Now in the course of my four years writing the Soulful Sex collections and other works, I had written some three dozen tales that ran the gamut genre-wise. I've done sci fi and Regency, paranormal and contemporary, fairy tales and myths. I've written about mermaids, minstrels, aliens and accountants. All these stories were fun to write, but my favorite writing experiences have always been the imaginative ones that feature fantastical worlds and supernatural elements.

I set before the Partners a full list of every romance genre I could think of, and to my delight, the clear winners in the voting were fantasy and paranormal. My previous novel, Souls' Embrace, was those combined genres, so I would be in my element.

But what about point of view? I'd written in both first and third person, and I knew each option had its pluses and minuses. The SS Partners voted strongly for third person. As it turns out, that was a good thing, for Bloodchained evolved into a genuine thriller, in which a "sees-all-but-doesn't-tell-all" narrator is essential.

And lastly, I wanted to know what level of "hotness" my readers wanted. I also queried them very specifically on various taboos, like S&M, three-ways, gay sex, etc. There were a few wild ones in the group, but for the most part I found the Partners were a lot like me: people who love to read about sex but prefer it to be rather literary, and an integral part of the plot. The SS Partners were pretty mainstream in their turns-ons too, which simplified my job of appealing to a large range of readers.

Did I mind having to write a book not so focused on sex? Not one bit! Believe me, it's hard to write about sex over and over again. In my prior works I'd written over 70 sex scenes, and keeping those scenes fresh and interesting has been an ongoing challenge. I was really glad to have an opportunity to switch my focus more to character complexity, an engrossing plot, and rich description. The novel format, rather than the short stories and novellas that have been my mainstay in the past, would also give me more freedom.

As you may know, my self-proclaimed specialty is "erotica with soul." Was this book going to be a departure from that approach? Not to my mind. Bloodchained concerns itself with many of the same themes I've written about in my Soulful Sex stories: dominance and submission, sexual attraction, intimacy, desire and trust, and the union of souls in erotic love. I didn't get that assignment from the Partners; it's just what my writing always seems to be about.

In fact, at this stage of the game I had no idea what the book's plot was going to be. It was time for me to put on my thinking cap and come up with some possible synopses, and see what the Partners would select for me.

Did they end up picking my own favorite potential plot? Tune in tomorrow to "About Bloodchained Part 3" to find out!

Link to part 3
Link to part 1