out all my other ideas first. I might go back to it one day and complete it, but I'm not sure yet. I'm not considering any other genres though. I absolutely love writing about love.

1) Do you plan on adding any more additions to the Construction of the Heart series?

I actually might. I've thought about it a lot. There are a few characters that I could write about from that series and tell about their love story, or I could continue with Derek and Violet. I love writing about Derek and Violet. They are my babies. So I'm not sure yet, but since I've thought about it a lot, I actually do have certain characters from the series that I would write about if I did. I've even gone to the extent of kind of plotting their stories. So it may happen, but I have other books planned out that I want to finish first. So I guess stay tuned!