Comments on: For Further Confusion… http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/ SEXY, SASSY, SMART ROMANTIC FICTION Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:41:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Romance courting erotica http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-4133 redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Romance courting erotica Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:45:18 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-4133 [...] Helenkay blogged For Further Confusion regarding the March Romantic Times trying to, as Alison Kent sez: Define Eroticism . [...] [...] Helenkay blogged For Further Confusion regarding the March Romantic Times trying to, as Alison Kent sez: Define Eroticism . [...]

]]> By: redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Fever isn’t such a new scene http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-4132 redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Fever isn’t such a new scene Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:32:12 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-4132 [...] Helenkay blogged For Further Confusion regarding the March Romantic Times trying to, as Alison Kent sez: Define Eroticism . [...] [...] Helenkay blogged For Further Confusion regarding the March Romantic Times trying to, as Alison Kent sez: Define Eroticism . [...]

]]> By: alisonkent.com » Blog Archive » The Heat Is On http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1420 alisonkent.com » Blog Archive » The Heat Is On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 16:40:15 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1420 [...] Apropos to HelenKay’s post on RT’s defining of erotica, erotic and hot romance, Amy Garvey said late last year: Labels are dangerous. That’s not to say they’re not necessary sometimes, for a lot of reasons, but when it comes to fiction, I think it can be overkill. Does every reader need or want to know exactly what the sexual content of a book is before she reads it? Take Alison Kent, for instance. She writes great sex, but her recent Brava books could easily be classified as action/adventure, too. Is she an author of “erotic romance” or just an author who writes damn good books? (…) Any book you pick up is going to give you a couple of clues about what’s inside. The title, the cover copy, the cover art. There aren’t many erotic romances out there with kittens frolicking on the cover, and a title like “Miss Smith Takes a Walk”. (…) So why is everyone – or is it just us authors? – concerned with where they fall on the erotica scale? [...] [...] Apropos to HelenKay’s post on RT’s defining of erotica, erotic and hot romance, Amy Garvey said late last year: Labels are dangerous. That’s not to say they’re not necessary sometimes, for a lot of reasons, but when it comes to fiction, I think it can be overkill. Does every reader need or want to know exactly what the sexual content of a book is before she reads it? Take Alison Kent, for instance. She writes great sex, but her recent Brava books could easily be classified as action/adventure, too. Is she an author of “erotic romance” or just an author who writes damn good books? (…) Any book you pick up is going to give you a couple of clues about what’s inside. The title, the cover copy, the cover art. There aren’t many erotic romances out there with kittens frolicking on the cover, and a title like “Miss Smith Takes a Walk”. (…) So why is everyone – or is it just us authors? – concerned with where they fall on the erotica scale? [...]

]]> By: Sylvia Day http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1417 Sylvia Day Mon, 06 Feb 2006 01:19:23 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1417 Alison says: <blockquote><em>Erotic Romance - The hero and heroine make love very early on in these books.</em> So, I have to wonder what they would do with a book labeled erotic romance on the spine by the publisher where the hero and heroine do NOT make love very early on.</blockquote> Hmmm... the last Brava I turned in didn't have any sex until almost a couple hundred pages into the book, and it's definitely erotic romance. :) Alison says:

Erotic Romance - The hero and heroine make love very early on in these books.

So, I have to wonder what they would do with a book labeled erotic romance on the spine by the publisher where the hero and heroine do NOT make love very early on.

Hmmm… the last Brava I turned in didn’t have any sex until almost a couple hundred pages into the book, and it’s definitely erotic romance. :)

]]> By: Sasha http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1412 Sasha Sun, 05 Feb 2006 06:56:16 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1412 The biggest thing that hits me is the definition fro Erotica is the shortest one there. When it really should be the longest since erotica is the hardest to define. Why Is the romance community having such a hard time defining erotica? I think it's because Erotica is NOT romance. It's been it's own genre for decades, and not all Erotica is ALL sex. The fact that romances are getting hotter does not change that. Plus, Like Alison says, what is erotic to one person is not always erotic to another...and trying to shoehorn one person, or one companies definition as an industry standard won't work. Sometimes it's eye contact that makes things erotic, or the persons thoughts. It's not only the sex. The biggest thing that hits me is the definition fro Erotica is the shortest one there. When it really should be the longest since erotica is the hardest to define. Why Is the romance community having such a hard time defining erotica? I think it’s because Erotica is NOT romance. It’s been it’s own genre for decades, and not all Erotica is ALL sex. The fact that romances are getting hotter does not change that.

Plus, Like Alison says, what is erotic to one person is not always erotic to another…and trying to shoehorn one person, or one companies definition as an industry standard won’t work. Sometimes it’s eye contact that makes things erotic, or the persons thoughts. It’s not only the sex.

]]> By: Lydia http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1406 Lydia Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:23:21 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1406 There are plenty of purple writers who write erotic romance, and plenty of even medical-sounding writers who write hot romance. I am not crazy about the definitions, either! There are plenty of purple writers who write erotic romance, and plenty of even medical-sounding writers who write hot romance. I am not crazy about the definitions, either!

]]> By: Alison http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1405 Alison Fri, 03 Feb 2006 18:05:43 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1405 <i>Erotic Romance - The hero and heroine make love very early on in these books.</i> So, I have to wonder what they would do with a book labeled erotic romance on the spine by the publisher where the hero and heroine do NOT make love very early on. But yeah. Lori Foster in the same category as Zane? Who's smoking what? *ggg* Erotic Romance - The hero and heroine make love very early on in these books.

So, I have to wonder what they would do with a book labeled erotic romance on the spine by the publisher where the hero and heroine do NOT make love very early on.

But yeah. Lori Foster in the same category as Zane? Who’s smoking what? *ggg*

]]> By: HelenKay http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1403 HelenKay Fri, 03 Feb 2006 17:32:31 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1403 The blurb before the definitions says: "Wondering what the difference is between erotica and erotic romance, and when a book simply qualifies as a hot, hot romance? To help guide readers, the RT staff has come up with guidelines that we use to classify the books in our Erotica/Erotic Romance Review section and to define ultra-spicy romances found within other review sections." I would say these are RT's definitions, but I do think they are putting them out there as an industry standard. My issue - and this shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone who drops by here - is this need we have to define everything. When we try, it ends up in a mess. I would NEVER put Lori Foster in an erotica category. I don't read Cheryl Holt or M.J.Rose (sorry ladies - I will, I promise) but they are on the erotica list too. Are they erotica? Pauline Reage (The Story Of O) and Zane and Jaid Black are on there. Those all seem right to me. I guess. But, the definitions are too mushy for me to tell. EC was not the only hot romance publisher mentioned. There's a story titled "Walk on the Wild Side" that talks about Avon's line, Kensington's Aphrodisia, Harlequin Spice and Berkley Heat. It was interesting that Audrey LaFehr says on the distinction between Brava and Aphrodisia: "The Aphrodisia books have to be hot. They can't just be sexy romances, because we do that in Brava already. Brava is romance. A man and a woman fall in love in a monogamous relationship. Aphrodisia can be more than one partner, gay, lesbian [or] group [sex], and they don't need to pair up in the end. Many times they do, but that's not the point. That's how I see Brava. Look at LaFehr's statement about Brava then look at RT's definitions. You can decide if these match and where Brava would fall. The blurb before the definitions says: “Wondering what the difference is between erotica and erotic romance, and when a book simply qualifies as a hot, hot romance? To help guide readers, the RT staff has come up with guidelines that we use to classify the books in our Erotica/Erotic Romance Review section and to define ultra-spicy romances found within other review sections.” I would say these are RT’s definitions, but I do think they are putting them out there as an industry standard. My issue - and this shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone who drops by here - is this need we have to define everything. When we try, it ends up in a mess. I would NEVER put Lori Foster in an erotica category. I don’t read Cheryl Holt or M.J.Rose (sorry ladies - I will, I promise) but they are on the erotica list too. Are they erotica? Pauline Reage (The Story Of O) and Zane and Jaid Black are on there. Those all seem right to me. I guess. But, the definitions are too mushy for me to tell.

EC was not the only hot romance publisher mentioned. There’s a story titled “Walk on the Wild Side” that talks about Avon’s line, Kensington’s Aphrodisia, Harlequin Spice and Berkley Heat. It was interesting that Audrey LaFehr says on the distinction between Brava and Aphrodisia: “The Aphrodisia books have to be hot. They can’t just be sexy romances, because we do that in Brava already. Brava is romance. A man and a woman fall in love in a monogamous relationship. Aphrodisia can be more than one partner, gay, lesbian [or] group [sex], and they don’t need to pair up in the end. Many times they do, but that’s not the point.

That’s how I see Brava. Look at LaFehr’s statement about Brava then look at RT’s definitions. You can decide if these match and where Brava would fall.

]]> By: Alison http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1402 Alison Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:56:26 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1402 Oh, I totally agree that defining for their own purposes makes sense. (Except like HK said they've thrown Lori in with Emma and Thea, eh?) But the email I got gave the distinct impression they wanted to make an industry wide definition. (If I read that wrong, I apologize to them, and I didn't keep the email to refer to.) Oh, I totally agree that defining for their own purposes makes sense. (Except like HK said they’ve thrown Lori in with Emma and Thea, eh?)

But the email I got gave the distinct impression they wanted to make an industry wide definition. (If I read that wrong, I apologize to them, and I didn’t keep the email to refer to.)

]]> By: Sybil http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/2006/02/for-further-confusion/#comment-1400 Sybil Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:35:42 +0000 http://helenkaydimon.com/blog/?p=283#comment-1400 If they are trying for an industry standard that would be silly. As Alison Kent says it is subjective. But I read it as this was their 'erotica' issue, I think they did the same thing last year about this time. So if they are trying to define, what RT thinks and how they classify their reviews. I am cool with that. hee not that they asked me ;) I haven't gotten the issue yet... are all the new players talked about or just EC? Last year EC and I guess Brava, were the only HOT lines. But everyone is now in or about to have erotica/romantic erotica lines. I hope they give something of a spotlight on each. If they are trying for an industry standard that would be silly. As Alison Kent says it is subjective.

But I read it as this was their ‘erotica’ issue, I think they did the same thing last year about this time. So if they are trying to define, what RT thinks and how they classify their reviews. I am cool with that.

hee not that they asked me ;)

I haven’t gotten the issue yet… are all the new players talked about or just EC? Last year EC and I guess Brava, were the only HOT lines. But everyone is now in or about to have erotica/romantic erotica lines. I hope they give something of a spotlight on each.

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