Being Bad

by Denise A. Agnew

First, thanks so much to Ellora's Cave for the opportunity to blog here and tell you about my experiences as one of the Original Bad Girls.

Before I starting writing for Ellora’s Cave, I was published with two other companies. Erotic romance author Kate Douglas first turned me on to Ellora’s Cave. When I considered sending a manuscript to EC, I wasn't sure I wanted to write erotic romance. At that time, over ten years ago, erotic romance was a lot more taboo than it is now and hadn’t reached the popularity it has found in today’s publishing world.

My writing style tends toward hot and sensuous anyway, so how much of a reach would it be if I wrote just a little bit hotter? One day I had an idea for a story that featured a woman in danger living next to a hot undercover cop, and my first novel with EC was born. While writing The Dare, I hesitated here and there as I wrote the explicit ultrahot scenes with the gritty language. I didn't cringe, but some old tapes played in my head. What will other people think? As I started to really have fun with the story and let it rip, the voice carping in the back of my head that cared what other people thought stopped talking to me. I quickly learned that whenever I censored myself while writing, I always regretted it. My creativity suffered and I didn't feel as if I was being authentic with my writing. I can credit writing The Dare as one of the first steps I made in allowing whatever I wanted to say to find its way to the page in my novels.

When I submitted The Dare to Ellora's Cave, I had a reply in less than a day that EC wanted the book. That was a record for me, and I was thrilled.

Since then I've written a ton of books for Ellora's Cave and it has been a wild ride. Sometimes I look back on all these years and it feels just like yesterday when I waited to see if readers would enjoy The Dare. To this day I still get notes from readers saying it is one of their favorite erotic romances. 

My message to any writer who wishes to create novels with "risky" or "daring" content is: don't hold back. If it is in your heart and soul to write, then it is the right book for you create. Never allow anyone to stifle your writing dream. Write what blows your skirt up and never look back.

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Romantic Times Book Reviews calls Denise A. Agnew’s romantic suspense novels “top-notch”, and she's received their coveted TOP PICK rating. Denise has written paranormal, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotic romance and romantic suspense. Archaeology and archery have crept into her work, and travels through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have added to a lifetime of story ideas. A paranormal investigator, Denise looks forward to exploring the unknown.  Visit Denise’s website at www.deniseagnew.com