Welcome, Ms. Bradley, to Love Romances & More and to our interview.  The readers and I, look forward to this talk about your book, and getting to know you on a more personal level.

Let us start off by telling you a little about this author, Eden Bradley, with a wonderful quote and a short blurb of her book, The Dark Garden.

”THE DARK GARDEN is the most beautifully written BDSM novel this reviewer has ever read. Ms. Bradley has a masterful touch to make pain the ultimate reading pleasure.”

Surrender has its own rewards…

This scintillating erotic debut tells the deliciously potent tale of one woman’s quest for self discovery-in the intriguing underground world of Los Angeles’s club scene…

Rowan Cassidy likes to be in charge—especially in her personal life. As a Mistress at Club Privé, the most exclusive bondage/S&M club on the West Coast, Rowan can live out her dominant fantasies safely, and with complete control—until Christian Thorne walks in. Self-confidant and sophisticated, he’s a natural dominant if Rowan’s ever seen one. Yet she can’t stop thinking about him and imagining his touch.

Christian has returned home from Europe, hoping to break free from his dissatisfaction and malaise—and discovers the cure in Rowan. He’s dying to get his skilled hands on her and watch her surrender, to unlock the mystery of her that captivates him. Determined to be her Master, he makes Rowan a daring proposition: give herself over to him for thirty days.

Rowan finds Christian’s offer terrifying—and impossible to resist. But abandoning herself to Christian’s power might be more than she can handle…Or it might be the realization of her true nature and the dark garden within her. There will be only one way to find out. And once the game has begun, there’s no turning back.

 

Ms. Bradley, if you would be so kind as to tell the readers a little about yourself and, what you do when you are not busy writing?

Truthfully, I’m writing almost every single day. Since I sold to Bantam, they’ve kept me very busy! But I do take the occasional break.

I love to meet my writer friends at this little local coffee house, Lulu’s. We take our laptops and always intend to write, but we often just talk-about writing, about life. And they make the most delicious chocolate mousse torte there!

I also have a shopping fetish, and shoes are my particular weakness. I just don’t believe you can ever have too many pairs! I’m a total girly-girl, so I love clothes, makeup, jewelry…really, I’ll shop for anything.

But the best way to relax for me is in the sun. Terrible, I know! But we have a pool, and I love to lounge out there and read a good book. Going to the beach is even better, and since I live in LA, the beach is never very far.

Other stuff about me? I was born and raised in California, and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I have brothers, so I’m completely unshockable, something which has probably been helpful in writing erotica. I live in Southern California with a man I’ve known for nearly twenty years. We were together when we were very young, then split up for thirteen years before finding each other again almost six years ago, so I’m living my own little romance story. We have a house in the hills, which we share with our two dogs. 

Could you tell the readers how you came up with the premise for THE DARK GARDEN?

Truthfully, THE DARK GARDEN came about in a very weird way. I had contracted with my agent, Roberta Brown (whom I adore!) with my second Bantam book, THE DARKER SIDE OF PLEASURE, a three-novella anthology. But when she was shopping the book around at publishers, she told me she’d have a much better chance of selling that book if I had a full-length novel to back it up. One editor was very interested, but needed to have a novel to present to her publisher before they’d even consider me. So my agent asked me if I could have an outline and a first chapter in a week. I was in shock, I think, but of course I said yes. I spent the entire weekend brainstorming with an author friend of mine, and THE DARK GARDEN was born! 

Ms. Bradley, what inspires you to write BDSM? 

I find the complexity inherent in extreme sex fascinating! I’m all about what makes people tick, so I love to explore the psychology behind why my characters do what they do, who they are. People who are involved in more extreme sexual practices tend to be complicated-I find more layers there to explore. 

Do you have a favorite scene from THE DARK GARDEN?

Yes! There’s a scene early on in the book where the hero, Christian, binds the heroine, Rowan, in flowers. She’s struggling with accepting her submissive side, and he understands it’s not something he can strong-arm her into, that it’s more about the symbols involved in being bound that make things work in anyone’s head. He’s also an artist, so this is an expression, too, of his need for aesthetics.

What was the hardest scene to develop in THE DARK GARDEN? 

Really, this book just flowed. None of it was difficult. Writing this book was a gift.

Do you have a special formulation or technique when you write?  

I just sit my behind down in the chair and make myself do it. Truly, it’s just discipline. No magic, no muse…well, except for a bit of chocolate.

Ms. Bradley, what is the nicest thing another author has said about you? 

Erotica author Miranda Heart, who writes BDSM erotica herself and knows the material well, said I made her cry. That may sound strange to some, but being able to touch someone on that level is the ultimate compliment. 

Could you describe to the readers what it felt like when you got the call from Bantam regarding THE DARK GARDEN?

It was totally surreal! I actually got an e-mail from my agent after a five day bidding war between Bantam and another publisher, and there had been so much anticipation and buildup, I was already half out of my head. I’ve now sold four novels and a novella to Bantam, but sometimes it still seems a little unreal to me. 

They say everyone has a dream, what is yours?

My dream was to see one of my books on the shelf at the bookstore, which just happened, since THE DARK GARDEN was released June 1^st. It was very, very exciting! I took pictures and posted them on my blog.  Now I’d really love to hit a best-seller list-especially since I write BDSM erotica-a pretty enormous challenge for a book in this genre. Keep your fingers crossed for me! 

How much background research went into THE DARK GARDEN?

A lot, over a period of many years. I think you can write about anything with enough research, but in this case, research of a more personal nature can really make a difference-I think it shows in the writing.

Ms. Bradley, do you have any special interests or causes you would like to share with the readers?

Having lost a dear friend to AIDS fifteen years ago, I always give to AIDS organizations. It’s such a preventable disease, if only there was enough education, and people were smarter about their sexual practices. More research needs to be done on women with this disease, in particular, as we tend to die much more quickly than men with AIDS, so obviously, there needs to be different treatment options for women.

You write so vividly about BDSM, do you have personal experience? If so, are you a top or bottom?

Yes, I’m quite open about my personal experience in this arena. I’ve been involved in the lifestyle off and on for over twenty years, at various levels. And I’ve tried it from both the top and the bottom, which enables me to write from different perspectives.

Ms. Bradley, what are your views in regards to sex in the romance field today? 

I love that the erotica market is blossoming! I really think it’s a reflection of an evolution in how women perceive themselves as sexual beings, and I think it’s a positive move.

One thing I don’t like, though, is when a publisher asks an author to add in sex to meet this market demand, when it’s not organic to that story or to those characters. While I enjoy the more open sex in romance, it doesn’t work in every book, nor should it have to. I read a lot of chick lit and romantic comedy with no sex at all, and am perfectly satisfied, as long as the book is well-written. Sticking in a gratuitous sex scene never comes off well. 

You give the characters in THE DARK GARDEN a realistic and personal feel to them.  Did you model anyone from the book after someone you know personally? 

I have to say, there is a lot of me in Rowan-more than any other heroine I’ve ever written. But I rarely model my characters on anyone. What I do is spend a lot of time getting to know my characters, so I’m glad that shows in my writing.  

Would you like to tell the readers about any new or upcoming releases, Ms. Bradley? 

I have a number of books coming out! Here’s the lineup:

I was invited to write a short story in Maria Isabel Pita’s BEYOND DESIRE anthology, coming in September from Magic Carpet Books. SILENCE is an erotic ghost story, something a little different for me.

Next will be my erotic BDSM-themed novella, SANCTUARY, part of the Berkley Heat EXCLUSIVE anthology with authors Jaci Burton and Lisa Renee Jones, due out in October.

My second Bantam book, THE DARKER SIDE OF PLEASURE, a three-novella erotic anthology, will be available October 25^th.

All of these books are available now for preorder at Amazon.com

In January 2008, Bantam will release my third novel, EXOTICA: SEVEN DAYS OF KAMA SUTRA, NINE DAYS OF ARABIAN NIGHTS, an erotic novel about living out your wildest fantasies.

How can your fans reach you, Ms. Bradley?

You can visit my website: www.EdenBradley.com

Or at MySpace: www.Myspace.com/edenbradley

Or my blog: www.edenbradley.blogspot.com 

Ms. Bradley, do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 

Just do it. Write, even when you don’t want to. Half the battle is the discipline of sitting down and putting your hands on the keyboards. And don’t let a rejection deter you from following your dream. It’s hard, but it’s not impossible, and learning to deal with rejection is part of the process. Write every day, if you can, and write what you want to write. Write the book of your heart and don’t worry about market trends.
 

I would like to thank you Ms. Bradley, for sharing your talent and time with the readers of Love Romances & More.  I truly enjoyed reading THE DARK GARDEN and hope to read more from you soon! 

Thank you so much for the interview!