The 50 Shades Phenomenon and the Rise of The Erotic Romance Novel

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My guest this week is my friend and author Vanessa Fewings! She is the USA Today best-selling author of the Enthrall Sessions and The Stone Masters Vampire Series. With all the excitement surrounding the release of 50 Shades Darker, I wanted to hear from an expert on the rise in popularity of erotic novels and I knew Vanessa would have first hand knowledge of this world.

Let me start by saying Vanessa’s books make me blush. And that’s hard to do! She brought me a copy of Enthrall Secrets and about 2 minutes in I was ready to wake my husband up and do the nasty. I remember having a similar feeling about the 50 Shades series of books as did a lot of women I know (but they may not admit it). So what is it about erotic novels that draws us in?  These aren’t the romance novels your mom used to read by the pool. These are hardcore BDSM books that highlight a world many people are curious about but may never actually partake in.

Vanessa Fewings kicked off her career after writing a book for her sister for fun. That’s amazing! Her sister loved it so much she encouraged her to publish it and write more. She explains how she started self-publishing and grew her fan base. And how the 50 Shades series also inspired her to try writing erotic novels. It was a risk that paid off in a big way.

She has since written several books including Enthrall, Enthrall Him, Enthrall Her all about an exclusive BDSM club in Los Angeles. She writes with such specificity that it made me assume she’s running her own club. So of course I had to ask her about her own dalliance with S&M and was surprised by her answer.  You’ll have to listen to find out what she says!

In this episode we also cover:

• Self-publishing
• Research for novels
• Writing styles
• The 50 Shades Phenomenon

Vanessa’s books became so popular in fact she signed with Harlequin Books for her latest trilogy, The Chase, due out in June. The Chase features a rising star in one of London’s top art investigation firms, Zara Leighton. Her talent for seeing deep into paintings is in her blood. She’s chosen to help track down Icon, an enigmatic international art thief whose heists are methodical, daring, baffling. To Zara the case is maddening—bordering on an obsession. She finds distraction in the chiseled form of top-shelf client Tobias Wilder, a magnetic American billionaire who demands her expertise, her discretion—and her secrecy. Wilder doesn’t ask questions. He gives orders. His gaze alone ignites her deepest fantasies. And his touch…

The sudden whirl of exclusive exhibitions and decadent parties that Wilder introduces her to is a potent aphrodisiac. But surrender soon becomes tinged with suspicion. Is Zara’s tryst with Wilder the real thing…or just a convincing forgery?

You can pre-order The Chase at the links below and learn more about Vanessa and her other books on her website, vanessafewings.com. And be on the lookout for her next books, The Game and The Prize due out later this year.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jBGFU6
iBooks: http://apple.co/2fpHSvY
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/2f90cbK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2f95fca