BDSM Writers Con & Dr. Charley Ferrer are proud to present Tessie Bradford. One of our featured BDSM authors. We’re sure you’ll enjoy learning about her novels, if you don’t already know them. We had a few questions for Tessie for our interview. Feel free to ask a few of your own.

How do your characters enjoy their playtime? Rough? Playful? Tender? All of the above?
Definitely all of the above! When I decided to finally throw my hat into the ring of writing erotic romance, it was with a no holds barred attitude. A bit of pain combined with an interesting array of toys never fails to intrigue me. Humor is mandatory. If you can’t laugh and be playful with your partner or partners, then something very important is missing. Tender? Without a doubt! A loving, happily ever after conclusion is the payoff.

What’s the most challenging part of writing erotic romance?
When writing sex scenes, I not only have to be in a certain mind-set, but there can be nothing, and I mean nothing of a distracting nature going on around me. If my hubby and adult daughter are at home, I ‘announce’ my intent, and they know unless the police, a trip to the hospital, or fire extinguishers are involved, they’d best not disturb me!!

What is your writing process? Do you outline? Set specific hours?
No, I don’t outline or even jot down notes. I ponder/obsess and lose sleep over characters, plots, settings, conflicts etc. in my head until I feel ready to start typing. There’s no set schedule of when, or how much I write at any sitting; I just have to work it in around my full-time day job, family and life.

What role, if any, does your significant other play in your writing career?
My hubby of 27 years heads my Research and Development Department!!! Seriously, he is involved in every aspect of the process. Together we flesh out characters, plot, emotions, dialog and many times, physics. He listens patiently when I babble on about minutia, and talks me off the ledge when I experience my requisite meltdown over meeting a deadline and whether my work is worthy of publication.

How do you find ideas for your books? Real happenings? Dreams? A great imagination?
All of the above! I don’t know about the ‘greatness’ of my imagination, but it sure is active. Many of my heroes have come to me in dreams; very, very good dreams! A couple of my stories are based on real happenings and all of my heroines have varying degrees of me woven into their personalities.

Do you have any bad writing habits?
Yes – going for days without doing it, or getting into “the zone” and ignoring my family while I do it.

How has being published changed your life, if at all?
Being published has changed my life in a very profound way. I was 48 years old when I subbed my first book, Ageless Desires. I was both terrified and excited about putting myself “out there”. I never imagined the confidence and sense of self that would come with the experience.

Tessie Bradford is a bestselling author of Erotic Romance who publishes with Resplendence Publishing and Ellora’s Cave. Megan’s Men, book #1 in her Fated Mates of Mesta series, stayed in Amazon’s Top 100 for erotic/sci-fi for over six months and a number of her titles have been bestsellers at ARe and other third party retailers. Her stories focus on journeys of sexual discovery. She loves creating strong independent women who, with the guidance and love of an alpha hero (or two or three), realize and embrace their submissive side. From the Coffee Time Review of Possessing Eleanor, “Ms. Bradford has taken a successful, independent woman and turned her into the perfect submissive without changing Ellie’s personality, something not many authors can manage so easily.”

Updated April 1, 2014