Featured Interview With Laura Roberts
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born on the east coast, raised in the Midwest, educated in both the U.S. and Canada, and I’m currently based in sunny SoCal. I’ve almost been killed off the coast of Hawaii, was propositioned by a foot fetishist in Times Square, and wrote a sex column during my years living in the Sin City of the North (aka Montreal). In short, I’ve lived all over the place, and I love learning about different regional cultures and histories.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
According to my parents, I started reading at a really young age. They definitely remember me reading street signs aloud at the age of 4, and wondering who was whispering them in my ear. But they also read to me as a child, and I can remember looking forward to our visits to the local library because I’d always check out the maximum number of books in a huge stack – much to the chagrin of any kids trying to read anything from the Baby-Sitters Club series, as well as any Nancy Drew aficionados. Writing was something I always excelled at in school, probably due to my love of reading, and I always enjoyed writing essays and plays for my classes throughout my school years. My first foray into writing for publication was during college, when I submitted stories to the school newspaper, and eventually joined the staff of the paper as their Literary Arts editor. I also copy edited the school’s literary magazine, submitted work to one of their literary journals, and started my own magazine around the same time, at which point it just became an all-encompassing obsession. Once I obtained a joint-honors degree in Creative Writing and English Literature, I never looked back, and I’ve been a freelance writer and editor for hire ever since.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a lot of favorite authors, but my top 3 are definitely Leonard Cohen (Beautiful Losers), Jeanette Winterson (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit), and Salman Rushdie (The Moor’s Last Sigh). I will also admit to an obsession with David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day), silly sci-fi like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as well as the odd subgenre of “fake memoirs,” of which James Frey’s Million Little Pieces and JT Leroy’s Sarah are my favorites. And, of course, as a sex writer I am indebted to Anaïs Nin, Pauline Réage (The Story of O), Shawna Kenney (I Was a Teenage Dominatrix), Nelly Arcan (Whore), Belle de Jour (Diary of a London Call Girl), the Happy Hooker, and many more. I also have a soft spot for mysteries of any kind, particularly of the crazy cozy variety (I grew up reading the “Cat Who” series by Lillian Jackson Braun), as well as the more traditional Sherlock Holmes types of capers. Basically, I’m an omnivorous reader, and will read any genre once.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a collection of sexy haiku, entitled 69 Sexy Haiku. I previously published a collection of Haiku for Lovers, which is an anthology of love-themed poems, and I thought I’d take the concept to a more outright erotic place with 69 bite-sized poems for people who hate poetry. These are great to read aloud to your lover in the bedroom, and will no doubt inspire you with lots of sexy imagery and ideas for spicing up your sex life.
I’m also currently publishing a serial novel called The Case of the Cunning Linguist over at Jukepop, which is free to read, with new installments every week. It’s a sexy murder-mystery involving wayward nuns, a randy rabbi, and a stripper-turned-sleuth – who may or may not receive a little divine intervention. You can check it out at https://www.jukepop.com/home/read/2354, and be sure to +Vote it (which is like clicking “Like” on Facebook) to keep it going.
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