I'm delighted to have Lily Harlem as a guest on my blog.
Hello Lily - It was great to connect with you through our publisher, Evernight Publishing, and I was pleased to discover you have a new release out - or perhaps I should say a new series in the making. But before we discover more about BADASS BIKER here are a few questions that will hopefully give your readers and followers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: Do you have a particular genre you like to write? Historical, Contemporary, that sort of thing...
Lily: What
is my genre? In all honesty I’m a complete floozy when it comes to genres and
pairings. I write everything from contemporary sporting MF, to paranormal MM,
threesomes and moresomes (reverse harem), sci-fi featuring aliens with
interesting quirks of anatomy and super kinky historical romance. What all my
writing has in common is the bedroom door is left well and truly open and
you’re guaranteed a satisfying happy ending.
Arabella: Authors can release books, making them available to readers in various ways … via an agent, or working directly with a traditional publisher, or they can even go the self-publishing route. Which method of publishing do you prefer, and why?
Lily: I’ve been writing full time, professionally since 2010 so I’ve done a bit of everything except the agency route which I never saw much point of as I could submit direct to digital-first publishers and not have to pay an agent fee. Right now I’d be classified as hybrid because I work with publishers (Evernight, Totally Bound, Stormy Night Publishing, HarperCollins and more) as well as self-publishing. I like doing a bit of both as it means I don’t have all of my eggs in one basket. Having said that to start with I only published through traditional route (Ellora’s Cave being a big first I worked with) and built a good readership (especially with SHARED and HOT ICE) which meant when I did self-publish (SCORED was my first self-pub book) I had a bunch of readers eager to get their hands on it. I have to say, my sexy soccer star Lewis is still very popular as are my hot hockey players in HOT ICE!
Arabella: A slice of Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Lily: I’d have to
say just the fries on their own as I’m veggie and I really don’t have a sweet
tooth. But if you could put some truffle oil and Parmesan cheese on them I’d be
a very happy author!
Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest release, BADASS BIKER – DIRTY BIKERS BOOK #1 ?
Lily:
I’m currently writing an MC series (Motorcycle Club
so think Sons of Anarchy but less violent and way, way more sexy) called DIRTY
BIKERS. The first two books are available now BADASS BIKER and COCKY BIKER and
I’m working on RENEGADE BIKER edits
which means it will be hitting the shelves at the beginning of autumn. In regards to what inspired me, I guess I’ve
always wanted to write an MC book, those big bad boys with throbbing engines
and a law unto themselves definitely yanked my author chain.
Arabella:
If the person of your dreams, (husband/wife/partner/or superstar), were to take
you out for the night, where would they take you and what would you do?
Lily: Mr
H is the man of my dreams and I’m lucky enough to call him my husband and best
friend. He travels a lot on business so we always make sure when we’re together
at the weekend or holiday time we do something special and memorable. Last
month he took me to Venice. We wandered the palaces and museums, the cobbled
streets, took a Gondola ride on the canal and had the most delicious cannelloni
and bottle of pinot I can ever remember having. I’d say that was a pretty
perfect date!
Arabella: Currently, what is your most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Lily: I’ve just
watched THE SANDMAN on Netflix, not my usual type of show to be honest but I
did enjoy it, it was slick, not teenagery like some fantasy is. I also binged
KEEP BREATHING on Netflix last week, gosh, I held my breath through most of it.
Definitely made me want to go on a survival course.
Arabella: When writing a book or chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?
Lily: All of the
above. I usually have a scene or a bit of dialogue or characters’ complex
relationship in my mind for a week or so, mulling it over and expanding. Then I
just start to write. I never plot anything out more then a couple of sentences.
I read once that when an author is staring into space, they’re working, and
that is very true!
Arabella:
How do you research your novels and characters?
Lily: Google! And of course real-life experience. I
worked as a nurse in London for 18 years before I started writing, that has
given me a lot of characters to work with!
Arabella:
What advice would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing
journey?
Lily: Learn the
craft of creative writing. They say everyone has a book in them, and that’s
true, but it’s a skill to be able to write it down. I studied creative writing
with Cardiff University when I stopped nursing, and by the end of the three
years I was getting published, I don’t think that would have happened if I
hadn’t had a great teacher who pushed us to be the best we could be.
Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Lily. You gave some great answers and I’m sure your readers have enjoyed discovering a little more about you.
Wishing you all the best for your release -
PS. Just saying... đŸ˜‰There are such things as Veggie/Vegan Burgers that could go with your Fries - delish...
Arabella Xxx
ABOUT Lily Harlem
Lily Harlem is an award-winning, best-selling author of erotic romance. She lives in the UK with a menagerie of rescued pets and a husband who is a constant source of sexy inspiration. Since giving up an adrenaline-infused career as a trauma nurse Lily has indulged in her love of creative writing and with a desk overlooking rolling hills her active imagination has been allowed to run wild and free.
Lily's stories are made up of colorful characters exploring their sexuality and sensuality in a safe, consensual way. With the bedroom door left wide open the reader can hang on for the ride and Lily hopes by reading sexy romance people will be brave enough to try something new themselves? After all, life's too short to be anything other than fully satisfied.
Social Media
Website (free eBook) https://www.lilyharlem.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorlilyharlem
Facebook VIP Reader Group (all welcome) https://www.facebook.com/groups/188731774881774
Twitter https://twitter.com/lily_harlem
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4070110.Lily_Harlem
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lily-harlem
BADASS BIKER – DIRTY BIKERS BOOK #1 OUT NOW
The Devil’s Barbarians, a notorious one-percenter MC, have arrived in town. Debauchery, brawls, and cocky charm, oh yeah, it’s all going down.
LEAH
Carter Harris is danger with a capital D.
I have to avoid him. Resist temptation.
Riding into the sunset on the back of his Harley is not an option.
Or is it?
Wild passion. Heady longing. Bad-boy looks. Hell yeah, I could be persuaded.
CARTER
Leah White might be the biggest challenge of my life.
She’s tiny but feisty. She’s independent yet those lost eyes tell me she’s crying out for a man.
And that man is gonna be me. There’s no question about that.
Now all I gotta do is seduce the heck out of her, even if that means resorting to dirty tactics.
BUY LINKS:
Website: https://www.lilyharlem.com/dirty-bikers.html
Evernight Publishing: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/badass-biker-by-lily-harlem/
It's great to be hanging out with you Arabella. Thank you for inviting me.
ReplyDeleteIt was a real delight to have you on the blog, Lily. I hope you find a better use for your 'Truffle Oil' rather than putting it on chips! :)
ReplyDeleteLove, Arabella Xxx