Too Vanilla, or Too Spicy?

I find myself in an interesting position. I'm writing a book with the central romance between one hero and one heroine. The books I've written lately, however, have been decidedly more "alternative" when it comes to the romance. Mirror, Mirror and The Lord of Misrule (due out in Dec from Loose Id) are both hot, sexy ménage stories. It struck me that I was returning to a more vanilla romance, and I actually had to tone down a few of my scenes to fit in with the context of the story. "Vanilla," in case you're unaware, is the term many use to describe a basic physical relationship between a man and a woman.

With so much erotic romance out there, readers, reviewers and publishers wanting more, hotter and heavier, it's no wonder so many stories now involve what was once considered (and in many states still is :) forbidden. But underneath it all is still the story. Some stories I write with a specific goal in mind. Fun, short erotic interludes that promise escape in a world of fantasy and physical enjoyment. Others are longer tales, the sensual content there to reinforce the love and growing intimacy between partners, where the plot is more involved, the characters more flawed.

From one story to the next, content changes, both plot/character-wise and in explicit, mature content as well. But as an author, I find the real interest in what drives the story--the characters themselves.

Just a bit of mental babbling. And that's what you get when the hamster in my mind falls off the wheel.

Marie