My Legitimate Seat at the Erotica Table

“Hi. My name is Dr. J. I am an erotica writer.”

Your turn.

As an experiment, insert your name and make that statement to someone.

Did you hesitate?

What was your body response?

What was their body response?

What did the person say to you?

If your experience was like mine, you received an instant like or a dislike response, no in-between grey area.

This week I have confirmation that I am an erotica writer. My work releases on Tuesday, November 21 in Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3. Read what my editor, Rachel Kramer Bussel said about it.

Infused Leather, by Dr. J., “tackles the topic of sexual abuse as its heroine discovers a way to overcome her past and make her current fetish one that leaves her utterly smitten, while also showcasing just how hot having an inanimate object to fixate on can be.”

With the impending release of this book, I stopped to reflect on the totality of my sexuality career.

Surreal.

Many of you may know that writing erotica was never on my To-Do List. When I began writing for this submission call, I didn’t knowingly set out to write an erotica story about sexual abuse and healing, but it emerged. After re-reading Rachel’s comments, it appears that my sexuality career experiences have integrated into my subconscious.

Somewhere in the midst of my reflection, this question popped in: Is writing erotica legitimate?

For years, I defended that question about sexuality education and therapy. When individuals had a sexual concern, I wondered if they considered who would help them to address it. Who was an expert? What training had they received about sex? Who did they think provided sexuality training for physicians, nurses, PAs, and therapists? Feel free to continue the list. And remember to add teachers and parents.

For my entire career, I provided sex therapy to clients and trained professionals in sex-positive modalities. I sought out a higher standard of training in human sexuality and obtained degrees and certifications. I was fearless in teaching sex-positive education. Spewing facts, dispelling myths and misinformation was my thing.

So how does this fit with writing erotica? It seems that the lack of acceptance of sexuality effects erotica too, if not more. I believe it is still a social construct issue.

I asked my #sisterinsmut, Mischa Eliot, to share her thoughts about the societal view of erotica. “Erotica is automatically dismissed simply because people consider it to be written porn. They expect nothing about character growth or morals or learning or anything else. They see the word erotica and make that face like something stinky was just placed in front of them.” And in writing specifically, “Erotica is the black sheep of the romance family. The aunt that drinks too much and pinches too hard. The slutty sister that continually gets her heart broken.”

Encapsulated in Mischa’s responses are those negative societal beliefs which are also entrenched in the microcosm of the writing industry.

So again, I find myself in the arena of working to legitimize sexuality, this time with erotica.

I have many thoughts on this topic and will write more about them in the future.

For now, please check out Best Women’s Erotica, Volume 3 and all its talented contributors.

I am honored to included among other wonderful erotica authors: Abigail Barnette-Jenny Trout, Rachel Woe, Sommer Marsden, Thien-Kim Lam, R.J. Richardson, Kris Adams, Angell Brooks, Lyla Sage, August McLaughlin, Charlie Powell, Dee Blake, Aya de Leon, Brandy Fox, Leandra Vane, Lynn Townsend, B.B. Sanchez, Charlotte Stein, Tamsin Flowers, Emmanuelle de Maupassant, and Annabel Joseph.

I hope you enjoy my new story as I embrace my new life mission—Legitimizing Erotica.

P.S. Authors thrive when you share review love!