SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Amber Daulton!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Amber Daulton. Amber writes romantic suspense, including the series, Arresting Onyx, and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now. They are available in eBook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. Amber lives in North Carolina with her husband and her demanding cats.

Author Amber Daulton

S: Good morning, Amber. Thanks for joining me today.

How do you determine the "heat level" of your stories?

A: It all deals with language. If I use euphemisms for body parts and keep the characters’ bedroom actions short, then the heat rating is 3 flames. For 4 flames, I use more descriptive language and give more detail to lengthen the scenes. Five flames takes that even further with scorching love scenes that leave nothing to the imagination. Erotic romance features explicit language and a high number of sexual scenes, as well as toys, anal play, BDSM, multiple couplings, etc. My books typically range between 4 and 5 flames, but I do have a few clean romances and erotic ones, too.

S: Book banning is back in the news and even some very popular romance authors' books are being removed from school libraries. How do you feel about this trend? How do we fight it?

A: It’s horrible. Books are meant to be an escape from everyday life. Everyone has different tastes, and that’s fine, but that doesn’t mean one group of people should censor what another group reads. When it comes to children, it should be the parents’ responsibility to monitor what the child reads, not the state or school. If the child reads an adult book and has questions, then show them some respect and answer them honestly. Open communication is key in any type of relationship, whether it’s between a romantically involved couple, or a parent and child. How to fight this trend? Education and self-discovery! The people who are making waves and trying to restrict the type of media other people choose to partake in need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Instead of blaming the woes of life on books, movies, video games, and other media, take responsibility for your own actions. Not only does censorship hurt creators, but other readers and viewers who may have enjoyed that book/movie/game but never got the chance to try it for themselves.

S: I can't help but think back in history when censorship and book banning were used to prop up fascist regimes. Have we learned nothing?

Do you think romance books have become “too spicy?”

A: (Laughs.) No way. The spicier the better. While I do read and enjoy clean romances, I always prefer the hot stuff.

S: After the publication of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy, it was reported that some readers ventured into the BDSM world seeking their own Christian Grey. Some were scammed, sexually assaulted, or otherwise harmed. Does an author bear any responsibility for those types of consequences?

A: Does the author bear responsibility? Not technically, but I do think the author should feel sympathy for the readers who were wronged or harmed. Authors should also be aware that their books may encourage readers to try out new things, but that’s why safety disclaimers are so important, and often found at the beginning of books with questionable material. I’ve read countless books over the years, and many were BDSM books. I find that world fascinating, and though I’ve never personally ventured into it as in going to private clubs, I certainly wouldn’t lay fault at an author’s feet if I did and things went badly. Everything in life is a choice, and there are consequences to those choices. Be smart, weigh your options, and follow your gut. If the book you’re reading isn’t a self-help book, then don’t trust it to be a guide in how to live your life--not that you should trust self-help books in full either—always use your best judgment.

S: It's so easy to blame others when things go wrong. However, steamy stories don't dictate behavior. Those who embrace the ideas set forth in BDSM tales have to take personal responsibility for their own actions. As my mom used to say, "If XYZ told you to jump off a 12-story building, would you?" A certain amount of common sense is called for.

What inspired "Trevor’s Redemption?"

A: I never meant to write "Trevor’s Redemption." As I was revising the last book in the Arresting Onyx series, a pestering voice in the back of my head kept telling me to squeeze in two novellas into the middle of the series. Believe me, I fought this—hard—but that little voice wouldn’t stop. You see, I’d introduced two secondary characters in Book One that I had no intention of giving a HEA. Shea, however, wasn’t having any of that and had already picked out the perfect man for herself—albeit, an unconventional one. So, since I’ve long learned to obey my characters when they threaten to nag me to death, I jotted out a plot for Shea and her man, Trevor. I had a blast bringing their romance to life, so I’m grateful I let her have her way.

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Trevor’s Redemption?"

A: Yes. It can be read as a standalone, so if you haven’t read the previous books, you can jump right into this one and follow along without problems. However, the couples from the other books return as secondary characters, so you might get a few spoilers. For the sake of enjoyment and fully immersing yourself in my fictional world, I do suggest you start at the beginning with "Arresting Mason," but it’s not necessary.

Here's the blurb--

The danger and lies are more than she can handle.

Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.

Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.

When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.