Hi everyone —
Please welcome my fellow Loose Id author, Cheryl Dragon. Cheryl has a new story in LI’s great new series Eostre’s Basket, and this one is quite a gift! Enjoy! Here’s Cheryl!
Writing everything…is it okay?? Or “Why would an author do that?”
Since 2007, I’ve written MM erotic romance novellas among my other genres (MF, FF, and ménage)…
There are some authors who strictly use one pen name for MM OR only write MM. I envy people who find their one true love and never wander. Some readers are like that too. They know exactly what they want!
I’m not that lucky. I started with MF in 2006 and branched out, experimented, and explored other genres within the erotic romance umbrella. Luckily no one ever condemned me for writing ‘everything’.
However, I must admit that my MM never felt like it took off. I never felt like a ‘real’ MM author… I trusted my muse and wrote the characters that showed up. Some were straight and some were gay.
Then I started writing ‘big’ ménage. MMMF or MMMMF…this was again my trying something new. My readers REALLY like this!!! I love it as well. This genre is the best of all worlds for me…a lot more characters to juggle but it’s fun.
However, when writing more ménage plus stories, I found myself (at times) tilting toward an MM romance within it as well. MMMF is already complicated enough…lol! And these ménages include MM sex but the romance is generally focused on getting the right woman. So one editor of mine suggested adding more MM to my writing plan to satisfy that impulse J
I still wrote MM when it came to me but it wasn’t deliberate. So I started intentionally doing more MM and since I’ve been doing that, I’ve enjoyed them immensely and the ménages are balanced. Still, I generally felt like I’m not one of the cool kids in MM. I’ve debated starting a strictly MM name but creating/building pen names in the current market is a huge effort in time/promo work…and then Cheryl Dragon would just stop MM? That’d be weird!
There are other pitfalls to watch out for when you write ‘everything’. The trend for covers with nothing but 1 man’s hot chest was everywhere for a while. That sounds great! One hot guy…UNLESS you write multiple genres. Think of the poor readers…is that book MM? MF? Ménage? What is it??
Seriously, a cover has seconds to get people to click. I’m sure the publisher of one of my MM series thought they were being trendy and popular with 1 man on the cover. I did ask for 2 men but no luck.
So I was very relieved when I got two hot men on my cover for Undercover Cruising. Loose Id’s Eostre Basket series has a variety of pairings and it’ll be easy on the readers. They get it!! Whew J
MM has always been part of my writing career and I finally feel like I’m settling into the genre focus I’ve needed. MMMF and MM J I’m even finally going to GRL this year so I can have some real fun!
Do you think authors like me should do an MM only pen name and only link it to our ‘other’ pen name or does it matter??
Check out Undercover Cruising (MM Erotic Romance)
Blurb: FBI Special Agent Carlos Perez is undercover on a cruise ship, working to find and stop criminals targeting gay passengers. He’ll only get one chance to crack this case, so he has to stay on task. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem for the experienced agent, but normally, he wouldn’t be falling in love on the job.
When Stuart “Red” Redmond takes a last minute vacation over Easter, he’s thrilled to find his sexy coffeehouse regular on the same cruise. For months he’s been hoping that Carlos would ask him out, but both of them have been too busy working. What better time to have a first date than on a cruise?
What should’ve been smooth sailing on both work and relationship fronts turns to rough waters. Red knows Carlos well enough to poke holes in his cover, and while Carlos trusts Red to keep it under wraps, that knowledge puts him in danger. Then a mysterious Sundae’s Easter basket appears in Carlos’s suite. Are the criminals onto him or is something much stranger in play?
Excerpt Link: http://www.loose-id.com/eostre-s-baskets-undercover-cruising.html#product_tabs_Excert
Get the book links:
Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/eostre-s-baskets-undercover-cruising.html
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-undercovercruising-1453038-149.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Cruising-Eostres-Baskets-Cheryl-ebook/dp/B00IY0254C
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undercover-cruising-cheryl-dragon/1119001930?ean=9781623007058
Check out all of my stuff at: www.cheryldragon.com
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