Ava Marsh grew up in Margate, Kent. A former broadsheet journalist, she now works freelance in the charity sector and writes psychological thrillers with adult themes. Ava now lives in Battersea, London. Her hobbies include running, kayaking and photography.
Hi Ava and welcome to Compulsive Readers.
Hi, Tracy, and thanks for inviting me!
For those readers who haven’t yet read Untouchable or Exposure, in your own words can you give us a description and why we should read them?
Both are psychological thrillers set in different aspects of the ‘sex industry. Grace in Untouchable is an escort who stumbles across a high level conspiracy, while Kitty in Exposure is a porn star who ends up in prison for double murder – the story reveals how and why. Why read them? Well, I’m told they’re both very compelling! I try to write stories with plenty of pace and intrigue.
Both books have a rather “adult” theme (high class call girls and porn stars) and I must admit to blushing whilst reading these books and even having to refer to the internet on several occasions, when you are researching for your books do you find you have become hardened (ooh err) to the sex industry or do you still get shocked?
Yes, both contain quite a lot of sex, although neither book is exactly erotic, and I don’t think any of it is gratuitous, but there to illustrate the kind of lives my heroines are leading. That’s a great question about becoming hardened. I did a lot of research for Exposure in particular, and much of what goes on in the porn industry is genuinely shocking. I wanted to get that across in the novel. And yeah, I had to google ‘cream pie’ too. (Don’t google it anyone – you don’t want to know.)
Obviously I did some extensive research for this interview and for example did you know that your porn name according to a website is SASSY DANGLER and mine is MADAM TICKLER. How did you choose Kitty Sweet, the character in Exposure and if you had to choose your own porn name what would it be?
Sassy dangler – love it, Ms Tickler! (I may change my name to that – much less boring than Marsh). I had the name Kitty Sweet hanging around in my head for ages – before I thought of even writing Exposure. And it just seemed the perfect name for my heroine – sweet and fluffy. Whether she really is like that is another matter.
I’d probably pick something stupid but catchy – Ava the Raver!
Both your books contain hardcore sex scenes (hears the rush of feet of hundreds of readers clicking on Amazon), my questions are 1) did you remember to delete your internet browser after research and 2) what’s the strangest thing you’ve learnt whilst researching for these books?
I don’t have enough tech savvy to delete my internet history, so it’s probably all there – that said, I do have a password lock on my laptop.
The strangest thing I learned? Hmmm… that breaking a penis is actually a thing. Apparently they can snap, and it sometimes happens to male porn stars on set. Ouch!
Are you writing book 3? If so, what can you tell us about it and when can we expect to read it?
I’m just revising another book, but at the moment I’m not sure whether I’ll publish it as Ava or under a pseudonym. I’ll keep you posted!
Can you describe yourself using your initial AVA MARSH?
AM. Always Moaning? Anxious and Moody? Arsy Minx? Absolutely Magnificent? Okay, perhaps not that last one!
Do you read much yourself and what are you currently reading and what have been your favourite books this year?
I read all the time, though a lot of it is via audiobooks, so technically I’m listening. I broke my knee in January so I was pretty immobile and was getting through a book every couple of days. This year’s highlights so far have been The Power by Naomi Alderman, Then by Julie Myerson and The River at Night by Erica Ferencik.
Who was the last person to text you and what did they say?
Actually it was from a good friend – someone in her family had been caught up in the London Bridge attack. Thankfully they were okay, but obviously very upset and scared.
Do you have any fears or phobias?
Getting up before 8am.
Mayonnaise.
Being caught anywhere for any length of time without something to read or do.
Lastly, what are your plans for the rest of 2017?
Finish revising my novel, and hopefully sell it – I’m currently out of contract, which is both a liberating and slight scary place for a writer to be. Other than that, just getting from one day to the next. I’m pretty boring, really. I like to just potter and around and sweat the small stuff!
