Get ready to learn more about the book Library Conquest in this discussion with sapphic author Jessica Dalvin.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Jessica Dalvin about Library Conquest, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Insta-Love category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Library Conquest?
Have you ever been trying to study but your brain has been desperate for ways to procrastinate? Then the hot girl sits at the same table as you and that’s it, all hope for study gone?
I wrote this book for all the people who wanted to get freaky in the sexiest way with the hot girl studying at the table across from them.
It’s okay, don’t be shy about it. I am one of those people too.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I am Clark… okay, I really want to be in Clark’s situation. You asked, and it’s not my fault if that’s too much information. 😉
Am I allowed to be jealous of a book character?
How am I the same or different from the character Clark? Well, here is a basic run down:
Clark: is trying to study but is also an expert procrastinator
Me: I too am an expert procrastinator.
Clark: gets to have super sexy play time with the super hot girl in the back of the library.
Me: I don’t get to have super-hot sex in the library with the infuriatingly attractive woman and I have to live vicariously through Clark.
What part of Library Conquest was the most fun to write?
Look, it was 100% the sex and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. It was fun to come up with creative ways to create a dominant and submissive dynamic with just what they had on hand. If you are curious, yes, my wife did help me practice how to bind someone’s hands with their shirt and yes, it was as fun as it sounds.
How much research did you need to do for Library Conquest?
33 years as a lesbian. Life experience counts as research right?
I actually have a post graduate degree in ancient history and I was able to use this as I created Clark’s assignment based around it. I also have a keen interest in dom sub relationships and my wife is more than happy to help me with my research. 😉
What is your favorite line from your book?
“Shhhh baby girl,” Nichole says affectionately. “You have to be quiet in a library.”
Nothing is harder than being quiet when you are having great sex, but being told to be quiet and being actually forced to do so because of the location you’re in is obviously yummy.
What is your writing process like?
I absolutely wing it. I don’t plan anything, ever. Not in my romance, fantasy or erotica books, I just go for it. When I write, the words just come and its best not to interrupt them with overthinking.
The thing I like best about the process is getting to read the story myself, often I am as surprised by what happens as the reader. The parts I wish I could change would have to be the ideas that spring into my head at 3 am. Like seriously, why cant they wait until after I have had my morning coffee?
Is there a particular genre you would love to write but only under a pseudonym?
My erotica books are my pseudonym. 😊
Normally I write WLW fantasy romance. Recently though after the overwhelmingly positive response I have had for my book ‘under her protection’ I have started to move more into romance and I am finding I am really enjoying it.
I chose to write erotica under a pseudonym because I was firstly worried I would be terrible at it (turns out it was all in my head) and because I didn’t want people learning about some of my own personal kinks. However, I have really grown to embrace it and if someone doesn’t like it they can bite me.
Disclaimer, I totally love being bitten 😉
What animal or object best represents you as an author or your writing style?
A monkey on its 15th cup of coffee for the day.
Honestly my writing comes out in these insane bursts, and it must be incredibly amusing to watch. I even pull faces as I write, eyebrow rises for when I am surprised, crooked smiles for sexy moments and glares for when I suspect one of my characters is up to no good. Seriously, I could record myself writing and the video would go viral on TikTok overnight.
When you’re writing an emotional or difficult scene, how do you set the mood?
I cry all the way through it. What? Its not fair to only emotionally destroy my readers. My most recent experience with this was the latest chapter for my fantasy book. I finished writing it, sat back and whispered:
“Oh my god. I’m a monster.”
Then I go watch some cat videos to feel better.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
I embrace being friends with all the voices inside my head. Sometimes it is actually really confusing when I write more than one book at a time. With the last three Miss Woods instalments, I included characters from my other erotica books.
Turns out they all know each other!
But it was actually really hard to write about those characters without being those characters. Everything in Miss Woods is from the point of view of Claire, but I still had to channel those other characters in the way someone external would see them.
I needed a long break after that one.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I love fantasy books with magic. Mostly because I keep waiting for my own magic powers to develop and it gives me new ideas for how to check for them.
I also love period books, even if they are historical interpretations of events or people. I never enjoyed romance, but growing up there was very little (if any) WLW representation. As a full blown lesbian, I just cannot find a way to enjoy heterosexual intercourse without cringing and so I would skip those pages. I loved Jean Auel’s painted cave series but I skipped so many pages.
What books did you grow up reading?
Deltora Quest, Harry Potter, The Seventh Towers, and Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. That last one I must have read a dozen times. These were the first few series I ever read. If you have read my fantasy books, you can 100% see they made an impression.
I love books with political and societal undertones. Especially when the main character is the one challenging existing societal expectations and helping others realise there is a better way. Even if reaching it takes more work than going with the flow.
