I had the pleasure of interviewing Tonia Brown, author of the erotica/horror tale, The Blooming. She shared her love of all things hot, creepy, scary, and downright vicious.
TB: The Blooming is an erotic zombie story set on a deserted island. A documentary film crew is hired to follow a botanist as he seeks a mythical flower. They find not only the bloom, but unbridled lust for flesh and fury.
TB: I was approached by one of the owners of Sonar4 Publications about writing an erotic zombie story set on an island. After I confirmed that the zombies weren’t the ones getting their groove on, I wondered how I was going to incorporate sex into the story, without dipping into the forbidden area of necrophilia. The idea of the flower as the cause of all the worry came out of nowhere, and after much discussion with the spouse the plot was set.
LT: Why do you think horror and erotica blend well as a genre?
TB: Because horror and erotica are both meant to excite and tease. Sex and violence have always been married because the pair evokes such similar emotions. Heart racing terror is eerily similar to heart thumping lust.
LT: What was challenging about writing this book?
TB: Making the sex seem natural. I didn’t want to give the appearance that the folks were just stopping to have sex so there could be naughty bits in the book. I wanted the sex to flow along with the story.
LT: Of all the characters in the story, do you have a favorite?
TB: I put a lot of myself into Jill. That said, I don’t have a rocky marriage, or own a production company. But I do share a similar first name with my spouse, and have a tendency to play the bitch when things need to get done.
LT: There are plenty of gross/funny/creepy moments in The Blooming. Does humor come easily as part of the package?
TB: I can’t seem to write without some level of levity. I have tried, I really have! But it seems like humor creeps into everything I do. But I think that’s a good thing. After all, comic relief can be a blessing after moments of high strung terror.
LT: You always have more than one thing that you’re working on - tell us about your current projects.
TB: It’s true, I like to keep busy!
I have an erotic steampunk series with Lyrical Press called “Clockworks and Corsets.” They just picked up the second in the series, and I am plotting the third.
Library of the Living Dead just took on my book “Lucky Stiff: Memoirs of an Undead Lover.” Its in edits right now, no release date yet.
I am also collaborating on a kid’s zombie story with another author. It’s been fun on a bun!
I have been working on a steampunk horror novel tentatively titled “The Cold Beneath” and will focus on the Victorian race for the North Pole.
LT: Is there any genre you’d love to tackle that you haven’t yet?
TB: I wished I could write more true science fiction. I love hardcore scifi, but I’m not very good at it. Perhaps I will manage it one day. I would also like to try my hand at an old fashioned mystery.
LT: What would you like to see more of (or less of) in popular literature?
TB: Frou-frou monsters. When did vampires stop being blood sucking monsters? Why do we assume just because a man turns into a wolf he will ‘mate for life?’ When did he stop being a man? Trust me, I know lots of men, and very few of them want to mate for life.
LT: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
TB: When I realized I had a story to tell. Seriously, I was at work one night, reading the seventh in a useless series, when I realized it was just like the other six books. Boring, bland and blah. I kept thinking, ‘I could have written better than that.’ So, I set out to do it.
LT: What books would you like to read soon?
Jonathan Moon’s “Mr. Moon’s Nightmares”
David Dunwoody’s “Empire”
Stephen King’s “Under the Dome”
Seth Grahame-Smith’s “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”
LT: If you had a chance to write the next summer blockbuster, what would it be about?
TB: Sex, death and botany. *insert wry gin here*
LT: So, here’s your favorite question—- do you prefer your guy in boxers or briefs?
Commando all the way baby! Free swinging and footloose! WoooooT!
LT: Is there anything you’d like to add?
TB: Read! Read! READ!
Life is better when you have tragedy to compare it with and beauty to aspire to.
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©2010 Lori Titus
Tonia Brown’s book, The Blooming, is available through Sonar4 Publications : http://www.sonar4publications.com/bloom.html or at Amazon.com.
Tags: SUNDAY SPECIAL, Tonia Brown
April 25th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Cool interview. I have this fascination with zombies, and your botanical twist sounds awesome. I like your reply about sex and horror, and why they are so similar. What a cool writer. I’ll definitely be checking into this book.
April 25th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Neat interview Lori. Anyone writing decent steampunk gets my vote.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Thanks guys!
May 10th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Thanks peeps! I hope you give The Blooming a good, hard read! woot!