Erotic romance author Lilah E. Noir’s new novel, Unorthodox Therapy, launches TODAY, June 30, 2016.  Not long ago, I posted about this highly anticipated addition to her bibliography.  I was lucky enough to snag an interview when she graciously agreed to answer Pandora’s Dirty Dozen.

1. Describe your books and your writing style.

I write hardcore yet always sensual and character driven erotica, with BDSM elements. By that moment I have written shorter stories and novellas whose main focus was on the freedom submission can bring to a person. I am about to release my first full-length novel, Unorthodox Therapy, which revolves around the submission of a woman in a position of power and switches the traditional boss/employee – Dom/sub couple. It’s a love story at its core but far from the classic romance. Unorthodox Therapy is part 1 of a trilogy that would further explore the nature of addiction, power play and love. I’d say that I try to write stories with strong plots, well-developed characters and intense pace. The steamy, detailed scenes of passion, pain and abandonment are just one of the ingredients.

2. Talk about your process. Where do you write? When do you write? Are you linear or do you write scenes and put them together later? Who are your muses and where do you get your best ideas?

I usually write at home, either before or after my day job. I often enjoy bringing my laptop to a local cafe with WiFi, it creates me some illusion of social life. When I am focused on a project and finishing the rough draft within a certain timeframe I tend to use every free minute for writing. At that period I try to whip at least 2,500 words per day. I’m a plotter so in order to make a project successful, even my short stories, I need some outline that serves me as a rough map. Usually I start with as detailed description of each chapter, profiles for my characters and whatever research I need to do. After all that is taken care of I may go in a full-on writing mode. I am also linear when it comes to that plan. I always read the previous chapter before continuing to the next point so I’d avoid any inconsistencies and contradictions. However, I am not too religious about the plan and make deviations from it if they would serve the plot better. My novel was supposed to have a completely different ending… but the characters got their way and now I have to write a trilogy. Most of my ideas come from different fantasies that I gradually shape into stories. My muses are usually people I know, either online or in real life. I tend to “steal” some personality traits and give them to my fictional characters. It makes them a bit more easy to relate that way.

3. Tell us about your latest release.

As I mentioned above, my upcoming novel Unorthodox Therapy makes its debut on June 30th. It is part 1 of a trilogy focusing on the complicated relationship between a powerful older woman, an IT entreprenuer, and her younger employee who is determined to help her get rid of her smoking problem. There is a lot of kink, emotional highs and lows, romance, suspense, unexpected twists and turns, pleasure, pain, love. It’s really difficult to classify it under one genre. You can all find out why most of the readers who helped me with beta and advanced reading compared it to an emotional roller coaster.

4. What is your current project?

I’ll be working on my Strangers in the Night serial, short stories about two people who have only the time until sunrise to explore all their kinky fantasies. It doesn’t have a romantic focus but probably there will be a pinch of romance in an unexpected way right at the end. At the end of August when the summer heat isn’t choking my poor brain cells I’ll finally start writing Unorthodox Chemistry, Part 2 of the Unorthodox trilogy. Though in July I may write something short, light-hearted and kinky, a novella.

5. Now about you… Very generally speaking, where do you call home?

I’m a drifter by heart so I can’t say for sure I have found the place to call home. I changed my address so many times over the last ten years that sometimes it gets confusing. So let’s say home is the place where I’d feel safe and inspired.

6. As a reader… What genre do you most often read? What is your all-time favorite book, and why?

I’m a book whore so I read absolutely everything I can get my hands on, without limitations and genre restrictions. Lately I’ve been reading mostly erotic romance and BDSM books by fellow authors but I try to vary my menu with sci-fi, horror, historical novels, hard boiled fiction, classic literature. My mind always goes blank when I get asked of favorite something of all times. Perhaps because I’ve read and have been influenced by so many authors it is really difficult to point one. But the first two who come to my mind are On The Road by Jack Kerouac and White Oleander by Janeth Fitch. The first one I choose because of the fantastic sense of freedom and madness it was exuding. It infected me with its pure enjoyment of life. The second one I have re-read thousands of time and I love the beauty of the language and poetic style. And yet the book is definitely not a sugar-coated, purple prose kind of story. It’s raw, honest, filled with beauty and ugliness, pain and redemption.

7. What do you like to do when you’re not writing or reading?

I enjoy swimming, working out, long walks and some mountain hiking, sipping cocktails and other alcohol on beaches. Lately I haven’t had that much time for my other life-long obsession, cinema, though I should catch up. You can also find me in front of my computer, working on some graphic or web design project. I love making book covers for myself and other authors. Lately I’ve also been doing a lot of promos and media kit materials.

8. We all have guilty pleasures. I enjoy boy bands. There, I said it. What is your guilty pleasure?

Nothing to be ashamed of, Pandora, I admit that boy bands have their charm. Shhh, don’t tell anyone but I enjoy cheesy romantic comedies, junk food and sugary pop music… Ops, too many sins? 🙂

9. What superpower would you choose, and why?

Telepathy, so I can get in people’s minds and steal their stories for my own personal pleasure or to transform them into exciting tales on paper/screen.

10. If you could live anywhere, you’d choose…

Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Germany.

11. I wish _________________ would read my book.

One specific man I knew. Or maybe not.

12. In the airport, you overhear a heated argument between a husband and wife. You:

politely ignore it.

stop what you’re doing and watch with rapt attention.

mention it to airport personnel.

tuck it away for use in a future book.