Today I’d like to welcome P.F. Kozak to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today.

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current release, Sins and Secrets?

Sins and Secrets is Victorian erotica. It is set in 1880’s London, and is a unique choose-your-own sexual adventure novel.
Peter Rennard is a London barrister. Pamela Kingston is the genteel daughter of Sir George Kingston, also a barrister. When Sir George dies, he names Peter as his successor, and entrusts him with the guardianship of his daughter, Pamela.
The story begins when Pamela comes home after finishing her schooling, bound by her father's will to live with Peter until she marries. She is not inclined to marry, because by law, all rights to her inherited property pass to her husband. The story follows the evolving relationship between Peter and Pamela, and presents the reader with alternatives to their sexual explorations.

From what do you derive the most inspiration for your writing?

Men and romance!!! I love men, the way they look, the way they smell, the way they do (ahem!) what they do. I am also a hopeless romantic.

Most of all, I am a student of the sexual tension between men and women. This tension is the foundation of the rituals, the flirtations and finally the connection surrounding relationship. The layers of physical, emotional and psychological attraction between men and women fascinate me.

My inspiration comes from what I feel by both observing and experiencing this dynamic. It creates a pleasurable burning in my body, and in my spirit, that I express in my stories.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?

There are two that occur to me. The first is that you will get rich quick. Unless you are a name author, a writer can’t quit their day job. The publishing industry moves slowly. It takes time to build a name and a reputation which will translate into dollars and cents.

The second is that it is so easy anyone can do it. Having writing talent and solid technique are only parts of the job requirement. An author has to passionately want to write to take on the required lifestyle. I work a full time job, and write evenings and weekends. Many authors do this, as well as raising a family. It takes dedication, stamina and tolerance for sleep deprivation to write. It is also a lonely bit of business. Writing requires solitude, and a willingness to reveal your own internal world. Exploring your personal shadow is not for the weak of heart.

What is your most favorite part of being a writer? The least favorite?

Going into a bookstore and seeing my book on the shelf is an unbelievable rush, but the most pleasure I get is having the capacity to express myself in writing. The creative process of writing is a shamanic journey of self exploration. I am addicted to it.

Following the characters through their lives is like an Aboriginal walkabout to my own dreamtime. They become extensions of myself, and I bond to them as close family. The couples in my books, Pash and Ivan in Passion, and Peter and Pamela in Sins and Secrets, became three dimensional, living people to me. I care about them, and miss being part of their lives when the story ends. Having that close relationship with my characters is the most satisfying part of my writing.

As for the least favorite part, a deadline is a deadline is a deadline! So, you’ve got the flu, you’re feeling lazy, you’ve planned a vacation or the laundry and dishes are waiting. You still have to write. The discipline necessary to keep on keeping on is not always easily found. My characters have to get it on even if I have a headache. It is certainly easier to write it when I feel it, but I have to make it happen even when I don’t.

Also, public criticism is also a difficult pill to swallow. The Internet has made it all too easy for anyone who wants to take a swipe to do so, sometimes anonymously and maliciously. Not everyone will like everything an author does, that is to be expected. An author learns to not take it personally. However, it is a rude awakening to discover how vicious it can get, and how hurtful and potentially destructive Internet attacks can be.

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

Music is my preferred ritual, a way to naturally alter my state of consciousness. I have my Bose wave music system with wireless headphones beside computer. The blues and soul music in particular get the juices flowing. I love Etta James, Queen Latifah, Nat King Cole, Barry White, Whitney Houston and many other artists, including Leonard Cohen. In his song Anthem, Leonard Cohen observes, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Music helps me find the crack that lets my light in.

I also have a poster from the Neue Galerie of Egon Schiele’s “The Lovers” hanging over my desk, and copies of Za-Hazzanani’s photographs of men from my website under the clear blotter. Seeing these pictures really helps the mood! Za-Hazzanani’s photos especially ring my chimes. Geez Louise, those men are to absolutely die for! Take a look for yourself - www.pfkozak.com.

Can you tell us about your book Passion and how long it took you to write it?

PASSION began as an erotic dream I had while on vacation several years ago. I wrote down the dream, originally calling it A Horse’s Tale. Once I got home, the story continued to play in my head like a movie. Each time it did, the story became more detailed. I wrote what I saw and heard. The "He Said / She Said" narrative and dialogue evolved over a period of time. Ivan’s voice became as clear to me as Pash’s, so I gave them each a chance to speak. It took about a year to write it and about two months to get it ready for publication.

As for what the book is about, this is the synopsis:

When Pash decides to forsake her quiet and bookish fixation with the romance of historical England for the hobby of horseback riding, she gets much more than she expected. Ivan, her handsome and brooding riding instructor, completely draws her into his world of seduction and passion.

And this is an excerpt from your own Fallen Angel Reviews (Thank you Serena!):

Even though she discovers she fears horses; Pash cannot stay away from the enigmatic Dr. Ivan Kozak. She is drawn to his body and the care he shows the horses, but is drawn in by his mind; fascinated by the brain inside the brawn. When she finds that they share more than a few preferences she has a harder and harder time thinking about the end of the summer.

Can you tell us a little about your upcoming works?

The book I am working on now is an erotic ghost story. A well traveled female journalist has a near death experience. During her out-of-body journey, she reconnects with a past life lover. What happens once she comes back from the other side is an erotic liaison of cosmic proportion!

Also on the boards are two novellas to be included in separate anthologies and a full length novel about Sailors. I will be cuddling with my computer for some time to come.

What’s one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

There is a quote from my book “Sins and Secrets” that I have on the home page of my website:

"It is a hard lesson to learn, that the fire never goes away. It smolders and it flares, and it always, always burns."

My original “mission” as a writer of erotic literature was simply to vent this burning. Most people take a holiday in the tropical climate of passion. I live there! With my active imagination and potent libido, I needed a safe and creative way to express these parts of myself.

Now that my work is published, I write erotica for women. Through my writing, I extend my method of coping to any woman who smolders with it as I do, and hopefully, my work will make it easier for her to acknowledge and enjoy her own fire inside.

If you were a dessert, which one would best describe you?

Crème Brûlée. It is a sensual, exotic dessert that caramelizes under the flame of a blowtorch, yet still retains its sweet and creamy textural contrast inside.

You have 3 wishes, what are they?

To be:

1. Healthy
2. Wealthy
3. Wise

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

Looking back on everything that has brought me to this point, I can honestly say that in retrospect, all roads led to the same destination. I have a degree in writing, but life experience made me a writer. It is amazing what being knocked upside the head a few times can teach you! I understand that no dream realized comes without a price. Everything in life is a compromise, to get one thing, something else will no doubt be sacrificed. I am very fortunate to be one of the lucky few that can say “I actually did it! I am an Honest to God published author!!!”

Thank you so much for spending time with us today!

Thank you for inviting me to do an interview for Fallen Angel Reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And - how about a joke to end the interview.

THE FIREMAN

A FIREMAN came home from work one day and told his wife, "You know, we have a wonderful system at the fire station: BELL 1 rings and we all put on our jackets, BELL 2 rings and we all slide down the pole, BELL 3 rings and we’re on the fire truck ready to go.

"From now on when I say BELL 1, I want you to strip naked. When I say BELL 2, I want you to jump in bed. And when I say BELL 3, we are going to make love all night." The next night he came home from work and yelled, "BELL 1!" The wife promptly took all her clothes off. When he yelled "BELL 2!", the wife jumped into bed. When he yelled "BELL 3!", they began making love.

After a few minutes the wife yelled "BELL 4!"

"What the hell is BELL 4?" asked the husband?

"ROLL OUT MORE HOSE," she replied, "YOU’RE NOWHERE NEAR THE FIRE!”

Readers can learn more about P.F. Kozak and her books on her website at www.pfkozak.com

Interviewed by: Tammy