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Straying from MF scenes
Tori Schindler
Posted: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 9:16 PM
Joined: 3/12/2011
Posts: 40


Historically romance was male-female and erotica followed. Now, not so much. The submission information for a lot of epub sites now that I'm starting to look seem to want more MM or FF romances.  I've got a character that's bisexual already, so now I'm toying with showing that other side of the coin. In an erotic romance where most of the heat is coming from MF scenes, do you think throwing in a MM scene would fly? Eventually I have a character planned who's a lesbian and will start to dabble with one of my straight boys, so then I'll have the FF scenes too. But that's still in the distance.

Can you mix MF scenes in the same book/series as MM/FF in erotica?

MarieDees
Posted: Monday, July 11, 2011 12:44 PM
Joined: 3/11/2011
Posts: 156


Throwing in some M/M action would move the book out of the Het category and into either a GLBT or menage category depending on how you handle it. Most often in ER if there is a female MC she is the main MC so the question would be -- how does she fit into the M/M picture? If the male MC just wanders off and has a casual M/M fling, you've weakened him as a romantic partner and have to find a way to redeem him. Also, be aware that treating a same sex relationship as casual while the Het relationship is "real" can be a problem with the GLBT reading audience. So, you need to make sure there is a reason for the M/M part that works for the audience.

Now, menage adventures are popular in erotic romance. If a book is designated M/F/M it means the woman is involved with both men but the men don't have sex with each other. F/M/M means the woman has sex with both men and the men also have sex with each other. The variations are endless. My next has a M/M/M scene in it and a friend has a book out with a M/M/M/M scene. But the trick with these is that we usually have to find a way to do the multiples without losing the "true love" aspect of a story.




Tori Schindler
Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 2:55 AM
Joined: 3/12/2011
Posts: 40


My male MC has a long standing, pre-existing, on-again-off-again relationship with his best friend that my female MC has to come to terms with. I guess the real debate is whether to say it or show it. I don't need the word count or the sex per se, so it's just whether it 'works' with the story/reader. It does do something for character development in that it shows the male MC's fears and insecurities better and how he copes better, but I don't think it suffers much if it gets left out. For now I guess I'll leave it in and see how beta readers take it. Except my hubby isn't thrilled, he's unnerved by the thought and not looking forward to reading that bit.
MarieDees
Posted: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:47 PM
Joined: 3/11/2011
Posts: 156


Hmm, I wonder how a publisher will view it. Yes, the FMC has to come to terms with it, but it also sounds like the MMC may not have come to terms with his own sexuality.