He did what to her on page one?

I was blog hopping – checking out who was thinking what about various things. One blog, that I hadn’t read for a very long time made me think one thing straight away – and that was huh? The writer, who is a writer, was complaining about erotic romance books and how these books always have the hero and heroine having sex in the first couple of pages. Hmmm…while I’m a great believer on having an opinion, why would you set out to read an erotic romance knowing there’s a bloody good chance that sex is going to happen in the book and more that likely, from the erotica books I have read, in the first chapter or in some cases the first sentence?

This blogger then went on to criticize the fact that romance cannot come from sex, that these books were unrealistic, that the words authors use were ‘inappropriate’ and she would never read any of them again. First up, that’s absolutely her choice to not read erotica again. I respect that. But I gotta’ say that the whole thing about romance books, whether they are mainstream or erotica, is that they’re first and foremost romantic fantasy. That’s what people want to read. A book allows you a couple of hours to kickback and not think about all the crap going in your life or has the laundry been done or can I serve up cereal again tonight for dinner or do I pay the bill on the reminder notice or can I push it ‘til the final demand? Reading is a break from real life. Most readers recognize that. While they would like a hero, maybe wearing a kilt, to kick open a door, storm in, snatch them up in his arms and take them to some wildly exotic place and shag their brains out giving them repetitive mind blowing orgasms, I gotta tell ya’ it’s a pretty fair bet it ain’t gonna’ happen in real life. It’s fantasy. Readers know that.

As for the romance not evolving from sex, well here’s the thing, it can and it does and if it’s never happened to you then don’t declare it can’t happen. How do you know? Inappropriate language….really, what is inappropriate anymore? ‘Fuck’ is used constantly as is ‘cock’ and ‘pussy’ and ‘arse’ etc not only in books but on TV, music, film and in the street. If you find those words offensive then you have every right not to read an erotic romance. Those words, and much worse, are going to be in there and I would have assumed a writer, in the romance writing business, would understand how different genres work.

Yes, I respect her opinion. No, I don’t agree with her dismissal of an entire genre. That’s dismissing the readers who love it.

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Holiday reading...

While I was on hols (holiday/vacation) I read various books...by the way, I am never going on hols again. It's too frigging hard to get back into work mode. You know what its like. Holiday? What holiday? Anyway, back to the books...I read four. Three were boring as all get out but the fourth I read in one sitting. It was a genre I was not overly interested in reading - male/male romance. No, it wasn't because of the subject. Romance is romance regardless of genre or body parts. It was more that previous M/M books I had read turned me off reading more. It was to do with the language in those stories. What do I mean by that? Previous ones I had read in this genre had the men speaking to each other in the most cutesy terms that made the stories unbelievable to me.

Now, I am more than aware lovers, whatever gender, have their own language but I swear to god I don’t want to hear anyone - male or female - talking cutesy baby talk through an entire book. I don’t want to sit there wincing as I try to get into the story. I do wonder if the previous rush of a large section of writers to pen an M/M story had something to do with the genre sliding into the silly and cutesy. I don’t believe everyone can write M/M. I don’t believe jumping on a bandwagon is a good thing if your style does not reflect the market or if you don’t understand the genre. I believe the influx in dross M/M novels had a lot to do with writers wanting to cash in on a lucrative following. Whatever happened to write what you know? There has to be some basis in reality.

But – back to the book I really liked and read in one sitting – Sex, Lies and Celluloid by Jodi Payne and Chris Owen. It had a great story and believable characters and the men acted like real people, real lovers and not a version of what some writer thought gay men spoke like. No, I don’t know the writers of this book. But the book impressed me. I want real, believable stories...not people jumping on a cash cow. Yes, of course. Its human nature to jump on a fad but surely a credible, enjoyable story is more important than another published book under your belt.

**Contest below**

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

I wonder...I ponder....

Can you write a book on a subject you only know a bit about? Yes? No? Maybe? Why do I ask? Well, I have been reading various blogs and talking to other authors about genres - what sells - what doesn't - what's hot and should you follow that trend? The answers are mixed. Following a trend is very tempting as you see others who had been successful at it. It also makes sense. But what if you have no idea what that genre is really about? For example, I would no more write shape shifter romance as I really don't think I would be good at it as I don’t like animals. I don't hate them. I just don't understand them and I think you need that empathy to write about animals turning into men and the emotions that evokes. Jumping on a genre trend makes me wonder how successful you can be if you don’t know or don’t understand. Does that come across in your writing?

Then there is the thing of whether you are doing it because everyone else is? Then I have to wonder if we all think that way is there going to be a glut of one particular genre that the readers will think - boring. To me, writing is a balancing act between what you feel and what is popular. I know an author who wrote an excellent erotic romance under a pen name. She will not write another. Why not? She was not comfortable with the genre. The book was successful and people asked for more. But I guess it just depends how far you will sell your soul. I admire her stance.

I personally believe you should write what you know. Write from the heart. Write what you have lived - if you don’t, can your book credible? Yes romance is fantasy but can you get by on the fantasy idea of what you think someone does or thinks?

Other than those ponderings, the highlight of my day was eating a particularly nice, crunchy Asian salad...yes, très exciting…so email me if you have an opinion...on the genre thing...or if you want to on the salad thing. I'm not fussy either way.

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Go Ahead:Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?