Welcome to the another edition of Purple Night Lights, a place to spotlight writers of erotica. We will have intimate conversations about sex, love and writing about it. Today our guest is Velvet Lenae, who used her skills as an author, photographer and poet in the compiling of her erotic books ‘Bare It All’ Volumes 1 and 2. Let’s do this.

Q&A

LL: How did you come up with the idea to author a book where you are the photographer, writer of short erotic tales and poetry?

VL: Although Photography came first, currently, writing was a first love in the past. I kind of gave up the idea of writing professionally, coming out of high school.  In the photography world, I love boudoir and I was looking to expand on it, making it a specialty.  In the process of doing that, I met a man…

Of course, this where I want to stop….Lol.  But I’ll keep going.  While dating him, I began to explore and broaden my sexual world, which made me want to write about it.  There were a couple of pieces that I shared with friends.  One of them said, “Damn!!  I would sign up for your You Tube Channel.”  When he said that, the idea popped into my head.  What if I combined my photography, my new first love (digging deeper, from boudoir to erotic) with writing, my old first love.  From there, “Bare It All” was born. 

LL: Do you pull from your own personal experiences when writing your characters and or poetry?

VL: Oh goodness!  The number one question.  It’s possible that personal experiences are intertwined with fiction and fantasy.

LL: How do you do you choose your models and decide which pictures to use?

VL: Choosing the “models” is easy!  I don’t choose “industry standard” type models, popular to the photography industry.  Any interested person can be a “model” for my books.  There’s no specific body type wanted.  I want my readers to relate to what they’re reading.  “Bare It All” is not just about my book.  It’s a movement that expresses accepting your sexuality and your body.  No judgment.  Sex doesn’t only apply to “models.”  I want to highlight sexual experiences and questions and the natural body.  There’s no prejudice. 

Going into the second book, the “models” chose me.  They wanted to be a part of the movement.  I rarely ask for someone to be in my book because I want them to want to be in it, without any pressure or regrets.  I also allow them to choose to NOT reveal their identity.

Choosing the images is extremely hard.  This time around, I captured a lot of images and not all made the cut.  So they will roll over into another book or just be used for social media purposes.  I want the chosen images to relate to the short story or poem, as much as possible.

LL: Tell us about ‘Bare It All’ and the wonderful event you have coming up on March 17th?

VL: I describe “Bare It All” as being a visual, sexy combination that includes images of everyday people (not just models), coupled with erotic short stories and poems.

Outside of what I write about, I can relate to a lot of sexual topics that others are either ashamed of, choose to keep private and /or are curious about.  This movement shows the world that you do not and should not have to be afraid to be sexually open, which is why I’m choosing to go beyond the book with my event. 

“Bare It All” has now became “Bare It All, Live” for my event on March 17, 2017 in Roswell, GA.  My Erotic Art Show will be an extension of Erotic Art, in relation to my book, brought to life.  There will be Erotic Art showcased from talented artists, several live erotic related performances, that consists of spoken word, singing, dancing, yoga, fashion and fitness segments, live nude photo shoots and body painting and even a BDSM segment.

 LL: Do you ever get negative or unwanted attention because of the genre you have chosen? How do you deal with it?
VL: The most frustrating thing is not being as expressive as I want to on social media. Every time I have to cover or crop out a nipple, crop out something that’s considered too sexual or keep in mind to shoot from a certain angle that will make it less sexually revealing, in order to post on social media, I die a little bit inside…Lol.  Of course not literally, but that’s the best way to describe it.  On the other hand, it gives my audience something more to look forward to in my book.  They might be thinking, if she’s sharing something this risqué online, what does the book include.  Then I have those that just can’t bare to see any skin and I run the risk of my images being reported.  I tread lightly these days when it comes to posting my art because I have been in “Facebook Jail” at least 3 times and Instagram shut down one of my pages.  The current page is my 2^nd Instagram page.  I had to start all over and rebuild my audience.

I have also had family message me and tell me that they support my photography, but if I continue to shoot “pornography”, they can’t support me. 

Everyone is not going to accept my new journey and I’m fine with that.  I’ve accepted who I am and my sexuality and I want others to not be afraid to talk about sex and what they like.  Be open, express it and don’t judge others for what they like about sex.

 LL: Who are the one writer and photographer that have influenced you the most and what is your favorite work by them?
VL: I’ve always loved Zane, of course. Even when I read her books, writing my own erotic stories was never a thought.  I don’t write novels, nor do I plan to.  So my writing style is very different from hers and other erotic writers, but I definitely love her writing style.  I can’t say that there’s a specific photographer that has influenced my erotic photography.  I see a lot of erotic photography on Tumblr that I love, but mainly discovered after I started my journey.

LL: What is your take on how sexy your pictures can be in a novel? Can they be too sexy before turning into porn?

VL: This is a tough one and I’ve had this discussion with others.  When is my art considered too raunchy and cross the line of being considered “porn”.  I think there is a thin line, but the thing is…I’m ok with my art being considered classy AND crossing the line of being considered porn.  Sex includes both worlds.  Think about it…

LL: What is your ultimate goal for your writing?

VL: When I started this, I wasn’t sure of the acceptance.  Now that I’ve taken this leap, I want my book to be accepted by a major publisher and be on New York Times Best Sellers List.

LL: What is your favorite sex position to write about and take pictures of?

VL: Ha!  Going off of one of my friends asking me if I have an oral fixation, after reading my book, I’ll have to say giving head….Lol.  Yes. I know that’s not a sex position, but that’s my answer.  I would love to take more pictures of oral sex, but it’s kind of hard to get people to let me capture that.  But, you may see it in this 2^nd book….

LL: Are you a fan of toys?

VL: As of right now, I’m personally not a big toy person. I do want to explore and play with various toys that I’ve never used or knew about.  I would also like to capture the use of toys in my photography.

LL: Describe your writing process?

VL: Hmmmm… I don’t have one. I write what I feel, when it comes to mind.  I may write while at work, on breaks and at lunch.  If in between, I might at least type the subject idea in my notes to circle back to later.  If I wake up in the middle of the night from a dream, sex on mind or just from being horny, I’ll turn over and write or type in my notes on my phone and then revise it later.  I keep my journal and phone by me, in my bed.

LL: What’s next on the agenda for you?

VL: I want to expand “Bare It All” as a brand, but still keep it relatable, personally.  I don’t want to reveal all of the future plans, but I definitely want to expand, beyond my book.

***Bonus Question***

LL: Have you ever been so turned on by a scene you are writing/photographing that you needed to stop to take care of business?

VL: LOL!!! Whew.  I definitely didn’t expect this question.  What a bonus?!

I have been turned on while shooting, while writing and while reading my work, but I’ve never stopped to “take care of business.”  Although I’ve been turned on, my focus remains professional and completing the task. In my line of business, I think it’s natural to be turned on.  I’m human and a very sexual being.

Bio