J. Kenner-Guest Post and Giveaway Blog Tour
Sex, Kink, and Really Hot Men
I was talking to a guy I knew from college over the holidays, and he asked me about my upcoming book, Release Me. He’d been trolling the internet and ran across my webpage and my Facebook page. “So it’s like that Fifty Shades book?” he asked. “All kinky sex, huh? Should I get a copy for my wife? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).”
I smiled and did the polite chit chat thing, and wandered off to talk to another cluster of party folks, partly frustrated by his perception and partly frustrated with myself for not correcting his misimpressions.
But here’s the thing: on the drive home, it occurred to me that he was right. He just wasn’t entirely right.
Because there is kinky sex (albeit on the lighter end of the scale, but it’s there) and there are scenes that have a definite turn-on factor.
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But what is wrong is the assumption that erotic romances are nothing but sex and titillation. Because that is very much not true. Why not?
Simple: It’s not about the Sex. It’s not about the Kink. It’s not even about the Really Hot Men (well, okay, maybe it is). What it is about are the characters and the story.
Yes, there are some books on the market that are little more than Penthouse Forum letters. But true erotic romance centers around the characters and their relationship, both in and out of the bedroom. Characters with issues and struggles. Characters that readers want to spend time with again and again and again.
Maybe I’ll bump into him at another party next year when Book Three comes out. If I do, I’ll give him the entire trilogy (Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me.). And I’ll tell him to read them for the story … and he can thank me for a lovely evening with his wife later.
Do you read or write erotic romance? How would you have responded to my friend?
Thanks so much to The Reading Café for hosting me today! Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of Release Me courtesy of Random House!
1. You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.
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3. Giveaway is open to US residents only.
4. Giveaway runs from December 30, 2012-January 10, 2013.
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READ AN EXCERPT from RELEASE ME by J. Kenner
J. Kenner is the pen name of USA Today bestselling author Julie Kenner (who also writes as J.K. Beck). Release Me, an erotic romance, will be available in the U.S. and the U.K. on January 1, and in over a dozen other countries later in 2013.
You can hang out with J.K., learn more about Release Me and her other novels, or just poke around and see what catches your eye at her website, www.jkenner.com, and also at her J. Kenner Facebook page, www.facebook.com/jkennerbooks and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juliekenner
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ORDER LINKS: Random House / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository /
Book copy:
For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.
He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.
Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me. Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.
But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.
Release Me by J. Kenner (an excerpt)
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I would have suggested to your friend that maybe he should read your book before he gives it to his wife… a win, win situation for both of them …
Amazing GUEST POST Julie. I think every woman wants ‘some kink and a hot man’ in their life.
I think I would have done the same thing. Probably because of how I was raised though – you don’t talk about sex, politics or religion in public. I think you handled it just fine and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.
I would totally agree with you, Julie. It IS all about the characters and their RELATIONSHIP. The other stuff is great, of course, but without seeing who the characters are and how and why they connect, it doesn’t mean much. I think you took the high road, and hope that your friend will appreciate that some day.
I am really looking forward to reading RELEASE ME.
(P.S. My email is tracey@krugerdesign.com)
Excellent post, Julie. I do like books with a main storyline, and with sexual scenes. I personally am not into books solely about sex. But I have heard other authors complain about being corned by an old friend (mostly males) about what they perceive as Erotic books. I think that is awful that people will do that.
Great post Julie, interesting storyline… and comments… and I can see how it could easily be embarrassing for the author to be caught in a situation like that. You never know what it going to come out of someone’s mouth. Very awkward.
Wonderful post and one that makes you wonder how many people think the same way.Congratulations on the new release.
Great post JK!! I always tell folks that the sex is a side point in the books that I read. And, that the major story is about the characters themselves trying to overcome whatever cross they bear and them coming together. Thanks for stopping by!!
Well, I think I would’ve told him that if it were only about sex and tiltillation, then it would be a lot easier to just watch a porn movie…which turns me (and a lot of women) off completely. The characters and the story in an erotic romance, however, are what make it truly erotic and a pleasure to read and share with (or without) a partner.
Yes I read a lot of erotic romance, but I get caught up with the charters and their story, and the romance of it makes me want more of the story, to find out what happens next. And to your friend I would have handed him a copy and told him why don’t you read it with your wife and find out what it is about the story and the charters that may appeal to them the most, and that if he liked the story of the first book then he should get the next two to finish the story, how could he go wrong with sharing his time with his wife.
Its all about the characters and story. If thats there Ill read it, if not Ill pass. And I think it has gotten a bad rap as a genre because of the books that are missing those key parts.
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway opportunity, I’ve been waiting, very impatiently, for this book to release. All of the excerpts & blurbs sound AMAZING!
Alyssa
hesperialovesbooks(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I would say that its all about the characters. You end up falling for them and sharing the same emotions that they have when they are in certain situations. I would hand my friend the book and tell him to read it. Then ask him what he thought about the book.
Amber
spikessecretlover@gmail.com
Awesome post Julie. Release Me excerpt was great