"Abe: Four in Hand" by MJ Fields.(Photo: Swoon Romance)
MJ Fields, author of Abe: Four in Hand, book one of her new Ties of Steel series, shares why she believes "there's no such thing as 'just sex.'"
MJ: Readers often ask, "MJ, are your books erotica or erotic romance?" When it comes to drawing lines between genres, everyone seems to have a different opinion. For example, how much danger does it take before your romantic mystery becomes romantic suspense? How much sex can you "show," before your romance slides into the erotica territory? And is it the amount of sex that matters, or the type, or the frequency?
In my opinion, there is no such thing as "too much" sex in a romance novel. But there is such a thing as not enough heart, or brains. Because, when we come right down to it, that's where true arousal begins for us ladies.
Historically, the idea of romance has been like a silhouette behind a window curtain. Shadows dancing, bodies entwined, sweet embraces — we all know what's really going on, but it's our imagination working instead of the author's words.
It's Hazel and Augustus in The Fault in Our Stars. It's Mia and Adam from If I Stay. It's Edward and Bella from Twilight. It's sweet, and the main focus is on the building of a relationship in tandem with a character's personal journey. Yes, I know these are sweet Young Adult books. They are about new love and romance in the very beginning of our sexual journey, but they all end with a bang, if you know what I mean. If we were to look at a romantic character's emotional journey on Google Maps, and drop a pin where the romance began, the pins would fall pretty squarely on the heart or mind areas.
Erotica is more like a straight-shot road trip to Las Vegas for spring break. More often than not, it begins in the ... erogenous zones ... and detours elsewhere purely by accident. That's because erotic stories tend to center around the sexual journey. Caleb and Livie in Captive in the Dark, for example, or Christian and Ana in Fifty Shades of Grey. From the main characters' first meeting, it's all about the sex — when they're going to have it, how they're going to have it, when they are going to have it again.
True, erotic books don't have to have a Happy Ever After. Romance doesn't have to be involved. But, if you find yourself feeling unsatisfied after the sexual "happy ending" has happened, why not explore that physical connection into emotional territory, to see where it leads? In the best romantic erotica, you'll find that through sex, the characters somehow manage to develop sensation beyond their erogenous zones.
In books like Abe: Four in Hand, book one in my new Ties of Steel series, it's all about the journey from "I have to have you" to "I think I want to keep you." The adventure starts with drop pins on the naughty bits, and like a wild fire, it somehow spreads to the heart and mind. Sex is very important to the story as a necessary physical release, but it also exposes a deeper desire to take and be taken (in more ways than one).
Let's get real for a moment. Erotic romance is often viewed as darker, or dirtier, than romance, because the subject matter tends to delve into things that are taboo. It's not faceless silhouettes behind the drapes, but skin and sweat and flesh, and words that we are taught never to say aloud — at least not in public. It's a study of visceral, physical needs many of us have but some refuse to acknowledge. Some of us were taught that sex is only for procreation, between husband and wife, and not meant to be used as a form of pleasure or selfish release. But in many cases, it's also a way of healing something broken or sharing pleasure with someone who wants exactly the same thing you do.
As a writer of erotic romance, I firmly believe that there's no such thing as "just sex."
I believe it was Mae West who said, "Sex is an emotion in motion." I couldn't agree more. In fact, I say, erotic sex is "pure emotion intensified by desire, fueled by a need which supersedes logic and defies description."
That's why all of my characters have something in their past or present that has made them harden themselves against emotional connection. Whether their issue is the loss of a loved one, betrayal by someone they once trusted, or watching someone they care about go through a heartbreaking experience, they have all built a wall around themselves that can only be penetrated — if you'll excuse the expression — by something or someone extraordinary. That's why vanilla sex simply won't do. In order to help my characters learn about themselves, grow and bring about a change in their behavior, the sex has to be earth-shattering. Mind-blowing. Epic.
But at its heart, it's all about the connection. I try very hard to make sure that each and every one of my characters grows in some way. It's a very tough, emotional process. And not unlike sex, it's very rewarding when you get it right.
My favorite thing about what I do is the e-mails and messages I receive every day from readers who tell me they've connected personally, emotionally with my stories. They tell me I've sucked them in, and they can't get enough of Jase Steel or Lucas Links. They say they can't believe how I made them love to hate, and then hate to love — or just plain love — my infuriatingly sexy male characters. And I know exactly how they feel, because that's what it's like when I'm writing them. I cry over them, laugh at them or with them, all the while wondering what in the hell is wrong with me. Even when it feels right.
I believe this is why so many of my readers, who started with my steamy New Adult romances in the Love Series have so readily embraced my grittier stories, like Steel.
So, don't be afraid to embrace erotic literature, because once that door to erotic discovery has been opened, you might realize it's not so scary in there. And once you see that it can actually be fun, you'll find yourself open to a world of delicious possibilities.
Who knows where those might lead? Maybe even to Happy Ever After.
Find out more about MJ and her books at mjfieldsbooks.com.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1uoF8m2
0 comments:
Post a Comment