Squawk Radio
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX – PART DEUX
I’m back. And as promised, here’s more about sex!
People also say to me, “Toni, why are women reading so much erotic stuff these days?” And I say, “Because Sex and the City showed them they could!” That’s oversimplifying, of course, but in a nutshell, our society is changing, for the better, I think. Yeah, sure, the downside is that we have 12-year-olds taking their fashion and life cues from Britney Spears and that’s scary – but we also have a bunch of women who not only recognize that they want to read about sex, but they’re doing it – reading about it! And maybe having better sex because of it! Erotic lines are popping up like dandelions in Spring, which is super cool for writers like me, and super freeing, I bet, for all these female readers!
Another question people ask frequently these days, because my book is launching the Avon Red line, is “Toni, when did you give up writing romance for erotica?” At first, I said, “Huh?” but then I realized Avon is marketing the line as “erotica.” So, for the record, for anyone who’s wondering, my Avon Red books are tee-totally romance, just very sexy ones. If you’ve read my past books, SWEPT AWAY has pretty much the same level of sensuality and erotic content.
So, you’re now asking, what is the Red line all about then? Is it romance? Is it erotica? Well, I can’t exactly tell you it’s “erotic romance” or “erotica” because you might define these terms differently than I do or than Avon does – one downside to the erotic trend in novels is that all the terms are getting redefined on a daily basis and no one knows exactly what they mean except in their own mind. But, that said, I can tell you that Red is publishing a pretty wide spectrum of steamy books. My own books are super-sexy and, by my personal definition, erotic, but I keep a close focus on the romance. Some Red titles, I’m told, lean more toward erotica, more toward Ellora’s Cave type books – which can be romantic yet also highly graphic in terms of situations, language, etc. I personally like that Avon Red is open to different kinds of erotic books because that will, hopefully, mean it’s an imprint that won’t become too homogenized and narrow in focus. In fact, I’m betting if you’re a reader looking to “dabble” in erotic offerings that the Red line would give you a good sampling of what’s out there right now.
I’d love to hear comments from people who have been reading some of the erotic books on the market these days. What do you like about them? Is there anything you don’t like about the offerings? How do YOU define erotic? And here’s a question that I, as an author in this sub-genre, really want feedback on – Are you getting bored with it yet? Are there too many erotic books out there? Do you think the trend will come and go? Or are you chomping at the bit for more and think you’ll always enjoy steamy reads? (I’m hoping for the latter, of course, ‘cause a girl’s gotta make a living ; ) )
Many thanks to the Squawk ladies for so kindly inviting me to blog. Nothing I like quite so much as talking about sex – unless, of course, you’re a smarmy man who thinks it means I’m digging you, ‘cause – newsflash – I’m not ; )
Visit Toni's website at http://www.toniblake.com!
I’m back. And as promised, here’s more about sex!
People also say to me, “Toni, why are women reading so much erotic stuff these days?” And I say, “Because Sex and the City showed them they could!” That’s oversimplifying, of course, but in a nutshell, our society is changing, for the better, I think. Yeah, sure, the downside is that we have 12-year-olds taking their fashion and life cues from Britney Spears and that’s scary – but we also have a bunch of women who not only recognize that they want to read about sex, but they’re doing it – reading about it! And maybe having better sex because of it! Erotic lines are popping up like dandelions in Spring, which is super cool for writers like me, and super freeing, I bet, for all these female readers!
Another question people ask frequently these days, because my book is launching the Avon Red line, is “Toni, when did you give up writing romance for erotica?” At first, I said, “Huh?” but then I realized Avon is marketing the line as “erotica.” So, for the record, for anyone who’s wondering, my Avon Red books are tee-totally romance, just very sexy ones. If you’ve read my past books, SWEPT AWAY has pretty much the same level of sensuality and erotic content.
So, you’re now asking, what is the Red line all about then? Is it romance? Is it erotica? Well, I can’t exactly tell you it’s “erotic romance” or “erotica” because you might define these terms differently than I do or than Avon does – one downside to the erotic trend in novels is that all the terms are getting redefined on a daily basis and no one knows exactly what they mean except in their own mind. But, that said, I can tell you that Red is publishing a pretty wide spectrum of steamy books. My own books are super-sexy and, by my personal definition, erotic, but I keep a close focus on the romance. Some Red titles, I’m told, lean more toward erotica, more toward Ellora’s Cave type books – which can be romantic yet also highly graphic in terms of situations, language, etc. I personally like that Avon Red is open to different kinds of erotic books because that will, hopefully, mean it’s an imprint that won’t become too homogenized and narrow in focus. In fact, I’m betting if you’re a reader looking to “dabble” in erotic offerings that the Red line would give you a good sampling of what’s out there right now.
I’d love to hear comments from people who have been reading some of the erotic books on the market these days. What do you like about them? Is there anything you don’t like about the offerings? How do YOU define erotic? And here’s a question that I, as an author in this sub-genre, really want feedback on – Are you getting bored with it yet? Are there too many erotic books out there? Do you think the trend will come and go? Or are you chomping at the bit for more and think you’ll always enjoy steamy reads? (I’m hoping for the latter, of course, ‘cause a girl’s gotta make a living ; ) )
Many thanks to the Squawk ladies for so kindly inviting me to blog. Nothing I like quite so much as talking about sex – unless, of course, you’re a smarmy man who thinks it means I’m digging you, ‘cause – newsflash – I’m not ; )
Visit Toni's website at http://www.toniblake.com!
Christina Dodd, 12:57 AM
30 comments
