To Write in Sex or Not?

Should writers put sex in novels? 

Interesting question right? 

All who know me well know that I pretty much will answer yes almost 100% of the time. Obviously, these are adult novels we're talking about. 

Although, I won't lie. . .I wanted Edward to bang out Bella from behind, in the earlier novels.

Hey, don't judge me!!

Anyway a more sane person, Adrianne James is here to discuss whether writers should add sex in a novel or not. First check out her new novel below.

Synopsis: The Mythology department at prestigious Harvard University is tiny—and Mackenzie Duncan has just been selected as one of the lucky few. Her love for myths and legends is strong, but she never thought any of it could be real. 

After being attacked by a large wolf while walking home alone, Mackenzie realizes something is not right. She heals quickly, is suddenly super strong, and is experiencing mood swings that can't possibly be normal. The myths she's studying aren't myths at all. Werewolves are real and she's one of them. Fear of what she is, and who she might hurt sends Mackenzie running from the life she’s worked hard to build–and straight into the arms of a handsome Were named Geoff and into the home of his pack. Living with her new pack takes the edge off her confusion and self-loathing, but the arrival of new pack members changes the dynamic, and tests Geoff and Mackenzie’s growing relationship.

The hardest part of being a werewolf is having no control and no memory of her time as a blood thirsty beast. When a moon cycle passes and she actually remembers bits and pieces of the night, she starts to ask questions, and the more questions she asks, the more she realizes she doesn't like the answers. Can she set aside her own sense of morals to belong to a pack that is like a family or will she leave everything behind yet again in search of a life she can be proud of?

To fade to black or not to fade to black?

That is the question. 
So what is the answer? 
Well, that depends on the story.
To be able to answer that for yourself, you should ask yourself a few questions. 

First, who is the intended audience? 

Are you writing for young teens, mature teens, or adults? 

Next, would the graphic scene add to your story or simply be put in for the sake of having a sex scene? 

If you put it in, how graphic would your character really be? Also, how comfortable are you, the writer, with written graphic scenes? Do you enjoy reading them? What about writing them? Do they make you uncomfortable or embarrassed? If so, don’t feel pressured to add them in.

Writing a love scene should be as natural as actually making love. When your readers come across the scene in your book, you want them to read it and fall into the scene with your characters. 

You want all the emotion that your characters are feeling to spill right out of the page and into your reader. If that isn’t something you are comfortable with, maybe a fade to black is right for you. Maybe you WANT to be able to write the sex scene as if you were the one in the bed (or car, or against a tree, or on a baseball field…), then you should write it over and over until you DO feel it right to the core of your being.

But what if you are comfortable and have already achieved that level of writing? Should you write out EVERY sex scene in your romance novel? 

At what point does it become erotica? 

My opinion is that if the sex scene will add to the story, write it. If it’s a married couple who goes to bed every night together and makes love, do we really need to read it every time?

If you are writing erotica, then by all means, write it out! But please, please, please keep it interesting! No one wants to read the same instruction manual written out over and over again. 

Change the positions or the order of the foreplay, something to keep us on our toes.

No matter what you decide, it is your story. 

Do what you feel is best for your story and don’t let anyone change something you love.

Her Website

Growing up, Adrianne couldn't get her hands on enough books to satisfy her need for the make believe. If she finished a novel and didn't have a new one ready and waiting for her, she began to create her own tales of magic and wonder. Now, as an adult, books still make up majority of her free time, and now her tales get written down to be shared with the world.

During the day, Adrianne uses her camera to capture life's stories for clients of all ages and at night, after her two children are tucked in bed; she devotes herself to her written work. Adrianne is living the life she always wanted, surrounded by art and beauty, the written word and a loving family.

As a young adult and new adult author, Adrianne James has plans to bring stories of growing characters, a little romance, and perhaps a little magic and mythology down the line for her readers to enjoy.

Writing Opportunities: Scholarship to Greece, Romance Magazines, Anthologies

To all my writers! I'll be doing a monthly writing Opportunities blog post. Make sure you follow by email to catch it.


ENTER TO WIN A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE HOMERIC WRITERS' RETREAT & WORKSHOP ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF ITHACA!

Contest ends April 30.

Winners announced on or before May 31.

*Travel expenses not included. Winners of the scholarship must finance their own travel to the island. If winners can't attend, they may gift the scholarship to someone who can.

Join literary agent, Katharine Sands at the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop from Aug. 1-7, 2013. 

Retreat Attendees receive:

• $1,550 retreat scholarship
• Expert instruction on all topics of publishing
• A comprehensive critique and market recommendations for your work.
• Accommodation at Nostos Hotel with buffet breakfast, two dinners and excursions
• Gift hampers on arrival, filled with traditional Greek goods

Link to enter Here

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Penumbra eMagazine (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

Penumbra pays professional rates of 5 cents per word.  

Link to submit is HERE

Current Submission Calls:

• July 2013:  Japanese Mythology

Although our editor-in-chief loves Greco-Roman mythology, learning the folklore and legends of Japan opened up a huge window for her several years back. The lore was so intricate and lovely that it naturally stirred her curiosity. With Daughter of the Empire, first book of the Empire Trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts that curiosity became an obsession.  We want to see stories that are saturated with the rich and gorgeous culture of Japan, and take that mythology into new and unexpected speculative territory.

CALL BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 1, 2013
CALL ENDS ON APRIL 30, 2013

• August 2013: Revolution

"The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos."
—Stephen Jay Gould

Revolution is one of those themes that can mean anything. An alternate history version of the Civil War. A galactic battle between humanoid and reptilian worlds. A coup in a coven of witches.  The range of stories within this topic is pretty darn close to infinite. And while you don't necessarily have to follow Stephen Jay Gould's opinion, you might want to consider Abbie Hoffman's.

"The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it."

CALL BEGINS ON MARCH 1, 2013
CALL ENDS ON MAY 31, 2013

• September 2013: The Fae

What's not to love about the Fae?  Whether you're writing about the fairies like Tinker Bell or pixies, or the Tuatha dé Danaan of older Irish legends, this is the issue to let the Fair Folk loose in your imagination. Be sure you follow the will o'the wisp into new worlds—and take the readers of Penumbra along with you on your journey down the faery paths.

CALL BEGINS ON APRIL 1, 2013
CALL ENDS ON JUNE 30 2013

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Love, Lust and Zombies 
— an original anthology edited by Mitzi Szereto

*trade paperback to be published by Cleis Press, 
*Publication date: Autumn 2014


Submission deadline:

May 1, 2013

Word count:
3,000 to 6,500

What I’m looking for:

Well-developed story lines and well-crafted prose told in a unique voice and containing interesting characters and settings. Stories may be set in the past, present, or future. Stories from female and male writers are welcome, as are those written from the POV of characters of any gender and containing characters of any sexual orientation.

Note that sexually explicit content is acceptable as well as a more subtle approach; however, absolutely no stock sex scenes or formulaic writing/terminology. Please refer to my previous anthologies to get an idea of the variety and style of content I look for. No excessive gore or violence. No reprints.

Payment:

One-time payment in the range of USD $50-70 (payable on publication) and 2 copies of the anthology.

Send to:submissions @ mitziszereto.com
Link HERE


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Hot Ink Anthology Call

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We are looking for stories between 10,000 and 15,000 words, although exceptions may be made. 

Simultaneous submissions are allowed. 

Original short stories acquired for this program are edited by both in-house editors and freelance editors who are experts in the romance genre.

We pay $1,000 against a 25% royalty. (The royalty enters the picture with respect to downloadable versions of the work.) Although we will consider edge cases, “original” means original—not previously published. 


In your cover letter, please include the following:

• The subgenre of your story
• Confirmation that the story has not been previously published
• If you are a published author, and if so, for whom you write
• If your story is connected to a larger universe in which you already write
• This is not required, but please feel free to include your Twitter and Facebook URLs in the cover letter.

Stories should use standard manuscript format (Our preference is 12 point, Times New Roman, double-spaced.) and be emailed as Word or RTF.  Please send it with a cover letter including the elements described above to submissions[at]heroesandheartbreakers[dot]com.

Link is HERE

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Entangled Publishing

Stories should be contemporary romances with a moderate to high heat level, 10k-40k words, focused on a one night stand or fling with a ticking clock (e.g. a non-refundable plane ticket home) and complicated by a fun, light-hearted romance trope (e.g. fake marriage, enemies to lovers, boardroom romance) that pulls the characters into bed even as it threatens to tear them apart. 

Stories should end positively with at least the promise of a HFN or a HEA obvious on the distant horizon. 

Submit stories at  HERE, attention ONE NIGHT IN. 

If you would prefer to work with a particular editor, address your query letter to that person. Stories of 10k-15k words should be submitted as Flirts, and stories of 20k-40k should be submitted as Ever Afters. 

We’re open to characters of any ethnicity, race, or nationality and to stories with multi-cultural pairings and f/f, m/m, or m/f pairings.

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Entranced Publishing

Link HERE

Special Calls

Entranced Publishing is currently calling for Winter Themed Love Stories, Romances, and Erotic Romance. Please read the guidelines below in addition to our regular guidelines prior to submitting. 

Theme: Winter and Holiday Special Editions

Description: Got a tale of love and lust set in the heart of winter or around the chaotic holiday season? We’d love to see it. The stories should be character-driven and the chemistry between the main characters should be hot enough to sizzle. 

Length: 45,000-70,000 words

Deadline for Submission is May 1, 2013.

Holocaust Romance (Huh?): 5 Tips on Writing Controversial Romance by Megan Martin

I'm browsing my email one day and recieve a review request from author Megan Martin to read her book. I'm excited until I see that it's set in a concentration camp between a Jewish prisoner and Nazi doctor.

Immediately I'm like:



But I try not to judge too much. 

So in order to not be a complete dick about it, I browse the first couple of pages, but in the back of my head I'm like (you lost me at concentration camp). 

So I read. . .and read. . . and read. . .an hour later I'm emailing her to do a guest post on how to incorporate a romance around a controversial topic. 

She obliged because she rocks! So here's her post, but before you check it out. . .check out her book that BLEW MY MIND!

GIVEAWAY OF EBOOK COPY AT THE END OF THE POST

Short Book Summary: When captured by the Nazi's, Sarah finds herself in a concentration camp that not only brings her closer to death...but closer to love.

Hey Floozies!


In the Romance genre we find a lot of heroes with violent, questionable, and sometimes terrifying backgrounds that have shaped who they are (especially in paranormal romance). Lots of heroes (and heroines too) have done things like enslave whole groups of fictitious people and murder those they feel are less than them. 

We, as readers, are rather forgiving of these horrifying actions. Yet it is harder for people to stomach characters who are involved in mass enslavement that took place in real life, especially in the last one-hundred years.

Why is this? 

This question is easy—it's okay to subjugate people who don't really exist. Nobody really got hurt, therefore the hero(ine) in question is allowed his/her happily ever after.

When I tell people that my book is set in a concentration camp and is about a relationship between a Jewish female prisoner and a Nazi doctor, it never fails—their brows furrow in confusion before they say something along the lines of 'wow how did you manage that?

I never take offense to this because this was a part of the reason that I wrote the book—to write a character the world has already deemed unworthy, unwanted, and in many cases hated. 

With this being said it leaves a very important question—How is it possible to write about such a controversial topic? How can a writer redeem the seemingly unredeemable without losing the historical values of the time period? (I suppose that's two questions, but they are both important, lol.)

I've thought a lot of this and compounded my answers to these questions into five tips.

1. Put yourself in their shoes. I did this repeatedly while I was writing Aurel's character in Forbidden Angel. It is easy to label someone a monster when you don't know exactly what they've been through. The strength to stand against a power like Hitler is one that even the strongest of men would not have entertained. 

2. Don't let the oppressed forgive too easily. It is always important to remember that the character being persecuted shouldn't forgive the transgressor as if nothing happened. Sarah, the Jewish prisoner in Forbidden Angel, struggles with her hatred and feelings for Aurel the entire book. The world still hasn't forgiven the Nazis for what they did decades ago. A character in this situation wouldn’t easily forgive either.

3. Research. A controversial topic like the Holocaust is one that has been studied for years. There are tons of resources out there to look into. Like any historical work of fiction it is important to get all of your ducks in row.

4. Watch out for offensive slang. While staying true to a time-period is key, it is also important to avoid over using slang words that readers may find offensive. It is okay to use these words a few times in your work, but over use may turn readers away. 

5. Stay true to the time-period. This ties in with research. It is important to express the struggles and hardships that each character had to experience in this terrible situation. It is hard from every aspect and isn't something that should be expressed lightly.

Forbidden Angel is my first published work and I learned most of these tactics while writing and editing it. I hope this helps all of you out in some way! Happy writing!




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