Estimated Reading Time: 5 Mintues
After giving an entire generation calluses with her films she has mastered sensual paper cuts of pleasure like a true sadist.
—Chris Nieratko, Author of Skinema
It was like I was a newbie stripper and learning all over again how to hustle, and the author’s appetite for sex and money is intoxicating.
— Elle Stanger – exotic dancer, writer, and certified sex educator
Does Joanna Angel need to be introduced? Adult Time members are quite aware that she’s one of the most (in) famous stars in the adult entertainment business! She’s a director, producer, performer, author, and the creator of the Burning Angel brand.
Club 42 is her second book. It tells the story of Naomi, a down-on-her luck ex-graduate student, who enters Club 42, a strip club located in Times Square, NY. She finds herself agreeing to audition, stripping out of her polka dot summer dress and kitten heels and earning a spot on the day shift. But it’s up to you, readers, to decide if she should give an old crush a lap dance, give her ex the “extras” in the VIP room, get dominated in a dungeon, tell her not-quite-boyfriend about her career path, indulge in her attraction to her beautiful coworkers, or leave her life of dancing as quickly as she starts it! Your goal: To navigate Naomi through her day shifts at Club 42.
Joanna kindly agreed to answer our questions and share some secrets about her book with the Adult Time community.
Hello! How are you doing?
Doing alright! Existing in this crazy world. Thank you.
Are you excited by the release of your second book, Club 42?
I am SO excited!! Writing a book is such a long, painful, arduous process and having it complete and out in the world for people to read and enjoy is truly an incredible feeling. It makes it all worth it.
The book puts an erotic spin at the famous choose your own adventure-style storytelling many of us grew up with. Are you a fan of those kinds of books? Why did you decide to tackle this format?
I will be honest, while I obviously read and enjoyed the Goosebumps series as a kid, I don’t think that made me any kind of aficionado of the format. It was actually my publisher (Cleis Press) who suggested the format, and I eagerly accepted the task, thinking it would be a fun new spin on erotica… a genre of literature that doesn’t often have new spins on it.
This book is in some ways a follow-up to your first book Night Shift. What did you learn in terms of writing after the release of your first book?
While the format is the same, and obviously, my writing style is similar… it is not a follow up of the first book. I thought of doing a follow up when I was asked to write a second book, however, when you already have multiple beginnings and middles and endings to the same story… there’s just not all that much to follow up on! I mean, by the end of writing Night-Shift I think I tackled everything and anything that could possibly happen at a porn store (where night shift takes place). So, this second book was literally a time for a new adventure.
I’ve more or less been writing my whole life. I don’t mean to brag, OK… maybe I mean to brag… I *did* win a short story writing contest in the fourth grade. Ha! But aside from that, I have always kept a journal, a blog, I graduated from college with a “creative writing concentration” in my English major. In my adult life I have written countless amounts of porn-scripts, penned sex advice columns and also served as a contributor to several fiction and non-fiction anthologies (for example, Coming Out like a Porn Star by Jiz Lee, Asarotica by Asa Akira, and Best of Women’s Erotica Vol. 5). I always thought when/if that day came that I would write a novel that it would come easy to me… but I was most certainly wrong. Writing a 300+ page novel is INCREDIBLY difficult, no matter how organized or inspired you are. I also learned that it takes several thousand cups of coffee for me to successfully finish writing a book.
What is the story about this time around?
This is the story of a girl who enters the world of exotic dancing, at a strip club on 42nd street in New York City (get it? “Club 42”). That’s the short version of the story!
Can you tell us a bit more about your writing routine?
I actually found that I enjoy going places and writing. I sat in so many different coffee shops as I wrote both of my books. It’s kinda like… the same theory people apply about working out in a gym as opposed to working out at home. When you’re at the gym, you’re focused on working out, you can’t really get sidetracked and do much else in the gym… aside from… take a few selfies, or something. So my routine would be wake up, pick a coffee shop, go there around 9/10 am and stay there until my brain feels like soup… which would tend to happen around 7/ 8 pm. Sometimes, just eavesdropping on people’s conversations or merely looking at strangers would inspire me and help me out of my writer’s block. I would also set word count goals and make sure I met them. The goals would vary depending on how far along I was and how close/ far I was to my deadline.
You have a strong signature style as a director. Should readers expect to find that in the book?
Yes, the book is definitely filthy, with a strong sense of humor. Just like my movies!
Where can Adult Time members find your book? Is it possible to order signed copies?
Unfortunately signed copies aren’t available any more, however, follow me on Twitter/ Instagram and I will be sure to post when that happens again. You can purchase it on Amazon here!
What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Well, creating more porn for Adult Time…. and… getting the damn vaccine, and possibly traveling somewhere other than the grocery store. That would be nice! Haha.
Thank you for this amazing interview and we look forward to reading Club 42!
Thank you!
To order Club 42, click here.
For more from Joanna Angel, follow her on Twitter.
Have you read Joanna’s books?
Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter, or Instagram!
🙂