Koharu Lin writes erotica, which means she has spent years thinking about what makes people lean in. She's 50, born in Osaka, and has lived in London since she was 19. She has two grown kids, copper-red hair, and a habit of watching strangers on the train and inventing their secrets.
She was a very good interview. She asked us as many questions as we asked her, and she took notes.
The Koharu File
- Age: 50
- Based in: London
- Background: Japanese, born in Osaka
- Job: Erotica writer
- Family: Two grown children
- Status: Single and in no rush
- Hair: Long copper red
- Height: 5'3"
- Bra size (UK): 34G
- Bust / waist / hips: 43 / 28 / 42 in
- Figure: Petite hourglass
- Weakness: Books, and more books
Measurements are approximate. Bra sizes use UK sizing.
The Interview
Where do your story ideas come from?
The train. Two people sit apart pretending not to look at each other, and I have a whole chapter. People are far more interesting than plots.
Do your children know what you write?
They know I'm a writer. That's the only part of the sentence I've ever needed them to hear.
Which is harder, writing a romantic scene or having a real romantic conversation?
The conversation. On the page I can delete the bad line. In real life it's already out there and everyone heard it.
What's the hardest scene to write?
Surprisingly, not the steamy ones. It's the morning after. How two people look at each other over toast when everything has just changed. That's where the real story lives.
Do you use a pen name?
Several. I won't tell you which. A woman needs a few secrets.
What's the best thing about being 50?
I stopped being embarrassed. By anything. It's a very efficient way to live.
What's your biggest weakness?
Books. There's a Japanese word for it, tsundoku, which means buying books and letting them pile up unread. I have a tower. It leans.
Quick Fire
- Writing snack? Rice crackers and green tea.
- Coffee after 3pm? Never. I have standards.
- Favourite place to write? A cafe corner with a window.
- Writer's block cure? A long, angry walk.
- Last book you finished? A murder mystery. I like to switch genres.
Our Take
Koharu is the kind of person who notices things. The way someone laughs, the way they avoid a question, the second before they say something they probably shouldn't. For a writer, those details are gold. For the rest of us, it means she's very easy to talk to and a bit hard to fool.
She's playful, too. Her copper hair is impossible to miss, and the photos show a woman who enjoys herself in front of a camera. She often looks like she's about to say something that will make you laugh and then blush.
Plenty of women are attractive. Fewer are interesting. Koharu is both, and she'd probably put you in a story if you aren't careful.
See More of Koharu
Her full page is right here, and you can browse everything she has shared on her pics page.
