The largest and most profitable book genre is undoubtedly Romance Erotica, reported to be worth a staggering $1.44 billion and the most successful and profitable of all book genres to write in, more than horror, science fiction, crime and religious/inspirational. The likes of publishing houses such as Mills and Boon have kept themselves in print for quite literary 100 years, selling on average a paperback book every 6.6 seconds within the UK. Certainly the likes of EL James has helped compound that even further with her staggering and highly lucrative erotic story trilogy epitomising escapism. Equally romance erotica novels contribute to the power and draw of erotic fiction with a certain style of content and ending that women in particular devour with a huge and ever growing appetite.
With such wealth of interest and content and more authors taking to their pens quietly self publishing within the confines of their homes to create ravishing tales of love, passion and desire, I was interested to chat a little more with one of my erotic story contributors Erika Foxx, whose work is now published here with the story TEASEME for Frolicme.
So when did you start writing romance erotica and is that the term you would mainly use to describe your work?
“I started writing stories to self-publish a little over a year ago. Most of what I write I would consider to be romantic erotica, yes. But sometimes I do like writing short-short stories with a little more of a hard-core feel, too. Just depends on how i feel at the time…slow burn or I need to fuck now!”
What do you look for in your stories?
“My favorite stories are always the ones that have characters that I can relate to, and they’re in some situation that makes them believable people and somehow tests their love, or causes them to fall in love. And then hopefully along the way they end up having passionate, hot sex! And those are the kinds of books I like to write, too!
I remember the first time I realized that the mind was such a powerful source of arousal. I was sitting in the grass studying during my first year of college with a girl that was taking the same class. She kept pointing out the hot, shirtless guys walking by, muttering things that I thought “good” girls would never say! And then she said something that has stuck with me to this day…”He’s my fantasy for tonight, Erika.” I must have looked like she was speaking in a foreign language and she asked, “Don’t you ever fantasize about hot guys like that?” I felt my cheeks flush and I shook my head ‘no’ because I really never HAD fantasized like that…yet.
After that day, I began to think about sex in ways I never had before. Since then, I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve had a lot of “fantasy” nights with some of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen (or imagined!). But nothing ever can take the place of a warm body ;)”
How do you manage to combine all your writing, is this something you do extra to your job?
“Yes, this is a spare-time avocation for now, but as I introduce more and more books, I’d love to get to the point where I can write full time.”
Do you ever feel you are short of ideas, where do they flow from?
“That’s a tough question because most of my ideas just come to me…it’s hard to pin down exactly! I love reading all sorts of erotica, romance novels and all kinds of other good fiction, and that feeds my imagination and story ideas. I don’t know how it happens, but an idea will just seem to form in my mind. It might be a character that starts telling me a story, and it just seems to flow from that. I keep a journal for writing down ideas, just so I don’t forget them! Sometimes when I get stuck, and I do get stuck, I’ll find a random porn clip online and describe the action. In most cases, I start getting ideas flowing and I can go back to my writing and keep going. And sometimes, well, the ideas just keep me coming ;)”
What is it do you think about about erotic fiction that so many women love to embrace?
“I think it’s what all fiction provides to readers…the opportunity to experience something from a fictional character’s point of view. I want to be the woman in the story that’s getting fucked in some new way by somebody new or forbidden. It’s the escape, the fantasy, the ability to get aroused in new ways. And because it’s all in your mind, it’s safe!”
Could you name a few of your favourite authors who you love to read/are an inspiration?
“In terms of erotica, I love reading Selena Kitt! She writes so well in such a variety of sub-genres that I can always enjoy any of her stories. In popular fiction, I love Steven King! He is such a good story teller, and I have learned so much from his book, “On Writing” which I have read and re-read about ten times!”