TJ Dallas is one of my favorite erotica authors. Her seven deadly sins books are some of the sexiest you will ever read. TJ has been kind enough to chat with me!
TJ, tell me about Welcome to the Cardinal?
‘Welcome to the Cardinal’ is a 52,000 word, 2nd person POV, create-your-own erotic lesbian adventure story. The reader (you) visits the Cardinal, the setting from my books, and makes decisions and choices as they’re reading depending on where they want to go and who they want to meet. It’s a lot of fun, and there are lots of sexy encounters with my characters, the Seven Deadly Sins. It begins with a shy visit to Lust’s sex club… you can imagine how things go from there!
Where did you come up with the idea for the seven deadly sins books?
I had the character of Harry in my head for a while, though I didn’t realise she was Pride for ages. When that flash of inspiration hit, the rest of the seven sins naturally followed straight after. It was so much fun creating each individual floor of the Cardinal and the personality for each character. Gluttony owns the restaurant and loves food play, Greed owns the casino and she’s playful, cheeky, and a bit of kleptomaniac. She can also count cards! It allowed me a variety of styles, kinks, and attitudes too. I loved the idea of the concepts of the Seven Deadly Sins and thought, “Hey, what if these were sexy women?” and the rest is history! I also really liked that the “evil” are actually the good guys in my books… In the Pride trilogy, the “enemy” are the Seven Heavenly Virtues, and in the Wrath trilogy, the Four Horsewomen (War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death) are actually trying to prevent three archangels from bringing about an apocalypse.
I love a lot of your characters but Emilia is my favorite. She has that whole sensitive butch thing going on. 😉Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
Emilia is a force to be reckoned with, for sure, but I love her submission kink. I love all of my characters, but I’m biased of course. I think my ultimate favourite is Harry though; she was the main character when I first started writing [The Bartender’s Pride] and she was the character who had been in my head the longest. I love her confidence, her soft butch vibes, her humour, and her bravery. Also, her abs. Naturally.
You were a bartender. Have you created any fun drinks and what is the craziest thing a customer shared with you while you supplied them with libations?
I’ve certainly made a few cocktails in my time, though nothing too fancy. I do have an international bartending qualification which is pretty cool, but I never got to put it to much use unfortunately. The bars I’ve worked at didn’t do mixology or flair (although I can flip a bottle and catch it upright on the back of my hand). The only crazy drink that comes to mind is red wine and diet coke in the same glass, but I think that might have been a dare, lol. The wildest story I’ve got is that one of the regulars turned out to have killed his mum! (He’s in prison now, obviously).
You live in Scotland. I’ve done my ancestry and I’m 24 percent Scottish. We could be related! If I take a trip to meet my cousin TJ, where in Scotland should I be sure to visit?
Scotland is a beautiful country and underappreciated! There are so many wonderful places to visit; the capital city of Edinburgh is an experience; so many shops, restaurants, and attractions, including Edinburgh Castle, Mary King’s Close (a preserved 17-century street beneath the Royal Mile!), and Edinburgh Zoo (where we have the famous pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian). There’s also Arthur’s Seat, a dormant volcano with amazing views from the top, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the Queen stays for a week in summer. Outside of the capital, there are some wonderful places; the well-known Loch Ness, Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the British Isles), and St. Andrews has beautiful beaches, the ruins of a castle and a cathedral, and it’s one of the top golf destinations in the world, if you’re into that sort of thing. I could go on but I’ll stop there, lol. #VisitScotland
You married your wife, Dani, in Central Park. How did you meet and what made you choose NYC for your wedding?
We met when I was working in a restaurant and Dani came in with her best friend to book a table. I remember catching her eye and thinking “[her best friend] is lucky!” because I thought they were together when I first saw them. I remember that I was a mess (full shift of running around, I’m sure I had a button missing from my shirt and everything) but a few minutes after they left, the best friend came back in to ask for my number for Dani! Imagine my surprise, lol! So I gave her my number, of course, and she smoothly drove away in a red convertible. It was very sexy. In regards to NYC, we were actually flying to Canada to visit my best friend in Ontario. He suggested a road trip to New York and the idea stemmed from there. We found a lovely woman who runs a website (www.wedincentralpark.com) and everything was taken care of. It was just me, Dani, my best friend, and his husband, and there was an officiant and a photographer (who were a wlw couple!) and we had the ceremony in the gorgeous Shakespeare’s Garden. We then walked around Central Park taking photos, had a casual beer with the officiant and photographer in the Tavern on the Green, then disposed of our wedding attire and went to the top of Rockefeller Centre. It was quite magical and I would absolutely do it all again.
Tell me about your rescue dog, Toby.
Our sweet boy! We got him from a springer spaniel rescue centre when he was eleven months old. We were pre-approved and were invited to come visit him. We drove to Glasgow and took him home the same day. We fell in love! He loves cuddles, tennis balls, and squeaky toys. He’s quite spoilt; he sleeps up on the bed with us (usually taking up more room than me and my wife combined) and due to certain allergies, his “treat dinner” is salmon or duck. He’s brilliant, very snuggly, and has perfected the ‘puppy dog eyes’ (don’t take my word for it, check out my Instagram page for proof, lol. I’m TJDallas7). He’s going to be eight years old this June.
Where are a few of the places you would most like to travel to?
I’d love to visit my dad who lives in Tasmania, but I’m quite terrified of the spiders in Australia so I’m trying to work myself up to that. I’d love to experience the Amazon rainforest (however again, see point above about the spiders, lol!). My best friend now lives in BC in Canada, so that’s one place I can’t wait to visit! The bears in his back garden aside… I love travelling in general, and I can’t wait to go abroad again. It’s been almost three years since our last holiday which was to Majorca (which was the setting for a few scenes in book 2 of the trilogy, Pride and the Stranger when the gang go away for Lara and Zoe’s honeymoon). I can’t wait to sunbathe again with a cold beer and a good book!
What have been your favorite books you have read this year so far?
Oh, so many! This is a hard one! I’ve read loads, so I’ll give a shoutout to a few that definitely stood out for me … Of Wulf and Wynd by Lexa Luthor, Santa’s Favourite by Madeleine Taylor, Flaming Bags of Crap and the Rarity of Clarity by Lusetta Nelson, A Jade’s Diamond by Char Dafoe, and my current read, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me.I really appreciate it and I hope we can do it again soon!
Thank you so much!
Check out TJ’s website for links to purchase her books and merch of your favorite characters!
Welcome to the Cardinal! – TJ Dallas – Lesbian Erotica Author (home.blog)