Author Interview: Frank Noir

About the author:
Frank Noir grew up in Denmark – in the age of complete legalization of all pornographic material.

Now living in Berlin, Germany, he has published three novels, two novellas and five collections of short stories – all within the genre of explicit, slightly taboo erotica.

What inspires you to write romantic fiction?
My ideas generally come to me in one of two ways:
Either an idea just pops into my head. And that can either be turned into a short story or become the starting point for a novel.
Or – if that fails to happen – I deliberately look at any random situation and think: "In what way could this be the basis for a sexual encounter?"

Tell us about how you write.
I try to write all my ideas down.
Short story plots I usually write down immediately – a couple of paragraphs outlining the basics.
Novel take a bit more work: I start by writing a very short synopsis – then return to the story once in a while, adding more details, changing the structure, and eventually dividing the story into chapters. Only then can I begin to actually write the story.
I try to write my first drafts as quickly as possible to keep up momentum. Everything can be fixed when editing afterwards.

Do you listen to or talk to to your characters?
Not as such.
But I do read all dialogue out loud to make sure that it sounds like actual people talking.

What advice would you give other romance writers?
Write what you love.
But always be able to take a step back and view your work objectively like a first-time reader would.
Learn how to use negative criticism constructively: Some it will just be useless negativity, but somewhere in there might be hidden gems that you can actually use to improve your work. Try to look at it in a detached and unemotional manner so that you don't miss out on potentially valid input.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I've been writing online since before the World Wide Web (newsgroups on Usenet). And when I discovered online ebook publishing services like Amazon and Smashwords, I found to be an easy way to reach a larger audience.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Ebooks and audiobooks will be popular. But I'm certain there will still be a market for print books.
Indie publishing will grow, with potentially successful authors eventually getting picked up by major publishing houses who have the channels and finances to do proper PR.

Which romance sub-genere(s) fit your stories best?
erotica

My books are available in the following formats:
eBook, Print