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Alyssa Aaron read her first romance novel (A Stranger's Kiss by Sondra Sanford) when she was in eighth grade. She  was hooked by the romance genre and became an avid consumer of Harlequin novels. It wasn't until she was in 9th grade that the praise of one of her teachers made her think about writing a book. The romance genre was a natural choice for her efforts.

His Perfect Submissive is her first, but she hopes not her last erotic romance novel.

When she is not writing Alyssa enjoys gardening, quilting, collecting recipes, and volunteering for various causes.

Her volunteer positions have included working as an advocate for abused and neglected children, grooming police horses, and caring for cats at a no kill animal shelter.

Thank you Alyssa for taking the time to answer some questions for us! To start, please tell us about your latest project.

My most recent release was His Perfect Submissive which was released by Black Velvet Seductions Publishing in March of 2008. The story is one which haunted me for years before I finally put other things aside and devoted the time to write it. The story is an erotic romance about a heroine (Kara) who was the victim of a brutal rape that occurred when she was seven. The event destroyed her family and left her fearful and distrustful of men. 

When Kara's brother embezzles $30,000 from the hero's (Slade's) company Kara goes to Slade's office to try to talk him out of going to the police.

Slade takes one look at Kara and sees the peaceful, obedient submissive he's always wanted to share his life. He seizes the opportunity and makes Kara an offer she can't afford to refuse. The only way she can save her brother from certain prison is to accept Slade's marriage proposal and become his submissive.  

Kara faces her wedding with anxiety. She can't tell Slade she can't submit sexually without risking her brother's freedom, yet she doubts she'll be able to keep her promise to be a submissive, obedient wife.

The book explores the role of trust in even the most mismatched of relationships and explores the complex connections between dominance and submission while it demonstrates the power of real love to heal even the deepest of wounds. 

Have you received any awards for your work?

Yes, His Perfect Submissive has been very well received. It received an award from All Romance Ebooks for being a bestselling ebook on their site during the 2008 year. It also received numerous positive reviews and a reviewer's choice award from Romance Junkies.

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?

I have not done any speaking engagements or seminars as Alyssa Aaron. Alyssa Aaron is a pen name that I use for erotic romance. However, I am the founder, editor, and CEO at Black Velvet Seductions Publishing. Black Velvet Seductions is a very author friendly publishing company which sponsors workshops for authors. I teach regular workshops through the Black Velvet Seductions website and also speak at writer's conferences.  
 
How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career?Or conversely, how has you writing success helped you in your profession?

I think it is interesting the way that life experience sometimes prepare you for the work you are going to do. I've not had one career during my life. Instead I've held a variety of jobs, owned several companies, held a number of volunteer positions. I have learned things with each job, each business, each volunteer position which have given me the knowledge and skills that I needed to launch a publishing company and publish not just my own book but the books of many other authors. I am myself still constantly surprised at how seamlessly the pieces have come together.

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?

My first love is fiction, and at the top of that list erotic romance. I am however working on a non-fiction writing book which is about creating stories that give readers vicarious experiences through the experiences of the characters.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?

As a publisher I interact directly with readers at the Black Velvet Seductions blog which I maintain.

What will your next project be?

I am currently working on both my next erotic romance Dominant's Regret and the non-fiction writing book I mentioned above.
 
Dominant's Regret is about the trust that is necessary in power exchange relationships, and what happens when the trust is broken. It is a story that is rich with emotion, conflict, and its own brand of emotional healing.
What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?

I absolutely love writing. When I am writing my focus is on bringing the people in my story onto the paper in such a powerful way that the reader who reads the book will have the same thoughts, feelings, and experiences that the characters have.
 
I love editing too, and I find it very similar to writing. The only difference is that when I am editing I am trying to help the author to convey their story so powerfully that the reader who reads the book will have the same thoughts, feelings and experiences that the characters have. Most of the time when I am editing I am asking the author questions...what does he feel here...what is he thinking at this point...what makes him decide to do that?

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?

I have more advice than I can possibly include here. My top suggestions as an editor would be read the publisher's guidelines. Know what the publisher publishes before you submit. It doesn't matter how wonderful your mystery novel is if the publisher only publishes romance. Publishers have audiences that they have built up over the years, and they publish the material that most resonates with that readership.
 
Second, I would suggest focusing on deep point of view. The lack of deep point of view accounts for about 95% of the rejection letters I write at Black Velvet Seductions.
 
My third and final suggestion would be to visit the Black Velvet Seductions website and sign up for the free Black Velvet Seductions Writers Newsletter. The newsletter includes articles on the craft and business of writing.  

How did you get started as a writer?

I was encouraged by a teacher who liked the way I wrote essay questions. His praise of the essay questions happened to correspond with me reading my first Harlequin Romance. After reading a few more romance novels I began to understand how they were put together and decided that I could write one. I did write one that year and did submit it. Of course, it was pretty awful and was rejected. But over the years I continued to study writing and practice writing. I wrote short stories and non-fiction, and eventually decided to write His Perfect Submissive. It was nearing completion of His Perfect Submissive, looking around at the publishers then in existence and deciding that none of them offered everything I wanted in a publisher that caused me to consider starting a publishing company.

Which is your favorite book/work published? Is there a favorite?

I love all of the books published by Black Velvet Seductions. I do not publish books that I don't love. Of my own books, I am sure I will always have a soft spot for Slade and Kara from His Perfect Submissive. Kara is so wounded...and yet she is strong. Slade is a perfect combination of strong, alpha, Dom and understanding, loving, husband. I'm really enjoying Trent and Lacey from Dominant's Regret too. I've always been fascinated by power exchange relationships and the trust that is necessary within that kind of relationship and I've always been fascinated by the question of what would happen if the Dominant in the relationship made a big mistake.

Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion for writing?

The student teacher in my 9th grade business class -  Dave Burdick who inspired me with his praise of my verbose responses to essay questions.
 
My 10th grade English teacher David Sudol who read much of my early work and patiently corrected spelling, grammar, and other mistakes.
 
My grandmother who read my entire first manuscript, patiently reading each day's production and marking it up.  

Who is your favorite writer/author?

There are really too many to list, and I like each for a different reason.  

Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself? :)

I do not sing out loud, even when I am alone. I do often hum nameless, pointless tunes which I make up. (Hey, if I make them up no one knows whether I am carrying a tune or not.).

Thank you Alyssa! We wish you ongoing success with your novel His Perfect Submissive!