This One's A Little Different

Most of you know about me through my Sophie books and you've come to know Sophie as a spunky, impulsive, reckless, fiercely loyal heroine with a jealous streak and a strong sense of self. She's exactly where she wants to be in her creative career as an author. She has an unabashed love for Frappuccinos and vodka cocktails. As she explains in Lust, Loathing And A Little Lip Gloss:

"...alcohol tends to hamper people's ability to parent.  That's why I've chosen to remain childless."  

Sophie doesn't put up with a lot of shit from the men in her life. People who put on pretenses drive her nuts (like her sister). Her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Anatoly, makes significantly less money than she does but he has other things to offer. I mean he's a rugged, hot Russian man who served in both the Russian and Israeli armies, rides a Harley and loves to cook gourmet meals for his girlfriend.  It's a good package (double entendre TOTALLY intended).

If you're looking for something along those lines in my upcoming Just One Night erotic fiction trilogy you're not going to find it. The only thing the protagonist of this new series (Kasie Fitzgerald) has in common with Sophie is her love of great sex.

And if you're looking for another 50 Shades I can't really help you with that either.

I adore Sophie but I knew when I was asked to write a trilogy of erotic fiction novellas I wanted to stretch myself by creating totally different characters and use a completely different style.  And as for the nature of this particular genre itself...well, I've noticed that in many (but certainly not all) romance novels and a lot of the erotic fiction that is being put out lately, the guy is often a strong, domineering-to-the-point-of-assholery, power player (either in business or simply a brute...like if he's a cop or a pirate or something) and the woman is totally innocent, her greatest flaw being that she is maybe a bit too naive, klutzy or has a valiant reason for avoiding love (like she's trying to save a family member and to do so she has to lie to the bad-boy-who-underneath-it-all-is-really-a-good-guy she's falling for). But of course she can't resist the bad boy and so despite his flaws she becomes his and eventually saves him by opening his heart to love.

That's not a story or a dynamic that interests me. I'm cool with the arrogant power player men but if we're going to pair them up with someone let it be with someone equally flawed. My favorite couples are not Romeo & Juliet, Jane Eyre and Rochester, Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) and they're certainly not the young lovers from Les Mis. They're Catherine and Heathcliff, Rhett and Scarlett, Cleopatra and Anthony, Lily Bart and Seldon (House of Mirth).

This...

...interests me more than......this.

If we're going to focus on a relationship give me characters that are complicated, confused and yes, difficult. Give me some grit I can sink my teeth into. I don't like emotional drama in my life but I do love it on the page.

On the surface Kasie seems perfect. In addition to being in a stable relationship with an old-money, responsible, cautious guy she's also a Harvard graduate who's successfully working her way up in the business world.  But scratch that surface and you see an ocean of hidden pain and confusion along with a passionate, adventurous nature that she desperately tries to deny. She makes bad decisions, doubts herself, seeks safety in the things she should walk away from. When Robert Dade unleashes the passion and fire that Kasie has been suppressing for her entire life it sets her down the rocky path of self-discovery and she wages an epic battle within herself.  She's faced with the choice of either holding onto a life philosophy that she was raised on, beliefs that while incredibly stifling, have nursed and comforted her through some very difficult times, or turning her entire world upside down in the hopes that there's something better, something that might let her be who she really is without screwing everything up.  It's not a snap decision anyone can make overnight.  No one just walks away from a lifetime of habits and behavior without having a little freak-out and this is particularly true for Kasie since the vast majority of the people who are supposed to love her most want her to stick with the safer, more stifling route.

Robert Dade is a power-player in the fullest sense of the word. He knows what he wants and he goes for it.  Honestly, he doesn't seem to care too much who gets hurt in the process.  When he looks at Kasie he sees the woman behind the mask and he is persistent in his effort to draw her out, provoke her and ultimately have her in the most intimate sense of the term. In that way his battle isn't that different from Kasie's. He's fighting against a lifetime of indoctrination that Kasie has been subjected to.

This is erotic fiction, but unlike many of the erotica books out there, it's not written like Young-Adult-Ficiton with sex. I use words and metaphors to add sensuality to the quieter scenes because to me, there is nothing more sensual than prose that sing. I can say with confidence that the sex scenes are not repetitive. Each time she makes love we see Kasie moving a little closer to her real self. And this is definitely Kasie's story (we learn more about Robert Dade's details/issues later in the series). Her mission isn't to save Robert, it's to save herself. For me that's what makes it interesting. It's why the following quotes from some early reviews really made my heart soar:

From Kathy Takes On Books:

...clean, spare, intellectual writing...(makes) you feel every bit of the attraction and anguish Kasie endures. Davis has crafted a beautiful story that provides everything a good story should in a tight, compact package

From Tome Tender:

This is a story about self  discovering, following one's heart and in the end maybe losing it all...Complex relationships, heart wrenching choices and sizzling chemistry kept me riveted til the end.

From Totally Booked:

I love this  author's style of writing, it's addictive and I was hooked immediately! The depth of the characters and the way it simmered then suddenly took flight - flawless! This was a refreshing, seductive and highly enjoyable erotic romance filled with plenty of drama...tense and thrilling

From Boekies Book Reviews:

Davis has a way with words, even her prose have a unique way of conveying the confusion of the attraction and the chaos going on within and around the main character.  I love that although there's a love story building within the background this novel also really depicts the inner struggle of finding yourself in a relationship that no longer fits you. I also appreciated that as a reader we get a very tangible flaw within Kasie...After reading so many stories mimicking the plot of Fifty Shades of Grey, this story is so refreshing and welcome. 

And then there are the truly wonderful reviews out there for this by reviewers and writers I really respect. There's the praise that came from:

L.V. Lewis
Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews 
Tyhada's Bookshelf
Anna Reads Romance
Sweet Book Reviews
Reviewing Romance

And the list just goes on! Of course there will always be people who prefer books of this genre to feature characters that are less flawed, female protagonists who are more innocent and never engage in unethical behavior, love stories that are completely about the struggles of the relationship and a little less about the internal struggles of the individuals within and around that relationship. There are many women who find the flaws they're attracted to in their male characters (he's a playboy who needs to be tamed, he's emotionally unavailable but needs to be loved and so on) to be unappetizing in the female characters. I don't fault them for that.  What makes the world interesting is that we all have different tastes and preferences. Jane Eyre and Rochester should be someone's favorite couple.

But if you're more of an Anthony and Cleopatra fan...

...well if that's the case, Just One Night might be your series.


Kyra Davis
Bestselling Author of:
The Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series, 
SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING
And the upcoming JUST ONE NIGHT erotic fiction trilogy!
Read the first few pages here!