Guest Blogger Nina Pierce - A Little Something For Everyone

It surprises me how many women of all ages are enjoying erotic romance. This genre that began in the back rooms of small internet publishing companies a decade ago has exploded in the digital age and has now gone mainstream with Berkley, Harlequin, and Kensington, just a few of the NY publishing companies that are jumping into bed with this genre.

But what’s the allure? What fascinates women enough to seek out erotic romance books?

Well, for one it’s the quality of the storyline and the writing. Erotic romance is not pornography. Let me repeat that lest you become confused. Erotic romance isn’t about writing a story around one gratuitous sex scene after another (that’s pornography). In erotic romance, the character’s love story, as in all romances, is the primary push of the plot. The conflict of emotion and the tension between the central characters is high even if the relationship is consummated. It’s the journey of the characters to find—if not their happily-ever-after—at least their happy-for-now ending. The plot may be central to the character’s sexual awareness, but having lots of sex is not what’s driving the main characters.

Also, the length of erotic romances varies immensely. Harlequin’s Spice Briefs and EC’s Naughty Nooners can be as short as 5,000 words and all publishers accept erotic romance stories up to a full novel length of 90k and everything in between. This means there is something for every reader from the “quickie” to the satisfying “take-it-slow-lounge-in-bed-for-the-whole-weekend” story.

Secondly, I think women are more in touch with their own sexuality. We know what we like and what gets our juices flowing and we’re not ashamed to seek it out. Our fantasy lives are as diverse as the authors and their stories. Want a vampire to seduce you? That’s out there. How about a little public sex? Oh, yeah available by the truckload. A little seduction with leather bindings and a ball gag? Perhaps the idea of two men finding love through a vigorous sexual experience is what you’re looking for. The m/m erotic romance abounds. And of course the fantasy of multiple men intently focused on satisfying one female is growing exponentially. My newest release, “Invitation to Ecstasy” (Buy link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9502-invitation-to-ecstasy.aspx) is the second in my Ecstasy Resorts series and takes the reader into the Bondage/Dominance/Submission/Masochism (BDSM) world. Trust me when I say there’s a subgenre to satisfy everyone’s fantasy.

So what is it about erotic romance that draws you or makes you shy away? What component keeps you coming back to the genre as an author and/or a reader?

BLURB:
A woman unwilling to trust …
Sara Lancaster isn’t sure accepting her invitation to a BDSM weekend at XTC Resort is a good idea—though she does have something to prove. Months of abuse at the hand of her former Master have taken their toll. Now, two years later, Sara believes she’s ready to embrace her submissive side once again and enjoy the carnal pleasures of a younger Dom.
A man testing his limits …
Derek Thomas has lost belief in his abilities as a Master. Accepting an invitation for Dom training could be exactly what he needs to regain his self-confidence. Challenged with an experienced older woman, he soon realizes wielding a flogger isn’t always enough to break down the emotional walls and heal a damaged submissive.
Two people with something to prove …
Sara and Derek sizzle with sexual heat the moment they step into the dungeon. The mind blowing sex and physical pain may satisfy their bodies, but wounded souls and broken spirits just may require something even more intimate—their hearts.

EXCERPT:

Ethan had said the Doms this weekend would be green, but the stiff way Derek moved through the club and down the stairs made Sara wonder if he had any idea what he’d just agreed to. The man had mentioned a dungeon, but the nervous energy buffeting her, led Sara to believe that perhaps the man beside her had never been left on his own to pleasure a slave.

Testing her theory, she boldly looked directly at his silhouette. “Master Ethan said we should use his private room down there on the left.” She pointed and moved a half step ahead of him. She hadn’t baited a Dom in a long while and she was feeling just foolhardy enough to test this kid’s mettle. The boyish face and youthful curls brushing his collar marked him as some college kid probably experimenting.

The man’s heavy boots pounded along the tile floor of the lower hall, the steady cadence never changing. “You’re well trained, Sara. You know better than to talk or look at me that way.”

“What way?”

He stopped abruptly, and Sara forced herself to take three more steps before casually turning and offering him a lackadaisical arch of her brow. Despite how hard she pushed, the man held tight to his control. His eyes narrowed, raking over her face with disapproval. Biceps bulged as he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to acquiesce. They were in a pissing match, still she felt compelled to push him. To make him prove his worth. Squaring her shoulders, Sara’s eyes met the annoyance sparking in his, mutely challenging the obedience he demanded.

“I’m not sure what you thought you understood from my conversation with Master Ethan.” The power of his deep, even tone shivered down her spine as he closed the distance between them. “But understand this now—for the next hour or two, I am your Master. You will obey me. You will treat me with the respect I deserve or you will be punished.” His luscious mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “Which means you’ll turn those beautiful blue eyes to the floor. And unless I ask you a direct question or you’re screaming your safe word, you will keep those pouty lips of yours sealed shut.” He leaned in close, her strangled pants mingling with his heated breath. “Have I made myself clear, Sara?”

The rational part of her brain screamed to obey, but it was the sarcastic hellion begging for attention who currently had control. Ignoring both logic and the heavy pounding of her heart, Sara lifted her chin in defiance. “Perfectly.”

“You want to play it that way? Fine. Game on.” Grabbing Sara by the elbow, Derek marched her down the hall, ignoring the two Doms, glistening with sweat, guiding a dazed sub out of one of the rooms. He pulled her to a stop in front of Ethan’s private dungeon and looked up into the camera monitoring the hall. His determined expression shot hot jets of anticipation through her blood.

“Do you enter this room of your own free will as my submissive?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand this room is monitored by cameras to protect both of us? And that the use of a safe word will halt all play immediately without repercussions or questions?”

“Yes.”

“And what is your safe word, Sara?”

“Attila the Hun.”

The smile he flashed held no mirth. “That’s a mindset, not a safe word.”

“Yours or mine?”

He leaned close, overwhelming her senses with the spicy scent of him. “Keep it up, Sara,” he whispered, his breath feathering heat across her cheek. “Punishing you for your defiance will be entirely my pleasure.”

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Bio: Award-winning erotic romance author, Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. So becoming enamored with books was only natural. She discovered romance stories in her early teens, falling hopelessly in love with knights in shining armor and the damsels who saved them. Eventually, reading about alpha males and the journey to find their happy-ever-after endings wasn't enough. She needed to pen her own stories of fated loves and soul mates. Nina's discovered the passionate side of romance with her sexy stories. For her, it's all about the sweet scent of seduction mixed with the heart warming aroma of romance. Nina resides in the northeast with her high school sweetheart and soul mate of twenty-seven years, their three grown children and several very spoiled cats who consider her "staff".