Turning Up the Heat: A Writer’s Journey From “Sexy” to “Erotic” by Nancy Fraser

 

I’ve always enjoyed writing love scenes … the steamier the better. I take pride in the fact my editors often said that they pour themselves a cool drink before they start reading my work. Readers seemed to really like those scenes as well, often mentioning them in their reviews. What more could an author want?

What more indeed?

One day I was editing a short novella and I realized that I was repeating myself. I’d become complacent, relying on tried and true emotions and similar love scenes from one book to the next. I panicked. If I was boring myself, what was I doing to my readers? I needed a jump start on my creativity. And, I needed it fast.

Just how was I going to do that? I truly hadn’t a clue.

A writer friend of mine mentioned her publisher was looking for submissions for an anthology, historical but with sexier elements than their usual books. They were open to almost anything ... same sex, menage, BDSM … the hotter, the better.

Perhaps, I thought, writing one over-the-top novella would re-start my muse. I have to admit, I was worried. I knew I could write a great romance, with hot sex, but could I take it a step further.

I was about 3 chapters into the story when the publisher cancelled their submission call and, because I was working on another project at the time, I put the beginning on a virtual shelf. That was when it happened … something I’d never expected. Something I’d only heard about in conversations among other writers.

The book called to me. It demanded I finish what I’d started.

I’ve been in this business long enough to know … you don’t argue with your muse. So, I kept going. I struggled, especially with the bolder language required of an erotic romance. I’m not a prude by any means and have been known to swear like a sailor when the occasion calls for it. However, there are words that I just find very unromantic. I put my reservations aside, did my research on sexual terms of the time period and kept going.

Slowly but surely, the book took shape. The characters spoke to me in the wonderful 1920’s slang I love so much. Wise up, doll face … get off your keester and bring us joes to life! It’s going to be the bee’s knees when it’s done! And so it went, slowly at first. But then, with the momentum of a great orgasm, the story suddenly took flight!

Now that I’ve written a dozen or so erotic romances (both historical and contemporary), I find myself wanting to write another and another. I want to delve into characters and situations I used to reserve for reading. I’m not sure just how daring I’ll get but I know one thing for certain … I’ll enjoy the process.

Today I wanted to introduce you to my first two erotic romances, both set in the 1920s.

Both are on sale for 99¢!

First, the book that started it all, The Muse.

Decadence, freedom and illegal activities…

Everything a sheltered debutante in the mid-1920s could want. When Hyde Park socialite Susan Leland meets up with Evan Forrester for the second time, she makes no excuses for their first meeting—an auto accident in which she broke the young artist’s wrist. She finds the handsome Evan both infuriating and intriguing, yet not quite as intriguing as sultry torch singer Holly Winters, a performer at Susan’s favorite supper club.

A chance to make amends…

By posing nude for Evan to paint. When Susan balks, Evan, not wanting to deal with an innocent, sends her away but not before the arrival of his next model, Holly Winters. As Susan’s preparing to leave, the beautiful and talented singer convinces her to come back the next day—so they can pose together.

Will Susan find happiness in the arms of Evan Forrester—or another?

And then, there’s my multi-award winning, The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker.

In the Roaring Twenties…

A former Hello Girl during WWI, widowed Ariel Pennybaker served her country proudly. She now carries on her late husband’s legacy…a home for the many returning, injured soldiers.

With her year of mourning nearly at an end, she’s had enough of her self-imposed celibacy. It’s time to get back in the game.

A chance meeting with a handsome WWI aviator has her imagining thoroughly naughty thoughts. When a second man walks into her life, her naughty thoughts turn downright decadent. What better way to fulfil her fantasies than by sharing both men’s beds?

As tempting as the idea is, Ariel has a huge secret, one she must protect at all costs. And, it’s possible one or both of her lovers is not what he seems.

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If you're a fan of historical romance, more than a bit on the naughty side, I know you’ll love both of these books!

Please come back again all next week for more guests, books and fun. In the meantime, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.

Nancy