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Sizzling romance with a dash of hot suspense keep readers clamoring for more from Kathleen Dante. The author sits down for a chat at Book Addict today to talk about her latest, and why she chose to write erotica.

Kathleen, you write erotic romance with a dash of magic and pinch of suspense. Why this mix of genres?

I blame it on anime. As a kid, I watched a lot of Japanese animation and their storylines helped form my tastes. Those tended to be a blend of drama, action, romance and fantasy. I also started reading romances books at a young age and one thing that frustrated me was the unrealistic sexual relations. When you throw in Matt Helm, James Bond, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, it’s almost inevitable that I’d mix genres.

Have you always written for the erotic market?

So far, all my stories have been erotic. I was actually surprised Entangled, my first book, was considered erotic. I thought of it as paranormal romance. Perhaps some day, I’ll do a story that isn’t considered erotic, but it would probably still be sexy.

Today’s erotica has a bit of a stigma attached to it. Some consider it porn on the page, but it is so much more. What have you encountered as a writer and a reader in erotica? Do you find yourself pushing the limits to create stories that are cutting-edge in the genre?

I’ve heard that there’s a stigma, but personally I haven’t encountered anything blatant. I’ve seen it online. Many of the critics of erotic romance seem to tar it with a broad brush. I won’t say that there aren’t any bad erotic romances or erotica out there, but the percentage is probably the same as with any other genre. Unless those critics get strident, I prefer to turn the other cheek. You can’t please everyone.
I don’t set out to write cutting edge. I try to push my writing horizons—but I write what I feel is true to the characters and the story. If it turns out to be cutting edge . . . Oh, wow!

You starting reading romances at age 8 with your mother’s Mills & Boons. How has the romance genre changed since you started reading.

That’s a great question! Romance books have definitely changed with the times. The Mills & Boons I started on were so tame; the most they did was kiss and it wasn’t even French kissing. I remember my teachers being scandalized by my reading material, but they were no racier than those Sweet Valley High books.
Back in college, I did my thesis on male and female images as portrayed in Silhouette Intimate Moments published in 1986 to 1991. Even then I noticed a lot of changes: the woman’s job (as cooks or nannies or nurses or secretaries) becoming careers (doctors, lawyers, corporate executives), increasing sensuality, harder topics (rape, PTSD, alcoholism, cancer).
My favorite change is the increasing popularity of paranormal/SF romance.

Tell us about your latest, Endangered.

Endangered is the third book in my En series, which is set in an Earth where magic is as commonplace as gravity. In the En series, most people can use some magic, but there are those who excel (mages). Endangered features Rio Rafael, a black ops agent who readers met in Entangled and Enticed, and Cyn Malva, a homicide detective and combat mage. Rio and Cyn are sometime lovers; they get together whenever Rio’s in town. But now Rio wants to make their relationship more permanent while Cyn prefers status quo. That plays out against a backdrop of mage gangs and a serial killer and disapproving brothers. The story picks up almost immediately after Enticed, but I believe it can stand alone.

You are going to published in electronic format for the first time. How does that feel? Do you have any concerns about going into eBooks?

I think it’s great! I don’t have any concerns about ebooks. I think electronic format is just another way of delivering the story. I know a lot of writers are concerned about how much easier it is to pirate ebooks. My perspective is, if someone stumbles over a pirated copy of my stories and likes it, those who are honest will buy a legal copy at some point. Also, anyone who looks for a pirated copy probably wouldn’t shell out money for a legal copy in the first place. You can’t say a sale was lost if they refuse to buy.
About five years ago - after you’d given up on writing fiction - you decided to pick it back up again. What prompted you to give it another try? Had you expected to encounter success so quickly in a tough publishing market?

Five years ago, the demands of my day job were getting to me, so I turned to dreaming up scenarios—escapism at its very best. They got longer and longer until I had to write them down to keep track of what was happening. For the fall trade show season, my job required me to travel and the load just go too much. I stopped writing. After the holidays, there was the usual slowdown at the start of another year, and I happened to stumble over the file of that manuscript. I read what I’d written and liked it. I thought it showed promise and challenged myself to finish it.
At that time, I wasn’t targeting publication. I’d had a rather traumatic writing experience in college and concluded that I couldn’t write. I was thoroughly convinced that I was an editor, not a writer. I just wanted to see if I could write a novel. My day job was getting to me and I wanted to do something for myself. Then I shared what I’d written with an author I was critiquing and one thing led to another and I ended up with a fantastic agent. Three months later, that manuscript that had its roots in those dreamed-up scenarios sold to Berkley.
Sure I was optimistic, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to sell that quickly. I’d heard the stories: on average, first manuscripts don’t sell; they end up in a dusty drawer or under your bed. Mine sold—that still flabbergasts me.

In 2004, you quit your job to write full-time. What have been the blessings and challenges of doing this?

Let me count my blessings: no daily deadlines; no two-hour-long commutes; no Bundy clocks; no working into the wee hours of the morning unless I feel like it; no management imposed deadlines I disagree with; no counseling of staff; no office politics; no endless meetings; I get up when I want to; work when I want to; I roll out of bed and I’m in my office; I work in comfy clothes; I can gather eye candy and call it research. What stresses I face are those I’ve chosen, no picking up the slack because my boss orders me to. And most importantly, I love what I’m writing. I enjoy the process. I have FUN!
I face most of the same challenges as any other self-employed person. It’s up to me to motivate myself to work. Income is irregular, which makes budgets a challenge. The buck stops here—but only if there’s a buck to stop in the first place.

Who are you reading?

I’m currently re-reading Patricia Briggs (Iron Kissed), Jim Butcher (White Night), Wen Spencer (Wolf Who Rules), Ilona Andrews (Magic Burns) and John Ringo (A Deeper Blue).

When can we expect more of your titles to hit bookstores?

Right now, I’m working on a novella for Kensington Aphrodisia. It will be in Sexy Beast VIII, which is scheduled for release in April 2010. The proposal for my next novel hasn’t been approved yet, so that’s still in the air.

Where can we find you on the Web?

You can find my website at www.kathleendante.com. There are excerpts!