New York Times & USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Eden Bradley aka Eve Berlin writes dark, edgy erotic fiction. Her work has been called ‘elegant, intelligent and sensual’. Her debut novel, THE DARK GARDEN, has been praised as ‘a masterpiece’, and was a Romantic Times Top Pick, as was her erotic novel, FORBIDDEN FRUIT. Her novel THE LOVERS was called ‘…the thinking woman’s erotica…’.

When speaking of herself, Eden says:

I’ve been reading and writing for as long as I can remember. When I was 3 ½, even though I wasn’t quite clear yet on my alphabet, I decided there were never enough adults around to read to me and demanded to be taught to read myself. My Auntie Mo took the time to teach me. At age eight, I volunteered for summer school so I could take a creative writing class. My friends thought I was crazy; all they wanted to do was climb trees, go roller skating, swim. But I knew even then that what I was doing was even better.

I wrote my first novel at age twelve with a good friend who is also still writing, as far as I know. At a sleepover at her house, instead of sleeping, we stayed up all night crafting a rather horrible romance novel. Hopefully I’ve improved since then, and I now have enough sense to sleep at night and write during the day. Usually.

I didn’t get serious about my writing until the summer of 2000. I went into it writing romance novels, since that was what I thought I could sell, but eventually I returned to what I truly love: writing erotica, and eventually blended erotica and romance in many of my books. It’s been a difficult and wondrous journey, learning about the craft and business of writing, but well worth it. And now, here I am, doing what I love.

Fortunately, someone other than myself loves my work, too. I write for Bantam/Delta, Berkley Heat (as both Eden Bradley and Eve Berlin), HQN and Harlequin Spice, and Samhain Publishing, and I have a few self-published novellas out, as well. Sometimes it’s a struggle, but mostly it’s wonderful and exhilarating. I also love to cook, eat, go to the beach, hang out with friends, shop – especially for shoes – and read everything I can get my hands on. I’m fascinated by art, tattoos, and what goes on inside people’s minds, which is what I love to explore in my books. I’m dying to travel more, and would love to spend a few months at an Italian villa, cruising the Greek islands, or exploring Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, I get to write, and someone actually reads my books, which is a pretty good life!

Please visit Eden and fellow authors, R.G. Alexander, and Robin L. Rotham on their website, Smutketeers, for news and updates.

Eden Bradley has long been one of my favorite authors. Her book Pleasure’s Edge made a lasting impression on me, being my first foray into the world of BDSM Romance. I’ve devoured just about every book written by Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin, using her talent and style as a benchmark for other BDSM novels. The practice of BDSM is a very personal journey and is different for everyone. There are many authors who write this genre responsibly and extremely well, however, Ms. Bradley’s character driven novels speak from the heart more than most. Jean and I are very honored to welcome Eden as our guest today. We didn’t hold back with our interview questions, nor did Eden with her answers. I hope you enjoy learning more about the best-selling author, Eden Bradley.

Deb:

Dangerously Bound and Dangerously Broken (Books 1 & 2 in the Dangerous Romance series) take place in New Orleans. You’ve mentioned you fell in love with the city while visiting. Was there anything in particular that made you think,  I need to write a series that takes place here!?

Eden:

~Everything! The architecture, the flowers blooming everywhere among the buildings decaying from the salt air, the city’s dark and debauched history…and there’s a sense of magic there that’s difficult to describe—it’s a feast for the senses!

Deb:

Are any specific events or activities in these books based on actual experiences you had while in New Orleans? Are any of the characters influenced by people you met there?

Eden:

~The dinner at Muriel’s off Jackson Square. I was there last year for the RT Booklovers Convention, and had one of the best meals of my life, along with a bunch of author friends. I dream of that restaurant!
Also, one night at midnight, after eating far too many beignets at Café du Monde, I had my Tarot cards read by one of the fortune tellers who set up at tables all around the Square, and she appears in the book, although I designed that reading for Summer and Jamie (I read Tarot, too).

Deb:

The names you choose for your characters always fit them perfectly! How much thought do you put into naming characters?

Eden:

~A ton! I’m a big collector of names, and keep lists of my favorites. And I can’t write a character until I get the name right. They can be very demanding—lol! My hero Christian Thorne in my BDSM novel THE DARK GARDEN insisted on being ‘Christian’, even though that was the name of the hero in a vampire novel I wrote twenty years ago—I had to let him steal it. ; )

Jean:

What made you decide to “Out” yourself as a BDSM practitioner in your writing career? Do you share your writing career as readily in the lifestyle as you do the lifestyle in your writing career?

Eden:

~Absolutely—there’s a lot of crossover between my “me” life, my kink life and my writing life. I do promote myself a bit through kink sites and have done readings at Hustler Hollywood, and have appeared on Playboy Radio, where I talk about my BDSM experiences.

I felt it was important to “out” myself for several reasons. Having been involved in kink for so many years, I feel a certain responsibility to present kink in a realistic way, including safety and negotiation issues and the psychology of kink, and the only way to sort of qualify myself was to let it be known that this really *is* my life. The beauty in being an erotica/erotic romance author is that people don’t necessarily expect—or even want—me to be conservative in any way, so this job gives me a lot more freedom to be myself than any career other might. And luckily, I have a very cool, accepting family, so even my parents know and are supportive.

I think I wanted to promote a healthier outlook about practicing BDSM and about sexuality in general even before I began to consciously get involved in education, and I especially want to replace misconceptions with these healthier, more realistic ideas. If it helps even one person to enter the kink life in a safer manner, then I feel an enormous sense of accomplishment. And in the wake of the popularity of the Fifty Shades books, I felt it was critical to get correct information out there to as many people as possible, because there was a huge, sudden influx of people—particularly women—into the kink arena.

Jean:

Many individuals in the lifestyle are rather vocal in their criticism of the BDSM romances that are available, saying they are obviously not written by individuals who have either done adequate research or are in the lifestyle themselves. Have you encountered this? If so, how do you deal with it?

Eden:

~People need to remember that it’s fiction, and adjust their expectations accordingly, but readers also must consider the source. You don’t have to be in the life to write about it—just as you don’t have to be a serial killer, prostitute or vampire to write about those topics, but I also believe a good writer shares in that responsibility by doing thorough research, just as anyone writing a Regency should do.

How do I deal with it? All I can do is make an effort to get true, correct information out there so people who are seriously considering dipping their toes into BDSM will do so safely.

Deb:

A prevailing aspect of your books is the subtle way in which you convey through actions, dialogue, and inner thoughts, the characteristics of a conscientious Dom. Is this something you purposely set out to do to educate your readers or is it merely for character development purposes?

Eden:

~It’s both. Human beings are complex animals, and our characters should be in order to be dimensional and feel like real people. But that’s also the only kind of Dominant I am able to write—nothing else rings true enough, or is a hero I could possibly find attractive. And a caring Dom with great instincts? That’s just HOT!

Deb:

I know this is such an unfair question…but out of all the Doms you’ve written, who would you most like to submit to and why?

Eden:

~Ohhh, that’s just mean-lol! But I’ll try… I just finished writing DANGEROUSLY BAD, the third book in my Dangerous Romance series (Book Two, DANGEROUSLY BROKEN, just came out in October). The hero in that story is Duff Stewart, a strapping Scotsman with a propensity for wearing utility kilts with his big, black boots, and he’s that perfect combination of great humor and a wicked streak of sadism—definitely my kind of guy.

Jean:

What advice would you give someone interested in exploring the lifestyle after having read a BDSM romance or two?

Eden:

~Read some of the well-known “BDSM handbooks”. I always suggest Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns and The New Bottoming Book and The New Topping Book as good starters. All can be found on Amazon.

Go to some local munches. Meet people in a non-kink atmosphere (munches are usually just meet-and-greets at a coffee place or restaurant). Be wary of who you talk to online—there are a LOT of wanna-be’s out there. Be informed, and be careful.

Deb:

What are you working on now?

Eden:

~I just finished DANGEROUSLY BAD, and am now working on THE TRAINING HOUSE: BOY, the second book in my most hard-core BDSM series yet, which I am deliriously thrilled about. The first book, GIRL, was such a joy to write. This series is reallllly heavy-duty material, nothing any publisher would take, so I have a lot of freedom with it, and I can allow the story and the characters to just drive me. It’s pretty damn exciting!

This was an awesome interview-loved the questions-so thank you!

Where to Stalk Eden Bradley:

Related Posts:

Review: Dangerously Broken by Eden Bradley
Contest: Eden Bradley’s Breaking Skye Giveaway