A New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Alessandra Torre has written eleven novels, five of which have become #1 Erotic Bestsellers (you can get notification of her upcoming releases at nextnovel.com).
Maya Fleischmann (MF): What was the inspiration for your first novel, Blindfolded Innocence?
Alessandra Torre (AT): The love story I knew best — my husband and my courtship and tumble into love. We met at work, and I was warned by every person at the company to stay away from him. He was threatened to be fired if he so much as spoke to me. And we, of course, couldn’t stay away from each other.
MF: Did you have a passion for erotic thrillers and dramas or did the success of Blindfolded focus you on that genre?
AT: My entire life, I read dramas and suspense. I’d pick up the occasional romance, but typically gravitated to a more thrilling read. So it was odd, that–when I sat down to write–a romance (Blindfolded Innocence) came out. That wasn’t what I expected to write but then … it had so much success, that I really felt comfortable staying in that genre. The Girl in 6E was my second novel and it returned me to my reading roots–a full-blown suspense, but with an erotic edge. That is really what I love the most. Sex mixed with Suspense.
MF: How did the concept of your erotic serial “The Bedroom Blog” for cosmopolitan.com come about?
AT: Cosmo wanted a sexy fun story, set in New York. I started off with the idea of Chloe–a spoiled ‘Gossip Girl’ type who had just lost all of her money, and sort of let the story and characters take over from there. I wasn’t always sure where I wanted her story to go … so it took a lot of twists and turns along the way!
MF: What was the impetus to write, Love, Chloe?
AT: When I finished the Bedroom Blog for Cosmo, I had 156 episodes that told Chloe’s story. It was great content, and such a fun story. I decided to go back to the drawing board, and take those episodes and rewrite her story as a standalone novel. It came out even better than I had hoped. Fans of the Bedroom Blog will love it–but it is written for any contemporary reader.
MF: In your article on novelicious.com, you share five benefits of self publishing. Though you say you are a huge advocate of self-publishing, you state that “Self-publishing is not perfect. There are a lot of benefits to traditional publishing, and that is why I will always be a hybrid author (half-traditional, half-self-publisher).” What determines whether your book will be self or traditionally published?
AT: To be blunt? Money and exposure. If I received a big enough advance, one that I felt would allow me to have more freedom in my self-published works, I’d be interested in returning to traditional publishing. Also, if a publisher really brought to the table an impressive marketing campaign, one that I felt would give my books additional exposure that I alone couldn’t provide–then I would be tempted. The print market is one that I haven’t really conquered yet, and I would like to reach those readers.
MF: What’s the worst advice you hear authors give writers?
AT: To go with a publisher just because you’ve been offered a deal. Getting a publisher deal is great — but only if it works for you. You have to forget ego and prestige when you look at a publishing deal. You need to just focus on the economics and pieces of the deal, and don’t sign if it doesn’t make feasible financial sense to you.
MF: What is the best?
AT: Don’t skimp on two things: cover design and editing. [EDS NOTE: Find both those services and more from IndieReader here]. That can be the difference between an okay book and a great one. And DON’T write to make money. I get emails daily from new authors who don’t understand why they only sold ten copies of their new book. Our market is way over-saturated. Write because you have a story in you and you are the only one who can tell it. Don’t write for fame or fortune. There are three million books on Amazon right now and only a handful of bestsellers.
MF: Does criticism or praise from reviews influence where and how your characters/series develop?
AT: Yes and no. Readers are very vocal and their feedback helps me to decide whether to do a sequel, or a spinoff. But there are just too many opinions out there. If I tried to listen to and mold my ideas around them, I’d lose any spark my writing might have had.
MF: Who has had the most influence on you as a writer?
AT: Liane Moriatry was a big voice in my head when I wrote one book … it’s still sitting on my desk so it’s a secret for now. But Stephen King’s book, On Writing, is what I credit my entire career to. That is the book that broke down the writing process into something that I could understand. And I love Gillian Flynn–she is my favorite author to date.
MF: Who are you reading now?
AT: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
MF: What is your favorite quotation from your book or character? What is it and who says it?
AT: “When you really love someone, you cannot walk away. No matter what they do. No matter the lies from their mouth, or the actions from their bodies, you tie yourself tightly to their sail and vow to be there through thick and thin. Let the wind blow you where it may. Even if that place is a crash. Even if that place tears you apart and kills anything good.” (Layana from Black Lies)