Heh-Hmmm. Introducing myself.
Hi Everyone.
I’m Sasha and this is my first time blogging at Access Romance. YAY! I’m part of a wonderful community.
I’ve been lurking around here since it’s inception, but wasn’t ready to join. I admit that even though I’m a fan of Alison Kent, Julie Leto, Karen Anders and many of the other wonderful authors here, I was still hesitant to join. I was hesitant simply because of the name- Access Romance. You see, my journey to becoming a romance author has been a bit roundabout, but I’m hoping you’ll welcome me.
When I started writing a couple of years ago, I started with mainstream erotica. I sold short stories to Black Lace and Pretty Things Press among other smaller publishers. When I attempted my first romance I was rejected by Brenda Chin at Harlequin because of my writing style. The thing is, I think, that as much as I love reading romances, I’m in my mid-thirties, I’m still single, and I’ve never been in love. So I tend to write stories that aren’t always about finding love, or a traditional romantic relationship, but more about one characters personal journey. I do write romance as well, and even most of my erotica stories contain romance or some romantic elements. But they still aren’t what a lot of people consider romance novels.
Now, after 3 years or writing erotica, I have contracts with Berkley’s new Erotic Romance line, and Kensington’s. My first stories for both of them will be releasing within the next month, and I’m nervous!
I’ll tell you more about those stories in my next blog post here. For today though, I figured I’d my thoughts on the erotica versus erotic romance debate that seems to pop up all to often. It’s all my own opinion, and I truly hope that this will serve as a good introduction for myself.
Erotic Romance (ER) is the newest hot thing . . . and with its newfound popularity, it sometimes gets confused with Erotica. Everybody seems to have a different idea of what is what, and this is just my version of things. It’s easy to say that the difference between ER and Erotica is how they end. That ER ends with a “happily ever after” (HEA) and Erotica doesn’t. Or that ER is more story and more love, and erotica is more sex and less story.
But things just aren’t that simple.
Erotica is, and has been a complete genre on it own for decades. A genre full of literary stories, photography and art, as well. We all know there doesn’t have to be explicit sex involved to make something erotic. Yet, it seems easy for people to look at a photograph and say it’s erotic, even when there is not overt or explicit sex, but when a book or story is called erotica, it’s expected to be completely about sex.
Or worse even, it’s expected to be an Erotic Romance.
Now, this is not to say that erotica novels don’t have a lot of sex. But I believe Erotica is all about the main character’s journey. The sexual acts and scenes that take place in an erotica story propel the character on a journey. I’m sure there are many who will not agree with me, but to my way of thinking Erotica is closer to the chic-lit genre than to the romance genre.
Why? Because it’s all about the main character, and the obstacles that character faces. The obstacles could be a job, a boss, money! Or the fact that the character is realizing they like to be spanked, or that they enjoy sex with strangers, or that they crave being dominated and humiliated in the bedroom. The story is about one person’s journey to a satisfying end, not always a traditional HEA.
Erotic Romance is, first and foremost, a romance. However, it is a romance with a high level of erotic scenes in it. The bedroom door, or any other door, does not get shut in these stories. They are a full-bodied look at the relationship that develops throughout the story.
Erotic Romance is about the romantic relationship, and the struggles of the hero and heroine on the path to making their relationship work. It’s about their journey. The same as a traditional romance is, only in Erotic Romance, the author doesn’t hold back or close the door when it comes to the sexual part of the story.
These are the differences as I see them. It’s how I define them when I write them. But to me, the actual definition isn’t as important as the fact that readers realize they are two different genres, that they promise different things, and that they get what they’re looking for when they pick up one of my stories.
What do you think? Share your opinon in the comment section or ask me a question and be entered to win your choice of any eBook from my backlist, or a promo pack full of goodies on my upcoming releases.
UPDATE: Winner of the draw for todays post is Cherie Japp !!
Email me via the CONTACT button on my website Cherie and let me know which Prize you prefer, the free eBook, or some promo bookmarks and coverflaps for upcoming releases.
Thanks for the Welcome everyone!
DO you read erotica as well? Not just ER but real erotica?
