Serious Sexytime in Books

September 23, 2013 by hollykerrauthor 6 Comments

I am the author of Erotic Romance novels.  Steamy, sexy, hot – I write books where there’s a lot of sex!

I didn’t plan on doing this when I was growing up.  I always wanted to be a writer, but I never thought I’d write stuff like this.  My father still doesn’t know.  I’m nervous to have my mother read my books, as well as my husband because then what will he expect of me? (Actually, not that nervous about that…)

I’ve written other novels, with less steam and sexy bits.  I’ve published one, and am getting ready to put out another.  I use my real name for those and created Anna Ellis for my pen name because didn’t really want people to get confused. Erotica isn’t for everyone.

But it seems like a lot are reading it!!

I didn’t take too much interest in the genre before the Fifty Shades Trilogy put erotica on everyone’s radar.  I know it was around long before, I know there were tons of fans out there but no one talked about it.  It was like watching porn – if you did it, you didn’t tell anyone.

People can say what they want about Fifty Shades (I’m quite vocal about my criticisms of it!) but you have to acknowledge how much it did to bring awareness to the genre.  The third book in the series was one of the Top 10 books in Amazon’s books of 2012.  And if readers liked what Christian and Ana were up to, they moved on to Sylvia Day’s books with her Crossfire series.  There are tons of authors out there that are becoming well known for writing contemporary romantic fiction.  Or erotica – whatever you’d like to call it.

Maya Cross.  Pamela Ann.  K.Bromberg.  J. Kenner  Maya Banks.  Dylan Cross. Nikki Sex.  Minx Malone.  (love some of the names!!) That’s just naming a few of the authors I easily found on Amazon.

When I decided to try my hand writing erotica, I did some research.  And I was surprised – there’s a lot of stuff out there!

Such as…

F-f. (female on female)

M-F.

M-F-M (male –female- male)

M-M(male on male)

Menage.

Paranormal romance, with werewolves, vampires, you name it

Kink with a wink

Gangbangs.

Cowboys.

Bikers.

Spanking.

BDSM.  This is a big one, thanks in part to Fifty Shades.   For those of you wondering,  BDSM is an acronym of bondage & discipline; dominant & submissive; S&M – sadomasochism.  BDSM  refers to any or all of these things, and a lot of stuff besides.  And it’s not all hardcore – it can be soft and sensual and subtle, more sensation than whips and chains.  But there are a lot of books out there on spanking.

And everything in between!

My books – The Husband and Wives Series – focuses on swapping.  Swinging.  The official name is apparently polyamory, which is the ”practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.   It’s different from swinging and may or may not include polysexuality.”  My books are about happily married couples who enjoy sex with their partner, as well as other people’s partners.

Sound like your cup of tea?  Check it out.

Why now?  Why is erotica so big right now?

You can get in to the discussion of feminism and how women are stronger and more independent than ever these days.  Women know what they want and how to go get it.  Being a 40 year old woman myself, I agree with that.  I’m different than I was twenty years ago, and so is society.

But then you have to ask – how are these women finding out what they want?  Do all women these days have the type of relationship with their partner where they can easily discuss their wants and desires and explore them together?

Ah – no.  That would be great, but it’s not how it works for most.

And that’s where books come in.  Books, written by authors who are in-tune with their own sexuality, understand what they want, what their readers want, and have a great imagination.  And no, I don’t think writing erotica means you have this kick-ass, hotter than hell sex life, where you explore anything and everything.  If you write about serial killers, does that mean you go out and kill people?

I think writers are a brave sort – they put their thoughts and feelings down so others can read them.  And those who write erotica are no different.  Maybe even more so, because they face ridicule and disapproval from so many.  But they have an added bonus of knowing what they write about might help someone accept and appreciate their own sexuality.  Discovering new things that turn them on, even if they save it for themselves.

I’m not suggesting this genre is for everyone.  But if you’ve ever been interested, this is the time to check it out!