Day #2 of ask Shandra whatever you want:

Over on Facebook author and marketing consultant JM Schroder is hosting a Lethal Obsession Book Blast for my novel, LETHAL OBSESSION. (Click on the link and come on over to join us).

One of the things I’ve offered to do there is to entertain questions about me or my writing, and now I’m going to extend that to my blog. For the next two weeks (or until the questions run out, whichever comes first), I’m going to answer at least one question a day.

From K.J. Partridge, who kinda cheated by asking three questions, but that’s okay, I’ll answer them all.

How tall are you, do you have pets, and what inspired LETHALOBSESSION.

Well, tall isn’t exactly the right word I’d use, but I’m 5’’4” – far from the shortest person in the word, but I wish I had about three or four more inches on that.

Yes, I have a pet. A solid white little kitty named Lilly. 

Here’s a picture of her – she’s hard to photograph because whenever I try to get a picture she runs toward the camera. Here I tried taking a couple of shots when she was sleeping -- she wasn't happy about it (and you can tell from her face). But she’s a wonderfully friendly, playful fur ball that I picked up from the local animal shelter.

As for LETHAL OBSESSION, I get into that some in an interview that, I think, is supposed to be posted at http://wordenlightenment.blogsport.co.uk

Specifically for LETHAL OBSESSION, I saw some postings on Craigslist where people were advertising for a hook-up that night, or that weekend. I was a little surprised at how many people were just looking to get together with a stranger, just for the night (and NO people, I’m not looking – I was on Craigslist looking to sell something but then saw the personals, and was curious).

Anyway, I’d already been on some BDSM-related websites (again, I’m NOT looking), so I started thinking about what kind of story could I build around a woman and man, two strangers, getting together for a BDSM session. Then I started asking “what if.” You now, what if he had a fantasy that she would be blindfolded when he walked in, that she would never see him? From her perspective, what if she was really lonely, and they had grown to like one another a lot overtime by chatting online? Would a person really do that? It’s easy to say no, that would be stupid, but I found that it’s not all that unusual for people to put themselves in such dangerous situations. But I wanted something more than just a story about two people hooking up for some sex and bondage – so then I asked myself “what if she’s a police officer and after they get together a couple of times other women start showing up dead, tied up in the same manner he did to her?"

And I went from there.

Thanks K.J., great questions!

Shandra Miller is the author of the erotica/suspense novel LETHAL OBSESSION, available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.