Witch Hunter
By Shari Nichols
Long
before El James exploded on the scene with her debut novel Fifty Shades of Grey, also known in some circles as mommy porn,
many authors came before her and penned their own brand of erotic romance.As a
teenager, I can still recall sneaking into my sister’s room to peek at her very
worn and tattered copy of the Harrod
Experiment. It didn't matter that some pages were ripped or missing, this
was hardcore sex and erotica,like I’d never read it before.
There
are so many wonderful, erotic authors on the market today who write in this
expanding genre. These are stories ripe with passion, love and emotional
turmoil, and hot steamy sex as an added bonus. When people ask me what my book
is about, I give them my tagline, In a desperate attempt to catch a killer, a
special agent hires a notorious felon to come work for the agency. In the midst
of the investigation, they succumb to the dark edges of desire, placing both
their lives in danger. The next question that typically follows is always, “Wow,
it soundssteamy like FiftyShades,” to which I reply, “It’s not a BDSM, but yes,
it’serotic.”
What
was once considered thebodice ripper novel is now simply a thing of the past.
The romance genre has evolved over the years to include the exploration of relationshipsacross
boundaries and between same sex partners. Now the book shelves and the
e-readers are full of stories about M/F/ M/M/F/F or evenmultiplepartnerrelationships.
Let’s
face it, erotic romance sells.Captivated
By You, Book 2inSylvia Day’s Crossfire Series was number oneon the USAToday
best sellers list last week and Fifty
Shadesis still holding steady at number 34 on the list, even after its
debut in February of 2013.
Recently,
I was interviewed for a local newspaper. After sending out my press release with
the caption, Local Erotic Author Debuts her First Novel, to get a buzz going. I
never expected the writer to include my comment, “Books like these have opened
up discussions such as sex and sexual fantasies that women can now talk about with
friends and with their partner. Now the reader can freely explore more explicit
levels of sensuality that were once left only to the imagination.” I didn’t expect
her to publish those exactwords. Now the entire town and all of my teenager’s
friendsknow I write erotic romance. What
do you think? Is erotic romance still taboo?
I
don’t think anyone should be too quick to assume erotic romance is a genre only
about sex that features whips and chains, handcuffs and the random fetish to
the exclusion of the story itself.These are tales about love and commitment,
overcoming inner demonsand self-acceptance. Characters must learn to grow and worktoward
their happily ever after, not to mention get tortured along the way. It’s one
hell of a ride I encourage readers to take!
And
who doesn’t want to fall in love? My dream was to make my readers experience
that same headysensation of falling in love when they sit down to read one of
my books. Many years back, I read an article about a research study conducted on
the brain by a Harvard scientist.Apparently the emotional center of the brain
can only sustain that falling in love feeling for up to three years, max. After
that, those intense feelings grow and change into something deeper, less
flighty, and the brain stops releasing large amounts of dopamine in the
process. In some cases, people end up engaging in flirting, internet relationships
and extramarital affairs, simply because they’re addicted to the dopamine release.
Can
you become addicted to the euphoria? Here's a cure, why not pick up an erotic romance
and fallinlove? Maybe you can practice and experiment with what you’veread?
There’s nothing that compares to that feeling of bliss, even for a little
while.
Two
years ago, I attended the Popular Romance Authors Symposium at Princeton University.I
was intrigued to hear so many perspectives on the origins of the romance genre from
academics, to NY Times bestselling authors, and even a sociologist’sunique
perspective. As a society,we’ve come so far in overcoming negative perceptions
about self-sufficiency and the equity between the sexes. So let’s continue to
evolve and grow! Why not pass the word? Erotic romance is alive and well. Here’s
to falling in love!
Determined MBI (Magickal Bureau
of investigations)agent Alex Denopoulos will stop at nothing to catch a killer,
including recruit notorious felon, Willow McCray to work for the agency. The
lines between duty and passion become blurred the more time he spends with the
sultry witch. In the midst of the investigation, they succumb to the dark edges
of desire, placing both their lives in danger. Alex will risk more than his
badge to keep her alive.
Kick-ass witch Willow must use
her powers for good if she wants to stay out of Hellios, a mage prison for
those who have broken the Wiccan Rede of ‘Harm ye None.’ Willow never expects
to fall so hard for Alex, a mortal with a penchant for justice and a deep
seated hatred of witches. Though a future together seems impossible, she
doesn’t want to let him go. If only she can vanquish the evil surrounding them
and give Alex what he wants, her mind and body-before she loses her heart and
maybe her very soul in the process.
Excerpt:
Willow took a sip of her margarita and glanced down at Alex’s
big hands, tanned and sprinkled with a smattering of dark hair. Funny, she
never found a man’s hands sexy. Suddenly her mind filled with images of Alex
trailing those big, masculine hands over her body. She wondered if he fit the
stereotype. Big hands, big…
“You never did answer my question. Are you considering
taking me up on my offer?” The sound of his voice pulled her from a host of
fantasies. Willow dug her nails into her palm to get her head back in the game.
She shouldn’t be thinking about this man in such a raw, sexual way.
“Why not? My car’s parked in the back.”She probed through
the nearby crowd to check if Alex came here with bodyguards. A virtual
cacophony of conversations invaded her thoughts, but nothing about protection
for Alex. Once she got him alone, she’d take her chances and pray she wouldn’t
be outnumbered. “Then let’s get out of here. Unless of course I’ve got some
competition.” He motioned over her
shoulder to the incubus whose head
now lolled forward over the bar.
“I think you’re flying solo here.” She’d set her trap and
let the consequences be damned. She rubbed her finger along the rim of the
glass and licked off the salt.
She lifted the glass to her lips, savoring the tangy flavor
of margarita mix along with the zing of tequila as it slid down her throat. Headrush. No surprise there, she
couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept or eaten in the past forty-eight
hours, existing on a combination of raw nerves and pure adrenaline.
“You missed a spot.” He ran his thumb along the seam of her
lip. He put it to his mouth and licked. “Mmm, sweet.” Her plan didn’t involve
foreplay…but damn he was hot. In
another time and another place she would be seriously into this guy. Too bad I might have to kill him.
Shari Nichols grew up in a small town in Connecticut where haunted houses, ghosts and Ouija boards were common place, spurring her fascination with all things paranormal. Ever since she read her first Barbara Cartland novel, her life-long dream has been to write sexy, romantic stories. Shari has been married to her own alpha hero for twenty-two years. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, going to the gym, or hanging out with family and friends.
She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two teenagers, and her adoring golden retriever. Shari graduated from Rider University with a degree in Business Administration. After spending several years in the grind of Corporate America, she quit to stay at home with her kids. Now she’s thrilled to spend her days in sweats, eating chocolate while pounding on her keyboard to create her next novel.
http://sharinichols.com/
http://sharinichols.blogspot.com/
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https://twitter.com/shari_nich
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29514513-shari-nichols
http://www.ellorascave.com/witch-hunter.html
http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hunter-Shari-Nichols-ebook/dp/B00PSGNXCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416405744&sr=8-1&keywords=shari+nichols
