Flic Everett was one of the first women to write about sex whilst retaining a sense of humour. Her features and advice in magazines like Company and Cosmopolitan offer both useful and entertaining tips on everything from deep throat to bunny-boiling. She's had four books published and regularly appears on TV and the radio. So how did she get into the whole sex writing thing?

"Oh my God, back in the mists of time, it was probably for Company. At at that point, most womens’ mags were incredibly po-faced about sex- it was all “how to plot your orgasm graph’ and no fun at all- because pre-FHM, sex wasn’t allowed to be funny. Then I wrote a feature for FHM magazine about seven years ago called “50 Things You Do Wrong In Bed.” I’m like, “how can I possibly narrow it down to 50?”. A couple of editors saw the piece, and liked the fact that it was funny; and they asked if I’d write something similar for their women’s mags."

And has her style changed over the years? "I used to be really detailed, now I just say “wash first, and don’t talk too much.”

One of the perils that many sex writers face is people assuming they're 'gagging for it'. Is this a problem Flic faces?

"No, because I’m a reserved Virgo, described by both my husband and best friend as “incredibly aloof.” I’m not, I’m quite friendly, but I don’t give men the impression I’d be up for it- it might be the withering glare. Or maybe they just don’t fancy me."

So which bit of advice does she use the most often and how bored is of giving it?

"It must be the old “how to give a blowjob without gagging” advice, I think - and I am very bored, but hey, if I can bring a little ray on sunshine to the British bedroom, who am I to complain?"

And what's the most common problem she gets? "I don’t tend to have to look at them, thank god. But probably “My boyfriend wants to have anal sex/tie me up/do it without kissing me like a little bunny-wunny first, and I don’t know if I’ll like it.” So I say “well, you never will know till you try.”

It’s only sex, not an irreversible operation- if they don’t like it, they can stop."

And is she ever tempted to reply frivolously to problems/say 'if you don't know this, you so shouldn't be having sex'? "Oh god, yes. But my Company page allows me some leeway to be mildly sarcastic, which is a relief."

Over the last couple of years, Flic has turned her hand to writing books. How long did the first one take?

"About a month- purely because I’m used to short journalism deadlines, not long, publishing ones and I left it all to the last possible minute, thinking “oh, they won’t want it for ages..” then suddenly they wanted it next week. Terrifying, believe me. Unbelievably, I did the same thing with my next three books. Red Hot Sex and Fantasy Sex took much longer than I thought, so that was two weeks of pure panic and despair, calling my husband up to my office and shouting “right, lie on the floor, and show me how you’d do this position, so I can describe it properly..” and with Sex Tips- well, let’s just say I got a great insight into what the members of the Big Brother household were doing at 3 am. I was typing, they were sleeping."

Onto the hot sex topics. Does Flic think the G-spot exists? "Not in my world. I think it probably does, but if anyone’s got a map and a good, powerful torch, they need to let me know." Is there any way of spotting if a bloke is well endowed - and does size matter anyway? "No, I don’t- though I suppose if they have enormous hands and huge feet, you can assume their willy’s a fair size- but in my experience, there’s no exact correlation. Size doesn’t matter, but width does- lengthy and thin is nowhere near as impressive as short and wide. Besides, women only have nerve endings in the first 3 inches anyway." And where does she stand on porn? "Difficult. There are a million different types of porn- so while I'm largely tolerant, I intensely dislike the sexist, woman-as-willing hole sort, the sort that uses baffled Eastern European teenagers, and the excessively violent sort that goes beyond fantasy to genuine sadism. however, I don’t believe in banning it- as for women’s porn, I think most women respond better to pictures of other women or couples than they do to oiled-up men gripping their little turkey necks. So there should be more that answers womens’ actual fantasies, and less that tries to replicate the male porn industry."

When you're writing about sex all the time, there's a fair amount of research required. How much 'testing' does Flic do? "Well, I’ve had a go at most things because my husband is an old perv who’s always up for something new- I’ve probably done most things because ‘write what you know’ is always a useful motto. I have refused to write articles that I thought would be just too much information for a queasy public, (I don’t want the man on the number 42 bus to know my every sexual thought) but most things are worth a go, right?"

And what's the most ridiculous thing she's seen? "Lou Paget’s Genitals On A Plate, which featured in the first series of Sex Tips For Girls. If anything was ever going to put you off your dinner and oral sex simultaneously, they would."

Has her job had an impact on her own sex life? "When I was writing the books, I couldn’t face sex at the end of a hard day’s work. So my poor partner was reduced to muttering “cobbler’s children go barefoot,” and doing the Guardian crossword."

So is there anything that should be written about that isn't currently covered by the mainstream press? "Emotions. They concentrate too much on the physicality, and for most women, at least, good sex is about more than body contact." And what sex thing is most over-rated by the media?

"Kama Sutra positions. You don’t need more than five to keep you happy, and you certainly don’t need a knackered ham-string."

Given an unlimited budget, how would Flic get people to practice safer sex, and how important does she think safer sex is? "I would establish a research foundation to genuinely develop a condom that you can’t feel. Difficult, but surely not impossible. And I would put a picture of a screaming baby on the backs of fag packets, so when people scribble down each others’ numbers, they’ll be reminded of where it could all lead. Safer sex is bloody vital- though nobody realises how vital till they get some mild infection and spend a week convinced they’re going to die."

And what should every woman know? "That men do view sex differently- specially young men. And that having great sex doesn’t mean he wants to go out with you. And that having an orgasm takes a long time, till someone really knows your body, so they shouldn’t get embarrassed and fake to speed things up- and 75% of women don’t come through intercourse alone."

On a more personal level, what does Flic's partner think of her job? "He loves it, except when it gets in the way of his sex life- (I have actually been known to push him off and say “Nooo, it’s too much like work..” poor sod) I met him when we both worked for the Manchester Evening News- I was the writer, he was the photographer, and we used to get sent on jobs together because we were both ‘sensitive’ when it came to dismal triumph-over-tragedy stories. Only he’d always make me laugh on the doorstep, so the slowly recovering victim would open the door to find me doubled over with hilarity. Nice." And how will she be celebrating Valentine's Day? "I’m hosting a speed dating event for chari-dee.. don’t ask me what it entails, cos I don’t know. But I’m hoping we might do something romantic afterwards- at the very least, a heart-shaped chocolate and a bottle of Bolly."

What's she proudest of out of everything she's done sofar? "Hey (cue tears) my..my son, I guess.. oh right, apart from that.. I liked the column I wrote for the Express a few years back called What Women Want. And I’m quite proud of my as-yet unpublished novel- will be even prouder if it ever gets published."

So has a woman who's so prolific got any ambitions left? "How long you got? I want to get my novel published, write a column in a national newspaper, host my own radio/tv show, own a house in the South of France, and stop worrying about the bills. Oh, and engineer world peace, if you’re listening, Tony. Not much, really.."

And finally, as a sexual pioneer, whod does Flic see as a mentor or pioneer herself? "Nancy Friday, Anais Nin, Erica Jong, and all of my best girlfriends who have fearlessly put themselves out there in the pursuit of decent sex."

Flic's books are all available on Amazon.co.uk