WRITING T. ONYX

The romance genre is such a diverse, exciting place. I feel extremely lucky to be an author amongst stories such as these. I mean, think about it, here you can craft tales of mystery, tales that take us back centuries, ones that explore the paranormal, sweet stories of the handsome guy meeting, losing and then winning the girl in the end, ones where a vampire or a guy that can shift into a powerful lion are the good guys- can someone say Chisulo Nkosi? And ones that make your cheeks (both pairs) burn… Yes, the romance genre has something for everyone.

Not only do I feel lucky to be an author in this genre, but I feel lucky to have crafted stories in more than one sub-genre. Reading and eventually writing have proven to be my great escapes but it wasn’t until I delved into the world of erotic romance that I really felt I had ventured into a new world. Deciding to don the cap of T. Onyx was about a lot of things for me. It wasn’t just because I wanted to write those cheek burning stories, although that was a big part of it J. As a traditionally published author you eventually come to a point where you crave more freedom. It doesn’t have to be total freedom, but you will start to crave having more of a say in what you put down on paper and the way you put it down.

T. Onyx translated into another level of freedom for me. I had already tasted a bit of writing freedom, when I took the reins of my Ramsey (and Tesano) series but there were additional cravings I wanted to explore. I enjoyed crafting my first Young Adult series (next year, I’ll begin work on the final draft of my new YA). Still, I desired a trip further out of my comfort zone. I read an article that stressed the importance of reading erotica before writing it- as the nuances of the writing style are so very different from traditional romance. Boy am I glad I followed that advice- the erotica genre is definitely a world of its own- a steamy, no holds barred world where there are almost no limits aside from the ones that exist in your own imagination. Here, I found the freedom I sought. Stories that may not fit in a traditional romance are right at home here. Only as T. Onyx could I craft a story about two adult entertainment actors who realize they share more than what they do on screen, only as T. Onyx could I craft a story about three childhood friends who discover they want to take their friendship to the level of lust and only as T. Onyx could I craft a contemporary fantasy about a two families of feline shifters.

The ideas are abundant, extraordinary and oftentimes scandalous. The stories are as hot as the characters that grace the pages. I think I’ll enjoy being T. Onyx for a while longer.