I began my writing career trying my hand at women's fiction. Serious stuff with angst and messy lives and women with things to work through. Then, I moved on to paranormal suspense. My mainstream ideas seem to be focused in this area, so I've got a zillion ideas to keep me busy there.
But erotic romance? I kind of fell into it. Honestly.
I was working on my 4th or 5th book. I had no success either finding an agent or a publisher with any of these books. A critique group I belonged to posted a call for short erotic fiction from an epublisher I'd heard of. And I thought...I can do that! 10,000 words? Easy as pie.
That book turned into MOONLIGHTING, a fun little tale about a woman who gets mistaken for a shoplifter in the dressing room of a store after hours. I'd never written an erotic sex scene before. But I threw caution to the wind and just hunkered down.
What made that particular story so successful was that I gave myself permission to fail. I had no pressure to make something 'great.' Which, in turn, freed up my creative mind. I didn't worry about what my mom might think or if an agent would think I was a nut. I just wrote what I wanted and decided it didn't matter. It could be silly or stupid or even plain ridiculous.
Several months later, I had a contract in hand for that book. It went through some rough times....making it through a bankruptcy. But now it has a new home with The Wild Rose Press, and I couldn't be happier.
Writing that first story was a breakthrough for me. A freeing of my creative self. Learning that I needed to please myself first...because if I liked the book, so would someone else.
Sometimes it takes a shake up in your writing to find success. Wanting to succeed in a certain genre and finding nothing but closed doors can take a toll on a writer's fragile ego. Sometimes a writer has to take a risk, try something out of their comfort zone to find success.
Now I have four published erotic romances and more on the way. Never be afraid to stretch yourself as a writer. Those are the times you grow the most.
To learn more about Kris and the wonderful books she writes visit her at
http://www.kriseton.com/
http://www.kriseton.com/
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