I've wanted to talk about this for some time but I've really been struggling with how to do it without including spoilers. I think I've figured out a way but it may still have some minor spoilers for my new book Master May I? So if that bothers you look away child, look away!

Master May I?: A Tale of Worship and Submission

So Master May I? isn't your typical erotica novel. That's not promotional buzz either I really believe that there hasn't been a novel quite like this one and that MAY not be a good thing. This is, after all, an erotica novel and erotica means a few things doesn't it? It means sex, lots of hot, sweaty, detailed, graphic sex! It also means simplistic plots, happy endings and cookie cutter characters.

Except when it doesn't. With Master May I? I decided to directly challenge the preconceived notions of the genre and not in my usual Shawna Hunter style. I didn't just get creative I broke a major rule with Erotica. Which one? Tears. Now erotica blends well with other genres. Horror and Sci-Fi erotica are easy to find, Romance/erotica used to be the only kind and even comedy/erotica can be found (Check out Roxy Katt) but what I did was take Erotica and mix it with the only genre erotica is supposed to stay the hell away from. I blended it with Tragedy. I mean why not? Who'd've thought vodka and cream would work well together until some Russian guy tried it?

Now there's a lot of diversity in Master May I? Hell the main couple is interracial with a dominant black sheriff and a submissive white reporter that's cool right? Tumblr? I also explore the various types of BDSM relationship with an emphasis on both physical and spiritual romantic connections. Not to mention the heaping helping of kinky sex and all that good stuff but there are the following themes as well:

- Suicide
- Depression
- Alcoholism
- End of life care
- Loss

These are not tertiary concepts that I brush over between sex scenes either. They are an integral part of the plot. They are not fetishized or sexualized. The point here was to create a story that could (and boy does it) have all the hot sex of your traditional erotica but which would also explore the broader emotional connections between individuals. Sex and love go together after all but love isn't all rose petals and riding crops. Those we love can be hurting, those we love can be lost. We can find support in one another but the bonds we form can also cause us the deepest pain.

Dealing with these subjects in this medium was in no way easy. I had to find the right tone and the right touch. I couldn't have it be aggressively depressing or painful but at the same time I didn't want to make light of very serious issues. It's never easy to talk about these things but doing it within a sexy, kinky, playful world? This is why I believe Master May I? To be unique. It's an erotica tale that's meant not only to turn you on but to create a narrative that deals with very serious, real world issues and the impact they can have on our lives. My goal was to address these things with respect. Never trying to find solutions or preach but instead to have these realities be part of the narrative in a natural way that makes sense to the characters.

So the rule I broke? Erotica should never make you cry. Erotica is usually light and easy, an escape from the real world into a naughty fantasy land that gets you all hot and bothered. Master May I? does that but then it takes candy land and makes it a real place with real people and real problems. A place of laughter, fun, love and loss. Why? Because we're all human beings. That kinky cop making jokes about handcuffs, that slutty author (no, I mean Alyssa!) in the skimpy dress (seriously, I mean Alyssa), that double amputee struggling to get her wheelchair through the grocery store's door. We all have sex, we all have friends and joys and pains. So yes, I took an erotic fantasy and made it human but I am human and I don't know about you but when I dream of sex its with other real, complete, complex human beings. That may bring pain but what is that pain if not a reflection of how much that person (real or fictional) meant to us?

So maybe this book is for you or maybe it's just too much of a turn off I don't know but let us never say it can't be done. Boundaries are there to be pushed and maybe (dare I dream) your favorite erotic novel will be the one that makes you cry.