Released on = March 27, 2007, 4:52 pm

Press Release Author = Jina Bacarr

Industry = Entertainment

Press Release Summary = Erotic fiction exploded onto the publishing scene in a big
way, but rarely receives awards outside its genre. Until now. Jina Bacarr, author
of The Blonde Geisha, has won the RIO Award of excellence in mainstream fiction.


Press Release Body = Huntington Beach, CA--Who knew a geisha with blonde hair, green
eyes, and a saucy attitude could take the top spot in mainstream fiction? The Blonde
Geisha by Jina Bacarr has won first place in the Mainstream Fiction category in the
2006 RIO Award of Excellence, one of the most prestigious mainstream honors ever
awarded to a work of erotic fiction.

The RIO Award of Excellence is sponsored by the Reviewers International Organization
and is the only award of its kind in a daunting business where more than 172,000
books a year fight for attention from book reviewers around the world.

According to the RIO website, all of the winning books were nominated and voted on
by RIO\'s member reviewers rather than reader polls or an individual review site
contest. Literary agent Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency adds, \"The books
are nominated by international reviewers from all over the world. Authors can\'t
enter their own books.\"

Although Bacarr has published numerous business books and articles about Japan,
including the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Award winner, The Japanese Art of Sex, winning
this award is special to her.

\"I\'m thrilled to win the RIO award with the book of my heart,\" she says. \"I\'ve been
a devotee of geisha for years and although it\'s unlikely a gaijin or foreigner could
ever be a geisha, I always wanted to explore that world through a Westerner\'s
sensibilities. So I created a \'what if\' scenario in 1892 Japan where I could do just
that.\"

Bacarr's Geisha beat out competition in a huge playing field of adult fiction, which
included multi-published author Elizabeth Chadwick\'s The Greatest Knight, the second
place RIO winner, and the widely acclaimed novel, The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue,
the third place RIO winner.

Bacarr's win reflects growing acceptance of and respect for the world of erotic
fiction, a genre that has exploded in popularity over the past several years.
Several major publishing houses and imprints, including Avon, Harlequin, and
Kensington, have created new erotic imprints to meet the demand.

\"Steamy sex is the hottest trend in women\'s fiction,\" Bacarr said. \"Winning the RIO
award in mainstream fiction means a lot to me because it demonstrates that the book
publishing business recognizes erotic fiction as a true art form and not just sex
between the sheets.\"

The Blonde Geisha tells the story of Kathlene Mallory, a young American girl living
in Japan at the end of the nineteenth century. When a threat to her father\'s life
puts her own in jeopardy, she is sent to live in safety at the Tea House of the
Look-Back Tree, where she is allowed to glimpse inside the sensual world of the
geisha.

"It was important to me to re-create the world of the flowers and willows as it was
over a century ago, including the Westernization of Japan happening alongside the
fascinating world of the geisha," said Bacarr. "I also wanted to debunk the
misperception that geishas were prostitutes. While sex plays an important role in my
book, I wanted to show that these women are true artistes and entertainers and must
choose between their art or falling in love."

Bacarr's next novel, Naughty Paris, will be out in July. It's an erotic time travel
that tells the story of a woman who travels back to 1889 Paris and has a wild affair
with a lost French Impressionist.

\"My books are adventure stories in exotic locales, but they all have a common
theme,\" she says. \"The art of seduction is a powerful aphrodisiac. Be careful how
you use it.\"

For a complete list of the RIO winners, go to:

http://www.rio-reviewers.com/rae/rae2006.html

To schedule an interview or photo, please contact Jina Bacarr at jina@jinabacarr.com
or through her website: www.JinaBacarr.com


Web Site = http://www.JinaBacarr.com

Contact Details = Jina Bacarr
jina@jinabacarr.com
714 840-5562