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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Beth Kery: Why I Love Writing My Romances Sexy….Really Sexy.



If you met me, you’d probably be at least mildly surprised—and probably greatly—that I write erotic romances. I’m reserved for the most part, and come from a family that highly values academia and scholarship. Maybe that initial surprise a stranger might experience at my writing career is partially related to why I like my romance novels to leave the bedroom door wide open. When you meet someone, you never really know the inner corridors of their psyche, the longings, the secrets, the hidden gems of what makes them special. I have a doctorate in the behavioral sciences and have studied human beings for a long time. I know this true of everyone, not just a few people. Everybody has a surface they show the world and a hidden, deeper reality. As a reader of erotic romance, we peer into that inner world of a character when we intimately know their sexual fantasies. We see and understand what drives a character when they make love.

So for me, writing an erotic love story or opening the first page of an erotic romance novel is like opening a door to a hidden world. We’re provided access to a place most human beings never allow us: forbidden territory. It’s exciting and titillating, yes, but it also can be profoundly beautiful to see two people open themselves to one another, find trust enough to reveal desires normally locked away, show their scars, and in the process, heal those wounds.

Just as a horror novel might throw open the doors to the dark, twisted stairwells and secret rooms of a madman’s psyche or a piece of women’s fiction might throw light on the conflicts and motivations of a modern woman, an erotic romance uses the arena of sexual and romantic desires to create character and drive plot. Is that a shallow means for portraying a human being? I would say if done well, just the opposite.


Do I always need erotica in my romance novels? No. The writing and the story is always the key to a satisfying book. But I do recall reading romances in the 90’s with incredible sexual tension, but then feeling dissatisfied by the eventual climax. The build up was exciting, but the final payoff was often disappointing. Somehow, brief, vague or flowery descriptions of the character’s erotic thoughts and the sexual act itself left me feeling that the door had been slammed shut on the characters’ psyche. Freud made the idea popular that sex is the key to personality. While I wouldn’t go to that absolute, I would say this: if you were magically able to comprehend another person’s fears and sexual longings, if you were privy to their nightmares as well as their secret desires, you would have a much clearer understanding of what drives that individual.

Do you recall the first time you every peeked in to the realms of sexual desire? There’s an undeniable magnetic pull to the experience. Maybe the reason I love the erotic romance so much is that when you open that book the first page, you’re guaranteed that when it comes to fully understanding the hero and heroine’s sexual longings, conflicts and secrets, the door isn’t going to be slammed shut in your face.

Do you enjoy erotic romances? If so, what are some of your favorites? Leave a reply that relates to these questions to enter to win a copy of (winner’s choice) RELEASE or Because You Are Mine.

**Beth's winner is Rosarita Reader.  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info!**

20 comments:

Mary Preston said...

I don't read a lot of erotic romance, so I don't actually have a favorite. I'm happy to read it if I come across it, but I don't actively seek out erotic reads.

Fedora said...

I read pretty much all heat levels, Beth, and find that the most important part of erotic romances for me is the emotional connection and also that the physical reflects and expresses that connection. A series I've been wowed by in this respect is Katie Porter's Vegas Top Guns--each story is one where the sex reveals the characters and their intimate connection. And Wicked Burn and several of yours are also on that keeper shelf, Beth ;) Looking forward to catching up with your more recent releases!

Mary Kirkland said...

I do read erotic romances and one of the best series I found was the Desire Oklahoma series by Leak Brooke. Hot, hot series.

But I also read a lot of PNR and like authors like Sara Humphreys, Larissa Ione and Christine Feehan.

miztik_rose@yahoo.com

Dark Thoughts Blog

Anonymous said...

Yes, I do read them. My first was 50 Shades of Grey and then I moved on to Crossfire Series and Blackstone Affair. I have also enjoyed many Beth Kery books. I bought the series in installments, I much prefer the whole book and I'm glad you decided to put them together. :)

Alina P said...

I like it, depends on my mood. I really like Cherise Sinclair, you, Lexi Blake. Thank you for the giveaway and the post.

Unknown said...

I love erotic romances but also paranormal mysteries. Of all your books that I have read the Princes series is still my favourite. I can't decide if I like Silken Rapture or Velvet Cataclysm more. They are both awesome and I have read both several times. Exposed to you is my favourite in the Katie/Rill series.
Thanks Beth.

marulett said...

I really like reading erotic romances, your books are among my favorites along with Cherise Sinclair, Sylvia Day

Jewel Book Lover said...

I love erotic and M/M romances. They give you the chance to enter a new world, to open a door and live through the characters your secret desires. For the time you're reading you can drop the wall you build on your surface and where you hide behind. I don't like all the erotic books where the only focus is the sex, sometimes extreme, I like to find sex, obviously, but also emontions, feelings, a romantic storyline. And Beth is one of my favourite erotic writer. I loved also the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day

Unknown said...

I enjoy erotica books, because they teach me things about a world that I have yet to experience, but would like to experience. I also think it confirms my belief that I am not a freak because I would like the opportunity to live out some of my fantasies.

Pat Cochran said...

I have read some erotic romance: Sylvia
Day, Shayla Black, Maya Banks. Beth is a
new-to-me author, I plan to get to know
her by reading Release. Thanks!

Pat C.

erin said...

I enjoy erotic books b/c it's a way to vicariously be open and experience new things. I love Beth Kery!, Sylvia Day, and Alice Gaines to name a few :) Thanks for the great post and congrats on the new release!

Author said...

I find when the erotic scene is a reflection of a character that it sheds light on their personality in a way no other scene could. I read Fifty Shades, and admire the author for writing it. Was a little slow, but a break through book, so I'm glad for it.

I admire Sylvia Day, but the Crossfire series is too dark for me. I am struggling through it, always amazed at its popularity. Thanks, Emily Jane Trent

Two books that stay in my mind, and I can't forget are Wicked Burn and Exposed By You, your books, Beth. The characters were unique, memorable, and their struggles touched my heart. The erotic scenes made the stories complete.

beth kery said...

Hi Fedora! Nice to see you here, and thanks!

beth kery said...

Mary, I love Larissa and Christine F. too. :)

beth kery said...

Hi Rosarita!

Thank you! Actually, it's the publisher who makes those decisions, but I'm glad you did enjoy.

beth kery said...

Aw, thanks Carolyn. I haven't written many paranormals, so it's always nice to run in to someone who likes them. :)

beth kery said...

Thank you, Erin!

I'm having a little trouble posting here for some reason, so for those of you I didn't touch base with, thank you for reading the article and taking the time to comment!

Also, thank you to Bags 'n Blogs for having me!

Carol L. said...

I really enjoy reading Erotica and M/M. It's a new experience in reading. I love Sylvia Day/Larissa Ione,Maya Banks and Shayla Black to name a few. Thanks fir the opportunity.
Carol L
Lucky (at) aol (dot) com

Eli Yanti said...

not really a fans of erotica but sometimes I read one or two book if my friend recommend the book is really good and have to try

Lory Lee said...

I do read erotic romances and I'm proud of it! Don't have a favorite book, but I have a favorite author. (Jess Michaels) :)