AW Absoulutely Erotic Hop: Interview with Ravon Silvius + #Giveaway

Author Ravon Silvius sent me a quick interview for my 2014 Absolute Write Absolutely Erotic Hop stop. Ravon’s a prolific author with an impressive backlist of fantasy and sci-fi MM romance books.

I’m also giving away an e-copy of my novelette Bound by Ink to a random commenter, so be sure and tell Ravon what you think of her interview for a chance to win a short MM fantasy from my backlist. 🙂

1. Which of your main characters is your favorite and why?

I love all my main characters, but I will always have a soft spot for Aldric, the protagonist of Remembrance. The story of a soldier trying to find his place in a world, that the war he fought is destroyed, was really fun to write, and I find myself re-reading that story all the time. His quiet stoicism, too, is very attractive to me and his eventual self-discovery was very powerful.

2. Was there a scene (no spoilers) that you enjoyed writing most?

I like writing dramatic scenes a lot. My favorite scene of all? In the Enforcer’s series, any time Thorn interacts with Lady Victeni, Kenneth’s mother. There is always so much tension in those scenes, especially later on in the series. She doesn’t like him, he doesn’t like her but doesn’t have the power to show it, and Kenneth is in the middle…it’s a great social awkwardness to bring to a story. Plus, its fun to write something in a fantasy story that some can relate to (awkwardness with in-laws).

3. As an erotic author, how much do you enjoy writing sexy scenes?

It depends on the scene, of course, but I always enjoy every scene I write to some extent. My sex scenes have to add something to the story, and I don’t like them to be too long. But sex scenes spice up a book, and they are most fun to write when I’m in adding in a new element to a relationship between two characters. There’s the first time scenes, which are always fun, and then there are sex scenes which precede something dramatic, which are always fraught with emotion. Finally there are the times when characters want to experiment with something new—those are always the best to write.

4. Is it easier to write action, sex, or emotional scenes?

I think the easiest is to write emotional scenes, then sex, then action. Emotional scenes create a lot of tension and momentum, and its easy to be carried from the power of an emotional scene and follow the story from there. With a sex scene, you know the emotion you want to evoke in the reader, and it requires a bit of creativity to pick something fun and unique that will do that. It can’t always be insert slot A into slot B, you know what I mean? So it requires a bit more work. I have less experience with action scenes, but they require a lot of juggling—choreography, keeping the language fresh and riveting, and keeping the emotion in the scene so readers know and care about what happens. It’s a delicate balancing act. All three, though, are rewarding to write in their own way.

5. As a writer, do you prefer the aspects of paranormal, and its freedom to create, or do you prefer keeping it within bounds of the every day lives of contemporary characters?

Definitely paranormal. All of my work, even the relatively less fantasy-ish Freshmen Blues, has elements of fantasy or science fiction. I’ve always been bored by everyday life, and that extends to some degree to writing about the lives of contemporary characters. With fantasy and science fiction, I can introduce elements of my own creation, make entire worlds and their rulesets out of nothing, and explore intense themes that I couldn’t explore to the same extent within the confines of contemporary stories. I use writing as an escape from every day life, and when I escape to other worlds, I really escape to other worlds. 😛

6. Is there a story you want to write but feel the market is too crowded for?

I’ve noticed that many people seem to be quite done with vampires, which is too bad since I have one such book in development. I’m going to release it anyway, of course, but I do wish vampires would come around and be popular again.

7. What will readers most like about your books?

I hope readers will enjoy the worlds I’ve created in my books. I spend a lot of time worldbuilding, and I hope I have the right combination of interesting characters, sexy antics, and interesting fantasy and sci fi worldbuilding to keep readers interested.

8. How do you feel about fetishes?

I have a bit of a cyborg fetish, so I think fetishes are fun. 😛 Seriously though, I think fetishes are a good way to spice up a novel. If people who enjoy that fetish find that it hits their sweet spot and makes the book even more enjoyable, so much the better! Of course, some fetishes are easier to write to than others. If someone can figure out a way to write a 100 page epic about things like feet or ears, let me know.

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

You are so welcome, Ravon! Come back any time!

Check out my latest work in the Enforcer’s Series, Capture:

Blurb: Kenneth and Thorn have put a stop to Alder’s cruel experiments on Talentless, but their work as Enforcers is far from over. In the heart of the magi capital, they find out that Alder is part of a larger organization—and Alder has allies that are quite upset with Enforcers who think they can put a stop to their plans. Kenneth assumes Thorn, a talentless with no magic to defend himself, is the one who is most vulnerable—but when Kenneth is the one put in danger, Thorn will have to find a way to save his lover.

If you’d rather check out sci fi, I have a series of short, erotic stories featuring cyborgs. They start with “Come to Leave.”

Bio: Ravon Silvius is an author who enjoys writing fantasy and sci fi M/M novels, novellas and short stories. Right now, Ravon is working on the Enforcer’s series, a steampunk M/M series that is four books and counting.

For more of my backlist, check out my website at http://ravonsilvius.blogspot.com/

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And for a chance to win an e-copy of Bound by Ink, comment below! I’ll pick a winner via Random.org at the end of the hop (7/7/14).

Don’t forget to check out the other interviews and giveaways. Mine is up on Karenna Colcroft’s blog. If anyone is interested, I’ve finally divulged the name of my next release in the Shooting Stars series. 😉 Cover reveal coming soon!

Week One:

June 23 Azalea Moone  interviewing Anais Morgan.

June 24 Anais Morgan interviewing Emily Veinglory

June 25 Emily Veinglory interviewing Scarlet Day

June 26 Scarlet Day interviewing Zoe X. Rider

June 27 Zoe X. Rider interviewing Gail Bridges

June 28 Gail Bridges interviewing Crane Hana

June 29 Crane Hana interviewing Kate Lowell (that will be right here, link active that day)

Week 2

June 30 Kate Lowell interviewing Karenna Colcroft

July 01 Karenna Colcroft interviewing Kimber Vale

July 02 Kimber Vale interviewing Ravon Silvius

July 03 Ravon Silvius interviewing Tara Quan

July 04 Tara Quan interviewing Ana J. Phoenix

July 05 Ana J. Phoenix interviewing Evelyn Aster

July 06 Evelyn Aster interviewing Dee Tass

July 07 Dee Tass interviewing Azalea Moone