I write steamy paranormal romance, particularly vampire and shifter/werewolf right now. Check out my two free series starters, Life Blood and Taken. :)
I most often compare my work to Twilight meets 50 Shades (my vampires in Cora's Choice are more dark and angsty, and the S/M elements grow more and more pronounced as the series progresses), but the names that readers most often mention are Anne Rice and Sherrilyn Kenyon.
In Cora's Choice, Cora's Bond, and the following series, I wanted to show a heroine's journey from ordinary girl to someone super tough. This is a journey of months--years, even. So many stories start with an Anita Blake-type, able to kick ass and take names from the first we meet her. I thought it would be awesome and really interesting to show someone becoming that person through tiny changes that build on each other.
My world puts a different twist on everything from vampires (they're alive) to elves (aliens) and demons (interdimensional djinn). The Alpha's Captive series features a kickass heroine out of the gate, while Cora's Choice series--followed my Cora's Bond and others--has my "big" character story line.
Yes, there's an HEA. :) But the story keeps going on!