Storm Moon Press Anniversary Blog Tour: Erotica That's So Much More - Neal F. Litherland

Today I am so excited to participate in the Storm Moon Press Anniversary Blog Tour! I have a super amazing guest post from author Neal F. Litherland! Enjoy!

There are opinions about the romance genre in general, and specifically about erotica, that keep a lot of readers from cracking covers. Some critics accuse erotica of being nothing but titillation without substance. Many readers turn up their noses at the genre, claiming that it's using sex like Spackle to cover up poor writing. Even with the recognition erotica has received in recent years, these opinions can be hard to shake.

That's why I'm proud for the work I've done with Storm Moon Press.

My story "Terror on Saturn VI" was featured in the collection Big Damn Heroines. The story itself was traditional pulp turned on its head, with a largely female cast of futuristic soldiers kicking in doors and taking names. It also fit nicely into the collection's theme, which was larger women in empowering roles. I enjoyed crafting that story, but the collection was more than just another paycheck for me. It was a look at what Storm Moon Press is, as a publisher.

I expected to work with a professional publisher who put out quality stories with an erotic element to them. I got that. What I didn't expect was a company that was devoted to putting people in the spotlight who don't get to be there as often as they should. This includes plus-sized women, characters of uncommon ethnicity and religion, as well as characters with sexualities and even genders who aren't very mainstream. By showcasing characters like this in well-written, plot-driven stories which also had an erotic element, Storm Moon Press pushed the envelope of reader's preconceptions. By showing that characters outside of the usual spectrum can still be compelling and interesting, this publisher makes readers and critics alike re-think what they know.

Erotica isn't for everyone; no genre is. There will always be readers who prefer to have the scene fade to black when clothes start coming off. On the other hand, it isn't a genre that should be pushed off into the shadows, or ignored except for those who want to read about graphic sexual encounters. Erotica simply uses a common, human experience to help set the scene, and to reveal important facets of characters that readers might not see in any other context. That is a powerful tool, and not one that should be casually disregarded.

For more industry insights and writing rhetoric, check out Neal F. Litherland's author blog The Literary Mercenary.

This post is part of Storm Moon Press' 4th Anniversary Blog Tour! Thank you for joining us, and please take a moment to enter Neal Litherland's giveaway as well as our blog-tour-wide giveaway! The prize is receiving an ebook each month from SMP for 12 months! We hope to see you around the Internet and at RainbowCon in 2014! Happy New Year!

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