What Makes a Story Hot?/Vote in the Poll!

Erotic romance and erotica are interesting literary critters. What floats my boat, satisfaction-wise, may do nothing for you--and the book in question may be a well-written story. But sex, like a sense of humor, is different from person to person.

Of course, books that feature a "kink" that you don't care for won't do it, no matter how great the story or writing is, so let's leave the question of erotic books that stray beyond "vanilla" sex for another time.

Okay. What I find hot about a book usually has to do with description--I don't like overly flowerly description, but I do like sensual reactions--what the hero/heroine are tasting, smelling, touching, feeling, hearing--it's all got to be in there for me. I try to include all the senses I can in each love or sex scene I write. I don't care for abrupt, clinical descriptions and non-sensual words. (That doesn't mean I don't like frank words--I call a cock, a cock--just the words that you tend to see more in male-oriented, hard-core porn.)

What also moves me or excites me is knowing what's going through a character's head as the sex is proceeding. I want to be there, inside the scene, to obtain maximum pleasure--both physical and emotional--from the story.

I know people who won't read a story if it's in first person. I know others who don't care which point-of-view in which the story is told. So, you tell me: Do you prefer first person for your erotic romance/erotica, third person, or does it make no difference to you?

You'll find the poll on the right, if you scroll down past the listings of my books. Please do vote--I'm truly curious. And, as incentive, I'll choose one person at random to receive a free copy of one of my ebooks--winner's choice. So, vote, and then send me an email (barriea [at] gmail [dot] com) telling me that you voted. (You don't have to tell me how you voted unless you want to.) I've started things off by voting for first person.

Barrie