Congratulations, Courtney. Email me at susan@susanlyons.ca with your snail-mail and I’ll pop it in the mail.

Thanks to everyone who came and commented. It’s been a great discussion!

KH, yes, phone sex can be so much fun. Thanks for mentioning it. I used a lot of that (and email sex) in CHAMPAGNE RULES because my lovers had a long-distance relationship. I used it in SHE’S ON TOP too, when he was in New York and she was back home in Vancouver, and he got her to take a very sexy bath. Ooh, it’s a turn-on just remembering.

the firefighters is hot
so hot cover congrats

Octopus paranormal erotica, anyone? Could have undeniable benefits.

To address Susan’s question, I’d have to say for love scene Turn Ons, my main one is experiencing a masterful, confident hero who knows his way around a woman’s body. Turn Offs, have to say I’m not enraptured by “female gushing of arousal,” especially when it happens in scene after scene. The mental image is funny rather than sexy.

And I agree that the heroes should get equal–or top–billing. Love those guys!

I agree with Kate. Most everything is sexy and acceptable to me as long as I feel an emotional connection to the characters. And that eventually they will find their happy ending.

Even when it gets a little too kinky, I kind of think, oh well, let’s “go along for the ride” and see where the writer is going with this. But you are soooo right about sex scenes needing that perfect balance of emotion, physical detail, and sensuality. That’s a big turn on.

My biggest turn off is when a sex scene can’t possibly work, in my mind. I mean, I’m a visual person, and I have to follow when clothes come off, where the hands/fingers are, if they are sitting or standing, etc. If the seduction isn’t choreographed to where you can follow I just end up going, huh, how the hell did that happen? I end up saying things like…’wasn’t his right hand on her hip and how did it end up cupping her head’, or ‘wasn’t his head in her thighs, but now he’s saying something in her ear?’ Oh well, he must be an octopus! It just has to flow and make sense. Am I asking too much…

Its a definite turn on when details of male genitalia are made, veins and all. In all fairness, I think there’s more detail written about the heroines body. I think the guy should get equal billing.

Oh, Growly, thanks for mentioning backs. There are so many parts of the body that can be erogenous zones.

What works is light bondage, spanking, and emotional sex where it’s clear that both partners are getting off because they have a connection.

I don’t consider oral/manual before intercourse formulaic, but rather an expression of the guy’s willingness to ensure his partner’s fulfillment. Don’t know too many women who can come from ‘insert tab A into slot B’ alone in real life and after a while it induces a complex when you read about woman after woman who’s multi-orgasmic just as soon as the guy sticks it in.

I don’t see enough mention/attention given to backs, touching, licking, massaging. I know I’m weird because my front isn’t very responsive, but work on my back and voila…