Attorney turned erotic author… Now there must be a story in there….

Meet Delphine Dryden

My latest book is Art of the Lie, which just came out in September from Ellora’s Cave. And I have another EC book coming out October 22 – Naked Truth.

Tell us a little about your recent/soon to be released books.

Art of the Lie is the second book in my Truth & Lies series, which is all about some small-town folks who have moved to the big (or at least bigger) city and are trying to find their own happily ever afters! There’s a little different lightly kinky flavor to each book – cybering, spanking, bondage, D/s, etc. Because I believe the range of “normal” behavior is a lot wider than people sometimes think! The only utterly vanilla title in the series is Naked Truth, which is mainly a bonus Quickie set in that world, rather than a full-fledged part of the series.

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen?
A little of both. For this series I have done more plotting in advance than ever before. But the characters still make some choices that surprise even me. The first series book, How to Tell a Lie, stayed pretty true to the outline. But all the ones I’ve worked on since have refused to behave quite so well. Just like the characters in the books, many of whom are also behaving badly!

What inspired you to write in your genre? Is this the genre you started writing in or have you morphed to this one?
Mostly it’s just that, when I write, eventually the characters will engage in smut! I think I must have that “bow-chicka-bow-wow” music hard-wired in my brain somewhere. So there really was no other genre for me.

Do you have a favorite character you have written?
I’m very fond of the one first-person character I’ve written, Katie from my book When in Rio. She’s a wee bit neurotic, thinks way too much, her brain supplies silly stuff to laugh at when it is exactly the wrong time…and she has the capacity for true love. She’s the perfect girl for my other favorite character, Jack, the eco-hunk!

Do you have a character that you look back on now and don’t like?
Not yet! I have a recurring character in my series, Tess, who my editor just hates. Tess’s book will be the last in the series, and my main job for that book will be to redeem Tess in my editor’s eyes so she understands and forgives all the previous bitchiness. I have my work cut out for me. But I think that tales of redemption have their own special charm.

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share?
I absolutely do. But I try to change things around enough to protect the not-so-innocent from ever recognizing that I’ve used their stories for my nefarious purposes.

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.
I used to be an attorney. What I do now is a LOT more fun.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
My job of writing erotica is my daily guilty pleasure!

What do you need before you start writing? Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?

Silence! Well, at least no little kids running around and playing in the background. I have to wait until the kiddos are either out of the house or fast asleep, for the creative juice to flow!

Does music influence your writing? If so, do any of your stories have a theme song?
The k.d. lang version of “Hallelujah” was much in my mind and is even mentioned in Art of the Lie, though in general it’s a cheerier book than that would suggest. My usual “go” music is a big band number called “Sing sing sing”. The Louis Prima version rocks my socks. You should check it out!

If your story was optioned for a movie, who would play your characters?
I have a little file I call “central casting” that I keep for just this purpose. The part of Lindy would be played by Michelle Trachtenberg. And Richard could be portrayed by Rick Malambri, because he is so pretty and as a bonus can also dance!

Where were you when you got your first contract?
I was at work (back when I still had a day job) and I shouldn’t have been reading my home email from my work computer!
Who did you tell first?
I called my husband and told him. Then I told my mom!

How old were you when you read your first romance book?
Nine. Gone With the Wind, if anybody’s curious.

What are you currently working on, and what else is in the wings?
There are two more “Truth & Lies” books on deck, and I also just wrapped up a very short Christmas-themed novella I’m hoping will get picked up by Ellora’s Cave. Then I have a few other back-burner things that I work on in my spare time.

What is your reaction to people who say one of the following…”Oh you write romance, I thought you were a real writer”, “Romance isn’t a real writing career” or the ever popular “Oh, one of those books”.
I have been so lucky not to hear that (maybe I just have selective hearing). Mostly, people are just impressed to hear that I’m published. I usually tell them first that I’m a novelist and then only mention the genre if they ask; when they hear “erotica” they tend not to scoff. So maybe the secret is to write erotica instead of romance!

Where can readers find you?
I am a twitterholic, so follow @deldryden on Twitter.

My website is http://www.delphinedryden.com and there you can find my blogs, book info and excerpts, latest contest details, and all sorts of other good stuff.

And for the silly side – What is your favorite type of chocolate?
Dark. Preferably between 70-80%. Green & Black organic is among my favorite brands because of the smooth mouth feel. Dagoba has terrific flavor but isn’t quite as mellow on the tongue. Good companion flavors are chili peppers, lemon, orange, and raspberry. The new Tobasco chocolate? Awesome!