Today I am speaking with Mara Kelly.

Hi Mara! And welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is a joy to have you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions. The readers would love to hear something about Mara.

First, let me tell you that I love your website, especially the picture of the tree in the left hand upper corner. It drew me in just looking at it. Your whole site is great, Mara.

Thank you very much! I enjoyed putting it together. I love the tree photo too—the mood of it drew me in as soon as I saw it. I feel like it really reflects the kind of otherworldly atmosphere I try to create in my erotic fantasy writing.

Why not start off telling the readers about Mara and the books you have with Phaze at this time?

I have two books out with Phaze right now. My first came out last fall, and it’s a collection of 11 erotic fantasy short stories entitled Under Distant Moons. The stories range from sweet and romantic to fairly kinky, but they all explore desire in fantasy settings.

My second book is called Struck. It’s part of Phaze’s “Surge” line, all of which include the more…electric…aspects of sex. Struck features the unlikely fascination of Rogen, an assassin-turned-reluctant-thief with the Queen whose greatest treasure he is sent to steal.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

The project I am most excited about at the moment is a series of short stories based on secondary characters in popular fairy tales. The first one, which grew from the seed of an idea submitted by a reader in a contest on my website, is about Bronwyn, one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters. You know Prince Charming would get bored with Cinderella’s goody-goody nature eventually…and where do you suppose he turns?

What was the first story you ever wrote?

I’m not sure I can answer that, not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t really remember. I think I was probably about 9 or 10, maybe younger…I always liked writing stories, but I didn’t think about ever being a writer when I grew up. I remember that in 7th grade, our spelling teacher gave us the option of getting extra credit by writing poems that used all the spelling words from the unit, and I wrote a lot of bad poetry that year. :)

When did you first decide to start writing?

Decide is a strong word—it’s more like it just happened. It was a natural thing. But I did decide to pursue publication when I was about 25, which is a different thing. It’s a big leap between “This is fun to do and write for myself” and “I think I should let other people see this now”, and I am not quite sure what pushed me to it, other than just liking to share stories.

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?

I used to, before I had a baby. I used to need certain music (I would a special mix CD for each project I was working on), and a cup of tea, and a quiet place out of my house, and sometimes a pack of bubblegum if I was really having trouble getting started. Now mostly I just need for the baby to be asleep and to have a half an hour free!

Do you have any trouble gathering names for your books or characters?

I keep a notebook of names I like, so I always have a resource when I am writing a story. I am always on the lookout for great names, and I gather them everywhere I go.

Do you have any bad writing habits?

Right now, my worst writing habit is not doing enough of it! (Being a mommy is taking up more of my energy at the moment.) But I think every writer has small things they do constantly, even their writing is generally clean: words and phrases they overuse for example. For example, I always have to be on the lookout for overuse of the word “slightly” in my writing.

Of all the individuals you have created, do you have a particular favorite? What appeals to you the most about this character?

I think my very favorite character is the unnamed narrator in “Physician of the Hands”, one of the stories in Under Distant Moons. She’s a somewhat cynical character, one who knows her own power and her own learning, but her secret desire is to have someone in her life stronger than she is. That dichotomy in her character really appeals to me.

Who would you like to pen a book with, living or dead?

Oooo, what a good question! I would love to work with Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). I bet he would be a hoot to work with, and can you imagine him writing erotica? :)

Of all things you have accomplished, is there one accomplishment you are most proud of?

I am very proud of my books, but my best accomplishment will always be my son. Maybe that’s a cliché, but anyone who has children will understand how true it is.

What would we find on your bookshelf?

Lots of fantasy—I love Megan Whalen Turner and Guy Gavriel Kay especially. And I was an English major in college, so I have lots of old classics too. I really am a geek in many ways. Just a geek who writes erotica.

What do you do to relax?

Relaxation? What’s that? ;b Honestly, I find things like doing dishes and laundry kind of relaxing, because it means I actually have time free at home to do them! I like having the time to make my living space pleasant. I guess that’s not very glamorous, but there you go.

What makes a great book to you?

Great characters and great story, and a setting that makes me think about it long after the last page has been turned.

If you could go anywhere, be anyone, do anything for a weekend, what would it be?

I would be a hermit, with no responsibilities except to do whatever I felt like doing. If I could warp time, I would add an extra 24 hours in the middle of the night that nobody but me knew about. Then everyone else would marvel at all the things I accomplished, and maybe I would finally feel caught up!

Do you have any indulgent behaviors one might find surprising?

You mean, besides doing laundry to relax? :) Well, I also have a freakish love of alphabetizing things. I guess that’s a librarian’s job hazard.

For Fun: If you could spend some treasured time with anyone famous, or family, dead, or living who would you choose?

I would love to meet Jim Henson and talk to him about all the things he accomplished with the Muppets. I just think he was an amazing person.

You have a lovely website. Is this the only one you have or do you have another that you would like to share with your readers?

That’s the only one I have to share with you today. But I invite readers to check it out for excerpts and sign up for my newsletter, “Mara’s Morsels” to stay up to date on my new releases and contests.

Thank you so much for sharing time with us, Mara. Anyone interested in reading more about Mara and her spectacular books, please visit her website to read more about her incredible works. It has been a pleasure, Mara and I wish you success with your writing.

Thanks so much for having me! It’s been a pleasure.

Interviewed by: Linda L