Rachel Kramer Bussel writes and edits erotica. Books she has edited include Hide and Seek, Sex and Candy, and Best Sex Writing 2009. She also writes a wonderful cupcake blog.
Q: What is your preferred environment for writing?
A: I used to be one of those people who needed total silence, but I've found that having the laptop actually on my lap often leads me to set it aside and pick up a book. So my new and improved optimum writing locale is a cafe, usually Starbucks, after I've drunk some English Breakfast tea. I feel more accountable when I'm in public, like if all I'm doing is surfing the Internet, everyone can tell I'm not really writing.
Q: What punctuation mark are you fondest of?
A: The em dash; I love when I can incorporate it into a sentence. Something about seeing it on the page makes me happy. I don't even know exactly why, though I suspect it's about connecting two slightly related ideas into one power-packed sentence. I like anything in language that can do double duty.
Q: What punctuation, spelling, grammar, style, or usage error annoys you the most?
A: Probably "it's"/"its," which I often point out to people, who don't always appreciate it. I tend to be a big grammar nerd, but I have certain grammar issues that I constantly battle, so I can't harangue people too much.
Q: If you weren't in your current line of work, what would you be doing instead?
A: Probably publicity, though a friend and I have a half-baked (ha!) plan to open up a cupcake and lingerie shop someday.
Q: Why do you write?
A: I write because it's still the only way I can make sense of my emotions and thoughts and life. I find that when I put off writing, it will come find me, waking me up in the middle of the night, haunting my dreams, basically harassing me until I give in and get the words down. And then, invariably, no matter how awful my life feels at the time, it gets better. Sometimes only marginally, but writing always helps. I absolutely can't imagine my life without writing in it.
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