#Interview with Laura Roberts for Naked Montreal: Sex and the Underground City @originaloflaura

Laura Roberts writes about sex, travel and ninjas. Because what's better than hot sex on a dream vacation while dodging shuriken?

As the author of the “V for Vixen” sex column, Laura began her career writing about Montrealers’ sexcapades, which have been collected together for her book, The Vixen Files. Blending real-life observations with fictional fantasies, she’s penned parts 1 and 2 of her serial novel, Naked Montreal, along with the short story collection The Montreal Guide to Sex, saucy poetry volume 69 Sexy Haiku, and satirical novella Ninjas of the 512. She’s currently hard at work on a sexy murder mystery entitled The Case of the Cunning Linguist.

Laura lives in an Apocalypse-proof bunker in sunny SoCal with her artist husband and their literary kitties, and blogs regularly at Buttontapper.com.

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What is your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?

I would rate Naked Montreal as a fairly steamy novel, although it’s fairly vanilla in terms of the sex. There are only a few whips and chains in the first installment of this series, although you may want to stick around for parts two and three!

If I had to give it a chili pepper rating, I’d say it’s a jalapeno – it’ll kick things up a notch and leave you wanting more.

The sex scenes are a core part of the story, as it surrounds the life and times of a sexy tour guide. After a long night of escorting tourists to all of Montreal’s smuttiest sights, a girl works up quite an appetite! There are also sex scenes amongst some of the tourists, depending on their requests, and as the series progresses I’m looking to bring the reader deeper into that world of the more unusual sexual requests and desires Frankie’s clients gravitate towards.

How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?

Funny you should ask that, as I do work from home and have recently been reading all these stories about how horrible it is to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day. In response, I bought myself a Fitbit to give myself a physical reminder to get up and moving every day. If I don’t get active, the Fitbit gives me a frowny face – which you wouldn’t think would be so frustrating, but I hate when it’s not smiling! I try to either get out for a walk or hit the gym for some cardio once a day. Sometimes, I will admit, I grab the recumbent bike so I can multitask by reading while I bike, but I’m pretty sure it’s better to just exercise and concentrate on one thing at a time, so I’ve been downloading different podcasts and music mixes to keep me pumping.

What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?

My main character, Frankie, is a sassy yet sophisticated freelancer with a very unique job: she conducts tours of Montreal’s Underground City, showing tourists and locals around some of the sights that the guidebooks won’t tell you about. If you’re curious about all the strip clubs on St-Catherine, or want to hit up an absinthe parlor, or even want to eat sushi off a live nude girl, Frankie’s got the hookups. She’s happy to show people around the parts of the city that some would describe as “seedy.” I love her fearlessness, and the way she’s carved out such an unusual niche for herself.

What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?

I’d say I’m strongest as a humorous writer, though I’ve done so much erotic writing that I’ve blended the two into humorous erotica. I like writing about sex, but I think lots of writers take it too seriously, so I try to keep it light even when things are hot and heavy. Laughter is, in my opinion, the key to a long-lasting relationship.

Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?

Honestly, my best advice in terms of social media is to not rely on it to sell books. I don’t believe that tweeting about your book will result in sales, nor will pestering people on Facebook. I tune those messages out myself, so I don’t know why other people wouldn’t as well. In my opinion, the best place for writers on social media is Goodreads – because of the community of readers you can connect with. Everything else is pretty much a waste of time, in my book, but then again who really knows? Whatever you decide to do, focus on the SOCIAL side of social media, and keep things light, fun and occasionally educational without doing a hard sell.

What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?

A lot of my writing, Naked Montreal included, is based on the time I spent writing a sex column in Montreal. It featured personal essays, rather than a typical Q&A format, so I did a lot of research and spoke to a lot of interesting people in the city who are involved in the sex trade either professionally or recreationally. I met burlesque dancers, sex shop owners, indie porn producers and more – and many of them were these super intelligent, kick-ass women. As I was writing the column, I was also writing down a lot of ideas I had for stories based on things these people had told me about or ideas that naturally came from spending a lot of time thinking about sex and sex workers and the way most stories treat them. I wanted a strong female character who isn’t afraid to explore, and who doesn’t believe she will be punished for it. The Montreal setting makes perfect sense, because it’s a society that’s a lot more permissive in terms of expressing one’s sexuality and sexual experimentation (call it the French connection, if you will), and so eventually Frankie the sexy tour guide took up that particular role as the guide to all things sexy and stereotypically sinful – but with a wink and a smile.

If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?

I would definitely visit France, because although I’ve been to Paris twice, I still haven’t really gotten a chance to dig in and explore. I’m also currently working on a book called The Case of the Cunning Linguist that’s set in Paris, so it would help my research to get my kinky boots on the ground.

Any fun facts about the research for your book?

Wow, there are so many interesting facts I learned about Montreal the more I wrote about it! One of my favorite odd facts about Montreal is that it has its own language police. People joke about grammar Nazis or the grammar police, but the province of Quebec really does have a language enforcement society. It’s called the Office québécois de la langue française, which translates as the Quebec Board of the French Language in English, and the people that work there will go around ticketing local businesses according to totally crazy laws about the usage of English in French society. For instance: If your business’s sign displays an English name in larger letters than the French name, you’ll get a ticket. Most recently, the language police were embroiled in an incident dubbed “Pastagate,” because they were insisting that all of Montreal’s Italian restaurants needed to provide French translations of their menus. Not surprisingly, most Montrealers fought back, insisting it was quite obvious what “Fettuccine Alfredo” meant, regardless of the language you speak at home on a day-to-day basis. There was such a hubbub about it that the head of the OQLF resigned!

Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!

Francesca “Frankie” Parker is Montreal’s go-to tour guide for all things seductive in the Underground City. Business is pleasure for the charming, sophisticated, and tantalizing femme fatale. “Sexy Tourism for Canada’s Fetish Capital” is what her card promises, and mon ami, she delivers.

Toss the travel pamphlets you picked up from the agency and try to hang on to your morals as Frankie takes you by the hand, leading you deep into the Sin City of the North and your wildest fantasies. Tour the absinthe parlors, dungeons and VIP nightclubs. Are you begging for more? Montreal’s sexiest escort is the fixer and happily plays liaison until your every desire is fulfilled. Sex shops, strip clubs, burlesque festivals, and more await those who are willing to ante up.

If you haven’t developed a fetish yet, don’t worry – by the time Frankie bids you adieu, you may have a hard time choosing a favorite! She’ll go easy on you and begin with voyeurism. Watch and learn as you explore Naked Montreal: Sex and the Underground City.

This is the first installment of a provocative new series by Laura Roberts, author of The Vixen Files. The second, much-anticipated book, Porn Stars & Peccadillos, is now available.

 

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Excerpt:

My date for tonight, an overstuffed businessman with slicked-back hair in a greasy little ponytail and a vaguely Bronx accent, is so chuffed to be here with a beautiful woman that he's practically salivating over my white flesh, my smooth black hair, my pouty red lips.

Little does he realize, I'm just the appetizer. The main course is on her way, ready to beat him into submission. She goes by the name Lady Evelyn, but I've never seen any evidence of her title's origins. I keep getting texts from her that say she's on her way, which usually means she'll be fifteen minutes late. I've got to keep the Catch wriggling on the line for a few more minutes, until she shows.

I finally receive a text from Lady Evelyn announcing her arrival, and swiftly draw our meal to a close as the Consultant inhales the last bits of mungfish left on the plate. I casually gesture for the check, and he signs off on our decadent feast with a look of pure evil in his eyes. I stand up, as if headed for the ladies' room.

“Meet me in back in five minutes,” I whisper in his ear.

His eyes widen, and a smirk creeps across his face. Showtime.

Laura will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card + free ecopy of Naked Montreal to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

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