This Man Confessed: Forever’s First #1 New York Times Bestseller!

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Jodi Ellen Malpas here today to talk

about the third installment in her This Man trilogy, THIS MAN CONFESSED, a saucy erotica.

This stunning conclusion to This Man trilogy is Forever’s first #1 New York Times Bestseller, a thrilling milestone for both publisher and author.
Here’s a brief synopsis of THIS MAN CONFESSED:

    The Manor, the very place where their passionate love affair began, fills with guests on what should be the happiest day of Ava and Jesse's lives. She has accepted that she'll never tame the fierceness in Jesse-and she doesn't want to. Their love is profound, their connection powerful, but just when she thinks that she's finally gotten beneath his guarded exterior, more questions arise, leading Ava to believe that Jesse Ward may not be the man she thinks he is. He knows too well how to take her to a place beyond ecstasy . . . but will he also drive her to the brink of despair? It's time for this man to confess.

Joining us today, Jodi has graciously answered some questions about her writing and her book.

Mason - For the readers unfamiliar with your This Man Trilogy, could you tell us a little bit about each installment?

Jodi:
The first in the trilogy, THIS MAN, is the meeting, of course. This is all about the chase, and it’s a real cat and mouse game. Jesse is determined in his no-hold-backs approach, and Ava is equally determined to keep him at bay, knowing there is more than meets the eye with this God-like man. Easier said than done, believe me! Jesse Ward is relentless and fasts becomes Ava’s only weakness.

BENEATH THIS MAN, the second installment, is all about Ava and the reader peeling away Jesse’s hard front. In this part of the story, I think the reader begins to see Jesse’s flaws more endearing, rather than unreasonable and challenging. Their relationship develops and they begin to understand one another.

The final book, THIS MAN CONFESSED, is what the first two were all about for me. I wrote 1 & 2 to get to this point in the story.  Although both the first and second books were, apparently, packed with emotion and substance, CONFESSED is on a whole new level of intensity and feeling. I’ve known Jesse all along. I’ve know who he is, where he’s been and where he’s going. That made it easier for me to accept him. By now, I think the readers really feel a connection. Everything falls into place.

Mason - How did this trilogy come about? What was the inspiration?

Jodi:
My inspiration was me. I wanted to write a love story that was perfect to me. Of course, Jesse is far from perfect and neither are some of the challenges that Ava and Jesse face, but it’s got all of the elements of a story that I love. Angst, passion, shock, sadness, humour…

But that’s just my opinion, of course! People have different tastes and opinions, and I accept that. I’m pleased, though, that the majority of my readers seem to be on my wavelength!

Mason - Do you find the label ‘erotic’ or ‘BDSM-themed’ sometimes causes readers to shy away from trying a book or entices them to give it a try? How would you encourage them to give it a try?

Jodi:
I think many women have now embraced erotic fiction, but for those who still aren’t comfortable displaying their choice of read for all to see, there’s the e-reader!

Mason - With the final installment in the trilogy, THIS MAN CONFESSED, published what was the biggest surprise that occurred while writing the trilogy?

Jodi:
While writing? The biggest surprise was how many were anticipating it, which made the pressure immense. It was the final installment, and the first two books went down so incredibly well, it just made me even more nervous. Will it live up to expectation? Would it be good enough? It was a very stressful time, but on publishing, all of that stress disintegrated. And then I hit #1 on The New York Times Bestseller list, which just topped it all off!
 
Mason - Have you always wanted to write or was there an event that lead you to writing?

Jodi:
No, I didn’t. Jesse Ward was where it all began. Like I said, I knew who he was, where he’d been and where he was going. The story built in my head over time until it was all very vivid. I sat down and wrote the story for me, with no plans to do anything with it. Many women lose themselves in other peoples stories. I lost myself in my own.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?

Jodi:
Oh, lots! But for now I’m riding the This Man wave. When the time is right, I’ll share my next project.
 
Jodi, thanks for joining us today and sharing a look at how this tantalizing series came about. I hadn’t thought about it, but e-readers would keep the person next to you from knowing what you were reading.

Now let me share a little background on Jodi. She was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, UK, where she lives with her family. Working for the family construction business full-time and with the prospect of taking it over once her father retired, she tried to ignore the lingering idea of writing a novel until it became impossible. 

She finally found the time and courage to release her creative streak and in October 2012 self-published THIS MAN as an e-book. She took a chance on a story with some intense characters, notably Mr. Jesse Ward, the Lord of the Manor, and sparked incredible reactions from women all over the world. Two months later, Jodi made the decision to give up her day job to concentrate on her new and very unexpected career in writing.

For more on Jodi and her writing, visit her website.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Do you let labels such as ‘erotic’ keep you from checking out a book? Do you see a book for the content first and the genre second?