It’s Saturday morning. I’ve had some coffee and I’m considering indulging in a mimosa because the world is on fire and nothing matters anymore. I’m writing this to introduce myself to our lovely Mint in Box reading audience.

So, Hello!

In the world of publishing, spicy romance is having a renaissance. It has come out of the shadows beneath your mom’s bedside table and leapt into the hearts and minds (and beds) of readers of all genders. Most of it isn’t the lip-biting, ravishing historical fiction of yesteryear, though there’s plenty of that, too. Today’s most popular spicy reads are mostly Romantasy: fantasy mixed with romance (and then some).

And I AM HERE FOR IT

Who here doesn’t love a dark and brooding (non-sparkly) vampire antagonist? (See Amy Pennza’s Bitten and Bound Trilogy for some seriously HOT MMF action!)

Who here isn’t interested in smashing Sirens?

Who here never thought about making out with monsters?

Okay, not so much the last part for me. Seriously, though, sex itself is like magic, lust is like a drug and orgasms heal the soul as well as the body. I feel like fantasy and romance were made to be together, two halves of a sometimes very kinky whole (if it’s done right).

And that’s where I come in: the resident Mint in Box Press smut peddler.

My first novel was a sexy contemporary fantasy with a more than a hint of darkness that explored themes of obsession and “human” nature. I’m not so much into historical bodice-rippers or enemies to friends tropes. I’m not one to write about boinking a brontosaurus or mating with a minotaur, though I give props to authors who do write those stories because clearly there’s a market for them. My goal is to tell contemporary stories with magic realism: stories that are set in places we recognize, with the types of characters we’ve all known, and then infusing them with fantastical elements.

My second novel is in the planning stages and I hope to release it next year, perhaps as a sultry summertime beach read. It will feature a heroine struggling to find meaning in her work as a chef and cookbook author and a hero who helps her rediscover the magic of the culinary arts, among other things.

Stay tuned for updates as the sexiness unfolds, I learn more about my characters and try to get over the fact that my friends will read the sex scenes I write (that’s another blog post altogether).

Until then, I wish you a life with just enough spice to keep things bright and flavorful but not enough to burn your tongue.

XXX-SFK