A Slippery Slope . . .
On The Mechanic's Mate release date I felt the need to let everyone know that our book is Dieselpunk . . . paranormal . . . romance . . . but especially erotic. I see that my dad is one of the first to pre-order, and that my mom keeps sharing the link, so it is reasonable to want to give them a warning (although how awesome is it that they are so supportive), but it is not just them. I want to warn everyone. Am I embarrassed that I love and write erotic romance with my SIL*? Nope. But I still want you warned before you read it, and this is why:
I never wanted to be a romance reader. I went into it grudgingly and disbelieving, making excuses for how ‘this book isn’t really a romance’ because there is this whole other story (to be clear it absolutely was, without a question).
I rekindled my love for reading with Harry Potter, which is still one of my all time favorite series! Once I finished that, someone recommended the Twilight series . . . and yes, I love Twilight (no, I have not read any fan fic based on it . . . promise!). I told Mindy to read the series and she recommended The Anita Blake series, since we were talking vampires. She ordered me the first 4 or 5 books in the series (because dammit, she wanted me to read them). Obviously, I read those and needed more. I’d order 3 or 4 more, and if I unexpectedly found myself without the next, I’d run out to Borders or Barnes and Noble for the next. So, despite what I was reading, it was located in YA or Horror or Fantasy. I was good with that. Then I ran out of something to read . . .
Bookstores have this great little, if you liked ‘that’ you may like ‘this’. I know you have all seen it, lol. So B&N seemed quite certain that I would like Sherrilyn Kenyon, and they knew what I’d been reading . . . so I ordered the first couple (seriously, I had to get at least two, I couldn’t get caught without the next one). I finished the second book way faster than I expected and ran to Borders on my lunch break. I searched all my normal aisles and it wasn’t there. On limited time, I asked the clerk who promptly answered, ‘Oh, that’s in Romance.’
Ummm, what? No, I don’t read romance. I stood in front of the shelf actually debating (I am not kidding, I was nearly late back to work) whether or not I reconcile what I thought of the first two books with what I thought romance novels were. My love for the books won out and I grabbed the next three.
It’ll just be this series of romance . . . I’ll find a sci-fi series once I catch up to current on this one.
Reading around six to ten books a week (yes I have a problem, I am aware, no I don’t want help) I needed another series, so trusted B&N again. I read all the blurbs and went with Gena Showalter . . . imagine my dismay when I looked at the spine and ‘gasp’ Harlequin published it. I ordered the first three books for Mindy (because dammit, I wanted her to read them). Note that I would have sent her the Dark-Hunters but it was already a long series. She happened to notice the publisher on the second book, but had read some romance, and just noted that it wasn’t the traditional Harlequin.
I decided to ‘own’ being a romance reader. I admitted to liking movies with a romantic story or sex more than those without, so what’s the difference. My romance book addiction grew stronger and I moved from just paranormal romance (PNR) to erotic, to sci fi, to contemporary, to any combination of them all!
So I am warning you, to keep you from sliding down that slippery slope that is a loving addiction to romance (oh, and to keep you from gifting it to your grandma, and giving her a heart attack).
* SIL = Sister In-Law