Purple Light Nights – Twyla Turner

Welcome to 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 Twyla Turner, author of ‘Winter’s Beast’. Let’s do this.

Author Twyla Turner — © Twyla Turner Used with permission

LL: How did you get into writing erotic tales?

TT: I had always wanted to be a writer and I’ve always been sexually open. I didn’t even know that erotica was a genre, I’d always read romance but nothing extra steamy. But it was, in fact, Fifty Shades of Grey that introduced me to the genre. I was hooked and was searching for every erotic book I could get my hands on. So when I decided to finally sit down and write, it was a foregone conclusion that it would be romance with an erotic flare.

LL: Do you put a little of yourself in your characters?

TT: Absolutely! My very first heroine was almost all And since then, every character has a little of me in her. It’s hard not to.

LL: How do you do your research?

TT: I either Google what I need or watch videos on YouTube.

LL: Tell us about “Winter’s Beast” and who or what inspired you to write it?

TT: When the live action Beauty and the Beast came out, it reminded me that I’ve always wanted to write a beauty and the beast story of my own, but of course extra steamy. And I saw a photo of a little girl with Albinism (Albino for those who don’t know, though I’ve heard they don’t like to be called that) and I wanted to write a story about her and figured she’d be perfect for the story.

LL: Do you ever get negative or unwanted attention because of the genre you have chosen? How do you deal with it?

TT: Surprisingly, no. At least not yet. Though I figure that if I get my wish to become mainstream, I’ll get plenty of that in the future.

LL: Who is the one writer that has influenced you the most in the genre and what is your favorite work by them?

TT: I technically don’t have a favorite in erotica. One of my favorites in romance is Julia Quinn. She writes historical romance and I loved her Bridgerton Family books.

LL: What is your take on how many sex scenes to include in a novel? Can there be too many?

TT: Even though I never did it intentionally, I always write at least 3. I feel you need that initial connection, and second time to display their bond and how far they’ve come, and then you need the makeup sex after they’ve resolved whatever issues they had to work through. I like to add a few more because of the fact that my books have more erotic elements. Yes, there can be too much, especially if there isn’t enough story or it doesn’t move the story forward.

LL: What is your ultimate goal for your writing?

TT: To give women with flaws a voice and books to relate to. As well as getting my books turned into feature films or TV shows, because I want more representation of Black women and curvy women finding love on the big and small screen.

LL: What is your favorite sex position to write about in your novels?

TT: I have a thing for up against walls with big strong men to lift up my curvy heroines. Probably because I’ve never been with a big strong man to lift me up like that. Ha!

LL: Are you a fan of toys?

TT: For myself, abso-freakin-lutely!!! I think everyone should use them. And if they fit into my stories, I’ll add them.

LL: What is your favorite sub-genre of erotica to read?

TT: It depends on my mood. Paranormal, BDSM, ménage, etc.

LL: When does the kink go too far in your opinion?

TT: I’m a freak so it has to go way into left field. No bodily fluids aside from saliva. No electrocution (yes, apparently they do that too). LOL! No kids or animals.

LL: Describe your writing process?

TT: An idea comes to me and I’ll put the character stats and description as well as the premise for the story on my Notebook app on my laptop. Then I might write out a loose outline for what I want to happen. I start the story and write until the characters start to take me in their own direction. After that, to bring the focus back to the story and to make it more clear of where I want to go, I write out a more detailed outline. And then I write until it’s done.

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

TT: I’m working on a project with a few other authors and then I hope to get the rest of the Curvy Girls Club stories out there. And I also have another series I’ve been working on. But I don’t want to give any details on it yet.

Bonus Question

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

TT: Hell, yes! It doesn’t happen all the time, but I think I remember doing that while writing the Chasing Day series. I live with my retired parents, so they’re almost always here. That makes it hard to get too into it.

Bio:

Author Twyla Turner 2 — © Twyla Turner Used with permission

Twyla Turner was born in Joliet, Illinois and was almost immediately enamored with all things entertainment and yearned for something “more”. She wrote her first story in the 3rd grade and fell in love with creating a whole world from her mind. But it was a long winding road to self-publishing her first novel Star-Struck. An interest in science and animals, to wanting to be the next Oprah, majoring in radio/television with a minor in creative writing, to a year in Japan, four years in California and then to Arizona where a trip to spiritual Sedona awakened something in her and the need to write finally hit her like a brick wall. And once she started, the ideas flooded her brain like she never dreamed possible. Her love of romance and travel, as well as her struggle with body image and the male species combined into wanting to write romance for ‘real’ women. She has 11 books to date and one novella and her dark romance trilogy The Damaged Souls Series was a 2015 Amazon Bestseller. She has become known as a champion for the underdog and she’s only just getting started.