The Erotic Reading Room

On this episode of the Erotic Reading Room, I sit down with USA Today bestselling author Maren Smith, owner of Red Hot Romance Publishing, and her marketing director, USA Today bestselling author Rayanna Jamison to talk about the ins-and-outs of publishing and why authors need to be careful when selecting a publisher. It’s a particularly important lesson given that Maren and I were among the authors quoted in a recent New York Times expose on our former publisher Blushing Books that spotlights how things can go sideways if you put your trust in the wrong company. We also talk about the changes in the erotic romance genre, which has become more inclusive as authors write storylines featuring characters with more realistic body images, older characters (my upcoming book Finally Daddy features characters over age forty), and LGBTQ characters. We discuss the success of both the company’s Dirty Daddies Anthology as well as the overwhelmingly positive reception of the Dirty Daddies Pride edition featuring gay and lesbian daddies. Here are the links for everything we talked about in the shows. Please click them. Red Hot Romance Publishing https://redhotromancepublishing.com/ [https://redhotromancepublishing.com/] The 2021 Dirty Daddies Anthology https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0917LNL9W [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0917LNL9W] The Dirty Daddies Pride Anthology https://books2read.com/u/b5vPN7 [https://books2read.com/u/b5vPN7] “An Erotic Pioneer Goes from Hero to Villain for Dozens of Authors” – the New York Times expose of Blushing Books owner Anne Wills a.k.a. Bethany Burke https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/business/romance-publishing-blushing-erotica.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/business/romance-publishing-blushing-erotica.html] Finally Daddy (the first book I’ve written since the pandemic and yes, I’m shamefully pimping it here because I like getting sales) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JQQ53Z7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JQQ53Z7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support]

Erotica is nothing new. Neither is scandal. But you'd be hard-pressed to find an author to compare to the one I'm spotlighting in this episode who did awful things in and out of books. The Marquis de Sade was a libertine and a madman. He wrote books that still shock the sensibilities even today, books that would be banned from Amazon if we wrote adapted his style to modern times. So who was he? What was he like? How did he become one of the most famous and notorious authors whose name is synonymous with pain? And why is his work still available when modern authors sometimes find themselves censored? Sources for this podcast include: Smithsonian magazine's article, "Who Was the Marquis De Sade?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-marquis-de-sade-180953980/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-marquis-de-sade-180953980/] The Guardian's "The Most Impure Tale Ever Written" https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/07/marquis-de-sade-120-days-of-sodom-published-classic [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/07/marquis-de-sade-120-days-of-sodom-published-classic] The New Yorker's At Home with the Marquis de Sade https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/10/12/at-home-with-the-marquis-de-sade [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/10/12/at-home-with-the-marquis-de-sade] I also want to include a link to K. Webster's "The Wild," which was banned on Amazon. If deSade's books are still available there, I feel like she needs a shout-out. https://www.authorkwebster.com/product/the-wild/ [https://www.authorkwebster.com/product/the-wild/] I'd also like to recognize author Olivia Fox, whose excerpt from her latest book, Daddy's Sweet Ride, appears at the end of this eposide. You can find her books on Amazon here: www.amazon.com/Olivia-Fox/e/B07ZXMH4CN Check out her web site at http://www.oliviafoxromance.com As always, I want to thank our sponsor, L. Woods PR. If you're an author looking for services, they're the ones to see. https://www.ellewoodspr.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support]

Welcome to Part II of Reading and Writing Through the Pandemic, a special episode of the Erotic Reading Room that addresses the impact Covid-19 is having on readers and writers. In Part I, we discussed the mental health impact with licensed therapist Anne Leggett, owner of Compass Point Therapy. In Part II, I’m talking the business impact on the romance genre with Heather Roberts, owner of L. Woods PR. This is a fascinating discussion you don’t want to miss. This pandemic has changed everything. It’s impacted our budget, our work productivity, and our strategies for buying and selling books. Heather provides tips on navigating the upheaval to our professional lives, and provides tips on how to stay competitive even when everything is turned upside down, even if we can’t afford ad spend. We also talk about what the pandemic may mean long term. Will it change how we sell books, or even what we read and write? For authors considering professional services, L. Woods offers not just full-time professional guidance, but a la carte for those of us who have to watch our budgets. You can find here here: https://www.ellewoodspr.com [https://www.ellewoodspr.com/] One of my favorite parts of this podcast was discussing how the pandemic may shape our image of heroes and heroism. I only wish I’d found this article before I talked to Heather, because guess who’s emerged as a sex symbol in erotic fan fic? Yeah, that’s right. Dr. Fauci. Smart men as book boyfriends? Yes, please. https://www.cnet.com/news/dr-anthony-fauci-nominated-for-people-magazine-sexiest-man-alive-as-fauci-merch-abounds/ [https://www.cnet.com/news/dr-anthony-fauci-nominated-for-people-magazine-sexiest-man-alive-as-fauci-merch-abounds/] And because this is a genre-driven podcast, I didn’t want to conclude the episode without spotlighting an author, so Part II concludes with an excerpt from a book you’ll want to add to your lockdown reading list – Bulletproof Butterfly by Anna Brooks. The book is available in KU here: https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Butterfly-Anna-Brooks-ebook/dp/B077G9BKJP [https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Butterfly-Anna-Brooks-ebook/dp/B077G9BKJP] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support]

This is a different kind of episode of the Erotic Reading Room.  We’re taking a break from exploring genres to discuss what’s weighing on all of us – the pandemic. This is the first of a two-part episode on how Covid-19 is impacting authors and readers in the erotic romance community. For this portion, we’ll be exploring mental health with Anne Leggett, a Virginia- licensed mental health therapist who runs Compass Pointe Therapy specializing in individual and family therapy via online sessions. You can find her at https://www.compasspointetherapy.com [https://www.compasspointetherapy.com/] For national therapy resources, go here: https://mhanational.org/ [https://mhanational.org/] The struggle is real now. Depression is real. If it’s too much for you or someone in your family and you need immediate help, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Having a hard time focusing on reading? You’re not alone. Check out this article on how the pandemic is affecting our focus here: https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/5/11/21250518/oliver-j-robinson-interview-pandemic-anxiety-reading?fbclid=IwAR3V4ZojZM41gD8vJ47hc0eD3J9K7RinaUkZGZIGSX515vPhLEGnfl_emTU [https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/5/11/21250518/oliver-j-robinson-interview-pandemic-anxiety-reading?fbclid=IwAR3V4ZojZM41gD8vJ47hc0eD3J9K7RinaUkZGZIGSX515vPhLEGnfl_emTU] You don’t have to be a writer to be creative. Fire up your quarantine creativity with these tips: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-social-distancing-art-projects/610246/ [https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-social-distancing-art-projects/610246/] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support]

Even if you're not a sports fan, you'll find yourself cheering for Kat Mizera's books set in the world of professional hockey. If you like sex, drama, romance, and celebrity athletes with a bad boy edge, Kat delivers. To check out the book we discussed in this episode - Defending Danny - just click here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CV9N8FD [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CV9N8FD] Find Kat on social media here. www.katmizera.com [http://www.katmizera.com/?fbclid=IwAR1fR1tDPQviHXsdLX4QxwA19VLqaIATaJC_NpMFDJepYI-Kpxbj40vrLJE] (newsletter sign-up is on the home page) Facebook:www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera [https://www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera] Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorkatmiz [http://www.twitter.com/authorkatmiz?fbclid=IwAR1jBB6NFzfXzoB0GLcz0wdz3mEyDSftZyGMM8AGGOTTdDo5GpV952pobjM] Author Central: amazon.com/author/katmizera [http://amazon.com/author/katmizera?fbclid=IwAR2uKK7GHnt_cZrTDjETOE3OB5dtq7RChtY2tTRe4Q4_suCtwdmv4TILzQ4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15094397.Kat_Mizera [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15094397.Kat_Mizera?fbclid=IwAR2rkXFYLGxZI3IEQnH0qVHNQXEgHicwI1ScDM0QFRd1nzfLYsxZ8z7Fj1o] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/katmiz/ [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fkatmiz%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2zadoTDppRxpBHxmBjGB1vuF1RQr_b5hahK9XwzrBVYHvVmM9E6sZqeAY&h=AT1annISzqnjOebuP2bXyBFBwgmB-0vkp6HGVxyTHymSngp2enfg886CMnfSaW3_iQpQoStmafzA4Vw7ILSG8pWPaUMGlEkOdZM_Uzzl4u3ZkJw4o9IrShJtf0x6cBbcrVM_QA] Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kat-mizera [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bookbub.com%2Fauthors%2Fkat-mizera%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2tVLDDKZNj2rCKHeeLDyDH5q3ZfYzRyqSThmFZbpbn7N6y1ICiQURHm5U&h=AT1annISzqnjOebuP2bXyBFBwgmB-0vkp6HGVxyTHymSngp2enfg886CMnfSaW3_iQpQoStmafzA4Vw7ILSG8pWPaUMGlEkOdZM_Uzzl4u3ZkJw4o9IrShJtf0x6cBbcrVM_QA] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katmizera [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fkatmizera%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1uwJML0OcamhaPDvUdXdp5uQZbqemRS-Isw-5aI1OuDj6h86hdXlh6t2g&h=AT1annISzqnjOebuP2bXyBFBwgmB-0vkp6HGVxyTHymSngp2enfg886CMnfSaW3_iQpQoStmafzA4Vw7ILSG8pWPaUMGlEkOdZM_Uzzl4u3ZkJw4o9IrShJtf0x6cBbcrVM_QA] A special thanks to L. Woods PR [https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e8ebjs/metadata/www.ellewoodspr.com] for sponsoring The Erotic Reading Room. Whether you’re an author or a reader, L. Woods has something for you, and if you enter the promo code EROTIC5 at the checkout, you’ll get 5% off your first order! Follow the Erotic Reading Room on Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/eroticreadingroompodcast] About the host: I’m USA Today bestselling author Ava Sinclair. I’ve written widely across the erotic romance genre for over twenty years, but am most known for my naughty daddy kink books. Check out my Web site at www.avasinclairauthor.com [http://www.avasinclairauthor.com/]. Want a FREE Daddy book? Just click HERE. [https://www.subscribepage.com/d6z9v0][https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.katmizera.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0X6Pv-gPeIUdtKo_SDy_6h3E_7j0OU3odIx9BV6qtC-aUP2qCHYojS0rI&h=AT0n7_BMIMD5wzg7jd2toC9AfxJLLkWe84q4PL2oET4r6lDTucfkN3KogHRIFOjW0aNHEpmkAffEakXIjUCOwh5apW93SrZqRZo5rlKJXyB8GImunoE5QtLIKbBoLh4Zg9fZ] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avasinclair/support]