Tell us about yourself…

I’m a fire poi spinner. What’s that, you say? I have these balls of inflammable material attached to metal chains attached to loops that I stick my fingers through. I soak the balls in kerosene, set the balls on fire, and throw them really fast around my head.

What on Earth?

It’s not as crazy as it sounds (or maybe it is). I began having carpal tunnel problems in law school from all the note-taking and a doctor I saw recommended I find activities that took my wrists through the full range of motion. I did some research (as authors and law students do) and found poi spinning. I watched videos on You Tube, bought myself some equipment, and off I went. I’ve been spinning for 15 years now. It’s not just good for my wrists, I find it really meditative.

Like everything else, fire poi spinning became fodder for my books. The heroine in my scifi romance, Snowburn, spins fire poi and they become a plot point in both books. Write from what you know, right?

Not as fun facts: I am a lawyer in my day job. I’ve been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I wrote my first novel longhand in a series of spiral-bound notebooks when I was in my teens. I’ve never stopped writing since then. I’m a really avid reader. I read anywhere between two hundred and three hundred books a year. I read widely, not just romance, and am as happy reading mysteries, scifi, fairytales, histories, books on writing craft, hobby books, and cookbooks. The only thing I’m not overly keen on are biographies, which is ironic because I love to people watch and make up stories about the people I see. Maybe I don’t like biographies because I’d rather invent people’s pasts than have them fed to me? Bookstores are my second home. I absolutely love them. I ferret out bookstores everywhere I go and have been known to plan vacations not around sightseeing but around hitting different bookstores. 

…and your upcoming book.

Tough one because I have a lot on the go, but I’ll focus on the next book I have coming out which is in December. The title is Capricorn. It’s part of a shared world series called Masters of the Zodiac and it’s the brainchild of author Raisa Greywood. 

In this shared world, there are Guilds for the zodiac signs. You’re born into your Guild. Most of the Guilds are there to promote the interests of their members, but a few of the Guilds, like my Capricorn Guild, have a higher purpose. 

The Capricorn Guild is the protector of the ancient ley lines. When my book opens, a mysterious force is killing off the Capricorns one by one as part of its effort to disrupt the ley lines and destroy the wild magic the ley lines anchor. The Capricorns have appealed to their higher power and it has called the hero’s name. The Capricorns get my hero out of prison to save them and protect the ley lines.

When my hero starts investigating the Capricorn deaths, he discovers this is a much bigger battle between light and darkness than anyone had guessed. But before he can stop the force killing the Capricorns, he has to face his past and the woman he left behind when he was convicted of murder. What will be more important to my hero, saving the Guild and wild magic, or reconciling with the woman he loves who has waited seven years for him? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Like all my books, Capricorn is high heat, with a power exchange between the hero and heroine that includes some spanky play times.

Capricorn comes out December 19^th. For readers who are familiar with my paranormal, whychoose series, Teddy’s Boys, Capricorn is a cross-over and there are many characters from Teddy’s Boys who will figure into Capricorn.

Who is your favorite character in your book or series?

Honestly, this changes with each book I write. Right now, it’s definitely the hero of Capricorn, Evan Lords. He’s the most rigidly moral hero I’ve written. A lot of my heroes are morally gray. They’re more interested in protecting the people they love than they are in following society’s rules. 

Evan’s a kind of magical policeman. He doesn’t believe in bending rules. He’ll do what’s right every time. That makes for some difficult (but interesting to read!) decisions when it comes to a conflict between saving the Capricorns and protecting the woman he loves. Evan struggles more than many of my other heroes, who just know what they want and go for it. My heart has ached for Evan at so many points in his story, and although he gets his happy ending (of course!), it really is a struggle for him to get there with no guarantees along the way.

What is your writing process?

Inconveniently, I have a day job, although I cut my hours down this year so I can write in the afternoons, which has been lovely. I usually finish my day job around three in the afternoon, go out into the garden and visit my bunnies for some petting and bunny zen, then sit down and write until dinner time. I write to music or with a movie I’ve watched a million times playing in the background. I usually use the afternoon writing time to work on short stories and work I’m doing for my Patreon. Then I take a break for dinner and hang out with my family for a little while. After dinner, I write for a couple of hours. Then I go to the gym or spin fire poi. Then I come back and write until midnight or one A.M. pretty steadily. I usually write on a video call with a few other authors. We do twenty-five-minute timed writing sprints which helps me keep focused. I work on my novels in the evening.

I try to separate out writing from editing, because those are different parts of my brain. So, if I’m editing something, I try to do that in the afternoon and then write in the evening. Or I’ll do a change of scenery. I’ll print out what I’m editing and go into the living room and sit with my husband while he watches sports on the telly and I edit, then I’ll move back to my computer to type in the changes I’ve made before transitioning to writing. Either blocking out time for the different tasks or changing scenery helps keep my inner editor locked down while I’m being creative. I haven’t had a real writing “block” in a decade and I think clearly separating editing time from writing time has helped with that.

What keeps you motivated to write?

All the stories in my head! Seriously, once a character starts talking to me, they don’t shut up until I’ve written their story. Since I write alpha males and the women who can absolutely handle them, it’s really hard to say no to my characters. I find it easier just to go along and write whenever they tell me to!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Spin fire poi! Seriously, I do love to spin poi. I’m also kept by a pair of rabbits (I’m under no illusion as to who is in charge with my bunnies). I’m a wife and mother and run my own business. I love to cook. I’ve been vegan for about eighteen months and I try to make at least one new vegan recipe every week. I live in a really beautiful part of northern England, so I get out walking with my family as often as the weather allows. Pre-COVID we traveled a lot but my husband’s immune-compromised so since COVID, we’ve been pretty careful about coming in contact with a lot of people. I’m hoping things will continue to improve on that front and we’ll be able to travel more in 2023.

What romance subgenres or tropes are your favorite to read?

I go on trope binges. For a while I was only reading paranormal with take-no-prisoners heroines like Anita Blake and Kate Daniels. Then I was only reading kinky biker romance (I still call that my Sons of Anarchy phase). Then I was only reading Omegaverse. For the last year plus my thing has been bully romance, and since a lot of bully romance seeps into paranormal whychoose, I’ve read a lot of that, too. I’m reading J Bree’s Ties that Bond series right now which is paranormal whychoose with a big helping of bully and miscommunication trope. Floats all my boats. 

Are you a dog or cat person?

Neither! Once you have bunnies, you’ll never go back. (Because they’re jealous little divas and they won’t let you.)

What’s your reading drink and snack of choice?

Since I live in England, tea, of course. I go back and forth between what my husband calls “real” tea and herbal tea. Peppermint and licorice herbal tea is my current favorite but I also reach for Earl Grey pretty often. I don’t tend to snack when I read (in large part because I read in bed), but I’m known for making myself “midnight toast” when I’m writing. Sourdough toast with a cup of tea? Mmmm, hard to beat. 

What’s your favorite book/comfort read/the book you recommend to everyone?

I write the stories I want to read, first and foremost. I wrote scifi romance all through my teens and early twenties because I couldn’t find scifi stories with a strong romance plot. My best-selling series now is the Daddy P.I. series which is a kinky mystery series. I started writing it because I just couldn’t find many books that combined serious power exchange with a complex, well-developed mystery. So my comfort reads are my own books. They’re the stories I wrote because I wanted to read them over and over. 

Who or what has had the most influence on you as a writer?

Unquestionably, Stephen King. I grew up reading his short stories and novels. The Stand and The Dark Tower are two of my all-time favorite books, although I wouldn’t describe them as “comfort” reads! I think Stephen King is a master story-teller. I read his craft book, On Writing, every year and find something new to inspire me. I have absolutely no gift for writing horror. I can’t write a jump scare to save my life. So following in King’s footsteps is out of the question for me. But I hugely admire his work and talent. 

I also admire King for never being anything other than himself. I’ve met him a few times at conventions and signings. He’s polite and pleasant but you can tell that there is a lot of grotesque stuff unfolding inside his head. He’s a creepy bloke. He’s never pretended to be anything else. He’s been very forthcoming about his struggles with drugs and alcohol. I really admire his personal honesty.

Where can readers find you online?

Everywhere! All of my books are on Amazon. I’ve also taken my paranormal, whychoose series wide, so that’s on Apple, Barnes and Noble, Google, Kobo, etc.

I primarily hang out on Twitter and in my Facebook reader group, but I’m on Instagram, TikTok, and Goodreads, too. 

For those readers wanting a really deep dive, I’ve opened a Patreon where I’m posting short stories, work in progress updates, and all kinds of behind-the-scenes stuff like character profiles and deleted scenes. I’m working towards character artwork next year and will probably do a book exclusively for my patrons because I’m so appreciative of their support. 

Here are my other links:

Capricorn preorder: https://www.amazon.com/Capricorn-Masters-Zodiac-Book-4-ebook/dp/B0BBSFG2S6/

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/emmafrostuk

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ejfrostuk/

Website: https://emmafrostuk.wordpress.com

My non-spammy newsletter (with free book!): https://dl.bookfunnel.com/r94ra9ilza

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-j-frost

WattPad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/EJ_Frost

Thank you so much for this!