Who are coming soon?
The characters in Curious and Camping of course.
Although the story didn’t evolve as a novel until late last year, this idea had been on my mind for some time. I toyed with the main characters being two girls, but as I’ve discovered in other stories, there is a greater depth to characters, action and plot if there is an understanding of the possible issues.
Why should any research or knowledge be an issue with erotica?
In any writing, the author owes the reader what is being marketed. As I regularly suggest from this digital soapbox on the topic–too many erotica authors don’t do their job properly. Unless the book description states ‘Erotic Sci-Fi’, we are dealing with people.
Yes, men can write about women, and women can write about men, and those who class themselves as neither–well dare I say they’re ‘lucky’ enough to have a deeper understanding of the crossover area. This is important because when you write about sexual activities they should not only be physically possible, they should also be suitable to the mindset of the characters involved.
In Curious and Camping, my characters have evolved with each draft, and now I’m confident I’m nearing the endgame regarding the story. However we treat erotica as a genre, I believe it is more closely aligned to fantasy and romance than anything else. The subject matter can be dressed up, but at the end of the day we are dealing with the deepest, secret, and sometimes darkest daydreams of the author–and the reader. The activities will rarely occur for most people, but the thought that they might is what keeps them alive for each individual.
I’ve had three different endings so far and the end will remain in the balance until I arrive at that final draft. As with any creative, I may not be totally happy with the finished result, but it will be as close as I can go.
Another subtle change I made for this book was an amendment to the cover. I recently changed all of my erotica covers and though to the untrained eye they look the same, they are different. I’ve produced three different bases to create sub-brands for short stories, novellas, and novels. Perhaps if I try my hand at erotica poetry I’ll have to come up with something else.
The important news is that this book will be available in late April/early May 2018. It will be a full-length novel, rather than one of the 26-page ‘books’ available with a cover which screams ‘cheap thrills’.
Thank you in advance to all those brave souls who venture here and leave their mark. 🙂
Tom Benson - Erotica 