As I'm getting more and more excited about my five-sisters quinary, I've realized over the months that it has turned into a story that isn't exactly romance quality. As a romance novel typically runs as the story of two characters finding love--with a few sex scenes interspersed--mine, it seems, is fashioned the other way around. Not only do I tend to write a lot of sex scenes, but after a couple f-bombs and some choice synonyms for "vagina", I've found myself waking up in the technicolor world of erotica.
Holy cajones, is that a load off my mind!
I'm going to play ignoramus when it comes to the business and feasibility of selling a romance novel over erotica (something tells me it's drastically different and maybe even harder to do), but writing no bars, no censored sex is so beautifully liberating.
How frustrating is it to read a sex scene and just know the author is deliberately tip-toeing around a word or phrase? Dammit, just call it what it is! Would your hero really be whispering, "I want to make love to you" if, in the heat of passion, with his eyes dark with hunger, his words would more likely be on a more vulgar path?
Certain rules must be followed when writing a romance. Well, they should be followed, and I've seen isolated cases where those rules are broken. Like rape, for example. The heroine should never be raped in the story, because that makes for a broken heroine. Broken women are weak, emotionally raw and destitute, and it's hard to see her happily sexified by a hardened male when she really doesn't want sex (and who would after that??)
Incest is another one, and I'm not a fan of it, so I won't even go there.
In romances, the couples need to end up together. It can't be vague--they need to spend the rest of their lives together. My erotica is no different.
The wonderful thing about writing is that your stories evolve, your characters develop, and things just change before your eyes--really! It was just by accident that Dagibyr Holst of Brekken, my strong, silent type in book #3, became a total fiend in the bedroom, becoming utterly relentless not only in taking his pleasure but delivering pleasure to his mate--and always with a sound orgasm. It's gritty, it's sweaty, and I absolutely love it when he's cock-deep inside her and he bellows to the heavens, "Gods, how I love to fuck you."
Graphic? Yes. Appropriate? Definitely! Why would I want my character to shy away from his true feelings of physical appeasement by saying something lame and just plain ol' romantic?
So then I had a thought today: would my future readers enjoy reading about my characters in an orgy?
Each of the five books in this series focus on one sister and her quest for her mate. Shit happens along the way, there's strife, treason, jealousy and heartache. There's dancing, swordplay, war and love. Quite unsurprisingly, all my characters are beautiful and handsome and perfect in every way. (Well... not every way. That would make for very boring characters...) And these characters are all loyal to their spouses, so there's no chance of any cheating taking place.
Some of my characters show up in the other books. The other sisters, for example, make appearances in nearly all the books. But two of my heroes--Rowan (book two) and Sebastyan (book four)--were friends for years before the stories take place, and they each end up with a sister.
So, here's my question to you: is there any repulsion incited by having Rowan and Sebastyan and their two sister-wives having sex together?
And let's break that down further into specific instances, just to avoid confusion--1) having sex together as a group; 2) wife swapping; 3) having sex with their own spouse in the same room at the same time, and 4) taking turns while the other couple watches.
I really want to hear your thoughts!
JLH
