Author Interview with Beverley Langland

Author Interview with Beverly Langland

What was your childhood ambition?

To become an astronaut. I was at the perfect age for the excitement of the race into space to capture my young imagination. I remember staying up all night to watch the moon landing with my parents and afterwards making plastic models of the Apollo launcher and the Eagle landing craft. It’s a shame that such excitement has gone from the world, with trips into space now reported as an afterthought. Needless to say, the Welsh space program was severely limited, thwarting my ambition. The closest I achieved was to become an aerospace engineer. Still, the excitement fuelled my hunger for SF stories and reading in general.

What was your first job?

Other than paper and milk rounds, my first official job was climbing into lofts and attics to clear out old fibreglass lagging and replacing it with new insulation. Not long before at school, I had learned of the dreadful conditions children used to work under in the Victorian era. I remember thinking as I suffered in the sweltering heat within the coveralls and rubber gloves and mask with my eyes turning blotchy red that little had changed. I realized then that I should have paid more attention at school!

How did you end up being an erotic writer?

I saw a request for submissions by Xcite in a popular writing magazine and decided to try my hand. I had never thought of writing a short story, preferring to battle on with that illusive novel. I found erotic writing enjoyable and discovered with some amazement that I was quite good at it. Once I started the genre had me hooked! I stuck with it because erotic writing is applicable to all sub-genres, allowing me the opportunity to try endless possibilities as I learn my craft.

What are the most important components that go into making good erotic fiction?

The things you don’t say. You have to trust in your readers’ imagination; after all, she knows exactly what she wants from your writing.

How do people who don’t know you react when you tell them you’re an erotic author?

At work, my female colleagues appear to regard me in a new light, especially when I explain that I mostly write from a female prospective. They are often the first to volunteer to read my work. The older male colleagues think of my writing as a ‘bit of a joke’, while younger men look at me with a sense of awe.

How do you like to relax when you’re not at work?

Since I’m not a full-time writer I’d have to say writing, or at least plotting. I am lucky enough to live only minutes from the sea, so I walk along the coastal paths, or sit facing the sea, thinking, and people watching.

What makes you cross?

People who don’t phone you back when they say they will! I’m also growing more and more irritated by family and friends sending me text messages, when they could speak to me in person with a simply press of a button.

What do you think is your best attribute?

My imagination. Sometimes I dream up the quirkiest ideas, often making my friends laugh when I use them as a sounding board. If I’m not careful, I could well turn into one of those clichéd nutty professor types in my twilight years.

What’s the best thing that has happened to you in the last 12 months?

The birth of my first grandchild—Jack. A beautiful reminder that sex isn’t just for fun.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Live each day as if it’s your last. This is my wife’s favourite saying. It’s taken me some time to come around to her way of thinking. Hence the writing. It was time to stop talking about it and actually do some.

Recent books including work by Beverly Langland are:

Lesbian Love by Xcite Books

Apocalypse Sex by Circlet Press