The Last To Know—Again.

Between working full-time and trying to write (in between living), I frequently feel I’m the last to know so many things.

While listening to the radio recently, I learned that chivalry is definitely dead and that modern women are fine with that. They--we are? The program even hinted that some women (at least in the twenty-some and below age range) don't mind having their lover’s call them bitch. Ouch.

Even though I don't necessarily expect it, I'm not adverse to men showing a certain amount of deference and consideration to women in general and to me in particular. And I certainly don't expect any man with romance on his mind to even think about calling me a bitch. I’m not sure how I feel about it in romances. I think in fiction, context is everything.

Generally, in my books the heroes still open doors for heroines while recognizing that they are falling for women just as capable of professional achievements as they are.


The hero from my latest release, The Dare (published by Loose-id), treats the heroine like a very modern woman. He fully expects her to be just as sexually active as he is. On the other hand, the heroine in my upcoming Ellora's Cave release, Night of Sin, while excelling in an occupation still denominated by men, takes exception to a lover using the b word—most of the time. There’s one male from whom she happily tolerates it.

I’m not so sure I agree with her, but then I readily admit I'm old-fashioned and often find myself playing catch up. Why? Because, I’m the last to know.

The discussion of the death of chivalry left me wondering how other women feel. What do modern women want or expect in their personal relationships? What do they want when they read a romance? Is the hero still expected to treat the heroine in a chivalrous manner?

Help me out and tell me your take. What type of hero do you enjoy reading about most? What do you want or expect from a man in a relationship? Do you want your significant other to be chivalrous? Do you want him holding or opening doors for you? Do you expect him to pull out your chair? Do you want him to stand when you walk into a room? When dating, do you expect him to pay or do you want to go Dutch? Do you sometimes pay?

Do you feel comfortable calling him or making the first move in a relationship? Or do you wait for him to call you? Do you expect or want him to pick you up for a date and drive you/walk you home? Or do you drive yourself and meet him there?

Is chivalry dead? If it is, do you miss it and long to revive it? Is bitch the new honey or baby?

Marilyn Lee
http://www.marilynlee.org

What do you want or expect from an erotic romance?

Erotic romances—Why do you read them and what do you want or expect when you do?

I keep telling myself I should blog more. But I never do. Why am I blogging today? Because a question on a group on which I lurk put me in the blogging mood. The writer asked why most of the IR (interracial) romances mentioned were erotic ones. Then the writer wondered if all such readers were interested in was sex without character development. Mention was made of characters having sex in the first chapter of a book—as if that were a bad thing. :-)

I write erotic romances. But you knew that already. Didn’t you? :-) You didn’t? Hmm. Clearly you haven’t been visiting me at my Yahoo Group, Love Bytes or my own neglected blog. Why not? What? Because it is neglected? Hmm. Good point, but let’s get back to the subject of this blog—erotic romances.

The writer’s reference was to IR erotic romances in particular, nevertheless, it could be asked of readers of any genre of erotic romance. Are readers who read erotic romance only interested in sex at the expense of character development? When I asked the question on my Yahoo Group (You know the one you’re going to visit after reading this blog. Right?), those who responded made no apology for reading erotic romance, while clearly stating their insistence on character development. Not a single reader expressed a preference for sex for its own sake. They enjoyed not having the bedroom closed in their face, but they wanted the sexual relationship between the hero and heroine to enhance the plot—not replace it.

In my response to the writer, I indicated that I allowed my characters to decide when they will make love. I’ve written books where that happened very early in the book. I’ve also written books where the hero and heroine only make love after they’ve gotten to know each other. I also pointed out if sex was the sole consideration of the readers in question, they could very well read straight erotica. I think the very fact that they’re choosing erotic romance is indicative of a desire for a satisfying love story that is enhanced by the couple’s love making.

So those of you who read erotic romance and who (for some strange reason are not members of my Yahoo Group), what’s your opinion? What do you expect or want when you read an erotic romance? Do you read it strictly for the sex? Do you want a plot and character development with the sex? Are you bothered or turned off if the heroine and hero make love very early in the book?

Marilyn Lee
http://www.marilynlee.org
http://marilynlee.blogspot.com