Alysha Ellis talks to Totally Bound about her Special Editions.
You have revisited and expanded your four of your previous releases! Why did you want to return to these books in particular?
These were early books, and while they had the sheer exuberance of an enthusiastic early writer, they lacked some of the polish and character development I’ve learned since. I also took notice of my reviews, which for these books were all positive, but which frequently said, “We’d like to see more.” So I wrote more, and thoroughly enjoyed visiting dear friends.
Give us an insight into what additions we can expect to see this time round.
There are extra scenes in most of the books, and one, Send Me an Angel has I think been greatly improved by changing the motivation of the character to one that is much more in keeping with the very sexy story it is.
These are some of your earliest titles with Totally Bound, do they have special significance to you?
The Devil Made Me Do It has always been one of my absolute favourites. I had so much fun writing it. But there were a couple of new things I wanted to add and I was happy to get the opportunity to do that. Send Me an Angel is one that worked for me at the time, but I wanted to increase the tension and the intensity of the final confrontation.
What do you prefer writing, contemporary or historical?
I really can’t make up my mind…and that applies to my reading as well. I’ll binge read and write a bunch of historicals, then switch to contemporary. Then do it all over again. I love reading and writing Romance, but I don’t think I’ll ever become only historical, or only contemporary.
What would be your best piece of advice for aspiring Totally Bound authors?
First, I’d say “Good Choice.” I have many friends who write for Totally Bound and we couldn’t be happier.
That said, get yourself a really good critique reader. Not someone who loves you and is on your cheerleading team, but someone who will be honest even if that’s a bit harsh. And remember, even though Totally Bound’s readers like hot and steamy, the sex scenes have to have a purpose beyond mere titillation. They need to develop your characterisation, point to the theme or push the plot along.
What can we expect from you next with Totally Bound?
The next story I’m working on is a full-length m/m/f cowboy novel, currently titled A Handful of Cowboys. Set in the Australian Outback it is the story of two men vying with each other for the position of station manager who find themselves fighting an unexpected attraction—to each other and to the woman who employs them.
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