Embracing Passion
by Adriana Kraft
Released: Aug 18, 2023
Genre: Erotic Romance
Why this book and why now?
The Passion series got its start over two decades ago, when I learned that my father’s sister, a pioneering sex researcher, had died. I’ve thought of her often – how proud she’d be of what my husband and I write, her acceptance of all sexual orientations, her openness to all sexual practices that cause no harm, her enjoyment of erotic art. There’s probably not much out there in the world of sex that she didn’t encounter across the many interviews she conducted.
In the series, we wanted to honor my aunt’s heritage as well as provide erotic entertainment and a happy ending while exploring the stigma that attaches to adults who have sex on camera for others to view. How do they manage satisfying personal relationships, when their sexual activities will never be exclusive to one person? Can they find a partner who can accept what they do for a living?
In the first two books, our protagonists already work for the fictional Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. They’re challenged to sort out the difference between great sex and true love, but they don’t have to overcome a partner’s judgment. In Embracing Passion, the hero is an outsider—a cop, hoping to break up what he’s convinced is a prostitution ring. He is in for more than a few surprises.
Any small event can trigger a story. One morning while my husband and I were traveling the country in our motor home, we pulled into a rest area and parked in the truck section. As we sat eating in our dinette, we saw a semi pull into the lot and stop near a parked car. Then a woman got out of the semi cab, walked to her car, and drove off. The potential plots flew thick and fast. A wife? A prostitute? A lover? Were there other options? We had our opening scene.
Would you and your main character(s) get along?
Absolutely! We write the world we’d love to live in, where sexual orientation carries no stigma and people are unafraid to be open about their sex practices. I would never be as bold as Rosanne, but I totally admire her and celebrate the unique polyamory relationship with which we gifted her. And it would be no secret that my husband and I share the same goals as the Center she works for: helping people live fuller, more enjoyable sex lives, across the life span.
What’s your main character(s)’s favorite book and why?
For Rosanne, The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune, or anything else he’s written. His main characters are gay, not lesbian or (like Rosanne) bisexual, but she would appreciate the subtlety with which he challenges judgmental opinions of any sort, and the beauty and artistry of his prose.
Rosanne’s Afro-American lover, Simone, grew up in the Bronx and would have had a very different future if she had not happened onto the Center while in community college. Right now her favorite is Skyy’s Choices series, and of course she’ll talk Rosanne into reading it, too.
One of your main characters is planning a romantic night. Tell us about it.
Tom and Boyd are planning a romantic getaway for Rosanne and Simone, where they’ll focus their entire attention on their two women. They’ll escape to the Caribbean for a three-day weekend at a private villa with palm trees, spa, swimming pool, beach, massages, haute cuisine, and a bucket of toys to share.
What song does your character put on to start your book launch party?
Rosanne will play Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” from the early seventies. This song (and Reddy’s album) marked a turning point in the life of Rosanne’s step grandmother, Claire, with whom she’s very close. The line “If I have to, I can do anything” is profoundly true for all the women in Rosanne’s life. And yes, everyone at the party will dance to it.
