Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I mostly milled about after high school, going from job to job instead of going to college, mostly because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life.
Actually, I DID know. I wanted to be a writer. I just didn’t think that I had what it takes.
Eventually, I got tired of working various jobs, and I ended up going to a university to study writing. I got my degree, and I started trying to pay off my loans.
I got into writing erotica because it’s a fascinating genre, one that can cross over with any number of other genres. I can write erotic fantasy, erotic horror, erotic romance, erotic mystery, erotic science fiction… pretty much anything. And I like making people feel good- there’s already far too much depressing entertainment out there. I’d rather write stuff that puts a smile on people’s face.
So far, I’ve self-published six different erotic short stories through Amazon, for the Kindle. I’ve written a few more than that, but finding good (and affordable) cover art has proven to be a kind of bottle-neck to my production-line.
And keep in mind, when I say “short stories,” I’m talking about stuff that’s 6,000+ words at a MINIMUM. Most of my stuff is in the 9k-16k range, simply because I get very, very descriptive. There’s so much going on during sex, mentally and physically, that it can eat up a lot of words just painting a thorough picture of what’s happening during a scene.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For my latest book, I teamed up with AVN-nominated Adult Film Producer Kelli Roberts, and co-wrote an erotic BDSM novel called “Letting Go.” It is being published by Wastland.com, one of the longest-running adult sites with authentic BDSM content. It’s the first novel published by Wasteland, and it’s been a privilege being a part of that project.
If this book does well enough, I’ll likely be able to do some sequels, which would be very nice because there’s so much more that can be done with the characters in that novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hm. I can’t say, because I don’t really know what the usual writing habits are!
I might do more mental work up-front, before I commit anything to paper. I’ll think about a scene during my day, mull over different permutations and possibilities, and get most of it set in my mind so that when I get home, I can just write it out.
This reduces the amount of editing, revision, and re-writing that I have to do.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up on Tolkeen, Bradbury, CS Lewis, Asimov, and many other classic science fiction and fantasy authors. They all played a heavy influence in one way or another.
Also, I have read a lot of Stephen King, and have likely been impressed by his thoroughly descriptive style, along with the way that he’s been able to bring a legitimacy to the Horror genre that no other living author has managed. He’s the first writer to merge horror with literature, while still managing to be quite popular.
I suppose I’d like to do the same thing for erotica, to show the world that it’s a legitimate genre that is just as capable of sustaining great writing as any other. I’d love to write an erotic novel that they might one day teach college classes on.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on a vampires short story, as well as compiling my existing short-fiction pieces into a single anthology.
After that… well, I’ve got countless ideas, thousands of different story seeds floating around in my mind. It’s just a matter of which ones germinate next.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s the main problem with self-publishing: you also have to self-promote. So far, I haven’t found a truly effective way of getting audiences to know about my works. Twitter helps a bit, as does Goodreads, but I haven’t found any one magic bullet when it comes to promotion.
Currently, we’re doing a free giveaway of “Letting Go” (ends on 12/4/14), and I’ve been using sites such as Awesomegang to help spread the word about that. The effect has been quite pleasing so far!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
In order to learn to write stories, you must learn how to write. Grammar and punctuation are important, especially if you can’t hire editors.
You have to learn how words work together, how they sound both inside of the readers’ heads and when spoken aloud. They more you understand the mechanics of the English language, the more subtle tricks you can do to engage the reader, and the easier it is to actually write.
The better you are at writing sentences, the easier it will be to write paragraphs, pages, and books.
Sentences are the bricks with which you will build you worlds. Learn how to make them well.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Become fluent in writing.”
It’s something that I constantly work on doing, and I’ve gotten fluent enough that the actual writing is one of the easiest parts of being a writer.
What are you reading now?
I’m picking VERY slowly at the Tao Te Ching. I’m also beta-reading for a number of my fellow authors.
I have some Neil Stephenson on my To-Read shelf, but I’ll probably get distracted with other stuff before I get to it. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time to read as I’d like, so I stick to shorter fiction.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next big project is to write a trilogy. I have some ideas in mind for an erotic romance series that will take things in a new direction.
Meanwhile, I’m going to keep putting out short fiction. It’s fun, and I get more ideas out of my head that way.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Four books that I haven’t read yet. Big ones.
“War and Peace” seems like a good choice.
Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Bacula Website
Richard Bacula Amazon Profile
Richard Bacula’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account