Do you like a little sauce or spice in your life? Meet Romance and Erotica author Ruby Marley. Tea With Coffee Media, with who I am proud to be a partner, is Ruby's publisher. Lets find out more.
Tell me about yourself
Well, I’m an author who specialises and focuses on romance and erotica. I’m 28, living in the midwest, I have 20 thousand followers on Tik Tok for talking about “spicy” things, and I’m a huge fan of Katee Roberts.
How long have you been writing?
About 12 years, give or take. I wasn’t always writing my own original stories, but around age 16 is when I started writing love stories and 18 when I started writing erotica.
Did you have a favourite book as a child?
Just 1? Oh, boy. I suppose the book that had the most impact on me was “In The Hand of the Goddess” from the Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Peirce. That was when I really started to love reading, and that series would shape my path as a writer.
What do you enjoy about writing your chosen genre?
I have always adored love stories, especially the love stories that weren’t so formulaic and copy-cut-paste in terms of themes, settings, characters, etc. I love the love stories where the bad ass who scares most men eventually meets a man who can not only tolerate her stubbornness, but actually enjoys is and lets it flourish.
As for erotica, I think what I love about writing erotica is that it allows me to explore my own desires and learn more about my own sexuality, likes, and dislikes. Plus, if it’s erotica that involves kink, I like that it shows there are different ways to love and make love than missionary in the dark.
Tell me about your latest release.
'The Lost Maidens' if my first collaborative project ever. I got reconnected to my writing partner, Destiny, last September and within a month we had a book idea that we wanted to work on for NaNoWriMo 2022.
It is a lesbian romance about two Shield Maidens who crash land on the the Newfoundland coast. Even though they don’t get along, they have to help each other survive in the Canadian wilds while they meet the indigenous people of the land and fight creatures from both Norse and Inuit mythology.
What inspired this story?
Honestly, I think the story just started writing itself when Destiny brought up the idea of collaborating on a book. We are both members of the Alphabet Mafia, and we’re both fans of fantasy settings, especially ones with bad ass women. So Lesbian Vikings was pretty much the obvious choice.
Tell me about your journey to publication.
Boy, there’s a story. We spent November and December writing the first draft with a goal of publishing this summer. Then, some mutual friends started their own publishing company this last February and made it really clear they were very interested in publishing 'The Lost Maidens'. That publishing company was, of course, Tea With Coffee Media.
Would you say your stories are more character or plot driven?
I would say a little bit of both. The characters are obviously forced to survive in an unknown land in the dead of winter with any number of things wanting to kill them. But their relationships with others and with each other hinges on their development as characters.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Actually, yes. I have started working on a new Erotic Series called “The Dark Ages”. It’s a modern-day mafia retelling of the myths of King Arthur. The first book is “Queen Takes King” and specifically focuses on the affair between Lancelot and Guenivere. I’m about half-way through the first draft. And yes, it is very much inspired by Katee Roberts' Wicked Villains and Dark Olympus Series’.
What does literary success look like to you?
To me, literary success looks like being about to subsidize myself and live my life just writing. Being about to take care of myself without the need of a soul-sucking day job.
What would your spirit animal be and why?
Well, my favorite animal is a lion. Probably because I’m a Leo. Majestic cat and Queen of the jungle. The lionesses do all the hunting because if you want something done right, you do it yourself.
What advice would you give a new author?
Being successful as a writer is nowhere NEAR as easy as it looks. Be patient with yourself. Overnight successes are few and far between. Just because it might not happen to you doesn’t mean you're a failure.
What do you like to do when not writing?
Probably over at Destiny’s house, hanging out in the only way introverts can. Sitting quietly in the same room while we both watch different Youtube videos or Twitch channels.
A big thank you to Ruby for sharing with us today. If you would like to check out Ruby's work, click on the links below.
