BooksChatter: ℚ♫ The Need

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author S.L. Hannah to talk about The Need (25 August 2015, The Adventures of Hannah - Concept Publishing, 184 pages), an Erotic Thriller.

"An interesting psychological look into the darker aspects of the human condition. This book has it all. Romance, hate, deceit, creepiness, lust, love, violence, and even a bit of a complex sort of Stockholm syndrome relationship.

From beginning to end I did not know what to expect. There was so much mystery and suspense in this book. The story is very psychological and complex." - DreamReads

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Trailer | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to S.L. Hannah, a.k.a. Dorota; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

We love music, so, to begin with, S.L. Hannah has shared with us her music playlist for The Need - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for The Need?

"Particularly for The Need, I was inspired by the screenplay my husband wrote. The Need started out as a spec script that my husband was hired to write in 2009. Unfortunately, the financing for the project fell through, which happens a lot in Hollywood. My husband shopped the script to a few more interested producers and agents, but that certain bit of magic that you need to make a movie come to life did not materialize.

I loved the story. Two strong female characters that get twisted into this dark love affair…it was the distraction I was looking for at the time (late 2012), so I asked my husband if I could adapt his screenplay into a book. He loved the idea, and in 2015, The Need was born."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"This book was a unique writing experience in that it wasn’t my original idea.

Typically, I do draw from experiences and those closest to me in my life. The people who you have loved and fought with, and had your most intense emotional experiences with are definitely going to creep into your writing style and dialogue, but there was very little of that in The Need. It was a very made-up world to write in, which made it that much more challenging."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Need - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I worked with Joshua Jadon on the cover for The Need. I stumbled upon his work on Instagram and decided to give it a shot.

I gave him some rough parameters; that the book was a female-female romance, but that it was also a thriller, so it needed to fit the style of covers for both those genres. His first shot out the gate was actually pretty good, but the keyhole solidified it for me. Looking at a kiss through a key-hole is very voyeuristic, which is a theme in the book. It also symbolizes that Angie is locked away from the world."

Why should we read The Need and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I write in first person present tense, which allows me to really get into the head of my main character. As a reader, you are really feeling and experiencing everything that Angie, my heroine, is going through.

I’m also a firm believer that every sentence, and every bit of dialogue needs to have a purpose and move the story forward. I want to give my readers a very visceral experience."

Her chest sinks into mine, making it hard to breathe. “You came home with me for a reason, Angie. You wanted to learn something about yourself. I don’t have to make up some exorbitant lie to make you stay. You want to stay.” She loosens her grip around my wrists. “You know that craving you felt, and the anticipation, and then when I finally touched you…” Her fingers drag slowly down my arms and sides. “And let you unleash…” She grabs firmly onto my hips. “You know that was just the tip of the iceberg and there’s so much more for us to explore.”

Can you tell us something quirky about The Need, its story and characters?

"Not sure if this counts, but I wrote The Need in five different countries: the United States, Canada, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Spain."

Globe-trotting; I like it :-D

Who would you recommend The Need to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"The Need is an erotic thriller. It’s dark, edgy, and very psychological. The sex scenes are explicit, and there is quite a bit of violence.

Romance readers have contacted me saying that The Need is not a typical erotic romance but that they really enjoyed the read. The manuscript won a New Adult contest. I’ve even had Young Adult readers contact me to tell me that they’ve never read anything like The Need before but are glad they did. The Need brings many different themes into play, which may be why it has such a broad appeal.

If you’re looking for erotica with an intense, fast-paced story to back it up, you definitely want to check out The Need."

I shoul've killed her by now. I should've pounded a pillow over her sleeping head in the middle of the night, or spiked her drink with too much of something I found in her medicine cabinet, the way she did mine. Or bashed her head in with that bat when I had a chance. Even if I didn't have the right key, I would have figured out something. I should have been brave enough. But in the end, my rage gave way to a greater emotion. Love. But also to the self-doubt I've been carrying all my life. Self-doubt brought about by years of conditioning. It was easier to go along unnoticed or yell "Bubblegum". We are all victims of circumstances - until we make a conscious decision not to be. I touch the blade with my fingers to gauge its sharpness.

If you could / wished to turn The Need into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"The Need is focused on the two main characters, Angie and Heather, so I spent a lot of time describing the physical and emotional characteristics of these two women in the book. I also built a Pinterest page where I started dropping pictures from the scenes and characters in the book I was writing. There was a couple of present-day actors that I felt embodied the spirit of Angie and Heather, like Diane Kruger and Sophie McShera.

Diane Kruger I most recently saw in her role as Bridget von Hammersmark in the Inglorious Basterds and similarly, Heather is a tall, older, street-smart woman. Sophie McShera played Daisy Mason in her role on Downton Abbey and similarly, Angie is a young, naïve, woman, visibly uncomfortable in her skin."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I have always been interested in human relationships, especially the romantic aspects, and my interest in erotic literature began around the same time I started calling myself a feminist. Erotica allowed me to explore my sexuality in a safe place and normalized my sexual desires.

The idea to cross erotica with a thriller storyline, like in The Need, stems from my being a big fan of fast-paced, drama-driven books with complex psychological layers. Some of the earliest romances I read (like, The Thornbirds) were historical, spanned decades of love, loss, and intrigue, and had incredibly strong heroines that I looked up to. After watching the movie, Basic Instinct, I really felt like I’d found the type of story that had everything I was looking for: hot sex, a murder mystery, and a heroine that liked to mess with your head. I felt similarly about Gone Girl, and it solidified my quest to explore the cross-genre of erotic thrillers. "

What is your writing process?

"Outlines have definitely helped me write a first draft quicker. However, I have also had a lot of fun with just thinking up a great character(s) and letting them run wild on the page to see what happens.

A great technique I learned many years ago in a writing class had us writing the back story of a fresh character every week. Really delving into their childhood and the types of friends they had and lovers they took, and tragedies and experiences that shaped them. When I get stuck sometimes, I go back to this technique and start scribbling back story. Usually, by the time I’m done, I know the next turn the story is supposed to take."

What is in store next?

"I am currently working on an erotic novella called, Hard Trigger. This is an interesting project that started as one thing and turned into something completely different. Definitely no outline was used, and I don’t even have a good log line or synopses yet.

All I will say for now is that the protagonist is treading on shaky illegal activities for a living and mourning the loss of her lover when she uncovers a dangerous drug scheme. She’s legitimately trying to set the course of her world right and keep her emotions at bay by believing her new lover is her antagonist until she realizes they both have the same goal of interrupting this drug operation.

Go to: www.slhannah.com and sign up for my newsletter to get all the updates for Hard Trigger."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?