James Wood: Author interview about Paula’s Place
Interviewer:
Paula’s Place was a trilogy. Did you want to write something longer like this
or did it just turn out that way?
James: Most of my stories up till now have been short scenes – a couple
of days or hours in the lives of the characters. I wanted to give Paula more,
to build her up, to give her a history and relatives – a past. Likewise for Max.
I just felt that their attraction, their passion for each other, and ultimately the sex that they enjoy together would be deeper and more intense if they were more rounded. That was the first reason it was longer – it needed to be.
There was a second reason too. Paula goes
through a conversion of sorts. Seduction. Surrender. Submission. The titles were
not idly chosen. At the start of the book Paula is woman who has not yet
expressed or given liberty to her most intimate desires. Each book of the
trilogy deals with a stage of Paula’s… I want to say ‘conversion’ but that is
not it… her awakening? She has finally
met someone who ‘gets’ her, in more meanings than one. A trilogy was a natural
fit.
“The
Paula books are all written from her point of view. That is not a common writing
structure in the erotica genre. Why did you choose to write that way, and were there
any challenges?”
James: There certainly were challenges! I have been interested in varying
the point of view for a while. Most books are written in 3rd party
omniscient or semi-omniscient. All that means is that the reader gets to know
more of what is going on than the characters do: how they feel, what they do
when the other characters don’t see them. That sort of thing. That’s what most
books do, and it works well most of the time.
What I found, and what interested me, was
how the reader’s connection with the character alters when the point of view
changes. That’s what I did in the Paula books. Those books are written by Paula
– you don’t know any more than she knows. That makes it difficult. What does
Max think of her? Well, what the hell does Max think of her? I can’t tell the
reader. The reader, and Paula, only get to find out by what he says or does
when he is with her, or from what other people say to Paula. Fortunately, Paula
and Max get quite a lot of personal time together to help her resolve that
dilemma.
The important part for me is that I believe
the reader gets to know Paula better because of how it was written – that first
person point of view. Hopefully that makes for a more intimate experience for
the reader.
It is not the first time I’ve changed point
of view. In one of my earlier short stories, Shower Time (you can find it free in a lot of e-book outlets), the
voice in the writing is the Dom talking directly to you, as if the reader were
‘his girl’ and being personally addressed.
“In Paula’s Place, Grand Falls appears
again. Are all of your books set there, and if so, why? Can you tell us if Grand Falls is a real
town, and if so, how easy is it to move there?”
James: Yes. The books, all of them so far, are set in Grand Falls. I get
asked about the town quite a bit. I’ve been lucky enough to travel through the
provinces of Canada and a lot of the States, and I’ve found something in every
one of them I love. Grand Falls is a bit of a blend, so no, it is not a town
with a zip code and everything, but it is real nonetheless. Every street and
bookshop and fence exists somewhere. And the characters with their prurient
passions are reflective of our sexualized imaginings and desires – yours and
mine. Well, I can’t really speak for you, but certainly mine!
I get questions about time period too. There
are trains and cars, phones and the Internet, but I hear comments about Grand
Falls feeling old-fashioned. I think this is true. There is a stylized set of
dress, civility, and manners in Grand Falls that isn’t common any more – if it
was ever the case. Picket fences and lemonade – men holding the door open for
women. I enjoy that, and I like the apparent contrast with the depraved and
erotic adventures that the residents get up to. Though, as we know, every age
has had these impulses – dark passion is hardly original. Grand Falls is a bit
of a Twilight Zone, but hopefully better for it. Moving there is easy enough –
you just have to buy the book. ;-)
“Paula
is a smart girl. Do you always use smart girls as your heroines? How do you
pick your girls?”
James: Of course she is! Yes, I
like smart women. Smart is very sexy. I like her ‘knowing’ what it is she does.
There is a part in the first book where she revisits sexual fantasies of her
past. Part of what she likes she knows is ‘wrong,’ and that makes it all the more
arousing for her. She may blush, but she can’t plead ignorance. Intelligent
women make the most interesting characters. I’m getting excited just thinking
about it!
“You
are a male author in a genre dominated by women writers. Do you wonder why that
should be? Does it come with its own set of challenges?”
James: I haven’t really thought about it much. I suppose that most
stories are about women; we write about the heroines. And since most erotica
readers are women, that connection makes sense to me. Yes, there is always a
man in the book, or men, but the story is really about the women. Usually they
are a lot more interesting!
If I worry about anything in writing D/s as
a man, it is that I’ll be taken for a sexist or a misogynist, a charge that I utterly
reject. I’ve heard people say that since you write about spanking women or
tying them up, or having them ‘give in’ to dominant men, then you are not a
friend of women. I don’t agree at all. Paula, and all of my women characters, are
strong, positive women. That they enjoy and indulge in sexual taboos I don’t
believe belittles them. I feel they are treated with the greatest respect. They
are empowered in their sexuality, however depraved or erotic. I care about
them, and I like to think it shows.
“There
is obviously a lot of hot D/s sex going on in the book, but did I detect a
streak of romance? Paula and her Dom,
Max Broekner, are more than a one night stand. What do you think of the ‘Fifty
Shades’ phenomenon and the romance/erotica cross-over?”
James: Well, that is a big question. I’m by no means an expert, but my
understanding is that Romance as a genre has become a lot more graphic
recently, and bondage or discipline has become more mainstream. Is that
necessarily a bad thing? And is Fifty Shades the reason, or did it just touch
on a latent need? I don’t know. I’m just happy to write about passions like
Paula’s and Max’s, that are hot and stir your blood. And yes, there is a streak
of romance amidst the turbid sex. That is part of it too. If you feel there is
a connection between them, then what they get up to becomes that bit steamier. And
what is erotica without steam?
“Max
had some of your other books in his library. A book within a book. What was
going on there?”
James: A shameless plug – cheap advertising! No, not really. Okay, a bit.
You are talking about The Doctrine of
Venus. There is a philosophy to D/s relationships upon which The Doctrine expounds that observant
readers might link with Paula and her lover. They wouldn’t be wrong. The goings
on in that curious house on Vale Street take a page out of that book.
* * *
blurb:
I am
no longer the innocent girl; I am blissful, complete, and knowing.
This is Paula's story, an erotic bdsm
romance trilogy. Seduction: A steamy, explicit erotic romance of sexual
fantasies come real. Fate brings Paula back to her hometown, where she meets
her dark handsome neighbour. Surrender: Paula is drawn into her
lover's world of domination and submission, where sensation and lust commingle
with intimacy and trust. As Paula surrenders her body to pleasure, she knows
she is losing her heart. Submission: Paula struggles to
reconcile her feelings with her concern that things are going too fast. As her
slide towards bliss only gathers pace, how will their love affair end? Does she
even have a choice, or is her submission complete?
* * *
To buy Paula’s
Place:
Paula’s
Place is available as a trilogy of ebooks, or
combined as a paperback. Part 1: Seduction is available as a free download from
many major ebook retailers for curious readers who would like to sample the
series.
Bio: British-born author James Wood spins sensuous taboo tales. Themes
of domination and submission predominate – of hands on legs and garter straps
and ladies bound in silk.
Honourable Mention in the Best Bondage Writer category from the 2012 Bondage Awards.
Honourable Mention in the Best Bondage Writer category from the 2012 Bondage Awards.
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