What would you like readers to know about your book Behind the Iron Cross?

While it’s my tenth full-length romance novel to be published, it was actually the first one I ever started in April 2012. I quickly realized that 1) I was going to have to do a heck of a lot of research to get it right, and 2) I didn’t really have the novel-writing chops yet to do justice to the story as I saw it in my head. I kept picking at it over the years as I wrote and published my other novels, and this year felt like the right one to finally buckle down and finish the book. Ironically, it didn’t even occur to me that 2018 was the centenary of the end of WWI and I should have tied more of my promo into that.

It looks like this novel demanded a lot of historical research. What are the kinkiest and the most surprising things you have found?

Kinkiest – the bit about the dancer Anita Berber climbing onto tables at the Weiss Maus and pissing when people talked during her performances is true, as is the bit about the boot girls, specialist dominatrices who offered specific services based on the color of their boots and laces. The most surprising thing is that there really was an Institute for Sexuality, and it was extremely modern and forward-thinking in its attitude towards the human sexuality spectrum.

One of your main characters, Friedrich von Bader, is ex-military. Is it what makes him more susceptible to the idea of submitting to someone, since he’s been trained to follow orders?

I honestly don’t know if it’s because he’s ex-military or because he’s been under so much stress since the end of the war that he’s relieved on some level to turn responsibility over to Kat. The scene where he’s been tied by by the rope master was deliberately written so that she could determine his boundaries and find out what he wanted from her. As it turns out, he feels comfortable tied up and basically wants a framework for his life, which is something she can provide.

Friedrich is a novice in the dominance and submission games, while one of his two employers, Kat, is an experienced Domina. Which point of view was more interesting for you – and why?

Probably Friedrich, because I had to put myself into the viewpoint of a straight man who is being exposed to forms of sexuality and sensuality that were completely foreign to him, and discover what about them appealed to him.

What scene from your novel is your favorite?

The scene with Friedrich and Kat where she has him tied up, because it’s sensual on multiple levels. Not only is she stimulating him physically, but mentally as well.

Is writing MMF stories more difficult than MM or MF ones – and if so, what is the main challenge?

Yes it is because you’re dealing with three viewpoints instead of two, and you have to give all partners equal time and attention. When I finished my first draft of the story and started editing, one of the things that stood out to me immediately was that I hadn’t paid enough attention to Sam. I did my best to rectify that, since he’s a full member of this trio and I wanted to find out what appealed to him about having both Friedrich and Kat as his lovers.