Games of Sugar and Spice

[click the question to see answer] What do you think Avon Red has to offer readers that is different from the other erotic romance prints? The best authors :-) and some really hot, romantic storylines. Speaking of erotic romance, how do you define the difference between 'erotic romance' and 'erotica'? To us, pure erotica is a bunch of sex scenes strung together with a minimal plotline, minimal character development and minimal emotional connections between the characters. The sex is the main point of the story. Erotic romance has the focus on the relationship that every romance has - it's just that the sex scenes are hotter and more graphic than is common in other romances. In our erotic romances, the characters use sex to help work through their issues and to strengthen their relationship - their sex is never gratuitous. That, we believe, is the difference between pure erotica and erotic romance. Personally, we also describe ourselves as writers of super-sex romance novels because that is the way we think about it. First and foremost, we write romances. Do people know you write erotic romance? If your friends and family do know, how has their reaction been? Everyone knows we write erotic romance and is very accepting of it. In fact, we often write on the train, and the other day a man, a perfect stranger to both of us, got in and sat opposite us, looked sideways at us, and said with a laugh that he hoped we weren't going to be writing naughty scenes opposite him all the way into town. It turned out he'd seen a recent article on us in the local paper, and recognized us from that, and congratulated us on our success. Then again, one of our daughters is very good friends with a very good Christian girl, who apparently hid that edition of the local paper from her parents so they wouldn't see it and be shocked! Our children are quite proud of our writing. We had to forcibly restrain our 12 year old son from going into the local bookstore and asking if they had a copy of PARLOR GAMES coz he'd heard it was such a fantastic book. Cathy’s mother also writes romance novels (under the name Rosie Graham) so it's a bit of a family tradition. As a writer do you have any 'do not cross' lines or do you go where ever the story takes you? Have you looked back on something you wrote and been surprised you came up with it. Wanna share what it was *g*. As writers, our most basic "do not cross" line is we will not write anything that we consider in the least bit demeaning or degrading towards women. We write what we find sexy, which means it’s pretty much open slather! What is up next? We are book whores, give us names dates and summaries! PARLOR GAMES is our current title which in came out in June. Next out is SUGAR AND SPICE - out in October. This is a series of three interlinked stories about 3 couples in the Victorian era who visit a very special house in Cornwall in order to repair their marriages. And then THE PRICE OF DESIRE, a full-length novel, comes out with Avon Red in February next year. Again it's Victorian set, this time in the world of the workhouse.