I have a confession to make.
I subscribe to several fashion magazines.
I keep them in the bathroom, mostly. Sometimes I take them on airplanes.
But, see, they are good for my writing. Really.
Fashion magazines are very image-heavy. They make a nice break from reading prose, and (unlike comics) let my mind wander a bit while I look at them. Fashion photography is often very strange, juxtaposing languid women in sleek outfits with bizarre settings, such as a lipstick factory. Even the more ordinary photographs sometimes, to me, seem bizarre, like science fiction. They spark weird ideas in my mind, unlikely connections.
They take me into a different world. Sometimes, that’s what you need.
Published by Victoria Janssen
Victoria Janssen’s writing showcases her voracious lifelong love of books. She reads over 120 new books each year, especially historical romance, fantasy, and space opera, and incorporates these genres into her erotic fiction. Her first erotic novel, The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover (Harlequin Spice, December 2008), was translated into French and German. Her second Spice novel, The Moonlight Mistress (December 2009), was translated into Italian and nominated for a RT Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her third novel is The Duke & The Pirate Queen (December 2010). She has also published erotic short stories as Elspeth Potter.
When not writing, Victoria conducts research in libraries and graveyards, lectures about writing and selling erotica, and speaks at literary conventions on topics such as paranormal romance, urban fantasy, erotic science fiction/fantasy, and the empowerment of women through unconventional means. Her daily writing blog features professional writing and marketing tips, genre discussion, book reviews, and author interviews. She also guest blogs for Heroes & Heartbreakers and The Criminal Element. She lives in Philadelphia.
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I’ll take your subscriptions and raise you newsstand purchases as well! (Dare we say addicted?) Love fashion magazines and your excuse works for me! But I do think that when you work with words all day, you enjoy switching to images. At least, that’s what I tell myself…
We need images to renew our words, or something fancy like that.