When you first started writing, did you have any idea you’d be writing BDSM/kinky books? Do you write in any other genre?
I first started writing for Blace Lace books, which was certainly an erotica imprint (and not, for example, romance) and encouraged BDSM/kink stuff. But I’ve been getting more hardcore as I’ve gone on, and as I’ve developed confidence. My current fairytale novel, Named and Shamed, would never have been accepted by the old Black Lace. Mind you, it is the dirtiest, kinkiest thing I have ever written – I let myself go wild on this one! 
With the exception of some short stories for anthologies, my erotica has fantasy or paranormal settings. It allows me to explore themes that would actually be too disturbing if they were set in the real world.
I have written in some other genres – straight ghost/horror stories, and an Arabian nights adventure-romance, Heart of Flame, that was published by Samhain last year. But erotica, kinky or vanilla, is what keeps calling me back.
Are you actively involved in BDSM? If so how do you identify yourself? Dom(me)/sub? Top/bottom? Switch?
Not really – like many many writers I’m just too much of an introvert to enjoy getting involved in any formal scene. My sexuality includes BDSM but it’s not by any means the major part of it. I’d describe myself as a switch, if anything.
Is there one area of BDSM that you tend to write about more? Why do you think that area creeps into your writing more than some others?
I go through phases where I’m interested in certain themes, but I’d have to say I’m very interested in power relationships. Recently I’ve been writing a lot about one submissive woman with several men; rough sex; public disgrace; and scenes that push the boundaries of consent. The main kink of Tansy, the heroine in Named and Shamed, is a propensity for being displayed and used sexually in a humiliating manner in public – hence the “shamed” part of the title. 
On an imaginative level (not a personal one) there are strong connections in my mind between arousal and fear. So I often write stories in which the protagonists are in stressful, threatening or dangerous situations. But also, on a deeper level, I touch on topics that trouble and disturb me – rape troubles me, so I write dub-con. My sadistic feelings trouble me, so I write about that. Breastfeeding happens to squik me out (Yes, I know, I’m sorry . . . ) so I wrote it into Named and Shamed as a way of trying to get a mental grip on it. If I can make something sexy (and enjoyable for the characters), it stops worrying me as much, I suppose.
Do you write BDSM/kink erotica based on what you find interesting or sexy, or do you write more for your audience?
Oh no – I ALWAYS write scenes I find sexy. I have to be turned on. This sort of slows me down admittedly – the ol’ one-handed-typing routine 
What have you written in the past that you think your BDSM/kink fans might find interesting?
Check out some of my short stories in my collections Cruel Enchantment (2000) and Dark Enchantment (2009). My vampire mosaic e-novel (i.e. a novel told in short-story form) Red Grow the Roses was published earlier this year by HarperCollins: it’s all about fairly brutal power-relationships and includes whipping scenes, formal and informal BDSM, bloodletting etc. My vamps do not sparkle, I promise.
What’s the most surprising piece of feedback you’ve ever received from a fan of your writing? 
I was once emailed by a fan who adored Cruel Enchantment and wanted to know if more of my stuff was available as audio recordings because he liked to listen on long car journeys. Delighted though I was by his enthusiasm, I was all “Noooooooo! Don’t! You’ll crash!”
If someone new to your work is going to start with a story, which one would you recommend they read first?
Um . . . Start with short story “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” in Dark Enchantment - it’s got a bit of all my trademark themes: a supernatural setting (it’s an M R James pastiche), some edgy M/f/M kink, strong streaks of both horror and pathos, and an unreliable narrator. Kristina Lloyd (author of Asking for Trouble) described it as “an astonishing piece of fiction. Just perfect,” which is high praise!
What is your favorite flavor ice cream? And since this interview is for BDSM Book Reviews, vanilla is not an option!
Ginger 
Website, links info:
www.janineashbless.blogspot.com
http://sweetmeatspress.com/erotic_stories/illustrated_erotic_stories_named_shamed.html
Erotica e-books:
http://1eroticaebooks.com/erotica/named-and-shamed/prod_2896.html
Place for Romance:
http://1placeforromance.com/erotica/named-and-shamed/prod_7834.html
These e-versions include 19 interior illustrations by John LaChatte, as does the paperback:
Amazon UK:
Amazon US:
Named and Shamed is also available on Kindle (via Amazon sites), but without interior illustrations.
Named and Shamed cover blurb:
“Once upon a time . . . a naughty girl called Tansy stole a very precious manuscript from a kindly antiquarian. But all of the world’s ancient and powerful magic, lost for centuries, has returned – and now there is much more at stake than a few sheets of parchment.
Thus begins a rude and rugged fairytale the likes of which you NEVER read when you were little! Poor Tansy is led though the most pleasurable trials and the most shameful tribulations as her quest unfolds before her. Orgasmic joy and abject humiliation are laid upon Tansy in equal measure as she straddles the two worlds of magic and man.
From debauched dryads to oversexed ogres, fantasy and BDSM slither together to make Named & Shamed the consummate adult fable – all lusciously illustrated by John LaChatte. Immerse yourself in this dark and depraved fairy tale, and may all your endings be happy ever after!”
Hello BDSM Book Reviews – and thanks for interviewing me!
The idea of listening to this on the road is interesting. Just one of those things that makes you think about why the person in the other car is smiling.
I couldn’t do it, I loved the story too much and it would take me hours to get to work.