Spice without shame, is it possible?

So, you like your reading to be racy. Is that a crime? Not to my way of thinking. It’s like this: You’re into a great romance story. The heroine has captured your heart—she’s got your empathy, you’ve stepped into her shoes. Meanwhile the hero, well…he’s drawn you in completely, to the point that you lie in bed at night picturing him. These two have been kept apart by circumstances for dozens of pages, and now, at last—

He kisses her.

And it’s wonderful. You can imagine the relief of this moment, when longing is finally satisfied. But then, of course, a new longing flares up: You can feel the hero’s body pulling at the heroine, the heat, the yearning, the craving for utter fulfillment. It may be dozens more pages before conjugation at last occurs, and by then the last thing you want is—

—the dreaded "fade to black.”

No, no! Not lights out, you want to see it all, feel it, experience it down to the cellular level. Of course you do, what red blooded human being wouldn’t? What was all this buildup for, if not to setup the joy of release and fulfillment?

That’s what erotic writing is all about, and why it is so special. It engages the reader mind, body and soul, transports you physically as well as emotionally. It’s powerful stuff, and that’s why sex sells.

Sex sells, and because of that, the erotic genre can be abused. But it can likewise be used to great and soulful purposes. Why do you think Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet” is so powerful? At the bottom line, it’s about sex: the extent and power of the desire for union both spiritual and physical. Just because the power of sex can be misused doesn’t mean it has to be. On the contrary, capable and careful hands can fashion erotica that is rich and meaningful, erotica that enriches life, and sparks joy, vitality and creativity.

And certainly that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

I’ve read a fair amount of erotica in my life, and written it since I was thirteen. It’s as varied as the vodka shelf at a martini bar, and there’s something for most everyone. Some of it is shallow, and I suppose there’s a place for cheap thrills as long as they aren’t degrading to the soul. But some of it is genuinely enriching, because it takes seriously the part sex plays in life, in all the forms sexual energy takes. That’s the kind of erotic writing you should be proud to read, because it will spark in you inspiration to live and love more fully.

Sometimes people ask me why I chose to write erotic romance. Sometimes they ask me why I call my writing erotic when it doesn’t use those words you typically find in today’s erotica. And sometimes they ask why I call my work "erotica with soul.” It would take a lot more words than this column can contain to answer those questions. But most of the time, if someone reads one of my stories, they don’t have to ask.

Spice without shame is my business, and my pleasure. So read, let your breathing accelerate and your pulse quicken, clench your palms, then smile and sigh. But there’s no need to blush.

Diana Laurence is the author of the Soulful Sex anthologies published by Living Beyond Reality Press (www.livingbeyondreality.com). Visit her at www.dianalaurence.com, and read her blog at www.eroticawithsoul.blogspot.com. Download her free fiction from the LBR Press READ FREE Project at www.livingbeyondreality.com/readfree.html.