THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
We Shouldn't
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to We Shouldn't by Holly Guy!
***Synopsis***
A dark, erotic reverse harem about three brothers, one woman and a sex club!
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or
was that decided before the story began?
Erotic Horror. Reverse Harem. Erotic suspense. Age gap. Stalker. Dad’s best friend. Serial killer.
For an in-depth trope and trigger warning list please find it here: https://www.booksbyhollyguy.com/about-3
The characters created themselves and led me to this erotic, twisty-turny novel to have you sweating and blushing with each page!
Are you more character or plot-driven?
Great question. I will have to say character driven because the focus is definitely on them before it is about the story line.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind? Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?
Absolutely! I use my Etsy workbooks to work through each character to keep them clear in my mind. You can find my worksheets here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HollyGuyAuthor?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=43776947
Also, I use my Pinterest to flesh out characters and setting appearance. You can find the characters for We Shouldn’t here: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/hollyguyauthor/we-shouldnt/
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own. Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?
The characters were mainly determined to go in their own direction. I originally wanted to merge Vixen and Dagger together to create one explosive man as it was easier to write a ‘why choose’ than a ‘reverse harem’.
However, after much consideration, their natures conflicted. I needed to pull them apart and that’s when I met Dagger, beautiful fucked up Dagger!
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
I never base my characters solely on one person, especially because of the nature of my genre! I pull strands from different interactions with different people and experiences.
For example, I have an explosive male figure in my close family who resembles Dagger’s poor mental health and awful past. I channeled that experience and emotion from Dagger’s ‘bad days’.
Brandon reminds me of a parent’s friend, quiet, reserved but intense eye contact and quite handsome- haha! I took his looks and ran with it, honestly.
Vixen is a bit of a loose cannon. He isn’t based on anyone I know but rather a collection of delicious tropes from other novels that inspired me: obsessive, a stalker, deliciously twisted, and extremely sexual for one woman!
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
Rebecca isn’t based on anyone I know but we share similar interests: animals, running, writing smut! I chose to align her interests with mine because after eight books, I am running out of hobbies to choose from and honestly, I just wanted an ‘easy’ character to write! Plus, it’s pretty hot that she’s a smut author and she falls in love with sex club owners… I mean, come on! It practically writes itself!
Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?
Absolutely. One of the brothers ‘Dagger’ suffers from psychosis and he can be extremely uncontrollable and dangerous, murdering numerous people. It is very hard to write about an explosive and angry man and justify them. I had to put myself in his shoes and really pull out the emotions that he can’t help. He truly wants to change but he just can’t.
I’ve seen this trend time and time again in a male family member close to me. It is incredibly hard to justify someone with violent or explosive tendencies but I had to for Dagger, and if anything, it taught me a lot about real life and how to handle this family member.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
There are three male love interests in this novel.
Brandon (her dad’s bff, a rational, hardheaded man, her first kiss),
Vixen (her stalker, obsessive, sinful),
Dagger (a serial unaliver, crazy, infatuated by her).
Each of them has my whole heart and I am slightly obsessed with each brother. However, I am team Dagger until I die! His transformation is fantastic and actually brings tears to reader’s eyes! So, yes, it is him.
How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?
It was difficult because there are four main characters.
It took a long time perfecting the ending to tie up the loose ends in each of the characters. I had to really become these characters.
For Rebecca, she needed to finish her novel and overcome the trauma of her past.
For Dagger, he needed to be able to control his violent outbursts.
Vixen had to learn how to trust and let people in.
Brandon wanted his club to be successful and he was desperate to help victims involved in the sex trade.
These are drastically different goals in life, so it took a lot of thinking and time to wrap them up together. I had to imagine I was each character. How would I feel if I finally reached my goal? Would I be satisfied or did more work need to be done?
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?
The scene that stands out to me most is a very erotic scene! A bit of background knowledge is that the three brothers compete on who gets to have sex with her first. They can each ‘play’ with her beforehand, but there is to be no penetration.
In the end, she cannot decide who ‘wins’ the competition, so instead, she runs away in the cornfield and the first brother to find her gets to have sex with her first. It’s a super steamy scene with all the brothers getting a turn!
This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book. It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series. I feel that it gives the story further depth. Do you think you will write another book or series following this multiple POV outline?
Absolutely! I am in the early stages of writing book two to We Shouldn't. It will not be until after summer 2024 however as there are two books which need to be written prior!
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
Under six months! I became obsessed with the novel and wrote for 15 hours a day until it was complete.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
We Shouldn’t is all about forbidden desire, and what’s more forbidden than a reverse harem with three brothers!
If you met these characters in real life would you get along?
If we are talking in terms of the men… Hahahahahahaha no. Dagger is crazy, obsessive, unpredictable and a murderer. Vixen is a stalker, unable to control himself around the woman he loves, and is a bully. Brandon is her dad’s best friend and the head of the sex club. He is rational, hard-headed, angry. He has no time for people who aren’t family, the business, or Rebecca.
But, if we are to talk in terms of Rebecca, then yes, I absolutely would! We are very similar I guess as we are both ‘smut’ authors and love animals. She is kind, caring, fun and is always down for a good time. I would love to meet real life Rebecca, mainly to give her a huge hug as her past was awful and I apologize for giving her that past!
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?
This is a great question, but I do not have ‘actors’ in mind. Instead, I use influencers, wrestlers, celebrities and more to craft these characters’ appearance. So, any actor that can fit their appearance, I’d be happy with.
I have a Pinterest board for each character here: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/hollyguyauthor/we-shouldnt/
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next? Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series? Can you share a small tease?
Absolutely! 2024 is bringing on some exciting novels!
Firstly, I am re-writing Deaths New Pet after much request! This is a steamy fantasy novel about the evil God ‘Death’ stealing a human and making her compete in trials to see if she would be a good pet. Of course, it turns steamy! This is a standalone in the deaths new pet series. The other standalone is already out and called Delphi Deceived.
Secondly, I am currently writing Notes which is about a young woman who plans to commit suicide on her 25th birthday. She has six months to live life to the fullest, through endless sex parties, drugs and booze. That is until she meets her boss on a one-night stand and tells him her plan. He then makes it his mission to prove to her that life is worth living.
You can add both of these to your Goodreads now and subscribe to my newsletter to make sure you stay up to date with their progress! Also, my patreon subscribers will receive these novels for ‘free’ with daily chapters being released!
Connect with Holly:
(a subscription service to receive free books, merch, huge discounts, giveaways, 1:1 chat, aspiring author advice, weekly smut stories and more!)
https://www.patreon.com/Hollyguywrites/membership
(signed copies)
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HollyGuyAuthor
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