About the Book:
The traveling witch Orrla Larimar bucks tradition wherever she goes. Queer, covenless, and curvy, she flies throughout the floating Aer Isles to peddle alchemic wares and have fun along the way. She’s returning to the remote Hillside’s Rest for the annual Nighteye Festival.
Local werewolf Dagwood Dolfsooki aims to show the good witch a good time–but is honestly surprised when she invites him to participate in some more intimate magic. But the festival itself doesn’t quite go as planned. Chaos interrupts the evening revelry. The visiting witch is spurred into action. After draining herself of arcane energy, Orrla’s wants become needs; luckily, Dag is just the werewolf more than willing to put his various full-moon-given gifts to good use.
The Wanton Witch & the Werewolf is a 19k word novella featuring cozy, slice-of-life fantasy; steamy scenes of sensual spice; and developed characters living in a complex world. This tale is a friendly adult MF monster romance between a queer woman witch and a trans man werewolf–and is the first episodic story in the Aetherial Afterglow series.
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Excerpt:
“Full name?” Orrla asked. Her hand was poised with a pen over sale paperwork.
“Dagwood Dolfsooki.”
“Ohhhh, you’re Dolfsooki!” Orrla said. Dag quirked his head curiously. The witch smirked and added, “I heard you’ve been looking forward to seeing me all year.”
Even though Dag’s skin had been darkened by working outdoors, a blush was still faintly visible on his angular cheeks. “Well, that’s deeply embarrassing. I swear a man can’t tell anything to anyone in confidence in this town.”
Orrla tucked a fallen piece of her teal hair back behind her pierced ear. She continued to complete the delivery log. She was about to continue her flirtatious teasing until her traitorous stomach growled loudly yet again. It was her turn to blush.
The interruption to Orrla’s playful banter allowed Dag a moment to collect himself. “After I get that elixir sorted, how about we get something to eat? As a local, I promise to steer you away from the slop ‘n straight to the good shit.” Orrla wordlessly passed the log to Dag for his signature. He extended a dexterous forefinger with a sharply manicured nail, opened a small cut on his left arm, and signed the spellbound paper in blood. The nonchalance with which he conducted himself smacked of a rather attractive confidence that quickened Orrla’s heart.
Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
I’m Quinn Cray Chonk, a queer, non-binary local New Englander happily handfasted to a spouse with two cats. As a young millennial nerd, I have a variety of interests and passions, many intersecting between genre fiction, gaming, occult practices, and academia. My neurodivergent brain seems to take turns hyperfocusing on different subjects or creative projects as the seasons cycle through the year!
I’ve been writing stories since I was able to put coherent sentences onto penciled paper. Storytelling is in my bones; I’ve put many years of practice and study (including a B.A. in Writing & M.A. in English with Creative focus) into honing the skill of crafting a story with the written word. Not everyone needs to engage with higher education to become a writer, but my particular flavor of ADHD mostly thrived in the academic world. I mention it only because I’m proud of the accomplishment, especially the graduate degree–it was somehow done during the height of the initial COVID-19 pandemic. (Truly a surreal experience!)
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
Not morning. I’m flexible as long as it’s well after the sun has risen. Afternoon, evening, and night are generally when my words flow better. As for place? I try to be an opportunistic writer, so I do my best to not be too picky. A messy home office; the local library; a small tea-serving cafe…all those are S tier places to write as long as the brain is willing. I’ll usually be wielding my laptop but I also love brainstorming or drafting with a pen in my journal. (For my fellow pen/notebook enjoyers, my favorite combo is: Precise V5 RT Pilot Ballpoint Pen and Dotted A5 Medium Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I am #notsponsored–I’m just one specific nerdy writer.)
3: Where do your ideas come from?
My ideas are usually synthesized from the soup of inspiration that simmers in my head. Inspiration itself can be sparked from other creative works–not just novels, but also video games, comics, podcasts, films, performances, etcetera–as well as learning new things about science, technology, religion, or language. Personal life experiences get stirred into this metaphorical soup pot, and the amalgamation of ingredients spawns my ideas.
Ideas from immaterial mental soup. Yeah.
…and also thinking about what monsters are sexy.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
I’d say a bit of both. For my romantasy erotica, I usually have a core idea for a story around a couple, triad, or other polyamorous configuration. I have a sense of setting, main character(s), and maybe one specific spicy scene in mind. A lot of the joy of writing, for me, then comes with the discovery once I start writing that full first draft in earnest. I have these little goal posts, but the shape of the plot, voices of the characters, and texture of the world can all still surprise me! The freedom of the first draft can lead to a lot of interesting places.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
My debut novella, “The Wanton Witch & the Werewolf,” is a fantasy romance erotica tale part of my episodic “Aetherial Afterglow” series all centered on the same genre in the fantastical setting of the stratospheric Aer Isles.
Of course, I didn’t get into specifically writing romantasy erotica during those days of semester deadlines and workshops. My interest in that genre grew over the past couple years since completing my graduate degree. Like many, I dipped my toe into the scene through the creative fandom catharsis of fanfiction. (Though I will “bravely” admit I have some deeply cringe old works-in-progress from well over a decade ago that now act as a bit of real world foreshadowing for my present erotica writing career…) Eventually, I realized how many interesting, beautiful character moments happen when earnestly engaging in scenes of intimacy. Yes, there’s absolutely a simple pleasure to be had writing or reading smut; but there are also fascinating, complex emotions and character dynamics that play out in a mature, sensual encounter. Relegating all romance to a fade-to-black ethos continues to shunt sexuality into a puritanical fence that leaves sexual intimacy to flounder in a shallow place.
Besides all that pseudo-intellectual soap-boxing, I find personal catharsis in writing erotica. I’m a human being that finds intimacy easy but sex difficult. A private smorgasbord of mental and physical disorders complicates the sexual side of my pansexual personhood. Being able to write a character like the witch Orrla Larimar who is fat, femme, and casually confident in her various sexual escapades is truly freeing! Whenever I’ve read erotica in the past, I’ve often been wanting greater diversity of bodies, queer identities, and explicit consent. I’ve set out as a writer to create what I would love to find as a reader–hoping, of course, that will resonate with other readers like me!
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
Based on the explicit nature of erotica–even a fantasy monster romance–I don’t feel particularly comfortable play-casting any sort of actor for the characters in my novella. However, shoutout to actor Doug Jones for bringing the absolute sauce to inhuman characters in TV and cinema, makin’ folks salivate for monsters and aliens~
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I enjoy reading! The aforementioned ADHD makes the process of reading rather slow, however. I’m always blown away by how fast other people can read! That’s not me. Some favorite authors include N.K. Jemisin, Mary Oliver, Chuck Tingle, Philip Pullman, Clio Evans, and Louise Erdrich.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
There are three books I’m working through right now: the poetry book Hybrida by Tina Chang; Little Slice of Hell by Clio Evans; and Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction edited by Grace L. Dillon.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
Every reader’s (and writer’s) most feared question! The audacity of picking only one! What metric do I even use? What had the “most impact” on me? What book have I reread the most? (Nix that one, I don’t really reread things since there’s always so much more to read and each book takes me quite some time.) The first book that springs to mind when prompted with this question? …well, that one could work: it has to be The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It’s devastating and beautiful and engrossing and electric. The entire Broken Earth trilogy is genre fiction par excellence. The fascinating and complex storytelling of the first one stands out; however, I will not be spoiling anything here. All I can say is that anyone who loves diving into dynamic worlds with deeply human characters and compelling prose should do themselves a favor and read The Fifth Season.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Start writing! Type on your laptop or desktop; make scribbles on napkins; fill a cheap composite notebook. You are a writer if you write.
I pursued the study of creative writing academically. It is by no means a requisite! However, it can be very helpful in a variety of ways. Learning the craft from experienced professors who are, themselves, published writers, is valuable. Perhaps even more valuable is the networking of meeting peers and guest writers through the academic community. I’m lucky to have had an overall very positive experience with workshopping. It is much more difficult to find productive, generative, and skilled workshop environments outside of higher education–but it absolutely is possible! Check your local libraries for any writing workshops or meet-ups near you.
Writing can be a lonely business. Finding other writers and being in community with them will help tremendously, both with your craft and your wellbeing. But before all that, you need to start writing!
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
My personal website, quinncchonk.com, is a great place to follow me for future projects and occasional blog posts. Adding yourself to the free private mailing list will ensure you get notified when my next project is published!
For socials specifically, I’m @queercraftchonk on Twitter/X and @queercraftingchonk.kind.social on Mastodon. Those of the Tumblr persuasion can also find me there with the Queercrafting Chonk handle. (A wee seed has been planted in the TikTok space with the same username, but stay patiently tuned for any content there.)
quinncchonk.com
https://twitter.com/queercraftchonk
https://kind.social/@QueercraftingChonk
https://queercraftingchonk.tumblr.com
About the Author:
Quinn C. Chonk is a queer fantasy erotica author who celebrates diverse bodies, craves enthusiastic consent, and revels in the realms of love. They hold two degrees in writing with a focus on fiction; venturing into the ~saucier~ side of things came after the final graduation in ‘21. Quinn lives with their spouse and two cats in the northeast U.S. celebrating the Celtic Wheel of the Year, season after season. When not writing, they’re likely gaming with a cup of tea, reading fiction in cozy spaces, or exploring the local cuisine scene with loved ones.
Reading Nook 