How much sex is too much?

Today I decided to blog about sex. How much is too much sex? Is that even possible? Based on the genre, the answer is both yes and no.

I write very blistering menages under the pen name of Eve Adams. It isn't unusual for sex to happen within the first two chapters. If it doesn't, the characters are at least imagining it happening. Are the first couple of chapters too soon to have your characters engage in sexual congress? No way. When a reader picks up a menage, they know they are going to get sex more than M/F, and they know they are going to get a lot of it. Have you ever read a tame menage? I didn't think so.

In Under the Covers, my heroine works in a "gentlemen's club" as a courtesan. My alpha hero is an undercover agent working the nightclub scene to seek out a killer. He sees her and BAM! He has to have her. They don't have sex right away, but they are definitely... ahem... hands on by chapter two. When the beta hero makes his appearance, the three of them really crank up the heat. None of them knew each other before meeting in the club, so I didn't want them just jumping into the sack. However, she is working as a courtesan and there is an expectation that she will perform. Believe you me, she doesn't disappoint. Over. And over. And over.

Riding Double takes a different approach. The heroine already knows both her heroes. She's a wildcat who loves to raise hell. The very first scene she starts a bar fight with the hero, just to turn her on. What results is HOT sex up against a...well, you get the idea. This is all by the end of chapter two. By the time they make it back to the ranch, where the other hero awaits, she's ready to pick another fight, just to turn her on again, and pull hero #2 into her wild game. Together, the two cowboys teach her how to ride double. Lots of sex, from start to finish.

I also write sizzling romantic suspense as Allie K. Adams. Although the sex isn't any less hot than my menages, it is strictly between a man and woman, and the story builds up to the actual deed.

In At Any Cost, the heroine is a rookie agent desperate to prove to her idol that she has what it takes to be part of the elite team. Her idol is a seasoned agent who not only thinks she'd be better off working at McDonalds, he doesn't trust her any further than he can throw her. The only problem is, he also thinks she's the funniest, sexiest agent he's ever seen and can't help but fall in love with her. It makes for great tension the entire story watching these two deny their feelings while at the same time saving the world. They save the actual act until midway through the book. There four sex scenes in the entire book because it isn't the focus of the book.

Seek and Destroy is the second in the series. The hero and heroine still must save the world (it is, after all, romantic suspense), but instead of them working for the same agency as the agents did in the first book, they work for rivaling agencies that form an unlikely alliance to catch a madman before he strikes again. The agents try to out do each other the entire book. It also makes for great tension watching them work through their issues. These two agents end up in the sack sooner than later, and keep the heat going throughout the entire book. Still, sex isn't the focus of the book.

That's what really sets stories apart. Is it sex for the sake of sex? Romantica? Menage? You expect to read graphic, explicit sex scenes when you read erotica. You don't when you read mainstream. If you picked up a mainstream story and it was sex, sex, and more sex, you'd probably be disappointed. Same goes for erotica. If you pick up an erotica story and there were maybe two sex scenes in the entire book, you'd probably throw the damn thing across the room.

When you pick up a book by Allie K. Adams, you know it is going to be a hot romantic suspense between a man and a woman. It is more mainstream, less sex, but not at all light on the sexual tension. When you read Eve Adams, you are assured the menage stories will be hot, will have multiple partners, and will be full of sex.

It's all about the genre.

What is erotic romance? How about erotica?

No purple prose here. No suggestive words at what they are doing behind closed doors. Not even a hint. When you write erotic romance/erotica, you leave nothing to the imagination. Everything is spelled out in black and white for the reader to see.

I write HOT erotic adventure/suspense. I also write erotica under the pen name Eve Adams. It's hard to write in a genre my twelve and sixteen year olds can't read (because I won't let them for obvious reasons). My husband LOVES to read them (again, for obvious reasons)!

When I sold my first book AT ANY COST back in March 2008, it was really more of a mainstream romance. There were love scenes, but they were mild at best. My publisher asked me to "steam" them up as hotter romances always sell better. So I did. I never knew I'd have such a great time writing that HOT. Now that I've given in to the "dark side" of romance, I'm never turning back. I absolutely love writing HOT romance. Take a look at SEEK AND DESTROY and you'll see what I mean. My first NASSD Counter-terrorist Agency book was hot, but the second one catches fire!

Erotic romance/erotica isn't for everyone. There are terms in the books that would stop the heart if the reader is offended by explicit words. The graphic love scenes are meant to stimulate the senses. If that is not what you like to read, then stay clear of erotic romance/erotica.

I'd like to delve deeper into what erotic romance/erotica is and what it isn't. It isn't pornography, much to the contrary of those advocating against the genre. It isn't stories exploiting woman (or men). It is a genre centered around the relationships of the characters--their trials and tribulations, their conflict and resolution. Romance is the central theme. It is the pursuit of the proverbial HEA, aka Happily Ever After.

I love writing stories about characters who get into adventurous situations just to see how they'll get out of them. These characters play hard, love even harder, and never back away from what is the right thing to do. All of my books have the same thing in common: they all have the HEA.

If you are curious about erotic romance/erotica, I urge you to pick up a story and read it. Who knows, you may fall in love with the genre and find yourself a lifelong fan. All it takes is that first taste of the "dark side" and you'll be hooked. :-)

~Allie

Allie K. Adams write erotic romance, and also writes erotica under the pen name Eve Adams. She lives in southwest Montana with her family. As the neighborhood mom, she always has a houseful of kids, and is always fighting the losing battle of keeping the fridge stocked when there are that many mouths to feed. When she isn't working full-time (60+ hours per week), or writing, she's outside riding her ATV/Snowmobile, depending on the season. She is also an avid volunteer for the local Search and Rescue. Allie loves to hear from readers, so please drop her a line!

~Allie K. Adams~

"At Any Cost", Siren - Available NOW
"Seek And Destroy", Siren - Available NOW
"Rescue Me", Siren - Early 2009

http://www.alliekadams.com/

http://alliekadams.blogspot.com/

alliekadams@blackfoot.net