Sunny Leone moves into erotic fiction

"Sizzling stories by India's most desirable woman," twinkles the blurb on the smartphone screen, flashing an image of a smiling woman in a red dress.

Sweet Dreams is a collection of 12 erotic romantic stories by Leone. Image courtesy: BBC

The author is porn star turned Bollywood actress Karanjit Kaur, also known as Sunny Leone - the name that made her famous in the adult entertainment business in the US.

Last month, Juggernaut, a Delhi-based publication house, released Sweet Dreams, a collection of 12 erotic stories by Leone.

It is the first time an original short-fiction collection has been released on mobile phones in India.

Leone's stories are varied: one set in New York sees an Indian IT expert romping with an Indian stripper; in another a dutiful Indian woman has sex with her late husband's ghost.

"I would write on my laptop at all times, in Mumbai or in the quiet of my home in Los Angeles, or during time off on a Bollywood set and it took me four months to come up with the first draft," Leone tells the BBC.

Erotic romance was what Leone says was on her mind while writing the book.

"I've never written before; but I took up the offer from the publishers as a challenge and had a go," she says.

Leone can't recall reading as a child. Growing up in Canada to Punjabi Sikh parents, she recalls being into sports and photography.

The first erotic fiction she ever read was EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey on Kindle. "I remember reading and thinking, 'this is intense', and giggling."

Indian authors and experts in the publishing business say Leone's erotic fiction has come at the right time in the market.

Ananth Padmanabhan, an erotic fiction author, says that India has also succumbed to the "bold erotic effect of 50 Shades of Grey" in the same way Harry Potter influenced fantasy across books and films.

"India has an appetite for erotic fiction despite moral policing and Leone's stories are part of that wave to titillate the market that wants more."

Chiki Sarkar, Juggernaut's publisher, says: "Erotica is one of the high-selling genres for e-books globally and we felt it would work for the smartphone as well."

Moreover, Leone has a massive fan following across India and on social media platforms.

"Leone has about 22 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including many women who have all been enthusiastic about her foray into writing," says Sarkar.

Leone's own story is of an adult entertainment star who has become the most-searched person on Google by Indians.

In 2011, Indian television viewers were first introduced to Leone in the fifth season of the reality TV show, Bigg Boss.

The show, an Indian version of Celebrity Big Brother, had Leone, as a wild card entrant, bringing her closer to Indian television audiences who had until then known her as an American porn star of Indian origin.