Purple Light Nights – Yajna Ramnath

Welcome to another edition of Purple Night Lights, a place to spotlight writers of erotic romance. We will have intimate conversations about sex, love and writing about it. Today our guest is Yajna Ramnath, author of “The Wreck of Our Hearts”. Let’s do this.

Yajna3 — © Yajna Ramnath Used with permission

LL: How did you get into writing erotic romance tales?

YR: Sex is art. There is an art to entrusting your body to someone from the simple act of love-making to the brazen acts of BDSM. I loved exploring how far my characters would go because it tested my personal boundaries, and…well, because who doesn’t want to feel a little hot and sweaty over a fictional character?

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

YR: Definitely. I live vicariously through them. Each and every character has something from me in them, be it an emotion, an addiction to a TV show or food or a physical flaw.

LL: How do you do your research?

YR: With erotica, lots of videos. With everything else? Google and talking to people who are from the places I base my stories in.

LL: Tell us about “The Wreck of Our Hearts” and who or what inspired you to write it?

YR: The Wreck of Our Hearts was inspired by my very own heartbreak a little over a year ago. It was one of those heartbreaks where you knew from the beginning things were never going to work out,but you chose to hold on. Parts of the books were also inspired by societies need for you to be “okay” when you go through life changing moments.

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

YR: The titles: Ophelia and Beneath Her Beautiful, garnered me a lot of attention with regards to the sex scenes. I once had a lady message me and advise me that she believed I was bringing shame to the Indian community by writing “disgusting porn”. I have even been approached by guys that I went to high-school with, who begged to know whether I wrote those scenes from “experience” and whether I “try out” the scenes. The only way I dealt with it was to block and ignore. You cannot doubt yourself or your art, because a narrow-minded few feel the need to sully it.

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

YR: Sylvia Day. Her Crossfire series changed my outlook on romance. While E.L. James definitely gave me the courage to release Beneath Her Beautiful, Bared to You was one book that made me pant a little and feel all sorts of emotions.

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

YR: My take? Put as many as you like, as long as it does not overshadow the story you are trying to convey.

I like getting creative, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be those frenzied up against the wall positions.

LL: What is your ultimate goal for your writing?

YR: Honestly, like everyone else I dream of being a bestseller, but the goal is to keep writing. No matter the circumstance.

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

YR: I like getting creative, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be those frenzied up against the wall positions.

LL: Are you a fan of toys?

YR: Yes. It makes things exciting.

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

YR: Dark / Thriller

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

YR: When there are violent beatings involved.

LL: Describe your writing process?

YR: I jot down ideas into a notebook, play it out like a movie in my head, and then I just write as the story comes out. While writing, I must have a carefully selected playlist and a bunch of my favorite candy.

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

YR: I will start working on the conclusion to my Dramir Duet (a paranormal / urban fantasy novel) thereafter, I want to go back to writing something dark and twisted.

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?

YR: Definitely the prologue scene from Beneath Her Beautiful, it was my first book and first attempt, let’s say I got a little too excited.

Bio:

Yajna2 — © Yajna Ramnath Used with permission

On the 18th of February 1992, a baby girl decided to rush her way into the world before her due date. As she grew, so did her imagination and with that came her dozens of imaginary friends. They saw her through many moments in her life.

Today, Yajna Ramnath is an author of various genres from contemporary romance, urban fantasy to erotic thrillers where she brings her imaginary friends to life. She bases her characters on different parts of her; the lover, the dreamer, the villain, the joker, the heartbroken, the insecure girl, the killer and the mentally insane. Her stories and characters walk the fine line between real life and fictional tales.

“The easiest way to get to know me is by visiting my Instagram profile. I’m a selfie lover and I like posting random thoughts and interests about my life.”

Her typical day out is staying in with a book and getting lost in the power of words.

She believes in two important things and that is to always ROCK YOUR OWN STYLE AND DANCE TO YOUR OWN BEAT.

“I am a lover of the unknown, the incredibly sexy and the slightly twisted.”