Whose Line is it Anyway? by Michelle Pillow and Mandy Roth
Whose Line is it Anyway?
Co-writing a book… erm… an erotic book.
Oh, the joys of someone seeing you misspell various parts of anatomy or accidentally add another breast to the equation. Yes, we’re talking about the wonderful world of co-writing erotic fiction. Writing with another author on regular fiction can be challenging enough. The addition of erotic bed play can add another level to the tangled web we writers weave.
Stumbling over the sometimes blunt prose needed to make a scene really work certainly takes writing relationships to new levels. Michelle and I decided to try our hand at co-writing together. Our first attempt is the (still going) free online story—The Raven. This, while it had a few hiccups, wasn’t something so out of the realm of possibility that we had trouble merging our minds. Scary thought. I know. Then, one of us got the bright idea to try our hand at writing an erotic together.
*blinks innocently, hoping Michelle doesn’t start pointing fingers*
The first stages were awkward. You know, that how many dates do you need to have before you end up in bed together kind of awkward.
*Michelle covers eyes*
“Mandy, the rumors will fly on the web now. You know that right?
*clears throat*
After several bottles of wine, a lot of nervous laughter and then a Nike—Just Do It—approach to life, we dug in and our first erotic joint title was born. After birthing more, we’ve found we can almost finish each other’s sentences. We also found that too many bottles of wine and late night phone conversations make for headaches and unreadable notes the next day. Oh. And Barbie Jeeps. Its best you not ask.
*Michelle gets duct tape in hopes of stopping any more equating books with birth talk from Mandy*
*Mandy dances out of the way, laughing*
Thanks for letting us take a minute to share with you, the joys of co-writing erotic fiction.
About the Authors
Michelle M. Pillow and Mandy M. Roth are published romance authors. Michelle’s newest release, Recipe for Disaster, will be on bookshelves June 10th. Mandy’s newest release, Daughter of Darkness 3: Bella Mia, comes out the end of June. Check their websites for more details.
Michelle’s Links
Website, www.michellepillow.com
Blog, www.michellepillow.com/blog
Mandy’s Links
Website, www.mandyroth.com
Blog, www.mandyroth.com/blog
The Raven
Website, www.ravenhappyhour.com
Radio Show, http://www.blogtalkradio.com
Mandy M Roth
Bella Mia—Now Available!
Michelle M Pillow
Recipe for Disaster—Now Available!
June 27th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I have so much respect for people who co write books together. I honestly don’t know how you gals do it! Do you each write chunks? Or is one the girl the other is the guy?
June 27th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
June 27th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Well I have to say that I love reading the stories that the two of you put together
Heck I enjoy just listening to the two of you. I know that I am always going to be smiling 
June 27th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
June 27th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Emma, Of course! Everyone calls us M&M, lol. It took us a second to get into the groove, but it’s so much fun and you get to share the responsibility with someone else,
Shelli, we generally write in sections. Sometimes, like in Pleasure Cruise and Date with Destiny, we each take one of the two main couples. In Red Light Specialists, we each took a different section. Either way, we always coordinate our efforts. It really helps that we both know the other’s strengths. For example Mandy knows a lot of technology and kickin’ some hiney
, I know a lot about history and writing the happily ever afters 
.
Renee, That’s awesome that you listen to the Radio Show. We’re such, um, what’s the word I’m looking for?
LOL It’s great that people love us just goofing and being ourselves.
Jodi, We do! Life’s really too short to have a job you hate. That doesn’t mean we don’t have bad days, but for the most part being a writer is
Ok, I really love the smilies here. lol
June 27th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Writing with Michelle works out really well. I think she hit it on the head with the “what one isn’t so great at, the other is”.
Oh, well, that and I have blackmail pictures on her.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
So tell me, who gets to write the first sex scene?
Oh and someone somewhere said something about books…
June 27th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I still maintain that the person in the aforementioned photograph could have been anyone and is not me.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Cyn,
“…come on get happy…” erm, wait, wrong show?
June 27th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Do each of you go over what the other has written and add your own layer to the story? And come on, who gets the first chance to write those love scenes…you can tell us, we won’t tell…much.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I like the way you ladies do that. Covering each other in areas where one isn’t as strong. I’m so intrigued about co-writing a book. I just don’t know if I could do it! You make me wanna try though
June 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Hey ladies welcome!
I find it fascinating how co-authors work. I’d like to give it a try too but I’m chicken. And I really don’t know who I would write with.
Besides Shelli. *blink blink*
June 27th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
LOL, Karen you know I’ll be your bitch. Or wait, will you be mine? Writing them of course
June 27th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
We generally edit each other’s section to make sure it flows with the rest of the book. A lot of times, if I know Mandy will write the heck out of a certain scene I’m working in, I’ll just make a notation for her to look at it. It all goes back to knowing each other’s strengths. Honestly, it might be a boring answer, but the love scenes are pretty much treated like any other scene, lol. We trade off on who writes them depending on whose section they fall into. But, in the end, it’s equal on who does the work.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
K & S –
Once you get into the groove, it’s great to have someone to share the work–from edits to promo, ect. Plus, if one gets blocked or life gets busy, we can just tag it back.
It’s great if you can find that person you click with in writing.
June 28th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Your writing sessions sound like fun rather than work.
I can imagine it would be great sharing the yucky bits like edits. I’ve always wondered about working with another writer. Maybe one day.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Thanks ladies for having us! It’s been a lot of fun!! :)
June 28th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Shelley - They are fun and it’s great to have that second edit person. It makes things go much faster to have the second set of eyes looking for errors. :)
June 28th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
This one time, at writing camp…
Ouch. Shit. That hurt. Who threw that?
thanks ladies!