Very few things in life are as rewarding as seeing my own name on the cover of a book. Especially one I have poured my heart and soul into, so it is with bittersweet feelings that I’m announcing this change. Some of you may have noticed there is another author writing as Heather Walsh, so going forward, I will be writing under the penname Katherine Hawthorne.
My name conflict was only one reason for the change but was not the deciding factor. While writing Betrayal, the second book in my Secrets, Lies, and Deception duet, I was hit with crippling writer’s block. This is something all authors go through, however, mine wasn’t from a lack of ideas or direction. It was from a lack of free speech.
If you’ve read my bio, you know I come from a small town in Upstate New York. After Deception was released, most everybody knew I was writing. Suddenly every word I typed caused a great amount of anxiety while I stressed over four-letter words, sexy scenes, and what I should call a woman’s…well, you know. And while not as difficult, but still just as terrifying was what to call a man’s. One awesome friend jokingly suggested calling it a pulsating steel rod and while I find this hilariously funny…well…just no!
Then it all exploded while I was on a school trip with my youngest son’s 4th grade class when the class mom, aka the minister’s wife said, “I heard you wrote a book!” Heads turned and teachers stared as the rest of the moms (and one dad) asked me what it was about. All I could do was stare at them like a deer caught in headlights. I must admit, I will forever be proud of my eloquent response when I finally opened my mouth and muttered, “Uh…”
Because all I could think was please, please, please don’t read it!
There are S-E-X scenes!
And I wanted to make them even sexier.
Because also while writing Betrayal, I thought the duet would make the most incredible ménage romance. For months, I pushed the thoughts aside. In the back of my mind, I kept worrying about the town, the minister’s wife, my best friend’s eighty-two-year-old mother, and God forbid, my own mother!
While many authors write “clean” versions of their sexier books, I wanted the opposite. I wanted it even steamier. I wanted it to come with warnings. I wanted it erotic.
Yet, I did NOT want it trashy, which is a very fine line in erotic romance. Eventually, despite all my internal debate, I caved. And I wrote. Originally, I thought I’d take Deception and Betrayal and add a little steam, however, that isn’t what happened. I am now on the third book of the Sinful Surrender series and while it shares a plot line with Deception & Betrayal and some scenes are obviously recognizable, the books took on a life of their own and are so very different!
I understand erotic romance isn’t for everybody, yet I find it fun, exciting and extremely rewarding to write. Most importantly, I feel I have found my niche, my perfect genre. With my new penname, I no longer stress (as much) over my content or worry if somebody I know will be reading it, because they’d probably never admit it in a million years. While all my new books will not be ménage romances, they will certainly contain erotic elements. And they will always, always, still be suspenseful!
While I believe I have stayed true to my writing style with the Sinful Surrender series and have created an erotic ménage romance that does not cross the tasteless line, you can judge for yourself. In July, I will be releasing a free sneak peek of Sinful, the first book in the series, which will release fully in August 2018.
Please bear with me as I embark on this new journey. Over the next few months, I will be updating my social media accounts, building my new website and publishing my exciting new series. As always, I love hearing from my readers! If I failed to answer any questions, please drop me an email at authorkatherinehawthorne@gmail.com or post it below. If you’d like to sign up for my new mailing list, you can do that here.
XOXO and a big thank you to all who keep my secret!
Heather/Katherine