Annabelle Knight is a sex and relationship expert. She has appeared on many TV programmes such as This Morning, The O'Brien Show and Big Brother's Bit on the Side. She has featured regularly in magazines and newspapers. Upon the release of her new book The Endless Autumn- we caught up with her to talk about her inspiration for the story and if we can expect any more books from her in the future.
The Endless Autumn
What can readers expect from your new book The Endless Autumn?
Readers can expect a raunchy rollercoaster of a book with The Endless Autumn. I tried to write a gripping and explicit story with well-written sex scenes as well.
Please tell us about your inspiration for the book and when did you start writing it?
I found inspiration from a variety of places, mainly my friends and of course working with with Lovehoney definitely helped a lot.
What are your ideal writing conditions?
Well, at the time of writing this book my home office was being used for storage so I sat at my kitchen table from eight in the morning until eight at night most days. I set myself the challenge of writing a minimum of three thousand words a day until it was done. I took a couple of weeks to edit it, make some amendments and alterations then sent it off to my publisher. It went through another couple of rounds of edits before going to print. My favourite days of writing were when we had nice weather; I sat outside so I could enjoy the sun at the same time. I also found that a glass of wine helped, especially with the racier stuff!
The book has been described as Bridget Jones meets Fifty Shades- do you agree and are you a fan of these books?
Of course! Bridget Jones has been a long-time favourite of mine, I love how incredibly well written her character is, the humour in the story and how believable her world is. I’m a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey for a different reason, I admire E.L James an incredible amount for taking something, which previously was so taboo and making it more acceptable. I have to admit, I have avoided reading the books or watching the films as at the time I was penning my own book and I didn’t want to be influenced by it at all.
How much has your background as a sex expert helped with the erotic element?
A huge amount, my extensive knowledge and understanding of sex toys, romantic relationships and the act of sex itself made writing the more risqué bits much easier.
Did you always know you had a book in you?
I think so. I used to write a lot of stories when I was younger and really enjoy the writing element of my job so it felt like a natural step for me to go down this route.
What are you reading at the moment?
Stephen King – Cell. I’m an avid horror fan and devour anything by Stephen King! I’m also part way through The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. My busy schedule doesn’t always leave an awful lot of time for traditional reading so I listen to audiobooks when I’m out and about. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and find myself re- listening to them a lot, Stephen Fry reads them and he’s brilliant.
You have had a lot of recent television appearances- so which has been the most memorable and fun?
Without a doubt- Big Brother’s bit on the side, Rylan is an absolute dream, he’s so funny, witty and always very welcoming. In saying that, I always love This Morning, the bondage segment we did for the release of Fifty Shades of Grey will always be up there as a favourite!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers of erotic and or chick-lit fiction?
Go for it! I found writing this book a hugely fulfilling experience. I was lucky enough to be able to work my schedule around writing, which I know is something a lot of people would struggle with, but whether it takes you a month, a year or a lifetime the sense of achievement you get from typing ‘The End’ is well worth the hard work and sacrifice.
What is next for you? Do you intend to write another book?
I’ve just started writing another, it’s been in the planning stages for a few months now and this week I finally put pen to paper!
The Endless Autumn by Annabelle Knight is out on 31st March 2017.