I’m writing this at 5.45am. Normally, at this time, I’d be entertaining hot city slicker, Daniel, in an Icelandic hot tub–yep, that’s me in the picture (as per my characters in Ice Hot) or being adored by Sirs Lancelot, Parceval and Gawain – all at the same time (like lucky old Guinevere in The Curse of Camelot) or hiding behind a screen watching my husband–the sly fox–get it on with his friend, Marine Man (as in Secrets of the East Wing).
Sadly, about an hour ago (four hours after I finished a marathon Christmas-present-wrapping session) I was woken up by a noisy boiler, so all that went out of the window. Shame, that hot tub looked so inviting and Daniel was beckoning me like a man possessed. Never mind. I’m sure he won’t mind waiting till tonight. He might have wrinkly fingers by the time I dive in though as I’ll have to get tea sorted first.
Having written erotic fiction, I often get asked coyly whether I really do those things. My response is usually to raise an eyebrow and say: “Well, off course. Why? You mean you don’t?” and look aghast that there are some people out there who haven’t experienced what werewolves in man-form can do. Some people live such sheltered lives!
No, really, it always tickles me (the question, not the werewolves, although all that hair can be an irritant). I don’t think many people believe that Ruth Rendell went out killing people or that JK Rowling had defeated The Dark Lord before she wrote about it. It seems strange that people have no trouble believing it is quite possible to imagine murdering someone in such graphic detail that you can write about it so convincingly, but find it difficult to believe how you could possibly write a sex scene without having lived out every knicker-ripping second.
My mum was even asked once if she thought I experienced the spicy sex lives I write about. My mother! I’m not sure how she answered, but I hope she shrugged and said “Yeah, I should expect so.”
I write romantic and erotic fiction on all heat levels. Here’s a chilli-themed guide:
For a mild, sweet romance, take a look at my novel Saving Alice
If you like romance with just a hint of spice, try my latest novel, Little Village of Second Chances
For passionate romance with the occasional burst of heat, give my debut novel The Virgin’s Gamble a go. Or for a quicker read, with the same heat level, try Ice Hot
If your not afraid of some eye-watering spice, then take a look at my novella, Secrets of the East Wing
For red hot and fiery scenes, definitely go for novella The Curse of Camelot although be warned, you might need an ice bucket to cool off afterwards.
Photo by Mark-Christian Killick-Calver on Unsplash
To celebrate the release of my new erotic short story, Secrets of the East Wing, I thought I’d share some tips that I’ve learned along the way of writing erotic fiction. Here are my top five.
- Don’t leave it too long before the first erotic scene takes place. Readers of this genre are looking for the action scenes, so give them the first one as soon as possible, ideally within the first few pages. If you leave it too long before your characters leap into bed (or wherever they choose to do it), then you risk losing your audience.
- Start as you mean to go on. It’s unlikely (although not impossible) to open your story with a sex scene, but you can pave the way for what’s to come with your choice of language. For example, if your female character is getting ready to go out, you might talk about how her hand skims her breasts as she’s dressing. This gives the reader a flavour of what’s coming up – so to speak.
- Don’t forget the plot! Although you’re writing erotic fiction, it’s important to remember it’s still a story and needs all the ingredients of any other, i.e. conflict, resolution, and the black moment, not to mention dialogue and emotion. Even the most enthusiastic reader of erotica will start getting bored with the sex scenes if there’s no story to back it up.
- Pace yourself – and your characters. Leading on from the previous point, your story needs to be a healthy balance of erotic scenes and plot/story line. If you have too much of one and not enough of the other, it could annoy your reader. Although erotic literature has its name for a reason, too much action between the sheets will have your reader glossing over the scenes in search of your story.
- Don’t hold back – go for it! The question I’m asked most often is “Where do you get your inspiration?” It’s always said with a cheeky smile and a wink, as if they suspect I spend my days living out the scenes in my books. For the record, I don’t. Having the time and energy would be a fine thing!Funny, because no-one asks crime writers if they’ve committed murder. Like any fiction writer – it’s mainly about imagination. If you write erotic literature, you’re laying your imagination bare for the world to see in all its glory. No-one will ever look at you the same again, and if you have teenage children, you being a writer of the genre going to embarrass them no end.
If this is an issue, consider a pseudonym. I tried one, but kept forgetting my adopted name! Then thought, to hell with it – go for it – who cares!
Secrets of the East Wing, published by The Wild Rose Press, is now available for pre-order https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-East-Wing-Gina-Hollands-ebook/dp/B07HRY5LLV/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
The lovely people at The Wild Rose Press have contracted my erotic short story – Ice Hot – for publication.
It’s about a young interpreter who accompanies a powerful – and GORGEOUS – businessman to Iceland. The journey there, on his private plane, is eventful, as is their first night at his luxury lodge, in the hot tub overlooking a lake.
I don’t have a release date yet, but will be sure to make the announcement here!
Being a writer with aspirations, it’s easy to go along thinking how very hard it is to knuckle down and write, and persevere in doing so despite the many setbacks writers all over will be familiar with. However, it’s also easy to sometimes forget the many people around without whose support, encouragement, patience and time, the road to becoming a writer would be even longer and harder.
So, in this blog, I’d like to thank the wonderful folk around me who are helping in very different ways.
First to the gloriously intelligent and fabulously supportive Alfie, who has read almost every one of my stories, left glowing reviews and even proof read a whole manuscript for me in his spare time. I’d never in a million years pick up on the errors Alfie sees, so a massive thank you!
Then to my friend and colleague, and very talented writer, Juliet, who has also spent many an hour reading my first draft dross and helped me turn it into something that makes sense. Not to mention her knowledge of the industry, and her willingness to share her hard-researched intel.
And to best-friend Sarah, who happily and patiently reads my stuff, and gives me her honest opinion every time. Thank you to Keith, who at our kids’ swimming lessons listens to my incessant plot ideas, and who voluntarily reading my books – no arm-twisting or blackmail necessary! And Harriette, who reads, critiques and reviews without complaint ‘cos she’s my friend and is nice. Not to mention fellow writer Sue, who’s a great buddy for sharing ideas, encouraging each other and swapping stories of knockbacks!
And finally – before I’m at risk of donning a pink frock and doing a ‘Gwyneth’, thanks indeed to my mum and cousin Sarah, for being permanent supporters, and touting out my books to anyone and everyone who stops to listen.
When I’m famous I’ll buy you all a very large and expensive beverage!
Just a quick blog post to announce I’ve recently published my newest erotic short story – Ice Hot. It’s available to download on Amazon Kindle for the rather jolly price of 99p or free on Kindle Unlimited!
Here’s the blurb…
One night stands aren’t Sophie Reece’s style. The quiet young interpreter isn’t the kind of girl who can give herself to someone while leaving her emotions behind. When one evening she throws caution to the wind and has mind-blowing sex with a gorgeous stranger, at least she knows she’ll never see him again.
But three months later she finds herself sent to Iceland on an assignment with none other than that very man – hot shot millionaire, Daniel Balderas!
Sophie hopes he won’t recognise her, but that’s just the start of her problems. She knows something he doesn’t, and if he found out, it could ruin not only her reputation, but also the career she fought so hard to build.
They both have good reasons for keeping their hands to themselves, but the chemistry between them burns like molten lava when they’re together in the land of fire and ice.
Contains graphic erotic scenes. For readers 18+ only.
https://goo.gl/M9Ba2T
I loved writing about Sophie and Daniel’s Icelandic adventure. I hope you enjoy reading it!
