#Beyond: Red Phoenix

USA Today Bestselling Author

Red Phoenix is an award-winning erotica author who gained popularity with her novel, Brie Learns the Art of Submission. She has won 5 reader choice awards for her various novels. When she is not writing, you can find her on Facebook or Twitter interacting with fans.

"I heart my fans!" ~Red

Twitter: @redphoenix69

Website: RedPhoenix69.com

NewsLetter Sign-up: eepurl.com/VFxFL 

Facebook: Red Phoenix69

Who in your personal life was the biggest supporter of your writing?

MrRed has always been my biggest supporter. He is the one who encouraged me to start writing and he stands proudly beside me now. He is also the one who reminds me to enjoy my writing when the business side of things gets overwhelming. He grounds me.

Do you prefer quiet or background noise when writing? If background noise, what?

I love dubstep! ’Nuff said.

If your characters could come to life and be a real human, which one do you think you would get along with best and which one would drive you crazy first?

Lea and Tono would be easy to hang with. Mary and Ms. Clark would be a struggle for me…but Marquis Gray would be intimidatingly fun to get to know better.

When did you start writing and what was your inspiration?

I have always written stories for my own enjoyment since I was a child, but I didn’t write a novel until my first son was born. I put it away for 15 years, revised it a few years ago and then started writing erotic short stories so I could learn how to self-publish.

As far as inspiration, hubby has always been my #1 inspiration—from that very first book.

Since you've been writing how much has the genre changed? Good, bad?

The climate has changed and it is much more difficult to make a living being an indie writer, but I also think it is a good thing. It challenges all of us to work harder and smarter.

Seeing more and more authors going the "self-pub' route. Thoughts?

It makes sense, we can control so much more and see the financial benefits of it. However, an author must be committed to creating professional work and dealing with the business side of writing. It isn’t for everyone.

How much thought do you as an author put into your cover, cover models etc. And has that changed since you started writing. If so, have you or will you go back and re-do covers you’re no longer pleased with?

When I started, I made all my own covers. It helps me now when I have them created by a professional. I know what is and isn’t possible, and I have a clear idea what I want. I start with a basic idea, but my designers make it look so much better than I ever could. There are three things I take seriously with every book: The Cover, The Title, and the Ending.

I have changed covers before—in fact, I did so very recently with my first serial, Sensual Erotica. I am very pleased with the results because the books now represent the stories so much better. 

What is the most intense scene you have ever written? Did you find it difficult writing that scene?

Varick: The Reluctant and Blissfully Undone were books that were difficult for me to write because they hit too close to home, but I can’t think of a scene in particular that was so intense that I struggled with it. Of course, I write erotica which makes it a delight to pen! Growl…

When writing, what comes first? The characters or the plot?

The characters normally carry the plot, I just sit back and write what I see and hear in my head.

Do you find that you write what you love to read? Or a different genre?

I used to be an avid reader. These days I figure if I have time to read, I have time to write. I also don’t want my work to sound like other writers. It’s easy to be one of the crowd, but I have been an original since I was a kid and I want to remain that way.

Do you ever write your own personal fantasies into your books?

Naturally…

How much if any of your story line comes from real life people or events.

More than you know. If I haven’t experienced something myself, I research it because it is important to me that my readers feel like they experienced themselves.

How many times do you read what you wrote and think "where the hell did that come from?!"

My muses do that to me all the time. That’s why I find writing magical!

Do you have to look at the keys when you type?

Yep, sometimes.

How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

They get woodies when they work, so probably not much. Hard to chuck with a woodie…

What are you two favorite 80’s movies?

The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally

I will give away a sign copy of Brie Learns the Art of Submission to one lucky commenter!  Let us know what’s the first Red Phoenix book you read!

Join Brie as she discovers the erotic world of submission... 

Brie Bennett’s life changes the day Sir comes to her tiny tobacco shop. His invitation to the Submissive Training Center is about to rock this young woman’s world. The renowned school is famous for its elite submissive instruction. She has no idea what will be asked of her or the boundaries that will be pushed. One thing is certain: Brie is about to learn more about herself in six weeks than she has over the previous twenty-two years. 

From formal classes, hands-on practicums and weekly auctions, Brie will confront her deepest fears and desires. In the process, she will also forge lifelong friendships with fellow submissives and fall for several of the Center’s skilled Doms. 

Goodreads | Amazon

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A warm cabin during a blizzard invites hidden love to flourish...

Two couples plan a mountain getaway, but only Dan Hayes and Jenny Cole make it before the blizzard strikes. With tons of time on their hands and a natural attraction for one another, things start to heat up. Dan is an unusually creative lover. By the time the two are rescued, Jenny must make a choice--either way, hearts will suffer.

Goodreads | Amazon

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A badly placed mistletoe can ruin lives--or enhance them.

Amy Gardner and Troy Dawson suffer from an ill-fated love affair. True love reigns, but life seems to continually throw the young couple into the arms of others. Spicy erotic encounters take Amy and Troy to places they never imagined, but their love for each other remains strong--until the accident. How can love survive the day Amy loses all her memories of Troy Dawson? 

Goodreads | Amazon

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Red Phoenix's Passion is for Lovers 

Four steamy & inspirational novellas centered on the saving power of LOVE

In 9 Days

A sweet romance about a young woman who falls in love
with the new student in school, nicknamed 'the Freak'

9 Days and Counting

A tale about sacrificial love
This sequel to In 9 Days is an emotional reunion
of the two long-lost lovers

And Then He Saved Me

A story of saving tenderness
When a young woman tries to kill herself,
a man of great character intervenes with love that heals

Play With Me at Noon

An inspiring story for couples about creating intimate connections
(With an ending that may surprise you)

Goodreads | Amazon

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In the 1400’s Ryce Leon moves to Scotland to escape the horrors of his past. The lusty Englishman is content to wear kilts and share his unique talents with the satisfied lasses of Rannoch. However, fate brings a forsaken young waif into his life, Chrisselle Buchanan. What begins as a simple pairing of Master and pet evolves into something powerful, with the potential to free Ryce from his unbearable curse.

Goodreads | Amazon

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Only married women act as the Keeper, but the honor falls on Layla due to a tragedy. The mysterious Bonding Ritual, which takes place every full moon, keeps the four Alpha males unified. If Layla fails to complete her duty, the clan will erupt into civil war. Layla is about to find out the forbidden act that is responsible for the Daric Clan's dominance in the empire.

Warning: This book contains scenes that some readers may find objectionable

Goodreads | Amazon

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Sometimes lives change with a single post...

Kathryn is known as Cherry Blossom by her online friends. Curvaceous and fiercely loyal, the forty-something finds herself in a unique place in her life... Enter Socrates, the online Dom.

His devotion to educating people new to the world of BDSM is something Kathryn greatly admires. Although she isn't into kink, curiosity gets the best of her and she begins to correspond with the Spanish Dom.

One simple comment leads Kathryn into the passionate world of Dominance and submission where she uncovers truths about herself, and the incredible man she's come to know and trust. 

"It's been my honor to introduce you to the woman you were meant to be." ~Socrates

Goodreads | Amazon

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** Winner of the Indie Romance's Readers Choice Award - Best Indie Paranormal Romance **

Be forewarned, this is not a vampire world of sweetness and light. If sparkly 'vamps' are your desire, this is not the book for you.

The dark, sexy world Varick Roth is born into is ruthless and harsh - vampires are lethal creatures. He resists the violent culture, but his is a lonely existence until Aleshia enters the darkness. Theirs is a tumultuous love affair rife with pain, revenge, & passionate sex. In desperation, they share their blood to escape hell, transforming Varick into a new creation. One with terrible and colossal powers..

Goodreads | Amazon

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Two lost souls, the Moon and a death wish... 

Bryn, the leader of his wolf pack, is so lost in his own pain he cannot see beyond it. Freya is dying and has come home to Scotland to say goodbye. A chance encounter on the moors of Scotland brings these two lost souls together. Freya’s fate lies in Bryn’s loving hands, but he knows that to save her he must kill her. 

Goodreads | Amazon

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Phoenix of the Heart (written under my pen name Michelle Stevens)

Warning: This humorous–but tragic–love story set in the 1980s is guaranteed to please and tease all your emotions. 

Devoted teacher, Beth Lynn, falls hard for Scott Reiner, also known as The Keeper of the Lighthouse. He enters her world through the most unlikely of places–her computer. The handsome stranger rescues her from total humiliation, and his unconditional love becomes the catalyst for Beth's incredible journey. 

Phoenix of the Heart is a powerful story about the transforming power of love. 

Goodreads | Amazon

I will give away a sign copy of Brie Learns the Art of Submission to one lucky commenter!  Let us know what’s the first Red Phoenix book you read!