And the Erotic Romance versus Romance debate continues...

I need to rant and what better place is there, than here? 

Warning for language, if you proceed.

SO, I have a re-release coming out this month. I wrote this story in the early days of my writing journey, back when I thought I was going to write strictly historical romance. Little did I know then, how titillating and what a rush it is to write erotic romance.

But, I maintain this story is historical romance, pure and simple. That's how it was released the first time—and was well-received without controversy—and Historical Rom is what I reported on the book information sheet when I submitted it to the 'new' publisher. I've just been informed the story will be released as erotic, historical, romance, because, get this, there is SEX in the story. WAIT, WHAT?!? 👀 blink, blink.

This is what I was told:

No sex + happy ending = romance
Sex + happy ending = erotic romance

I highly disagree with this!!! 😠

To me, NO SEX in romance, is either categorized as sweet romance, or YA (depending on age, of course). 

Normally the erotic/not erotic argument comes down to how much sex and what kind of sex. Not sex or no sex. I'm actually floored by this! 😮

I mainly write erotic (romance) now, and I can tell you this story is not erotic. Sex is not what drives this story forward, it is the love story along with the historical significance, plus my own little twist on that history, that is the heart of this story. And yes, I agree, a story can be extremely erotic without there being any intercourse/penetration/climax—however you want to define it—at all, but I feel like the formula above is skewed.

Now, I understand publishers have guidelines that they live by, and those guidelines were in place long before I came along. And let's face it publishers bloody-well do as they please. I know from experience, bringing up my concerns to the powers-that-be over there, will fall on deaf ears, or if I get the right/wrong person riled up, I'll get a set down. But we all know how important the genre tags are.

I'm very cognizant about the historical accuracy, because diehard historical buffs will pick out the things that are not correct. But, my fellow authors, as we know, the same goes for readers who love their erotica. Historical Romance readers want the plot to be driven by, just that, romance, a love story, and history, which my story is. Whereas erotic fans want, yes, a good story, and perhaps some love and romance, though it's not a prerequisite, but what is, is a great deal of sex. They want their steamy bits, and they want them often, often, often. THIS story, is not laden with sex. The hero and heroine are not even intimate until the back end of the book—lots of tension mind you. Readers of erotica will be sorely disappointed if they pick up the book, and they won't be shy about saying so. And readers who read historical romance, will take one look at the erotic genre label/tag on the publishers website, or on Amazon and will navigate away from the book without a second thought, if they even see it at all, since again, as we know, Amazon likes to hide erotic works.

Readers of erotica also like explicit and highly descriptive sex scenes which use a certain vocabulary. Again, this story doesn't have that. It does have some steamy scenes, but historical romance connoisseurs also stick to a defined vocabulary during intimate scenes, which I have observed. 

And I will tell you in the beginning, back when my work first started being published, making the switch from more ambiguous depictions to the straightforward speech erotica demands, was tough. I was encouraged to use words that I didn't even use in my everyday life. I mean, I'm not a puritan, by any means. And I'll call a m*therf*cker, a f*cker, if he or she so deserves. But there were certain female body parts that I did not refer to with 'those' particular words. My early editors would often comment, 'you're being rather coy, just say it!' These days, I have no such qualms. The words roll off my fingertips without a second thought. And in my everyday life, now that *ssh*le that cut me off at the corner, is also a m*therf*ckin' c*nt! 😏 LOL

Anyway, winding down... I'm just afraid the book is not going to reach the target audience. And I've already been through the wringer with this one, when it was with the other publisher, [er...out the side of my mouth—non-payment]  so I'd hoped for better things this time around. Sharing this story means a lot to me.

So, my fellow authors, and readers alike, now that I've opened the erotic romance versus romance debate, I'd love for you to weigh-in, in the comments. 
Or should I just duck and run, for opening this particular can of whoop-ass—OH, NO... that's a whole other genre altogether. LOL. 

As a reader, too though, I know how frustrating and disappointing it can be when you pick up a book expecting one thing and you get another. On the other hand, sometimes you find some hidden gems that way, too, or a new-to-you author, or genre. 

Thanks for allowing me to vent my frustration. It won't change a thing—they gonna do, what they gonna do—but perhaps I'll feel better just getting it out.

Cheers!
Happy reading, folks,
Kymmie
a.k.a. H K Carlton

Something Else That Drives Me Crazy... Potholes

By Lucy Felthouse

Oh dear, I seemed to have developed a real liking for ranting. So here I am again, having a moan about potholes, this time. I've included the details on my latest release underneath, though, so you've got some light relief afterwards ;)

Sooo... potholes. Totally rife at this time of year. Very annoying, dangerous and potentially extremely expensive. My dad was at a garage recently (a non-pothole related tyre replacement) and he saw a total knackered wheel - yes, the wheel as well as the tyre was totally fucked. Turns out the driver had hit a pothole in a local village - a very posh village, actually, with a private school. Apparently, even having toffs milling about obviously isn't enough to make the council cough up.

The thing that annoys me about potholes is the fact that as a person that owns a car, and therefore pays an extortionate amount of car tax, I've already paid for the road repairs. Myself and however many other millions of motorists are putting money in the banks of the respective councils, whether or not anything needs doing to the roads or not. It does, of course, as potholes are an ongoing problem that will never be stopped unless some boffin invents a new road surface that doesn't crack and crumble. Of course, if they did, it would be deemed too expensive to  use, anyway, although it would no doubt pay for itself within a year or two.

They're not so bad on local roads, where the speed limit is much lower, as the motorist has time to see the pothole and take measures to avoid it. Obviously, swerving isn't always possible, if traffic is on the other side of the road, or if the road is narrow, but if you absolutely have to go through a pothole, a crawl is much better than a zoom, naturally. Even then they judder the entire car and the people in it, which still can't be doing much good for the vehicle - through no fault of the driver's.

What does drive me completely mad and also scares me is potholes on dual carriageways and motorways. I use a busy dual carriageway and motorway on a regular basis, and they're currently both riddled with potholes. I've even described some of them as craters, they're so bloody big. And on those fast roads, they're a death trap, in my opinion. In daylight, you can see them and take preventative action - again, if you have enough room to manoeuvre around them - but some appear from nowhere, and before you know it, you've thundered up and down a horrible bump and your teeth are rattling. And you're also pretty paranoid that you've buggered up your tyres, your wheels, your suspension or something else. And it's not your fault.

In the dark, it's terrifying. You know they're there, but because there's traffic everywhere, you can't put on your full beam lights, so the holes really do appear out of nowhere, and you don't have enough time to avoid them. I've spent several journeys now, gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life, and hoping I don't hit a crater.

And as for people going too fast, well, I'm surprised there haven't been more accidents. Some of the holes are genuinely big enough that I bet if someone hit them wrong, they could end up flipping their car over. And imagine the damage that could cause - to people, to cars, to lives. But of course, it could happen to someone doing the speed limit, too. Someone could just get unlucky, and then all hell would break loose.

You may be able to apply to have councils to pay for tyres and car repairs because of the shitty road surfaces, but what amount of money is going to replace the loss of life? Come on councils, pull your socks up. I know money's tight, but motorists are pre-paying for these bloody repairs to keep us safe and mobile, and you're not doing them. Sooner or later, something really bad is going to happen, and that's going to be on you.

P.S. Yes, most of the potholes are on the inside lanes, so common sense would say additional traffic and heavier vehicles are making the problem worse. As a result, middle-lane-hoggers are actually pretty sensible to stay where they are - for once, I can't blame them!

*****

Four kinky and erotic BDSM tales from the smutty pen of Lucy Felthouse.

Balancing the Books
Philip’s a well off man, and doesn’t need a job. But when he sees the gorgeous owner of his local bookshop, he applies for the role that’s being advertised there immediately. He’s totally stricken by the stunning Giovanna, and when it turns out she wants to boss him around in a sexual sense as well as an employment sense, he has no intention of refusing.

Feeling the Heat
Taylor and Maisie’s car has broken down. Luckily, Taylor’s handy with engines and is working hard to get them back on the road. Unfortunately, Maisie is getting annoyed at the amount of time he’s spending in the garage and confronts him. Instead of arguing back, though, Taylor comes up with an ingenious plan to keep Maisie quiet.

The Perfect Dom
Part of Mia’s nightwear is a pair of hotpants with SPANK ME emblazoned across the arse. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but when she forgets that she has a houseguest and heads to the kitchen for a drink, she’s shocked to find Alex in her living room. Immediately spotting what he sees as an invitation written across Mia’s bottom, Alex makes an offer and Mia soon discovers that he is, in fact, the perfect dom.

Meet Me at the Spanish Steps
Darby is working at a holiday camp on the outskirts of Rome and is getting along just fine, with the exception of her sex life. For various reasons, she’s not getting what she wants in the bedroom, and her tastes are very particular. She turns to the Internet to get what she needs, and when she discovers William, it seems that he’s more than willing—and capable—of scratching that particular itch.

More info, excerpt and buy links: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/the-perfect-dom/

*****

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women's Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

One of My Pet Hates... Litter

By Lucy Felthouse

I know this blog is a mixed bag, and not just used for rants, but today I really feel like having one. A rant, that is. You see, one of my absolute pet hates is litter, and there's rather a lot of it about at the moment, which has inspired this post.

It really does drive me crazy. It looks horrible, is dangerous to wildlife and just makes an area look really grotty, even if it's not. I live fairly near a school, and although of course I can't prove who drops litter, there is an awful lot down the alleyway near me, and in other places where kids have to walk to get to school. I suspect a lot of it is teenagers showing off to their mates - especially since there's a bin in the alleyway they could use!

The trouble is, once an area has one piece of litter, it makes people think it's okay to drop more. I suppose the mental attitude is that "well, there's litter there already, so what's one more piece?" and it's not right, not fair. I constantly have to watch the ground when I'm walking locally to make sure I'm not going to tread in anything unpleasant (dog poo is a whole other rant - don't get me started!) or that my dog isn't going to eat something that someone's dropped. Okay, if he eats a crisp or something, it's not the end of the world, but chocolate is poisonous to dogs so I have to be really careful. I know councils won't put more bins in because people set fire to them, and then someone has to be paid to empty them, but I just wish they'd do something to make people have more respect. Can't they just stuff the rubbish in their pockets until they get to a bin?! That's what I do when I'm out walking. But then, it isn't people who love the countryside that make a mess - when I'm out in the Peak District or similar, there's very little litter - it's pretty much concentrated in towns and villages, and by the sides of roads. Clearly dropped by people that don't care if they're making the country look like a dump.

Busy roads are another place where there's lots of litter, i.e. duel carriageways and motorways. Of course, this means that it could be absolutely any motorist, but I've known a few people say that wagon drivers are particularly guilty of this, which is the most ridiculous thing of all. They have tons of room in their cabs, why can't they just throw it in the opposite footwell for the time being? Yeah it'll be messy for a while, but when they pull over where there's a bin, they can put the rubbish in the bin. But obviously they - and other people - don't, because when I'm driving down motorways and duel carriageways, the amount of rubbish by the side of the road has me clutching my steering wheel more tightly and grumbling to myself.

What's annoying about it is... what can we do about it? Yes, we could don gloves and grab litter pickers and go and pick it up, but we're busy people with busy lives and haven't got time to do it. Even if we had, it wouldn't help unless the attitudes of the people dropping the rubbish in the first place were changed. People need to be educated about litter, and councils need to do something to tackle it. I have thoughts on how people could be utilised to help clean up, but that's an ever so slightly political rant, so I'm going to steer clear.

I just really wish there was a perfect solution to the problem. Until there is a solution, I'm going to continue to moan about it, and do my little bit by picking up what the wind blows onto my property, and by putting my own rubbish where it belongs... in the bin.

*****

When Kayleigh takes a gap year before starting University, she decides she’s going to stay away from guys and just concentrate on having fun and experiencing life. That means going through a lot of batteries, but she’s happy and satisfied.

That is, until she gets to Spain on her travels and meets her new co-worker, Luciano. The scorching hot Spaniard soon has Kayleigh’s knickers in a twist— literally—and the time they spend together seriously raises the bar for her sex life. How will any other man ever compare?

More info, excerpt and buy links: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/raising-the-bar/

*****
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women's Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9