M. J. Rose “The E-Publishing Poster Girl” Written by Yolanda Shoshana

Where had I been? A few weeks ago I did not know who M.J. Rose was. Now I can’t bear to put her titillating books down.

M.J. Rose is the e-publishing pioneer who was called “the poster girl of e-publishing” by Time Magazine. While editors loved her first book, Lip Service, the book did not fit into a genre, making it difficult to publish. Rose decided to take her career into her own hands and self-publish, a decision which has resulted in a successful writing career.

Rose’s books are a mix of psychological suspense, mystery, adventure and erotica. She is the best selling author of eight books, which include: Lip Service; The Halo Effect; The Delilah Complex; and Flesh Tones. Her latest novels are Lying in Bed and The Venus Fix.

Lying in Bed is the story of Marlowe Wyatt, a love letter writer for people who need assistance expressing themselves to their lovers. Ironically Marlowe is sexually repressed herself because of several traumatic experiences. When Marlowe meets Gideon Brown, he ignites feelings she has never known before. Lying in Bed is the first full erotic novel by Rose. “I did not want to write just another boy meets girl story.” Rose said she was drawn to erotic fiction that was not current, which is why she did not want to simply follow the present-day trends for the genre. According to Rose “I did not want to write it unless I could do it differently and I found a publisher who would let me do that.”

Her other latest novel is The Venus Fix. The book is part of her popular series set around protagonist Dr. Morgan Snow. In the latest book, there are a string of murders plaguing Manhattan and sexy sex therapist Snow's new patient, a powerful judge with a reputation for being fair who also has an addiction to Internet pornography, is at the top of the suspect list. According to Rose, “The Venus Fix is the other side of internet pornography, the heart of which are teenagers who are addicted to porn.” When Rose was doing research, she discovered some interesting facts from talking to teenage girls. “There were girls who had given boys oral sex, but all the girls I talked to had never been kissed or had their hands held.”

When I asked Rose where she got her inspiration to write she stated, “[In] the most bizarre places.” Her idea for Lying in Bed came from a real life erotic letter writer she met five years ago. She got the idea for her protagonist Dr. Morgan Snow from a personal visit to a sex therapist. “I lied to the therapist and told her that I was writing a book.” After month of seeing the therapist, Rose had an idea for a book.

Rose has a popular blog dedicated to writing (http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype). She is also the founder of AuthorBuzz which promotes books directly to hundreds of thousands of readers and also to thousands of booksellers and librarians.

I asked Rose what her advice would be for an inspiring writer; she had one word, “Read.”

To find out more about M.J. Rose and her sexy books log onto: www.mjrose.com.