Modern Good Reads discussion

Hello ladies, and the rare gentleman, I am your Paranormal Romance/Erotic Romance moderator. Believe it or not, I read and write in this genre.

So I am cool with all that hotness. Feel free to talk about any books, no matter how scorching-smoking-scalding hot it is.

I can take the heat. Bring it on.

And, being an author, I know how immensely tempting it is to talk about your books, but lets respect the readers and keep the spam level to a minimum.

Aaannndddd go.

Lol, I think you are perfect to lead this discussion! I've always struggled with this classification. What exactly is a Paranormal Romance? And how do you determine whether it falls under Romance or Erotica?

Plot.

Is there one?

If you remove the sex scenes, would there be a story?

That is the question which defines whether or not it's some version of romance/paranormal romance/erotic romance, or just plain ole erotica.

So, Romance has a story, and erotica is just about the sex? Guess I can bet where 50 Shades falls ;)

I've read really good paranormal erotic romance, where the sex is vital to the plot, but so are the paranormal elements (Eden Bradley is great at this). But that's a hard balance to pull off -- one or the other can suffer.

I do think the sex has to be vital to the story, or why bother calling it any kind of romance? Now that sex can be anything from a kiss to taking it to the edge.

So to me, the erotic rating is an indication of is the door closed, open, or wide, wide open -- and how kinky are we going to get.

That sounds like a good explanation to me. I prefer to just say adult and that covers any sex from vanilla to all thirty- one flavors ( or fifty shades if you prefer)

That is a good point, and I have walked that line myself, writing erotic paranormal romance where eroticism and sex is pretty much ingrained into the plot, inextricable.

It is tricky.

:)

I prefer intamcy scenes that add to either the story or character development. Intamacy can be a great chance to explore a character and offer chances for self discovery in that character. I'm not a fan of sex that just sex or that adds nothing to the story or my understandings of the characters involved.

I believe erotica has romance in it, it's not just sex, if it were that would it not be short of describing porn, erotica moves you far more deeply than e.g. romance, it ingrains itself in you if written right, if the author captivates your soul, haunts your heart and in the paranormal setting bewitches you with the characters, from the first bite to the claiming of your heart, if done right you will come back time and time again for the adult fairy tale!

I feel like it's romance if it involves feelings - not just sex.

I always liked The Ghost of Mrs. Muir and was inspired to write A Thousand Awkward Moments to bump up the level of intimacy with the ghost.

I have a paranormal romance series but other than some kissing, flirting and some off camera sex, there is none. I classify it as a paranormal romance because it has a plot first and then the romance follows, but in the first book, it only hints of the romance to come. People read it and argue the fact that it should be in the genre and claim it to be a paranormal drama, so I have to constantly explain, the romance gets deeper with the series. However that being said, with the whole erotic thing being associated with the paranormal genre, sometimes it makes me want to have different classications, like movies have ratings, pg13 and such. My book is not a young adult so this often proves to be a problem. What does everyone else think? I was just curious because I recieved a bad review not because my book was bad, but because they said it had no sex. They said my writing was good other than that, which I found unfair.

I personally want the sex. I felt like Twilight didn't go far enough but Trueblood was too much. ( I just read that you not supposed to name your book - sorry) Although I really want to know what books you all have written!!

I'm totally with Travis and his definition. Erotica isn't just sex but if you take the sex out of the book is there still a complete story. When in the mood I have read Erotica but I always feel that there was something missing so for me I think Erotic Romance where the sex is interigal to the plot is a better fit.

@Shawn, I have had this discussion in another group and it caused an uproar. It seemed to be split down the middle. There is a huge readership of people who prefer that the sex takes place off "screen" they don't want to read the intimate details just want to experience the sexual tension and build up to the "event". Then there is half who need to have some type of explicate sex in the book or they feel let down.

Your other point of that the romance builds across several books makes me wonder if your book is more an Urban Fantasy where the romance is really secondary to the main story. An example is Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. Classic UF.

This subject always makes me return back to the old saying, "Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?" In paranormal romance, you can really get the reader going on so many levels just by adding sexual tension and the implication of sex. It's a great way to build the character relationships, and toys with the reader's imagination. "Will they do it?...I really hope they do...I bet it would be hot." It keeps the reader interested and invested in the characters, rather than just describing how they did it, and what positions they used. It makes the romance more flexible in that a more reserved romantic will imagine an intimate and loving sexual encounter, while an already "wild in the sack" exibitionist can enjoy letting their mind wander to all the more physical and dirty details.
I have actually had guys around me say that some of the hottest girls they have ever seen were ones that kept covered and left something to the imagination. That being said, maybe the slutty girl in highschool that shows her naked body to half the guys in school isn't quite as appealing as the modest blonde that leaves a guy wondering how wild she really may get if given the chance.

So...building tension and being subtle vs. flat out erotica: You would be surprised what the most timid of housewives with a good imagination can create in the recesses of those secretly naughty desires. ;)

Krista wrote: "This subject always makes me return back to the old saying, "Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?" In paranormal romance, you can really get the reader going on so many levels just by addi..."

That's an interesting point. I think you're right, but I suspect its one of many shades of truth.

I think there are many who agree with you, and I agree with you.

But, I also know that for me, my own tastes, PNR that skips-glosses over the sex scenes feels like its missing something.

I do read YA, many a YA series is phenomenal. But I also feel like its missing something, and its the same something.

So, personally, I prefer PNR that leaves that bedroom door wide open, with graphic visuals. But is that erotica? Not necessarily. Its just hot romance.

That's what my editor tells me, "Write it dirty, edit out the excessive anatomical references, and call it romance."

:)

I see your point. My view may also be a little altered because I tend to find myself blushing while writing even the most tame of love scene. And there is always that awkward thought that maybe my kids will stumble across it one day and be traumatized for life. "I can't believe mom wrote that..." haha!

Krista wrote: "I see your point. My view may also be a little altered because I tend to find myself blushing while writing even the most tame of love scene. And there is always that awkward thought that maybe my ..."

Well, here it goes: I write sex scenes while listening to The Prodigy. And usually somewhere in the middle of that scene, I am ready to tackle my wife and pin her down.

That's the kind of passion I want a sex scene to evoke. And that's why I like writing/reading them.

Here's a link to my inspirational youtube list (On a particularly choice song by "The Prodigy")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvDt57...

Is time travel romance considered historical fiction or paranormal romance?

I would say more fantasy/paranormal than historical.

Time travel romance is its own subgenre--subcategory.

Is historical paranormal romance fiction a thing?

Cela wrote: "Is historical paranormal romance fiction a thing?"

Depending on which genre best fits I would pick either Hist or PNR for marketing focus. But, Amazon will let you have two categories, and if you use the proper keyword phrases, you may be able to hit more than two.

For your blurbs and whatnot, call it historical paranormal romance all you want.

;)

Jayne Ann Krentz practically created this genre in the 1980's. Shield's Lady which she wrote under the pen name Amanda Glass was one of the first. If you google "Jayne Ann Krentz" Arcane, you will find some wonderful paranormal romance books. Here is a list of her books.

https://sites.google.com/site/stanand...