By now, you've heard of Fifty Shades of Grey, the soft erotica novel that's making the mainstream media sit up and take notice. I haven't read it (yet) but say good for the author. Why? 

Those of you who have read The Taker already know there is a dark sexual thread that runs through the book. It is a novel about a character who goes from girl to woman, after all, and sexual awakening can be expected to be part of that journey. In this case, the heroine's awakening comes at the hands of a incredibly self-assured--some might say arrogant--man of the world, Adair, who is as adventurous in bed as he is domineering. 

When I wrote the Taker, I suspected the sexual story line would resonate with some readers. What I didn't expect is the conservatism that permeates our culture in the US. Most reviewers, and that includes book bloggers, don't seem to want to be seen endorsing a book that has characters whose sexual relationships are less than chaste. Shock at the sexual content of The Taker was a minor thread running through the reviews, but it was there nonetheless. 

I didn't expect the public at large feels this way, but in an age of such political conservatism, I suspected we've learned to hold our tongues and keep our preferences to ourselves. That's why I'm so happy to see Fifty Shades' success. It's evidence that we're really not a nation of prudes after all. 

In The Taker, one of the heroine's lessons is that she has to leave her Puritan home town, get away from all those prying eyes quick to judge, in order to discover who she really is as a woman. I hope that's a lesson all women are keen to take. 

READ A STEAMY EXCERPT FROM THE TAKER HERE.