I am reading: Editing Tracey O'Hara manuscriptI'm listening to: Best of Fleetwood Mac
I'm watching: The original 1975 series of Survivors
Making me smile: Cat picture below (Sigh!!! Work, work, work - that is me at day job)
Last month Mel Teshco did a blog on Romancing Erotica and it got me thinking – not as a writer but as a reader.
What is it about erotica I enjoy? I’ve seen many erotica writers say that it has to have romantic growth of the characters or it is little more than porn. Well, I’m not sure that I agree with that. I guess that is the difference with erotic romance and erotica.
I am not adverse to reading erotic romance. Some of the best erotic stories I’ve read have a strong romantic story. Denise Rossetti, Meagan Hart, Portia Da Costa and our own Mel come to mind. Their stories give me the nice romantic tug as well as the warm tingly, uh-hmm feeling.
But I don’t necessarily need that romantic pull if is a satisfying read (and NO - I don’t mean in satisfying in that sense - you naughty thing). For me it has to be: well written; explicit but not crude; exciting but not depraved; and ending in a way that makes sense to the story—whether that is a happy ending or not.
There are certain things I don’t want to read about, certain things that challenge my sense of moral ethics. We all have our own boundaries, our own lines we aren’t comfortable about crossing. Someone could blush at a chaste kiss and others are happy to read much more risqué romp. One woman’s trash is another’s treasure so to speak.
My first Spice Brief, TONIGHT MY LOVE was definitely not a romantic read. Those of you that have read it will know what I’m talking about. However, my next Spice Brief, BLAME IT ON THE MOONLIGHT (out in August) is totally a love story. The inspiration for each was different, so the stories flowed differently.
So — if you read erotica — what do you look for in your erotic stories? Is it titillation, fun, excitement, or just good ol’ romance with a touch of spice?
