Sex, Fantasy and the Erotic Romance

For the past week, I've been writing sex scenes.

I love to write sex scenes--when I'm in the mood for them. This week, I was on a roll. Four scenes, one with light bondage, all of them explicit and hot. I mean, why go to all the trouble of getting naked and having sex if it's not going to be sweaty, full-out, break-the-bed sex? Right? The same goes for sex scenes.

Sure, a nice, sweet I-love-you tumble is okay. Now and then. But most of the time, don't you want the fantasy? The kind that gives you multiple orgasms (together, no less) and leaves you sweaty and drained. Ready to go again. And so is he.

My characters have been doing it on a pool table, on the couch, on the bed, in the shower and up against a wall. That last one is all about the fantasy of strong men with bulging biceps who can hold us up against walls, no matter what we weigh. And make it good. And really, who doesn't want that? Big brooding gorgeous guys with muscles (not too many) and long, dark hair (yeah, I have a thing for long, dark hair) and big cocks. Yes, big cocks. I mean, come on, if we're going to have the fantasy, let's go whole hog.

Isn't that why we read erotic romance? For the fantasy? To get hot and bothered and fall in lust and love? I know I do. Some people skip through sex scenes to get to the rest of book. If I don't like a book, I skip the plot to read the sex. And if the first scene doesn't do it for me, the book goes on the pile for giveaway.

Which is where most of my books been going lately, especially the erotic romances. I think some writers, when they jumped on the erotic bandwagon, forgot an erotic romance needs a love story, character development and a plot in addition to hot, sweaty sex. There has to be a reason those two guys are in love with each other and that woman. A reason why she wants to be tied down to the bed so her partner can take her. A damn good reason why, if the guy's a vampire, she's going to give up her life to live with him in the shadows.

That said, I'm reading Louisa Burton's Bound in Moonlight. I probably wouldn't have picked up the book in a store. I received it at the Long Island Luncheon last week. I'm only a few pages into it and I'm already hooked. Hell, I was hooked from the back cover and the first few pages have only bolstered my favorable opinion. I can't wait to get back to it tonight. Then again, I may have to go get the first book at the book store tonight so I don't read the series out of order.

I also have a Samantha Kane book waiting for me, one of her Brothers In Arms books. I'm dying to get to that but I've been saving it for a night I know I'll be able to read the whole thing.

Both of these authors blend romantic fantasy and hot sex in equally pleasing ways and completely different ways. Burton's prose is almost lyrical, Kane's writing is raw and emotional. Both have managed to draw me in completely.

And that's what I strive for in my own writing, that moment when you have to take a deep breath because you haven't been able to for several minutes. That clench in your gut and, yes, the tug lower, between your legs. That connection the reader makes and the one that stays with them after they've finished the book.