Who is Beth Kery? Give us the low down.

I’m a longtime reader who just thought—for some random reason—I could write romance novels. I actually have another profession besides author. I’m a longtime urbanite, and love the city, museums, the theatre and diversity. I really do love art, which is why you see artists popping up in my books a lot. I’m living vicariously, as even my stick figures are indecipherable. I also grew up a small town girl, however, so you often get a blend of city and small town in my books. I have over thirty novels and short stories under my belt at this point. Probably the most fun I ever had writing a book was the Because You Are Mine serial. I’m not just saying that, either. It was so invigorating to be thrown into a whole new writing process. Publishing is often considered to be staid and predictable, but writing Because You Are Mine felt like anything but.

Because You Are Mine is going to be an eight-part e-book serial that will explore the erotic relationship between a billionaire and a young graduate student. Tell us more.

Because You Are Mine is a love story that begins as a sexual obsession between a billionaire entrepreneur and an artist/graduate student. He commissions her to do the centerpiece painting for his new headquarters, but there are threads that connect this couple even farther back in history than before their first meeting. Because of those threads—what I would call ‘soul threads’—what seems to be a sexual obsession is just the beginning of a relationship between a couple that was destined to be together. Although, there’s no real evidence for that at first, as personal histories and insecurities are hurdled and finally shared.

I would describe this story as a little bit Cinderella, Pretty Woman, Fifty Shades, and Beth Kery rolled into one. Even though I wanted this book to have that dark, obsessional sexual edge, I also wanted the lighter, magical moments of first falling in love—an outdoor lunch at a Parisian café, an impromptu summer concert on the lawn, the perfect gift given at the perfect moment…

Because You Are Mine contains elements of BDSM and D/s. For Francesca, the heroine, getting involved with complicated, enigmatic, controlling Ian Noble is a risk, but the excitement of it—the thrill of being with him and taking everything he has to offer her—is too great to resist. He’s the type of man that can whisk you away to Paris in a private jet for a romantic getaway and open up whole new territories of experience, both in the bedroom and out. For Ian, he can’t keep away from Francesca despite her innocence. What seems like a solely sexual obsession becomes the beginning path on the journey toward healing. Both Ian and Francesca have inner demons, but they really aren’t of the highly dysfunctional variety. They are both healable. I love how we get to see them grow as they both teach each other valuable, needed lessons and thrive in each other’s presence.

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a serial like Because You Are Mine. I’m excited to get a new part of the story each week. What made you decide to do it this way, rather than a standard book?

It was proposed to me by the publisher (Berkley). It was their decision.

What is it about an older, extremely wealthy hero and a younger, more innocent heroine that is so attractive to audiences right now? Is it that she can bring out his vulnerabilities? 

I do think that’s a big part of it. The saying that opposites attract has some validity. The hero, who is sort of dark and scarred, naturally is drawn to innocence. The heroine’s light transforms him, and he can’t resist that opportunity to be more whole. It’s an ancient motif, popping up in everything from Jane Eyre to Harlequin Presents to vampire romances. In regard to an older (although not necessarily even middle-aged) hero, I think that newer readers, like the surge of twenty-somethings who were turned on by things like Fifty Shades and their high tech reading devices, want to have a heroine approximately their age. The lure of a sophisticated, wealthy man isn’t just about monetary goods; it’s about his experience and what he could teach the heroine. It’s fun to live that fantasy vicariously.

There are so many books now that are being compared to Fifty Shades of Grey. Do you like this comparison? Do you think it grabs people’s attention?

Well, I certainly think it grabs people’s attention. Fifty Shades was a huge phenomenon. There are parallels to Because and Fifty, almost as if Fifty Shades spawned a whole new genre of romance. But every author’s voice and style are different, and of course the characters take on a complexity of their own in the writing of the story. All romances have similar elements, but each story is unique, and I certainly believe that of Because You Are Mine.

What is up next for you and also your pen name, Bethany Kane?

The One Night of Passion series (currently under the pen name Bethany Kane) has a novella releasing in October of this year, “Captured By You,” which will be followed by a novel in November, Exposed to You. I’m very excited about Exposed to You, which is movie star Everett Hughes’ story (the brother of Katie from Addicted to You). Writing Everett was a bit of a departure for me. He’s got a lightness to his spirit that I adore, although he’s still every bit the alpha male. Everett is probably one of the healthiest heroes I’ve ever written, despite his superstar status, and I sort of fell in love with him.

I’ve also just contracted with Berkley for three more books. In addition, I’ll be doing another serial for them, which will begin its release in November of this year.

Thank you for having me, Mandi!

Because you are Mine, Part One released this Tuesday. A new part will be released each Tuesday for the next seven weeks. You can find out more HERE.