Interview with Candy Knight
Thank you for joining me in the shadows. Pay no attention to that odd silhouette over there. Weird things live here. Where do you hail from?
It’s okay, I don’t mind a bit of weird. In fact I’m quite partial to it.
I was born in a quintessential village hidden in the green rolling hills in the Surrey downs, just south of London, in the era when “gay” meant happy and magazine models were not airbrushed beyond all recognition.
My father was the local gents’ hairdresser so we knew everyone and everyone knew us but I was a lonely child. My parents had me late in life and my sister and brother had already left home by the time I was born. In addition, my mother suffered poor health, which left her unable to care for me, so my father and I were very close. On the other hand, the village was a place where I felt safe and cared for, yet growing up I think I resented it a little. During my teens when I started to go out with boys it was impossible to keep it secret because if anyone saw us they would go into his shop and tell him. This always resulted in getting the third degree!
Tell me about your latest book. What makes it stand out from the crowd?
‘Ultimate Gift’ is a collection of six erotic short stories, written to make the senses tingle and the heart race. The tales aim to excite and inspire desire in both men and women and hopefully I have achieved just that. I strive to write what I like to term ‘decent smut’ and I’m delighted with it.
What makes it stand out? Number one, the cover – I think that the designer Klaus is a genius. Number two, my stories are not just erotica, but they also have a twist in the tale.
Blurb for the Ultimate Gift
Elizabeth needs a stiff drink and a hug from her friend after spending six torturous hours in the car with David. On their arrival they meet two stunning guests; the smoking-hot porn star, Suzy, and the dark enigmatic Toby. As the evening progresses inhibitions relax and sexual tensions start to rise. Could this diversion be just what they need to spice up their humdrum marriage or will it go too far?
Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?
Yes, I’m working on the first book in an erotic paranormal trilogy. The idea came from my own experiments with astral projection and out-of-body experiences. The main character, Becky, is an astral planing voyeur. She uses the technique to satisfy her sexual desires and she becomes so accomplished that she is able to possess another person’s body. She wreaks a terrible revenge after she’s betrayed. I think it’s very different and I hope the readers will love it and much as I do.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Don’t give up. Even if you’re not the next J. K. Rowling, you probably have some first-rate stories to tell and it’s about getting something written down. It doesn’t matter if you think you can’t spell or your grammar ain’t wot it should be 😉 That’s where editors are fantastic. If you wait until you understand all the grammar rules before putting pen to paper, most people would never get started. It’s the published article you want perfect – don’t worry too much about the first draft, just write.
How did you deal with rejection letters? Any tips for unpublished writers?
Well, I always cry. I can’t bear rejection as I’m a born ‘people pleaser’. Then I think, when I rich and famous they’ll be kicking themselves.
What tools of the trade are must-haves for you?
My computer with Scrivener loaded on it – it is a fantastic tool for gathering all your thoughts together with research and other ideas and allows you to just type and have all plot-lines in one place – brilliant. A ‘proper’ dictionary, thesaurus and grammar guide – we all need help sometimes. A pot of Yorkshire gold tea (never guess I’m English, would you) and my comfy pyjamas. Yes, I do all my writing wearing my pj’s – may not be as sexy as my negligee, but when I’m wearing that, I tend not to get anything written down thanks to the hubs!
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to research a story?
Well, I’m practising astral planing again, as I haven’t ‘planed’ in a few years, and parascending. I’ve taken a couple of solo flights as I wanted to experience what it would feel like to soar through the air with the ground rushing away from me for ‘Flights of Fancy’. I don’t like flying or heights so being attached to earth by just a piece of cord a thousand feet up was no mean feat. Having said that, I loved it.
What do you like to read?
It depends what mood I’m in. Being an erotic writer I obviously read lots of it but I love historical novels. Like most things, I suppose, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I like the historically accurate books of Ken Follet and other times, I want something light and heart-warming by Della Galton.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I have a particular passion for anything written by Phillipa Gregory as she pays such attention to historical details.
Now for the fun questions. Let’s strip away the veil of invisibility. Do you have a day job alongside writing and will you tell us about it?
I do indeed, I’m an I.T. Project Officer for the County Council. I’ve only told my best friend at the Council what I write and I find it quite erotic being a sensible Local Government Officer during the day and writer of erotica at night. A bit like Clarke Kent and Superman except my characters don’t have their underpants over their tights. In fact they don’t often have underpants on at all!
If you weren’t a writer, what career might you have chosen?
For me it’s the other way around. I wish I’d started writing years ago but have complete lack of confidence in my own ability. I didn’t think I could write, but ‘the hubs’ and I went on an erotica writing course one weekend and I found I was quite good at it. Yes, I know I put in commas where they shouldn’t be sometimes, but character-wise and story-telling, I was told I was quite good. I haven’t been told I was good at writing since I was at school. Actually, thinking about it, I wasn’t even told then.
Who is your favorite superhero (or heroine)? Can be from a comic book, movie, novel, cartoon, video game or anywhere else heroes reign.
This one is really tough. I think it has to be Wonder Women, a quick twirl and you turn into a sex bomb that can sort the troubles of the world and fix any situation. Oh, a bit like me. 😉
Your favorite book hero?
Bridget Jones. What’s not to love about those big knickers?
You finally have an evening free to spend any way you want. Money is no object. Where do you go? What would you do?
Oh easy. The hubs and I would take a jet to Monaco. He’d be in his tuxedo, me in a most beautiful jade green evening dress. We’d have a gamble in the casino, winning, of course, followed by a sumptuous meal at Le Louis XV, a walk up to the Palace then back to the Hotel de Parisfor…..Well, I’m an erotic writer – what do you think? All in the name of research, you understand.
You’ve been gifted (or cursed) with the ability to shift into another form by a witch. What kind of shifter are you? Why?
I’d definitely be a bird of prey. I love their ability to soar so high and then swoop down and catch their prey. And to be able to go anywhere without transportation – Amazing.
Thanks so much for being my guest today! Anything else you’d like to share with my readers? Don’t forget to give us links to your website etc.
I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who already follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I hope you all enjoy reading ‘Ultimate Gift’ and they will be many more books out in the future.
Thank you so much for inviting me here today, I’ve really enjoyed it and hope to visit again.
For more information, click the links below:
Website: www.candyknight.com
Twitter: @candyknight69
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/candy.knight.75
‘Ultimate Gift’ can be purchased from the following retailers, just click on a link:
For the month July if you purchase a copy of Ultimate Gift from Smashwords using promotional code HP44Zyou’ll received a 50% saving! Enter the promo code at the checkout.
*Admin Note (18 and older only excerpt!)
This excerpt is from the second story, Dream Surfer, in the ‘Ultimate Gift’ anthology.
I started to feel light headed laying in the blistering heat, I knew that I should cover up but I loved the feeling of the sun on my skin. My mouth was dry and I was getting thirsty but I felt too sleepy and comfortable to move, I would have some water in a little while.
I could feel the dampness making the tops of my thighs sticky, so I moved my legs apart slightly to separate them and feel the warm breeze against my sex. I dug my toes into the hot sand scooping it up and then flexing them so that the sand trickled through. I listened to the ocean lap at the shore, picking up the shells and pushing them forward before dragging them back out to sea.
I dozed in the gentle breeze, enjoying the scorching sun caressing my near naked body. I relaxed whilst a million sounds of nature resonated in my ears. I remember idly thinking that life couldn’t get much better than this. I must have drifted into a deep sleep because when a woke up I could no longer feel the heat of the sun on me. I was very thirsty now, my head had started to ache, I reached out to get a bottle of water from the cooler pack.
I was about to flip over when I felt a large cool hand and a slight pressure on my back as I was kissed tenderly on my neck.
‘Ssshhhuush’.
My belly fluttered as I felt hot breath on me, immediately my nipples hardened with anticipation. I have always adored impromptu sex, I fantasised about it often and to be fair Jeff had organised sex in some pretty outrageous settings.There was a scrunch as the towel was forced into the sand as he knelt down between my legs. The cool hand gently made its way up my spine and I shivered.
Again my love lent forward and kissed my neck. He traced my spine downward with his slick wet tongue until he reached the thin band of my bikini bottoms the sensation making my p*ssy quiver, heat pulsating between my legs I spread them wider giving better access.
