J Lea Lopez and the spice of romance

Howdy Folks!

As my regular (and irregular) readers know, my tastes and opinions are eclectic (i.e. all over the map).

With that thought in mind, let’s move on to justifying my point as stated above. I know, that’s new for me, but bear with me on this. There are some things I’d like to discuss.

Subject: J. Lea Lopez aka Doc Luv   

Occupation: Author

R2R (Relationship to Revo): Friend, audience and occasional consultant

Available works: http://www.amazon.com/Consenting-Adults-ebook/dp/B00CKH0X2G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1369139642&sr=8-4&keywords=consenting+adults

From her AQC Profile: “I am a novelist and short story author who is passionate about sex in fiction, hates writing dialogue, gets her life lessons from jello, and expresses her creativity through her hair when it isn't coming out in her words.”

Okay, right off the bat, I admit; I don’t get the jello thing. The hair I understand. It is, in her profile pic, an electric shade of violet. But I digress.

I met Ms. Lopez, or as I call her, Doc Luv (only I get to call her that), on Agent Query Connect. She is a moderator for that site. Her responsibilities consist of providing guidance, advice, encouragement and keeping me from carried away with – me. The first three things she’s pretty good at. The last thing…well, no one has much luck with that.

Anywho, Doc is a patient and kindly person that once gave me a bit of guidance on a scene in KEEPERS that had me concerned enough to consider cutting it. I didn’t and am happy with what I feel is now the eeriest and most tantalizing scene in the book. That’s when I came to notice that she had a talent for giving credibility to a genre I call romantic erotica. Now you get why I call her Doc Luv. ‘Nuff said.

The good Doc has a new work coming out this weekend, titled; Sorry’s Not Enough. Unlike her collection of short stories as linked above, this is more romance that erotica. Knowing Doc as I do, however, has me suspecting it will still be steamy enough to fog your contact lenses. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

This brings up the question; what is erotica?

These are J. Lea Lopez’s thoughts on the subject: http://www.fromthewriteangle.com/2012/08/romance-vs-erotica-vs-porn.html

What? It doesn’t bring up the question? Tough, get your own blog. I’m running this show. That’s the beauty of the internet. It lets you sound off on stuff you don’t know a whole lot about.

My take: Erotica is a type of romance with a more intense focus on the expression of intimacy. Done right, it’s engaging on several aspects of that hard-to-define subject we call love. Done wrong and it’s a play-by-play manual that is as chillingly unsexy as Pamela Anderson in Barb Wire. Were Doc in the latter category rather than the former, I wouldn’t have even bothered to write all this stuff.

Let’s be real here; though it isn’t the flashiest genre at the moment, romance is the absolute bedrock of fiction. Much like beer, when times are good, people consume it. When times are bad, people consume it. Erotica needs no such validation from me, seeing as its sales are measured in the gazillions.

You’re asking; then why’d you bring it up…bonehead?

Don’t be so impatient. I’m getting to that.

Here is a small sampling of some romance sub-genres: Historical, Contemporary, Category (or series), Regency, Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Time-travel, Gothic and Suspense.

Wow.  I don’t have half that many pairs of shoes.

If the tamer of the species can be considered a strawberry and mineral water, and the more risqué a milk chocolate-covered strawberry with white wine, where does erotica fit in?

Easy; it’s a dark chocolate-covered Jalapeno served with a shot of tequila. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but damn, is it ever a rush.

The esteemed Doctor Lopez appears to be bridging the gulf between romance and erotica in her full length work, but I’ll let her tell you about it:

Sorry's Not Enough

http://www.amazon.com/Sorrys-Not-Enough-ebook/dp/B00D0DQHLK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1369530413&sr=8-4&keywords=j+lea+lopez

Contemporary New Adult

Charlotte learned at an early age that people – including family – are capable of hurting you so bad "sorry” will never be enough. The obvious solution is not to let anyone close enough to do any damage, and she's doing just fine with that until a summer writing workshop brings Steven into her life. Seemingly immune to Charlotte's Stay the Hell Away from Me pheromones, he uses his wit and good looks – or what Charlotte would call his obnoxious ego and his stupid good looks – to win her over. The unexpected summer romance screeches to a halt when Steven's job creates an ethical dilemma for the couple. Sorry doesn't begin to cover the hurt feelings.

Despite the secrets Charlotte's keeping and the renewed passion with which she pushes him away, Steven can't let her go. And so the cycle of their relationship begins. Over the course of four years they share moments as passionate lovers, periods of warm friendship, as well as months of barely-civil tension.

When no amount of time or distance, and no number of men, can make her forget the comfort of Steven's arms, Charlotte must dig into her painful past and face the man whose betrayal destroyed her capacity for trust to begin with. And by the time she finds the courage to do so, will “sorry” be enough to get Steven back?

You got all that? Good.

What is ‘New Adult’? It’s an age group, representing individuals old enough to know better but young enough to continue mooching meals and laundry off their parents.

Yes, I’m one of those parents.

No, I’m not that thrilled about it.

But I digress. As you can see, J Lea Lopez is a woman of considerable talent. If you’re a romance fan, check out her works. If you’re not, check them out anyway – especially if you’re male. We can never learn enough about our counterparts. Besides, you might pick up a trick or two.

Guys, don’t take this the wrong way but there are a few out there that can use all the help they can get.

Anyway, buy the book, read it and leave your review https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/319676.

 

What the hell, you can review this blog post too. I don’t mind. There's even a little comment doohickey right down below, somewhere.

Peace out and enjoy.