I think this is going to be the toughest of all your questions. The short answer is I'm a thirty-something divorcee, tall (5'7") thin (120# more or less) b-cup. I try to stay in good physical shape by exercising at home on my universal and treadmill. Like everyone else in this world, I'm a product of my life experiences. I've been sexually promiscuous since puberty. I'm not interested in long-term exclusive relationships but prefer to play the field. Sometimes I like strong energetic young men who'll just fuck my brains out and other times I prefer older men with a gentle caring touch who'll put my needs ahead of their own. It helps if they have a good supply of Viagra. I have a girlfriend or two that I like to spend quality time with once in a while. I'm always open to a roll in the hay with a girl I'm attracted to.

I work at home now which is probably a good thing. I don't have to worry about dressing for the office and keeping the company's schedule. Also, I've never been comfortable with office relationships or regimentation. I don't drink, but I do go to a bar or two on occasion. I don't go out seeking relationships either, they just seem to float into my life.

I like spending time with my gay male friends. No pressure, no hassles, no complex issues.

Q. How and when did you begin writing erotic stories?

Just after my divorce, I got a wild idea that I wanted to write erotica for film or television. I was in my early twenties at the time. I wrote a couple of scripts and tried to interest some producers. After many unsuccessful encounters the one honest and decent guy I met told me nobody was interested in good scripts. They didn't have to be because the majority of customers just wanted mindless crap. He said most of the scripts were made up on the spot during shooting. He encouraged me to keep writing, but not to expect any offers from the adult film industry. I was devastated, but grateful for his honesty.

After that I was running out of money and patience so I came home to Houston and gave up on erotica, at least as a way of making a living. I continued to write, but my enthusiasm was diminished until I discovered ES.

Q. Have you published anywhere other than ES.com?

I published two stories on another site, but that site is a bit of a bust. I'm happiest just publishing on ES.

Q. I'm sure readers have their own vision of who you are - how much of yourself do you include in your stories?

The short answer is, a lot. Of course I have drawn on my personal experiences, but they are embellished and a bit idealized. More importantly, I've drawn on my feelings about sex, love, and the priorities I've set in my own life. Lately, I've tried to get further outside myself and work more on pure imagination. I'm trying to develop characters with more depth.

Q. What is it about writing erotica that you most enjoy?

Of course I like sitting at the computer and turning myself on. Any writer of erotica who says that's not a motivator is either lying or engaged in a self-delusion of enormous magnitude. I also enjoy weaving the erotica into a story. For me, story should not just be about fucking, it should be about people fucking, people who come to the fuck with personal experiences, and feelings.

Q. Your stories appear in a wide variety of categories, but Threesomes and First Times seem to be the ones you favor most. What can you tell us about that?

I guess I just think threesomes are great fun. There's really not much more to it then that. As for "first time" stories, I think a person's first time is of the utmost importance and can set the stage for the rest of his/her sex life. In my own case, my first time was with a loving and caring man over twice my age. It was a wonderful experience for which I'll always be grateful. He taught me how to enjoy sex while giving as much as I got. It makes me sad when I hear the horror stories so many of my female friends tell me of their first time, either at the hands of some horny inexperienced self-centered teenager or, worse, some horny self-centered dirty old man. I guess that I try and incorporate a sort of message about it in my stories. Being somebody's first time partner caries certain responsibilities. You are a mentor and a teacher. It's about building that person up and doing nothing that could hurt or tear that person down.

Q. Is there anything that happens in your stories that you would really like to try in "real life", but haven't yet been able to?

No not really. Actually, it's probably the other way around. There are some things that have occurred in my real life that I haven't incorporated in my stories - yet.

Q. Does your partner or any of your friends know that you write? What do they think?

I keep my writing between my readers and me. I don't tell anyone I write erotica. It's my private little world now.

Q. How about in more general terms - how do you feel about the "outside world"'s perception of erotic writing?

We're all products of our life experiences. I feel a bit sorry for whose life experiences lead them to reject or run away from something that's so much fun. I know we're judged harshly by the "outside world" but as far as I'm concerned it's their loss.

Q. One thing that I love about ES is that you very quickly build up a community of fans, who enjoy writing to and hearing from their favorite authors. Do you have any favorite topics that have surfaced in these "conversations"?

Yes, I love hearing about first time experiences. First time for sex, of course, but also other first times, threesomes, bondage, anal, same sex, whatever. I also love hearing about experiences that leave long term positive feelings.

Q. How do you feel when you receive negative comments or very low votes from readers?

Generally speaking, they get it right, good or bad. I don't pay too much attention to the numeric scores because the survey just isn't detailed enough and the response rate is too low. More importantly, to be statistically significant, the response rate would have to be something like ninety percent. My response rates are nowhere near that.

If people like or dislike a story, I like to know why. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Too often, I think, a story is graded down because it doesn't meet the particular tastes of the reader. This isn't real significant if there are lots of voters, but it can be significant when the numbers are small. I prefer qualitative comments and constructive criticism over numeric scores.

Q. What kind of stories would you never write?

I'll never write a forced sex story where the bad guy wins. Bullies who force themselves on others deserve to loose - big time. I'm not talking about role play here, that can be lots of fun.

Q. And do you read, and respond to, other writers on the site? Who are your favorites?

Absolutely. I'm fascinated by other people's imaginations. This sounds terrible, but I tend to favor other female writers. I guess it's because I like comparing viewpoints. It also affirms that I'm not the only sexually loose girl in the world. But many of the male writers write great stories too. One of my favorite is Lyn McD. She writes her porn with an air of innocence I find refreshing and charming. I have many other favorites as well.

Q. You have a very distinctive profile picture - tell us about that.

The photo was taken by a girl friend years ago. I did the cropping and Photoshop. I love black and white and I used the special effects to give an air of mystery to the image.

Q. Do you remember the first pornography you ever saw?

Yes, when I was about twelve a girlfriend found her dad's collection of porn in their garage. Most of it was pretty soft core, Playboy and Penthouse. Some of it was very hardcore, spread shots, bondage, anal, etc. I remember that outwardly we both expressed our shock and disgust at the hardcore. Inwardly, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be one of those girls all tied up, or fucked from behind.

Q. What's the kinkiest thing you have ever done?

I guess the kinkiest thing I've done is to spend a long weekend with four electricians. I had told one of them about my fantasy and he actually made it happen. I wrote a somewhat embellished version of it as one of my stories.

Q. Do you have any fantasies that you would like to fulfill?

I know it sounds crazy, but I'd like to be the subject of a charity auction or the prize in a charity raffle. I wrote that fantasy into another one of my stories.

Q. What is a major turn on for you during sex?

They may be small, but my boobs are very sensitive. If a guy gets to them, It's a pretty sure bet that he'll get lucky and I'll be fucking his brains out before too long. I love having them fondled, kissed, and sucked.

Q. How about a major turn off?

Bad breath. Big egos.

Q. How do you feel about same sex relationships, both personally and as a writer?

I enjoy an occasional role in the hay with a girlfriend. Let's face it, no matter how good a man is, he just doesn't understand a woman's anatomy as well as another woman. The problem is, women tend, I think, to bond with their partners easier then men do. Men are more willing to accept a one-night stand. This has caused some uncomfortable moments for me in the past. I've learned to be more careful with female partners.

Q. Do you explore these feelings, positive and negative in your stories?

Yes, mostly. I try to imagine myself in the characters situation and feel what the character may be feeling.

Q. How long does it take for you to write a story? Could you talk us through the process?

That varies a lot. It's a hobby, so I let things get in the way frequently. Sometimes I'll start a story and not come back to it for months. I only rarely sit down and do a story beginning to end in just a sitting or two. I rewrite a lot.

Q. Right now, your most popular story is "A Walk In The Forest," with an average vote of 9.61. It's definitely one of my favorites - plus, it's the first time I've ever heard a semi-hard penis described as a "massive noodle." Do you agree that this is your best story? And why do you think it struck such a chord?

I don't know if it's one of my best, but it is certainly one of my favorites. Ghost stories are great fun. It's also a story where I get outside myself. The main character and I have virtually nothing in common. It's one of the few stories that I just sat down and wrote, almost stream of consciousness. I think I spent a total of five or six hours on it.

I'm trying to move more in that direction with my writing. To me, fucking is a part of life, but there are other aspects of life as well. I'm moving toward integrating my porn into other, larger, stories. It remains to be seen whether I'll be successful with readers taking that approach. I think I'd like to try a murder mystery.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of this interview and your fans? Now is your chance...

ES and it's readers and other writers have been so good to me, I don't know where to begin. When I read and write for ES I feel validated. The comments and emails regarding my stories let me know that I'm not alone, that there are others out there like me. For that I'm grateful.

Please read Marianne's stories!