I'm writing my next book, Wolf Tales VII, and it made me think about the brief history of this series and Kensington's Aphrodisia imprint. The very first Aphrodisia title for the new imprint, Wolf Tales, started shipping from Barnes and Noble online about this time in 2005—hard to believe it was two years ago. I remember, because my husband and I were on our first ever trip to Hawaii to see our son and his wife, and I got an email from a friend who had placed an advance order at B&N and already received her copy. Within a couple months, my book moved to the top ten in erotica at B&N online. It's still there, two years later, along with Noelle Mack's "Three," which released shortly after WT. Last I heard, my first WT was in its seventh print run. Not sure about Mack's, but it's obviously doing well, too.

I'm not even sure how many Aphrodisia titles have released since then, but there are a lot of them, and a lot of new authors turning out even more. (I'm proud to say that eight of the current titles are mine, if I include the anthologies) The line appears to be doing really well. We get a lot of shelf space in the bookstores and terrific positioning on front tables and special displays. It's not often that a new imprint takes off like this one has, but it's thanks to our publisher, our editors and the hard work of every author in the line. We owe an even bigger thanks to the fans who buy our books, who talk about them in a positive manner on other lists, and keep our names and our titles out there in front of potential buyers. That "viral marketing" online is constantly bringing new readers to the genre, and from what my fan mail tells me, we're crossing all demographics in our sales.

We have a supportive publisher and editors who give us the freedom to push boundaries and write stories unlike anything else out there on the market today. Our covers are hot and sexy and absolutely perfect for the line. Reviews for our stories are consistently good and the reader buzz makes certain that anyone who loves a good, sexy romance knows about Aphrodisia. All of the Aphrodisia authors have worked really hard and it's paying off. When I can pick up an RT and see some of our books listed as "Top Picks" (congrats, ladies!) in a magazine that at one time wouldn't even review erotic romances, it shows me most graphically how far we have come. Two years is not a very long time in the scheme of things. It's a lifetime for those of us who have found our personal niche writing for this imprint.

Enough rambling. I  have truly indulged myself with this post, but when I think of all the years I spent writing and collecting rejection letters from various publishers, and then look at the bookcase in my office filled with my own titles, it feels surrealistic at best. After so many years of hoping to one day be able to call myself a published author, it still feels strange to realize I've reached that point. I know I didn't do it alone. So, to my fellow writers, thank you for your encouragement and advice. To my editor, Audrey LaFehr, thank you for having the courage to run with a series like mine. To my agent, Jessica Faust, a huge thank you for everything! And to my fantastic cadre of readers, thank you for giving Wolf Tales a chance. I appreciate each and every one of you.