Patricia Ray

If you’re looking for realistic erotica that is both steamy and genuine, look no further than Patricia Ray, the award-winning erotica writer who has earned our prestigious ‘Star-Recommendation‘ award. In this exclusive interview, you will learn more about her writing style, her inspirations and motivations, and the secrets behind creating such memorable erotica stories. Join us as we dive deep into the world of this incredibly talented erotica writer and discover the truth behind her success.

Around a year ago, you won our Star-Recommendation for ‘Queen without Clothes’. How has your growth in your mindset changed since then?

First, thank you again for the Star Recommendation. I was so pleased the stories in Queen Without Clothes spoke to you. Most of them dealt with the Covid-lockdowns and I wasn’t sure if erotic fiction dealing with that awful period would be appreciated. I think most people read erotica to escape the worries of daily life and a short story collection like this wouldn’t be considered very sexy. Also, I hadn’t planned to write about the consequences of the lockdowns, it kind of crept into the stories. 

After publishing Queen Without Clothes, and the end of the lockdown, my “other real life” work kicked off again and I didn’t write a lot of erotica. I’d participated in the 100 Story Challenge on Medium, which was an excellent writing exercise, but I think it drained me a bit too.

Early this year, I wrote a short erotic story again, Lusting from a Safe Distance, published on Medium with Redemption Magazine. This interrupted my writing hiatus—maybe it was even a writer’s block—and since I’ve been publishing a series of kinky stories on Tantalizing Tales. 

It’s hard to say whether my growth mindset has changed since Queen Without Clothes, but my writing has become freer and more playful, I think. The more I write, the more I learn, and I feel more comfortable with my erotica today than a couple of years ago.

How has that reflected in your latest work?

I published a new collection of short stories a month ago, Short & Sexy 2. These are stories I’ve published on Medium in the last two years. When I re-edited them for the e-book, I noticed how diverse they are. Some are quite romantic, others of a transgressive nature. This reflects my writing evolving. The Kink Series I’m doing right now also shows this, I think.

How would you define your style of erotica?

When I started publishing erotica in 2018, I called myself an erotic romance author. I’ve changed this into, “An erotic fiction author writing more than just sizzling sex”.

I’m not interested in a run-of-the mill humping palooza. I think the fine line between erotica and porn is literary. To me, characters and story matter more than anything else.

My current pinned tweet states jokingly:

“I feel my erotic fiction is more about people than about sex. But I won’t deny the arousal I get from writing erotica and the excited response to it I get from readers. I guess what I try to do is to have it both ways. I’m greedy that way.”

Essentially, erotica is about a fantasy and my stories are no exception. But I could never write about rich, handsome billionaires and horny damsels in distress. My stories stay close to home. The erotic fantasy is about what the characters desire, or how they discover sexual freedom.

What does your process look like from the start of your draft to publishing? Do you involve others?

I’m an intuitive writer. I don’t plan much, and I get a lot of inspiration from images I scavenge for online. If an idea or a given situation pops into my head, I let it simmer a while. Sometimes when I’m on a long walk with my dog, I dictate notes or paragraphs into my phone. 

When I sit down to write, I try to let the words flow and ignore the urge to edit while writing (which often fails!). To me, the writing process is a way to research my characters. I let them speak and act, so I get a better sense of who they are. A first draft can be right on the money, but sometimes, stories change a lot when I revisit them. When I’m comfortable with what’s there, I send it to my proofreader. I’m always open to their feedback and suggestions. But I’m also stubborn when it comes to what I think is the right decision.

Which Erotica writers are you fond of, and what do they write?

I’m a big fan of Charlotte Newings, Dierdre Winter and A N Onatopp. Although they are quite different, I feel their work is close to mine. But I like to read erotica as diverse as possible. I want to know what’s out there and how other writers deal with the genre. I have favourites, of course. On Medium I like to read stories by May More, Sunny A Morgan, Eli Casablanca, F. Leonora Solomon, Sonja Rae and Posy Churchgate. But especially on Medium, I keep discovering other authors. There’s so much out there.

If you had to guess a percentage, how much is your erotica inspired by your own sexual experiences?

That percentage is actually quite low. No doubt, my preferences and experiences are part of my writing. But I love writing fiction because it allows me to wander around in another place than my own world. I’m like an actor crawling into the skin of someone else, figuring out what makes them tick.

What’s the next book that you’re working on?

Apart from the stories I publish on Medium, I have two WIP’s. One is a novel called Gabriella. It’s quite a romantic story about a young designer with a troublesome past who needs to reinvent herself after being dumped by a lover. The other is a novel called Impaired Libido about a couple who venture into doing threesomes. In a way it’s a portrait of a marriage but with lots of helping hands. Hahahahaha…

Also, I would love to re-edit my Medium-serial The Leatherbound Diaries into a novel. One of these should be finished for publication this year, but which one? Time never seems to be on my side…