An Odyssey with Michelle Polaris

My first erotic romance, Bound Odyssey, explores the world of BDSM on a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Earth. Challenging myself with authentically recreating the Domination and submission subculture in this story and the psychology behind those dynamics was important to me. I wanted readers new to BDSM to come away with some level of understanding of what this flavor of sexuality was about. Thinking about why, I came to the realization that erotic romance, or even just erotica, is an important way for people to explore their sexual identities.

Most of us live fairly mundane lives with no sexy, fast-paced plot elements forcing us to uncover conspiracy and save the world or our loved ones. No one has manipulated us into spending the week locked in a room with two gorgeous sexual trainers or have our minds blown away by new sensual adventures. Instead, we plod along at our jobs and our relationships. Life easily becomes stale unless we breathe life into it. And sometimes fear closes us down. Fear of change, fear of being different, fear of the sacrifices we would be forced to make if we consider the world from a different perspective. We can all use a little help to consider moving safely in new directions. And a book is a perfect vehicle for that help. Isn’t the mind our most important sexual organ? Well, at least for women (grin).

I suspect that too often we are afraid of our sexual fantasies. A passage from an erotic romance might be the perfect means to explore a new idea or just find validation for a favorite daydream of ours. Heck, book marking a scene and sharing it with a partner or lover is a fine and dandy way to introduce a new possibility into a sexual relationship. Especially if it’s too hard to start a discussion about it another way. Although I am a big advocate of finding a way to talk about sex with your partner.

Rarely does anyone mention reading erotic romance as a vehicle for life altering change. But I must admit that when I came upon a story that resonated with a fantasy I remember having as an adolescent, I experienced an “ah ha” moment. So that’s what was going on for me, I mused. Again, very validating. And totally unexpected when I first considered reading this genre.

You never know what may happen if you pick up an erotic romance or an erotica. At the very least, you could have a rockin’ good time and rev your engines through a sexy, intense story. But maybe you’ll find more for yourself than just a hot tale. A new zing to your own sexual relationship. A better way to understand your fantasies. New fantasies that you never knew you had. And possibly, find a way to be less afraid of non-traditional, non-mainstream ideas of what is acceptable sexuality. Both for yourself and for others.

If even one of my readers finds something personal for themselves inside the pages of my story, I’ll know I succeeded in one of my goals. But in the meantime, I’ll be thrilled to death if readers simply have a grand old arousing and enjoyable time with my book.

The year is 2067. An alpha cowboy diplomat…the sexual Dominant team hired to train him…a world self-destructing. Three hearts search for salvation on their Bound Odyssey.

If you’d like to read more about me or my novel, Bound Odyssey, check out www.michellepolaris.com or my blog at: www.michellepolarisblog.wordpress.com.

Pleasant dreams,

Michelle

Confessions of a Recent Slash Addict - Adrianne Brennan

I have a confession to make: I am one of many women who didn't understand the appeal of slash for a very, very long time. Comprehending what was hot about watching two men go at it was beyond me. Slash between two women I’ve always found hot, but never got into erotic romance novels between two men.

It actually was not until my favorite fandom pairing arose that I "got" it: it's really about two men whom you find to be hot and whose chemistry you find to be hot that makes it work. It's also about that lovely, perhaps-only-slightly-subconscious desire to be the filling in that sandwich. It is my belief that this is why m/m erotic romance sells well with women who want to appreciate men’s bodies and sexuality and find it to be a turn on.

The genre of m/m erotic romance had gone mainstream recently, and I blame it on the British sci-fi television show known as Torchwood. Its pairing of two of the main characters, Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, have sold the show for many people who may have never watched it. I personally got into the show because I am a fan of the original show it spun off from, which is Doctor Who. Torchwood broke through a lot of boundaries for the GLBT world with its loose boundaries and definitions of sexuality with its omnisexual main character, Jack.

  Often times my writing is inspired by what I read and watch on television, and I write what I consider to be “gender blind” characters for the most part. So far, my books have featured m/f, f/f, f/f/f, f/f/m, m/m, and m/f/m pairings. My scifi/paranormal erotic romance book Dawn of the Seraphs is my entry into the wide, wonderful world of m/m and it definitely won’t be my last! :D

Readers and writers, feel free to sound off! Are you a fan of the m/m genre and if so, why? Do you have any preferences as to associated genres? Do you prefer m/m paranormals, historicals, contemporary?
Check out more books by Adrianne Brennan at her site - http://www.adriannebrennan.com