July 27th, 2009 | by Shelli Stevens |
My book Take Me is out TOMORROW!!! (At least according to Amazon, some places still say the 1st, but I bet you can find it around!) Woo whoo, I’m so excited! So today, I’m giving away a copy of Take Me!
So I was thinking how I ended up here. Writing erotic romances that could singe the eyebrows off my more conservative friends/relatives. I mean, how did it happen really? Well, I came up with a sort of theory.
When I first started out eating ethnic food, or any food type really (for me it was thai food) I was like starting at 0 stars. I wanted it as non-spicy/bland as possible. And then…after awhile, I started to add a star. Kick up the spice. I was building up a tolerance. And pretty soon I was up to 3 1/2 stars (out of 4!) on my spiciness. I had built a tolerance. What I started with wasn’t hot enough for me anymore. And oddly enough, the same process I can kind of see happened with romance novels. I started out reading books with the most mild love scenes, which at the time scandalized me, and then slowly began picking up books with a hotter heat level. Until I loved it HOT! And so when I started writing, I was already writing pretty spicy, and then the erotic romance market came in with a bang. It was just one tiny step (upping my tolerance) and I wasn’t just reading it, but writing it.
Today my love scene tastes run from spicy (doesn’t have to be erotic) to erotic. I can still read books with the not as spicy love scenes , but I do miss them.
So for a chance to win a copy of my book, tell me: have you always liked your love scenes hot? Or what is the heat level you prefer? I will draw a name tomorrow afternoon/evening!
Here’s a bit about my book Take Me.
After years as a slave to the pleasures of the powerful, Talia knows how to make a man mad with lust. But her pleasure counts for nothing—until a handsome, ruthless stranger appears. Ryder dares to look at her… to touch her… to awake in her a desire she’s never imagined. When he kidnaps her to learn her secrets, Talia vows not to let her passion take control. But soon she discovers that her captor’s intense gaze and searching hands can perform their own kind of interrogation, a sweet torture she finds impossible to resist…
Read an excerpt here.
Purchase here.
Hi Shelli, I guess the answer is Yes. I have always liked my love scenes hot. I just didn’t know it except that I always wanted more. But they also had to be romantic. I enjoy your writing – looking forward to Take Me. Congrats!
by Allison · July 27th, 2009 at 1:06 amHi
by Rob Charron · July 27th, 2009 at 6:10 amThanks for guest blogging here Shelli.
Congratulations on the release of TAKE ME.
I lurve spicy sexy scenes also but not just gratuitous scenes – they have to further the plot & characters. I’ve read books where I’ve skimmed the “love” scenes because of that.
Love and best wishes from Northern Ontario
twitter.com/RKCharron
xoxo
Congrats on the release. I would love to read it. Yes i want my love scenes to be curl your toes hot, but they have to fit into the story to work. I like when the pages sizzle and pop around the characters.
by sara hurt · July 27th, 2009 at 8:09 amI love love scenes spicy, but honestly that works best if it’s an accurate reflection of the chemistry between the leads–otherwise, tame can be OK too, if the relationship is developing differently
by Fedora · July 27th, 2009 at 8:37 amHello Shelli,
I haven’t always read hot steamy novels til here in the last 5 years. I enjoy both types of novels, the ones with no sex and the ones with a lot of sex and everything in between. For me, it is all about the characters. Can I see them doing what the author is writing about. For me if the writing is good, it doesn’t matter about the sex scenes. It’s just an added bonus. Have a great day.
by Roberta Harwell · July 27th, 2009 at 8:59 amOh they have to be hot, the hotter the better! Congrats
by Huguette E. · July 27th, 2009 at 9:24 amHi Shelli, congrats on your nearly-here release — it looks awesome!
The answer is that as soon as I could read “adult” books, I was into sexy scenes. This will date me, but Judy Blume and the North Dallas Forty were some of my earliest sneaky reads. However, it is only recently that I have found really good erotic material — well written stories with interesting plots and characters and *sizzling* sex.
Thanks to all of you who write it!
~bella
by Bella · July 27th, 2009 at 10:43 amHi Shelli. Congratulations on the release of Take Me. Yes, I like love scenes hot, the hotter the better.
by CrystalGB · July 27th, 2009 at 10:47 amHi Shelly,
Congrats! I am so excited for this release! hum, well honestly I do like my love scene’s hot, hot, hot. I would say the lowest level is spicy for me, I need something passionate to erotic.
by Book Junkie · July 27th, 2009 at 10:48 amHi Shelli. So excited TAKE ME will be out tomorrow.
I like books to be steamy, and sometimes really hot, but I enjoy novels more if the story and characters are well developed.
But I do admit, once I get overwhelmed with all the sexing, I like to read something tamer in between them. Something by Lynn Kurland or Hannah Howell.
by Armenia · July 27th, 2009 at 11:21 amHi Shelli,
by Eva S · July 27th, 2009 at 11:26 amcongrats on the release! I’m with Huguette, the hotter the better!!
Congratulations on the release Shelli!
I’ve always liked my love scenes hot, or at the very least walking the edge. Even if they weren’t exactly on the page, I wanted the promise of something spicy in the background like the Harlequin Presents forbidden attraction between a woman and her much-older (already out of the house when she came into the family!) step-brother.
by Emily Ryan-Davis · July 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pmCANNOT WAIT FOR THE BOOK!!! I think that it depends on the book on how I like the scenes. If the book is boring I would like something to spice it up, but that doesn’t mean if the book is great I don’t like a good scene as well. I just love romance novels the happily every after’s really keep me going sometimes. Even though I know they are fairy tales
for some of us.
by Mallori · July 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pmI’ve been writing hot scenes for years…way before the market heated up to that hot. Used to get rejections saying there was too much sex.
Now, I think I’m probably kind of tame for the market.
I guess we’ll see when Breathless comes out!
Congrats on Take Me, Shelli! Enjoy your week,
by Bonnie Edwards · July 27th, 2009 at 12:04 pmBonnie
I love hot and steamy sex scenes. I love to read about two people who are passionate about each other and don’t hold back.
by bridget3420 · July 27th, 2009 at 12:09 pmYes, I like the love scenes hot and steamy. I think they should also be believable.
by JOYE · July 27th, 2009 at 12:29 pmCan’t wait to read this one.
Great blog Shelli! As for how hot I like my books – I tend to go hot! But like you I started out mild and have worked my way up. I’ve also noticed I do that in writing.
Sometimes my face is RED while writing – but I figure that just means I’ve got good blood flow.
by Delilah · July 27th, 2009 at 12:30 pmCongrats on the new release!
by Cassie Ryan · July 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pmCongratulations on your new release! I must say that in the beginning I would blush just at the suggestion of nudity while reading a novel – now, the kinkier the better. I still blush, but I smile too… and then hubby asks what I am reading… and then *blush*
by Miranda · July 27th, 2009 at 12:47 pmThanks to everyone for the congrats and comments! It’s great to see where everyone’s taste falls!
by Shelli Stevens · July 27th, 2009 at 12:54 pmCongrats on the release of your book. I’m so excited to read it!
I must say, I like it fairly hot and steamy. Sex is a big part of a relationship and I love reading how two characters discover and learn about each other. In a way, it helps me remember my younger years when everything was new and different. Reading about a couple married for 20 years using fur handcuffs doesn’t seem as exciting as the first time they try it.
Laurie
by Laurie · July 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pmHurray, Shelli, the day you’ve been waiting for! Enjoy it to the fullest.
As for sex scenes, I’ve always read and written them hot, but I also like to vary my reading. I’m not up for sex all the time. LOL.
So, I’m fine with sweeter books if that’s how the relationship is progressing. What bothers me the most is when the bedroom door gets slammed shut. If the characters make love, I want to know what it’s like. Is it raunchy or tender? Do they laugh, cry, scream? Now, some authors can portray that very skilfully without going into the explicit details that we who write erotic romance put in our books, and that’s just fine with me.
by Susan Lyons · July 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pmThe hotter the better! I like where the sex scenes are so hot they jump off the page but they’re done in a such away that it doesn’t seem like I’m reading porn.
Good luck with the release. Can’t wait to read it.
by Jay · July 27th, 2009 at 1:56 pmHi Shelli,
by chey · July 27th, 2009 at 2:09 pmCongrats!
I like the steamy scenes to be appropriate to the rest of the book. If they fit in they’re great. But if I feel I need to ask, where is this scene from and why is it here? I tend to skip over it.
Congrats on the release, Shelli!!
As for me, I’m a little in the middle. I enjoy the heat, but there are some things that still push my comfort level, both reading and writing wise. I guess I’m more of a vanilla erotic type of gal. But above all else, I need to have the tension, the build up that results in one hell of an explosion, be it from a first kiss or an earth-shattering orgasm.
by Crista · July 27th, 2009 at 2:25 pmCongrats on the new release, Shelli. I’ve always liked reading hot sex scenes. I especially love it when you can feel the passion while reading the scene.
by Jane · July 27th, 2009 at 3:14 pmThe hotter the better, as long as they fit the story.
by Estella · July 27th, 2009 at 3:32 pmCongrats on the new release, Shelli!
For me I have always loved my love scenes the hotter the better.
by Terri W. · July 27th, 2009 at 4:10 pmHi Shelli!
ONE MORE DAY!!! I can hardly wait!
Like you I started out with the mild love scenes. I thought that was as hot as it got until I read something that really sizzled. I prefer the sizzle, but do still like the “warm” love scenes.
Congrats!
by Casey · July 27th, 2009 at 4:47 pmcongrats on the new release. I like the love scenes to be very spicy the hotter the better.
by delitealex · July 27th, 2009 at 5:39 pmCongrats Shelli!!
I prefer steamy hot love scenes were every tiny detail is explained. If it is so hot you need to put the book down and take a cold shower or go find your man…perfect
by Belinda M · July 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pmCongratulations on your upcoming release, Shelli. I can’t wait to see it in store.
With me, I started off reading sweet and gradually started reading hotter and hotter. I still remember writing my first love scene and glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone was spying on me. One day I realized that if I liked reading the hot stuff then I should be able to write it. Like you I’ll read any heat level these days, but I do prefer the hot stuff best of all.
by Shelley Munro · July 27th, 2009 at 8:20 pmI have just recently started to enjoy Erot-Romance. Probably because I didn’t know it existed! Years back I tried to read erotica written by male authors and I didn’t really enjoy it. What turned me off was that the romantic element was missing, as well as the HEA. Recently I have discovered female authors who write erotic ROMANCE, with a HEA, and an h I can relate to! Thank good for blogs, exerpts, and the internets!
by Marial · July 27th, 2009 at 8:48 pmCongrats on the upcoming release! The hotter the better for me! lol. I love hot books. Can’t wait for this one!
by Amy S. · July 27th, 2009 at 9:43 pmCongratulations on the release of your book! To answer your question: Oh, yea, the hotter, the better!!!
Make it steamy… 
But include the romance!!
Thanks for the chance to win the book… I’d love to own this book and read it over and over!
by Lorie Shewbridge · July 27th, 2009 at 10:16 pmHuge congrats on your first and many more to come from Aphrodisia!! I’m so thrilled for you Shelli!
by Caffey · July 27th, 2009 at 10:24 pmI love so much that I read. I love a sizzling romance. Like with historicals, almost any sensuality goes! When it comes to contemps and RS, I love it sizzling. So its more to my tastes of what genres I’m reading, but anything goes that sizzles in any genre!
Hi Shelli!
Big congrats on Take Me! I love your work and look forward to your new release.
As for your question, I enjoy romances of all heat levels. I do like the spicy/sizzling ones if the story has more depth than just the sex. If the plot is fleshed out then heat is welcomed and enjoyed
.
by Pam S · July 28th, 2009 at 12:29 amHi and congrats on your new realease.
by Teresa · July 28th, 2009 at 8:32 amAbout the question- hot is great. But, when I come across situations like a couple who have had sex ontop of a horse while the horse is moving, or another one not being able to resist temptation by the road (in January in Alaska), I start wishing it’s only a little suggestive and not so … technical.
The level of “spice” kind of grew with my reading. I’ve been reading romance so long, that when I started, no one wrote explicit love scene. So I guess you could say that I developed my “taste for spice” along with books being published with more erotic scenes. Now, I feel cheating if a book isn’t spicy enough. I still like the romantic sex scenes – I need a connection between the H&H – and I don’t mind scenes so hot you need oven mits to hold onto the book.
One thing that has changed for me over the past few years, is that I don’t mind telling people that I read romance without any shame over my choice of genre!
by Donna · July 28th, 2009 at 9:36 amI like all kinds of romance books, both hot and not.
by Carol Woodruff · July 28th, 2009 at 10:04 amI’m more interested in a good story and interesting characters.
Congrats on the release! Regarding heat level I enjoy spicy but I don’t want to sacrifice a great plot for a book that’s just loaded with sex scenes. I am greedy. When I pay good money for a book I want it all, a great plot along with the hot sex scenes.
by Cherie J · July 28th, 2009 at 11:41 amLove that cover.
congrats on the release. As for hot scenes it kind of depends on the story line sometimes that is what is right for the story and other times it is better if it isn’t as hot. 
by Larena Wirum · July 28th, 2009 at 6:18 pmCongrats on the release. I have found the hotter the better. I have read a couple of books that I asked authors for suggestions on and if there is not a really hot steam scene or two I get lost quick.
by Gina · July 28th, 2009 at 6:31 pmYep, I’ve always preferred a hot romance novel over one that is not. I’m a fan of erotica, but I like the best when the story is as good as the sex scenes.
by Mitzi Hinkey · July 28th, 2009 at 6:39 pmI have always loved hot sex scene or at least hot sexual tension. I get bored if there is nothing spicy. The more sexual tension the better so when that hot sex scene occurs it is so much more satisfying!!
by Jeanne St. James · July 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pmI think I started in my teens looking for books with explicit warnings. Then I could blame it on hormones and curiosity, but somewhere early on I got addicted to it. So yes I like my books HOT!
by Sue A. · July 28th, 2009 at 7:26 pmThanks to all who’ve commented! And the winner is Jeanne St. James. Jeanne, please email me at shelli @ shellistevens.com with your address and I’ll send you a signed book!
Thanks everyone! Be sure to check out my blog for more contests and where you can find me around the web!
http://www.shellistevens.com/blog/
by Shelli Stevens · July 28th, 2009 at 7:50 pm