When I found erotic romance, I was thrilled.
I’ve been a romance reader for dozens of years. I devoured historicals (the longer and racier the better), and Harlequin contemporaries (especially if they had a Greek hero… be still my heart!) by the hundreds.
I even wrote a number of them myself. (Unfortunately since I don’t know any Greek men, I stuck to what I do know, men as untamed as the Wild West itself.)
I’d always been known a “racy” writer. For me, giving my hero a cock was natural. So when I found e-rom, it was a natural fit for me.
I’ve never shied away from writing graphic, intense sex. I believe that sex scenes are not in a book simply for titillation, they’re supposed to be an intricate part of the plot. A sex scene is meant to reveal character, deepen the emotional connection between the protagonists, advance the plot.
Hot sex is not about using naughty words and hurrying to the next scene, and it shouldn’t be.
Readers read for dozens of reasons. For fun, for excitement, relaxation, escape. My son was in the hospital once and I was enduring long, seemingly never-ending hours in the waiting room. I had a historical romance with me that provided momentary relief from the anguish.
It’s my goal that readers will be able to escape emotionally into my books. I feel I owe it to him or her to make every page, every paragraph, every sentence as meaningful as I can. To me that means being honest. I won’t toss in a scene just because it’s page 113 and there should be one, I let the story build naturally. Sex is a logical way for characters to invest in their own relationship.
Another key hallmark of e-rom is sexual tension, that energy that crackles between characters even when they’re not in bed (or tied to a St. Andrew’s Cross). Sexy dialogue, meaningful glances, silent communication that arouses interest can be emotionally fulfilling. A hot, hot kiss can be as sexy as sex; hell, it can be sexier!
I feel I owe it to my reader, who chooses e-rom for a reason, to give her the most fulfilling book I can. After all, sex without emotion can read like a list of ingredients on a soup can.