Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Hot Topics!

Musings from Ahirah: Right now in the world of erotic romances there is a hot debate going on between writers. The Romance Writers of American association has published numerous letters in their monthly publication RWR (Romance Writers of America) about writers who write erotic romances. Now mind you these letters are not coming from anyone associated with RWA rather authors who want to voice their concerns or opinions about how they see the world of romance writing changing for so-called worst. As a fellow writer said: “I’m convinced they are conducting a thinly veiled witch hunt against authors who write erotic fiction. "-Koko Brown

Take a look at another author venting her frustration back in October 2007 -Victoria Dahl Where do I stand on the issue.

I totally agree with EVERYTHING the ladies had to say.

Erotic Romance is just that romance that is erotic. What does erotic mean you ask? 1: arousing or satisfying sexual desire

2: of, pertaining to, or treating of sexual love; amatory

3: subject to or marked by strong sexual desire.

What does romance mean? a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.

I wonder if the women writing these scathing letters, about how upset they are about the “trash that is printed”…I wonder if these women have sex. Sex is not wrong especially if done in a committed relationship. Most readers of romance novels are women. The purpose of reading romance novels is for fantasy. No woman I know ever read a romance and then divorced her husband or dropped her boyfriend like a hot potato. Reading any genre of fiction is to escape for a couple of minutes. Hours. Days from the hustle and bustle of everyday living.

What on earth is wrong with that? Romance of any kind is about passion, emotion, feelings. Sex is all that and then some. Novels are based somewhat on real life or the illusion of real life. Do men cuss? Hell yeah! Do women cuss? Damn straight! Do men and women have messy rough sex? I hope like hell they do! Can words turn on a person? Better believe it! For all of us married women out there, what is wrong with reading a hot steamy novel and attacking your husband when he gets home from work? I’ll tell you…NOTHING AT ALL. I think there should be a law that women all over the world read an erotic romance novel once a week. Two things would happen. First, men would buy more Barnes and Noble/Borders gift cards. Second, the world’s population would increase greatly.

Ahirah has spoken!

10 comments:

Kelley Nyrae said...

I couldn't agree more! There is nothing wrong with reading or writing erotic romance. People seem to forget that sex is something we ALL do (or should). It's natural. Also, I believe reading romances can improve some relationships in real life. Just my opinion.

Unknown said...

LOL! Well said!

Jane Leopold Quinn said...

I just found this blog and it's topic through a loop I'm on. We've been discussing this same topic on that other loop.

This frosts my bucket. I'm an author who writes erotic ROMANCE. I'm published and I have great reviews and even some royalties. :-) More men should read romance novels of any type and take lessons from them on how to seduce and make love.

Sometimes when I can't sleep in the middle of the night, I switch cable channels and sometimes find some porn. Unbelieveable. If men are taking their lessons from those movies, then they are getting it wrong! For one thing, there's no romantic seduction, let alone love making.

Romance novels are a school primer for love making, and more men should be attending classes!!

As someone on this other loop said, erotic writing is honest.

It's true. I think it's beautiful, at least I try to make it a beautiful expression between lovers. It's what I write: My Romance: Love with a Scorching Sensuality.

jane

Angela Knight said...

My dear, I have been writing erotic romance since 1996, and it's taught me two things: The world is FULL of prudes who can't stand to think that somewhere, someone may be having fun in bed. (Or on the kitchen table, or hanging from the chandelier.)

And second, the only thing you can do about those people is wait for them to die.

sydney molare said...

Good post. People are entitled to their opinions. It may be a huge waste of time to attempt to change an organization of thousands of people. Every member--if they are writing romance--is quite aware of what erotica is...and they apparently don't like it. Oh well. It's not like a Erotic Writers of America group cannot be formed, if it already hasn't. It's not like the erotic writers aren't giving out their own awards. Legitimatize yourself, esp. when there are as many erotic writers out there as romance only writers.

Angela Knight said...

I finally got a look at the issue of the magazine. Do you realize that they ran a similar letter by the exact same writer a couple of months ago? I could see if they were getting letters by different people bitching about this issue, running those letters. That would be perfectly acceptable. But running letters by the same people with the same basic wording -- all erotic romance writers write smut and use bad language -- gives you the impression that more people share this opinion than actually do. If this is the editorial stance of the magazine, I think a protest is in order.

Not that it surprises me.

Collette Thomas said...

I totally agree that more men and women should read erotic romance fiction, and if they did...there be a lot less break ups, a lot less misunderstandings, and a whole lot more loving! I once rented porn movies and showed them to a male friend...I then showed him some of Candida Royales movies...and he agreed that he saw a distinct difference between the two. The latter had no slam bam thank you ma'am mentality. Instead Ms Royales movie portrayed wonderfully sensuous erotic lovemaking that celebrated these physical as well as emotional feelings between partners.

And the same goes for erotic romance fiction. What a better world this would be if these books were found on the nightstands of all America.

M Barnette said...

Try writing the genre I primarily write which happens to be erotic m/m romance. Now there's a 'true evil' in the eyes of the RWA and a select number of their overly rabid following.

shhhhh... everybody sleeping! said...

lol well alrighty!!!

shhhhh... everybody sleeping! said...

I'm loving this... laughing @ Angela Knight!