Misconceptions of Ménage Reads By Leslie Lee Sanders

Ménage stories come in many arrangements; MMF, MMM, MFM, MFF and more. I personally enjoy reading and writing MMF ménage or Male/Male/Female (for those who aren't familiar). I love finding interesting ways to bring together two handsome guys and a lucky girl for my readers. However, not everyone understands the appeal of ménage themed erotic romances. Some people have misconceptions of erotic romance in general as well as the ménage theme in such stories, but that's another post.

Below I discuss four misconceptions about ménage themed erotic romances, and add my two cents to clear up the confusion.

1. There's not much variety. It's all the same thing.

You read an MFM read so other MFM stories would be the same, right?  Wrong. Reading one ménage story doesn't mean you're going to get the same reading experience from another in the same arrangement. The only thing that's consistent in ménage is that arrangement. If it's an MMM arrangement, all these stories will feature three males who sexually engage with each other. An MFM arrangement will feature two males and one female; the men pleasure the female during the same encounter but do not sexually engage with each other. In an MMF arrangement, the men do engage with each other as well as the female, and so on. The characters, voice, mood, plot, setting and author are factors that give every single book its individuality.

2. There's no happy ever after.

If you're reading an erotic romance, no matter the category or theme, there will be a happy ending. The romance is the key. Yes, there are three people involved in the main relationship, but it doesn't mean one of those people will be kicked to the curb to allow for a traditional pairing at the end. In ménage reads, "traditional" has already been kicked to the curb.

3. There's always a gay character.

Most stories featuring a cast of same sex characters in a threesome will obviously have gay content. If the abbreviation has the same two letters together (FFM, MMF) then most likely there will be a homosexual character involved, but not always. Although they may engage in the threesome, the character may identify as bisexual, bi-curious, and even straight (which is common in gay-for-you stories). In MFM or FMF stories, (the latter more uncommon in erotica and erotic romance) usually the characters are straight and there will not be any homosexual content involved.

4. Ménage stories are pure erotic and lack romance.

Threesomes in fiction can be romantic. A writer can play with their word choice and the mood of the story to add the feeling of love, commitment, and sacrifice throughout their erotic romance. Tweak the characters' motives, inner conflict, and focus on character development instead of pages of explicit sex scenes and the story could transform into a beautiful romance. There are plenty of successful ménage romances that don't just focus on the sex. However, it wouldn't be a very satisfying "erotic" romance without the sex.

Here is my latest MMF erotic romance, Benefits of Sharing, available from Breathless Press: http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/361

Blurb:

Cara Matthews is about to turn thirty, and for her, it’s the death of her youth and the beginning of the dull years. Her husband, James, is aware of her sudden grief and surprises her with something that should take her mind off of aging: young Isaac.

Maybe Isaac can help Cara create her very own wild and crazy experience to share—in more ways than one—and help her transition smoothly from her twenties to her thirties.

Cara is all too eager to finally experience the excitement she’s been desperately craving, but she’s also a little skeptical. Exactly who is Isaac, and why is he so eager to please?

Author Bio:

The author of several books of fiction and fiction with spice, Leslie Lee Sanders spends her time writing erotic romances (mostly in the gay and ménage categories). She currently has two books available for mature teen readers and several erotic romances published as e-books and in print. www.leslieleesanders.com

Times Are A-Changin’ By Em Petrova

Lately I’ve been part of several conversations concerning e-publishing, self-publishing and New York publishing. Like any good debate things got heated—and not in a good way! Authors and readers alike are on the fence about these different methods of delivering new books to you. Blogs and workshops are dedicated to it. There are even publications about the avenues of publication.

Any newbie writer knows there are many options available to us. You can query your heart out to NY agents in hopes of them picking you up. For the most part, their agencies only take on a handful of new authors a year. That’s about a 2% chance you’ll shove your foot in the door before they shove theirs up your ass.

Writers can submit to many e-publishing houses—and even some NY ones—without agents. But even more confusing is the question of self-publishing. I know authors who have dipped their toes in the waters of all three of these venues in hopes of finding their own answers.

To me, it seems like NY carries a lot of prestige. One thing remains the same with all venues though—no writer really makes the “big bucks” unless they’re selling a bajillion copies. And sometimes not even then if their contracts suck. In the past few years since e-publishing has skyrocketed, many authors are making good money here. And in the world of self-pub I’ve heard of authors making even BETTER sales because they get a higher cut and don’t have to share with a middle man.

So what does this mean for readers? We’ve all picked up print books and put them right down again. Just because it’s paper and ink doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ve unfortunately doled out many wasted dollars on print books I couldn’t get through and donated to the church rummage sale later.  Ditto with e-books. I’ve found some fabulous reads and some that bored me to tears. Luckily the e-versions are often cheaper so you don’t feel as ripped off and you’re not left with slogging the remains of your hated paperback to the bring-and-buy.

And lastly self-published works are as hit and miss as NY publishing and e-publishing. I’ve read a few that needed the work of a professional editor and some that rocked the world with their fabulosity (yeah, I know—not a real word but it fits!) As far as I can tell though and in my personal opinion, readers are confused by which book they should sink their money into. E-pubs barely hit their strides and they were overturned by self-pubbed authors. Many are floundering for submissions and losing valuable authors who want to make a bigger buck somewhere else. I’m by no means saying authors shouldn’t self-publish. The writer must take many factors into consideration. Genre, readership…even the thickness of one’s own skin in comparison to the number of rejections she can tolerate before saying screw it—I’ll do it on my own.

I think in the end the readers must try to make better decisions about what they’re buying. Take an extra minute to open Amazon’s “Look Inside Me” feature and actually read the first page. Read some reviews on Amazon or by doing a Google search for reviews on that book. Ask your friends what they’re reading. Tweet “anyone ever read this book?” and see how many responses you get. We consumers work hard for our money. Why should we throw it away? No matter what type of book you buy or from which house, what still matters is quality. Yeah, sometimes the best product wears the prettiest label. And sometimes the generic version works just as well—if not better. A few minutes of research will help you choose which book will best satisfy your hunger.

Em Petrova

~where words mean so much more~
www.empetrova.com

Deux:  http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/305

Trois: http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/290
Tattoo Dream: http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/273
The Tempest: http://tiny.cc/78ydb
Runes: http://tiny.cc/rh5yl
Trefoil: http://www.eredsage.com/store/product859.html
Runestone: http://www.eredsage.com/store/Runestone.html
Forbidden: http://www.eredsage.com/store/Forbidden.html
My Sexy Valentine: http://tiny.cc/2w5ea
Isolde’s Wish: http://www.loose-id.com/Isoldes-Wish.aspx
Market Place: http://tiny.cc/l1gch
Bound for Romance: http://tiny.cc/k7huy
(all books are with e-pubs)