Strawberries, Stilettos and Steam
August 22, 2010 by Editor
Filed under Book Blog Tour, Interviews
UM: Introduce yourself and style of writing to readers.
IT: My name is Imani True and I’ve been writing my whole life, but I started writing Erotica a few years ago. “Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam” is my first work of Erotica.
DS: My name is Dreama Skye. I’m an erotic poet/writer and mother of two. I’ve been writing some form of Erotica since high school.
UM: How did you meet and what inspired the title Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam?
DS/IT: We met on a social networking site. We were working on different erotic projects. We liked each other’s work, and decided to mix our styles, do something different from the other Erotica that’s out there. The title came from a story we were trying to finish. We put these three sexy things together: Strawberries, a very erotic fruit; Stilettos because they’re sexy to men and women; Steam, as in hot enough to make your temperature rise. We thought the title and the visual was too hot to waste on a story, and that it might get lost inside of a book. So we used it for our book title.
UM: Explain which story you enjoyed writing the most and why?
DS/IT: Definitely Nika’s Birthday was the most fun to write! With this one, we were able to tell a really sexy story with humor, but also realism. We wanted to make it believable that a husband would allow such a thing to happen, and the ground rules that would have to be in place on order to pull it off. All of the characters are mature, responsible, and secure in their relationships. In the end, everyone has fun, and they all remain friends. It was so much fun writing this, and we came up with some of the funniest dialogue in this story. It was crazy!
UM: Describe the collaboration process.
DS/IT: One of us would start with an idea or concept. Then we developed characters, and worked on the plot in no particular order. When we started a story, we usually had a working title that changed by the time we were done. But the plot generally stayed the same from beginning to end. Then we did a line-by-line collaboration via Yahoo, Skype or text messages. We worked in chat for the actual dialogue between the characters. Finally, we went back-and-forth until we wrapped each story the way we wanted.
UM: What were the challenges /advantages of collaborating?
IT: For me, there were no challenges because we respected each other’s talents from day one. The main advantage of collaborating was that we brought two sets of experiences and different perspectives to each story, but we realized early in the project that things worked out really well when we blended them. Dreama’s poetry background gives her an unbelievable flair for flow, visual descriptions, and character development. My strong suit is character names, dialogue, and moving the story along. Our brainstorming sessions were amazing!
DS: For me, the advantage of collaborating was being able to bounce ideas off someone else. There were no challenges.
UM: With the onslaught of books available to the public, what can you do to get your books into the hands of readers?
DS/IT: So far, we’re working to get it out in as many places and as many formats as possible. This includes e-book and paperback. Our publisher has really been great about that. And we’re promoting everywhere. Once the readers get their hands on it, we think they’ll really enjoy our stories, which are different from what’s already out there in the genre of Erotica.
UM: What will readers enjoy most about Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam?
DS/IT: We think our book will appeal to a wide audience. Different stories, characters, situations, and dilemmas. Our characters are people most can relate to. Also, the stories are read by a narrator. It’s something new that will not only entice, but intrigue and entertain. We hope it changes how people look at Erotica.
UM: Compare writing to your poetry, what are the similarities and differences?
IT: I haven’t written poetry in many years, but I’d love to get back to it. A good poem and a good story both make the reader visualize what you’re writing. Poetry is more personal, more emotional than writing fiction. When I was writing poems, it was very hard to remove myself from the writing, distance my emotions. That’s much easier to do with fiction.
DS: My poetry and my other writing are very different. I write my poems in a rhythmic pattern, and I really pour myself into them. My fictional writing is more fantasy, and I can be whoever I want to be. As for similarities, I can be as naughty as I want to be in both styles of writing.
UM: What is next and how can readers contact you?
IT: I am working on several projects. My next one is a novel entitled “A Little Sumthin’ Sumthin’,” but I also have the outline for a Crime Mystery/Forensic Thriller series with erotic twists. Plus, Dreama and I have a second collection of erotic stories on the backburner. I also have a story being published in “Between the Sheets” by Delphine Publications.
www.facebook.com “Author Imani True”
DS: I am currently working on a novel, a book of erotic poems, and another collaboration with Imani True. My story, The Closer, is in “Between the Sheets” which is being published by Delphine Publications later this month.
www.facebook.com “DreamaSkye”
UM: Where can readers get this book?
DS/IT: Next month, the book will be available in bookstores nationwide. Until then, readers can find it in e-book on Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Smashwords. For signed copies, they should go to and pre-order it directly from us through PayPal.
