It’s time for another interview with a fellow author of lesbian and f/f fiction. Today’s guest is Fiona Zedde, who is best-known for her beautiful descriptions and her hot love scenes.

Fiona is giving away five e-book copies of her steamy short story “The Magical Femme,” which is a prequel to her upcoming novella Femme Like Her. Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of this post!

Welcome, Fiona. Please tell us a little about your novel Femme Like Her and the short story that goes with it, “The Magical Femme.”

In Femme Like Her, my workaholic, self-identified femme gets her thong panties in a twist over another femme, something she never thought would happen. Overall, the story is about the assumptions we make and the necessity of telling the world to kiss your butt and mind its own business where your own happiness is concerned. The novel wasn’t supposed to happen, but after the short story “The Magical Femme” came out, a surprisingly number of people asked what happens next between the two main characters. Femme Like Her is this next.

What does being femme mean to you, personally?

For me, femme is being pretty in whatever way I feel. Lip gloss, swaying hips, summer dresses, the pleasure of occasionally having a door opened for me. All this, while being comfortable in my own skin.

The main character in your novel The Power of Mercy and its sequel A Lover’s Mercy is Mai Redstone, a meta with superpowers. What kind of superpowers did you give her, and why do you think superheroes and superheroines are so popular right now?

My Mercy is basically a shapeshifter with semi-impervious skin, super strength, and speed. aka kick ass. She also has a big, soft heart which is surprising for someone who’s gone through as much as she has. This heart of hers is its own superpower.

Why are supers popular right now? Aside from the way Marvel movies have pushed super heroes to the forefront of our culture right now, I think part of the reason for that popularity is because now, during these particularly challenging political times, many of us feel helpless. I know I do. We feel that it’s nearly impossible to make large and necessary changes to a society that seems intent on elevating and rewarding the “bad guys” while stepping on everyone else. We want to see change, we want to turn things around. When laws and the institutions that are supposed to protect the people fail us, it seems like the only thing that can put things right is a supercharged hero with a conscience and the desire to do good.

The Power of Mercy is being turned into a graphic novel by Ylva Publishing, which is really exciting! Can you tell us a little about the process of turning a novel into a graphic novel? When and where will readers be able to buy it?

It is very, very cool that I’ll soon be able to see Mercy in graphic novel form. Some days, I can hardly believe it’s actually going to happen! About the process itself, so far it’s been about distilling the intense excitement scenes of the book into short, potent lines of text that go with the images. It’s been challenging but also a great exercise for me into terms of seeing where the really powerful moments in the book happen. 

The graphic novel will be out November this year (2019) and available online at Ylva, my website (fionazedde.com), and your local bookstore.

You are known for your beautiful, almost poetic descriptions and your hot love/sex scenes. Who would you say is your greatest influence in terms of your writing style and why?

It’s great to be known for something good! Growing up, I read a lot of Anne Rice. I can’t tell you how many times I copied sentences from The Vampire Lestat, trying to figure out how she was able to create the magic that kept me glued to every single page. Between Anne Rice, romantic poetry I couldn’t get enough of, and my mother’s Harlequin novels that I thought shut the bedroom doors too soon, I was doomed.

You are one of the lucky—and hard-working—people who write full-time. What would you say does it take to make a living with your writing nowadays, especially as a writer who writes queer books?

I’d say it takes adaptability (you have to shift to keep up with the latest and most effective ways of reaching an audience) paired with productivity. I publish at least two books every year, but I still need some schooling on the marketing front.

How many different places have you lived in during your life? Which is your favorite and why? 

I haven’t lived in very many, actually. So far, Jamaica (where I was born), San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and Paris for a few months each, Atlanta, and now Madrid, where I am now.

Imagine you could have any superpower you would like to have for a day. Which one would you pick?

Is being able to successfully market your own books a super power? If it is, that’s the one I’d love to have. Boring, I know…

Do you have time to read, and do you read lesbian and f/f books? If you do, what are your all-time favorites?

I don’t have time to read, but I make sure I do it anyway. Usually for an hour or so just before bed. I absolutely LOVE Jewelle Gomez, Karin Kallmaker, Melissa Good, and Nicole Dennis-Benn. They write the kind of lesbian/queer women’s fiction that makes me want to do better as a writer.

When’s your next book coming out, and what are you working on right now?

My next book on the horizon is Femme Like Her. It’ll be out this November.

As for what I’m working on right now, I’ve been back and forth between the 4th novel in my How Sweet It Is series (called Just Desserts) and a book I started years ago about the impossible romance between a university professor and her old college girlfriend who’d left her for her brother years before.

Where can your readers find out more about you and your books? 

Readers, new and seasoned, are always welcome to find and chat with me on-line and in the real world. I’m at www.FionaZedde.com and across social media as @fionazedde.

Book giveaway

Fiona is graciously giving away five e-book copies of her erotic short story “The Magical Femme.”

Anyone can enter. To be entered into the drawing, leave a comment on this blog post.

Entries close on Thursday, August 15, 2019, 10 a.m. CET, when I’ll draw the winners using a random numbers generator. I’ll notify winners via email. Your email address won’t be used for any other purpose.

Great giveaway and interview with Georgia Beers coming up! 

Check back later this month for an interview & giveaway with Georgia Beers—or subscribe to this blog so you won’t miss it.