Interview with Judy Kemp

I'm sure many of my readers are familiar with erotic author Judy Kemp, and those who follow me closely already know she is collaborating with me on a new book. The working title is Vocalizations, and the idea (for now, at least) is for each of us to release the same story as told from a different character's point of view.

I thought my readers might like to get to know her better, and she was gracious enough to grant me an interview. She's English, and I've preserved her British spelling in the text below. Please allow me to introduce Judy Kemp.

First tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I’m in my mid-thirties (that’s all you’re getting!) and I live in London, UK. I’m originally from Saffron Walden in Essex, which is a county to the east of London. It used to be called Chipping Walden. It’s called Saffron Walden now because in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they started growing crocuses in a big way, to get the saffron from the stigmas of the flowers. Saffron has been used as an aphrodisiac, a condiment and a dye. I’ve used it in food, but I’m not so sure about the aphrodisiac bit.

Describe your childhood home. Does your childhood influence your work? If so, how?

My childhood was pretty normal and didn’t really influence my work at all. Both of my parents were food scientists (well, someone has to do it!), and their work involved biscuits (making sure they didn’t fall apart, were crunchy/soft enough, didn’t go off too soon, etc. etc. etc etc.). Didn’t appeal to me as a career, though. I like biscuits, but not that much! I have an older brother who’s works in tent design (once again, someone has to do it!).

 How did you first get into writing?

I used to read a lot of erotica when I was in school. I used to shoplift it as I didn’t have the nerve to go in and buy it. They probably wouldn’t have sold it to me, anyway. Even now, there’s a bit of a stigma about erotica. I’ve noticed (as have other erotica writers) that you don’t get as many reviews on Amazon as sales might suggest. I think people don’t want to confess that they actually buy and read this sort of stuff.

How did you get into writing erotica, specifically?

As I said, I used to read it, but never thought I could write it. I had a couple of attempts, but wasn’t really pleased with them, and I knew there was a lot of competition out there. It was only when I started writing about my own experiences and writing about them in the first person that it all fell into place. I realised that I had a huge load of experience that I could call on and once I started, I couldn’t stop. It’s the reason that both of my novels are so long for the genre. I didn’t intend for them to be like that; it just happened naturally.

What is your writing process?

It’s difficult to do much sustained writing with erotica. It can become very arousing and frustrating writing this sort of stuff, so I can only do it short spurts. I tend to do maybe half a dozen pages, then stop, but I make notes of roughly what’s been happening, who’s been doing what to who, so I know what’s been going on. When I go back to it, I check the last couple of pages to see what’s been happening and then write the next section. I have no plan, and I envy people who can just sit down at a computer and do a solid five hours work or something.

[Editor's note: I consider two hours of solid writing a lot, and with erotica often much less than that. Are there really writers who do five straight hours of writing? I'm envious. Please leave a comment and let us know how much writing you typically do in one sitting.]

Your first book, A Bouquet of Gardenias, was based on your actual experiences. Where do your ideas come from for stories which are not based on real events (such as your work in progress, Vocalizations)?

They come from my own fantasies; things I’d like to do and variations on things I’ve already done. Sometimes I’ll see someone in real life and imagine what it would be like to have sex with them. I store all these things away. There are always things that you fantasise about that you know you’ll probably never really do. These things can then be fictionalised. Hopefully, if they excite me, then they’ll excite other people. Turning other people one a big part of writing erotica; for me at least.

What has contributed to your success?

I think people like my work as it keeps it real. The stories involve sexual situations that have really happened, and don’t involve meeting up with billionaires or regency bucks or whatnot. There is a fair amount of kink in my books, but most of it is acceptable and normal now. (Or maybe that’s just me!) I think it’s important that you’ve actually experienced those situations and sensations yourself, so that you can write about them convincingly.

Who inspires you?

I can’t really point to one author who has inspired my writing. I like Anaïs Nin and Pauline Réage, but their work is in no way similar to mine and I couldn’t hope to compete with them as a writer. I’ve been inspired by people I’ve been in relationships with, even if those relationships have been fleeting.

Sometimes, for some reason, brief affairs you’ve had, things you did with someone, can stay in your mind forever.

What do you love most about writing?

I think it’s creating something that didn’t exist before. Also, something that may delight or inspire. I’ve had conversations with a lot of female readers who found that my books awakened certain desires in them that they had not really considered before.

Which is harder, writing a first draft or editing that draft?

Definitely writing the first draft! For me, at least, editing is like a holiday, if a little time consuming.

Print or eBooks?

I still read mainly print books, through I’ve sometimes bought something I liked the look of for Kindle. Depends!

Traditional or self-published?

I never thought for a second that a publisher would take on my work. It’s far too explicit. Like many authors, I have no choice but to self-publish, thought it would be nice if someone else could take over all the promotion and marketing that I have to do!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Lots of stuff! But no details here!!

Do you remember the first thing you wrote? Do you remember the first piece of erotica you wrote?

I wrote a story when I was fourteen or fifteen about a girl in an office who was seduced by an older woman and her husband. I don’t know what happened to it, though it would be interesting to read it now.

Please tell us a little about your work in progress, Vocalizations.

This was something that Brenda McIntyre and I came up with. We thought it would be interesting to write something that would be arousing to read, but at the same time involved a kind of roleplay between us, each one responding to what the other had written. It quickly took on a life of its own and it’s difficult to classify what it is. There’s an element of seeing into both our minds and discovering what our fantasies are; how far we would both go in certain sexual situations. It’s also made us discover a little about ourselves; what turns us on and what we would like to experience. It’s a very exciting project for both of us.

What else are you working on? Please share a little about your other projects.

Nothing at all at the moment! I write when inspiration strikes and when I have the time, which isn’t often!

Thanks Judy for letting us know a little more about you and your work.

You can follow Judy on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out her Author Page. Judy Kemp is the author of A Bouquet of Gardenias and The Scent of Violets.