Jumping Genres with THE DEEP END

My upcoming book, THE DEEP END, in the new series I’m introducing (the Honey series), is thrillingly getting a lot of chitter-chatter out there. And I’m hearing from readers that my leap into this new genre is either something they can’t wait for…or something that they’re not sure they want to give a go.

And the thing with this last is, my Chicklets are so freaking awesome, they feel like they’re letting me down because they’re unsure of diving into this new genre with me.

I love this loyalty. It’s a beautiful thing. And it’s not surprising, my Rock Chicks RAWK.

But I’ve been getting so much of this I decided to throw out a blog post to share a few very important things.

The first is to explain that in this biz, you gotta go into each book understanding that even for your most loyal readers, every single word you write is not going to be something they’re head over heels over. As a writer, do you want that to happen? Abso-freaking-lutely. As a realist do you understand that just isn’t gonna happen? Yup. But in the end, as a writer, you have to write the true story in its purest form as it comes to you, do right by your inner storyteller, do justice for your characters, let it pour from the heart and soul and gut, and for those who “get it,” rejoice. For those who don’t, understand the validity of that but continue to be true to your inner storyteller and hope next time, you pull them in.

But when you jump genres, you also go into it knowing there are some who will wish to follow you wherever you want to go…but it simply isn’t for them. Just like everyone doesn’t like fantasy, some readers haven’t tried my Fantasyland series. And there are those who aren’t into paranormal, therefore some haven’t gone there with my Three series. And a journal-style, stream of consciousness book about a woman who finds out she’s a witch and is going to save the world (MATHILDA, SUPERWITCH)? Try selling that one! Or let’s talk about genies. A romance novel with a genie (my THREE WISHES)? Say what? But there it is…and I love it. But some are still at the “say what?” part of that scenario! : -) And I get it.

Indeed for me, I obviously love all this stuff. But I also understand, completely, that others don’t. Because, you see, the other side of the coin is also true. I have my Chicklets who read and adore my fantasy books, but they aren’t real hip on the Rock Chicks. And there are those who have seen me go to the edge sexually with my characters, but not topple over, they want that, so they can’t wait to get their teeth into an erotica from me. And then there are those readers who just love it all.

It is the way it is and thank God it’s that way. If we were all the same and liked all the same things, how boring would that be?

Too boring to contemplate.

So me dipping my toe in the erotica BDSM world and then going the not-oft-gone route of having a series about female Dominants and alpha-submissives is another leap that I honestly understand all my readers won’t be sure they’ll want to take. So some of them just won’t. Or they’ll try it and it won’t be for them.

It’s incredibly sweet that some are coming to me and sharing with honesty that this might not be for them. I love it that I’ve created that safety that makes my readers feel they can share that honesty in such lovely, sensitive, thoughtful ways about something so much a part of me, it helps define me – my writing. And for those who are feeling this, I’ll tell you here what I’m telling the others.

I love this book. I love this series. It was an amazing journey to take, to free my mind, to open myself up to a new genre, to be creating a whole new world. I adored this experience. And I fell head over heels in love with these characters, this bold new world. And I went into it totally knowing that I needed to hold my readers safe in my hands, safe in the story. This is a Kristen Ashley book with a Kristen Ashley alpha hero. Does it *go there*? Yes. I take chances because that’s where my characters led me and to be true to them, I followed, so I didn’t hold them back. But I did my utmost to keep you safe as I went there with my characters and I hope even if you try it and it isn’t your gig, you feel I accomplished at least that.

However, it’s more. And I’ll share with you what I shared with the bloggers who received advanced copies of THE DEEP END.

My attempting this genre has been a long time coming, starting back in 2011 when I wrote a very racy, erotic scene for my character Valentine while I was writing WILDEST DREAMS. In the end, I felt the scene was too much for my readership at the time, and sadly, I decided I needed to delete it.

But I kept going back to that scene, building on it, fiddling with the story, even so far as creating a novella I never released because, by this time, my courage to unleash this story was ebbing and flowing wildly and I just had to let it go and move on, even if I *really* did not want to.

When I finally gave myself permission to *just do it* and I started THE DEEP END, the feeling was too magnificent to describe. Love stories like THE DEEP END and the upcoming THE FARTHEST EDGE have been in me for a long time, and to finally set them free was an incredibly beautiful and liberating experience.

However, with all of this said, I will admit that the nerves are still there. I’m always nervous when I release a book, but with this one, I put myself (but more, my characters) so out there, well…we’re in the deep end.

Although the books in this series are my books in my voice with characters the likes you’ve come to expect from me living love stories of support, trust and connection, they take the steamy scale and pretty much smash it with a sledgehammer. To boil it down, if you’ve read them you’ll know that in my books sex, as it is in romantic relationships, is just one important part of how people build a variety of intimate connections. I do not shy away from it, but it is only one part of a bigger whole. In the books of the Honey series, starting with THE DEEP END, the characters discover each other (*thoroughly*) at first through exercising their sexual natures and appetites and the building of trust, support and connection derives from that.

And it’s important to note, as I mentioned above, in THE DEEP END their sexual natures are a Domme and her alpha-sub. But I will stress, although the hero in this story is a sexual submissive, he’s an *alpha*¬-submissive with the alpha part of that being simply who he is, including beyond his sexuality. He is a Kristen Ashley hero in more aspects than just the fact I wrote him. He may be dealing with conflicted thoughts in this book, but he’s the supremely protective, loyal, loving alpha, if you read my work, you’ve come to know and hopefully love.

To end, these books are *very* hot, *very* sexual, *very* sensual, *very* racy and could—to some if not forewarned appropriately, especially being a departure from what I normally do—seem shocking.

So I post this blog to prepare those who may be a little unsure about it for the world you’re about to dive into if you dive into my DEEP END. This is not a handbook for the BDSM world. THE DEEP END is a delicious, forbidden *fantasy* of sex and romance and love—but it’s important to note—it’s that *in that order*.

With all that said, if you dive into THE DEEP END, I hope I’ve made it safe for you to get lost in this warm, decadent world of sex and trust and discovery and exploration, and most of all…love.

Happy reading and rock on!