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Opal Carew | The Confessions of an Erotic Romance Author
Or, How I Research my Erotic Romance Books
January 27, 2010
Do I do all those things I describe in my books? As an erotic romance author, I find that people seem to be fascinated with how
I research my novels. It is the most frequent question people ask me — usually
with a wink and a grin. At a recent signing at a show called Sexapalooza in my home
city of Ottawa, Canada, many people asked if it’s personal experience. I
glanced around at the piles of books (6 different novels) and winked, telling
them I’ve been a very busy lady. (My husband of over 25 years just chuckled!
Um, yeah, I was about 2 when I got married!)  So
how do I do my research? Well, I’ve found that there is an unexpected wealth of
information all around us. At a family gathering, my niece, who has studied
hypnotherapy, told me about an intriguing concept called erotic hypnosis. That
inspired me to write a scene where one of my heroines (Hanna in BLUSH) enjoyed a very hot
erotic fantasy with a plethora of sexy, leather-clad bikers. What I loved most
was that I could really push the limits because it was a guided flight of
imagination.
 In another instance, when my husband was chatting with some
ladies on the bus to work—he always shows them my latest book cover and tells
them what I’m working on—he told them I was starting a book on BDSM and one of
the women told him that she’d done research about the lifestyle for her
Master’s thesis. That led to me having a long chat with a submissive who’d been
involved in the lifestyle for many years. That fascinating discussion gave me a
lot of insight and helped me add a lot of heart to my book SECRET TIES.
 What do I do if an expert doesn’t fall into my lap? The
Internet and books are my biggest resource. Google and Amazon allow me to pull
together a wealth of information right from the comfort of my own home. While
surfing the web, I can find on-line forums specific to my area of research,
like the swingers sites I visited while writing my second book, SWING; on-line lingerie
stores to find a great lacy corset I can describe in detail; or sites that
describe how to tell when someone is lying, so I can have one character who is
knowledgeable in such things evaluate another character’s behaviour. (That
latter also comes in handy for personal reasons, since I have teenagers—not
that either of my kids ever lies!)
When you want to get out and see things in real life and maybe talk to a live
person, going to adult stores is a start. In Ottawa, there’s a store called the
Adult Fun Superstore, which is large and bright and not at all intimidating.
They have various lingerie and products on display and the staff is helpful and
can recommend various workshops that the store offers. One place I go every year is the Sexapalooza show. For the past three years, I’ve had a
booth there to promote my books. The show was two weeks ago and over fifteen
thousand people passed through the conference centre. Between manning the booth
and doing my talk on Women’s Sexual Fantasies, along with doing some readings,
I slipped away to explore the show. They had a stage show, with pole dancers,
belly dancers, a burlesque dancer, bondage bed demonstrations, pony play, etc.
I wandered into the dungeon to see a bondage demonstration where the subject is
tied up and suspended from above. I also talked to a man with a large variety
of floggers laid out in front of him, from soft suede to a wicked looking
flogger with braided leather. (None of those will appear in my books anytime
soon!) My son and a group of his friends roamed the show and one fellow tried
out the solitary cage. Apparently, the others had great fun poking him through
the bars. Of course, videos are a great resource, too. I’ve found YouTube to be wonderful
for instructional videos. Also, adult films can show what is possible with
respect to positions. In the book I just finished writing, PLEASURE
BOUND (which will be released next November) I wanted a love scene on a
motorcycle. I found a video where a couple did just that. It gave me a lot of
ideas, but I took my written love scene much further. Not all my research is about the erotic aspects of my books. Let me give you
some examples from my latest book, FORBIDDEN HEAT. I received one of those funny videos in an email
from a friend who knows I like cats. It showed a cat riding one of those robot
vacuums. One of my characters, Trey, loves technological gismos, so I worked
this into the book. See the video, it’s really
cute! I had a scene at a wedding and I needed to describe the wedding party, including bouquets. A small detail, but I found it
easier to look at some bouquets on-line for inspiration. In the reception scene
after the wedding, there was dancing so I thought I’d have Trey ask Danielle to
dance the Tango. My husband and I took lessons to learn the Argentine Tango a
few years ago, but I couldn’t remember all the steps, so I got onto YouTube to
help me out. Check out this video. (I love this exotic dance. It’s so
sexy!) And, check out these two scenes from the movie Take the Lead with
Antonio Banderas. The first is a scene where Banderas’ character illustrates the
Tango to his students. The second—well, basically a threesome on the dance floor!
Totally inspiring as far as I’m concerned! So although I dance the Tango, practice Tantric sex, sometimes watch hot
videos, and know a lot about sex toys, I’m not my heroines. But I love bringing
the fantasy to life. Leave a comment today for a chance to win a copy of FORBIDDEN HEAT YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD TO
ENTER
AND
WIN, by entering a comment you are confirming you are 18 or older!
Comments
32 comments posted.
Re: Opal Carew | The Confessions of an Erotic Romance Author
Or, How I Research my Erotic Romance Books
Congrats on all your success, Opal! And thanks for the chance to win :)
Amber
(Amber Leigh Williams 1:27am January 27, 2010)
Sounds like the research is almost as much fun as writing the book. Would love to read the book and enjoy the fun too! Thank you.
(Joanne Reynolds 6:29am January 27, 2010)
I am right there with you Opal...and I do need some heat! - for my own research...
(Danelle Drake 6:33am January 27, 2010)
Your comments are wonderful!
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 6:56am January 27, 2010)
Did'nt realize how much research goes into these books. Very Interesting.
(Sherry Russell 7:25am January 27, 2010)
Interesting blog! Have a great day.
(Kara Conrad 7:55am January 27, 2010)
HI Opal,
I just finished Secret Ties and really enjoyed it. My first experience within that realm. Very well done. And I love Antonio Banderas, anything that man participates in is beyond hot. :).
Enjoyed your blog today, thanks for the info.
Carol L.
[email protected]
(Carol Luciano 9:48am January 27, 2010)
Great blog.
Nice to know you're from where I am, Ottawa Canada. I'm going to look up that store you mentioned.
(Diane Sadler 10:00am January 27, 2010)
First I want to wish you the best on the book and thank you for the chance to win it. This book sounds like a great read, I also enjoyed the blog.
(Cynthia Plaza-Harney 10:57am January 27, 2010)
Great blog! Very interesting and I'd love to win your contest.
(LaRonda Atchison 11:48am January 27, 2010)
Fun to read about how you research, Opal. Loved the video clips, might just have to take tango lessons. Just have to persuade dh to risk his toes--unless Antonio volunteers....
(Maggie Jagger 12:05pm January 27, 2010)
Very interesting! I never realized how much research goes into these books!
Thanks for the chance to win :-)
(Cheryl Bradley 12:17pm January 27, 2010)
I enjoyed this post and getting insight on how you go about some of your research. I've been reading this genre for about a year and love it.
(Leni Kaye 1:35pm January 27, 2010)
I've seen your books on the shelves at my local Border's, but hadn't yet bought any. After reading this, I most definitely will be shopping there in the next few days! It's always interesting to hear how people do their research for their books!!
Loved the videos, especially the cat one (being cat-owned, that was a no-brainer!).
Later,
Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 2:01pm January 27, 2010)
Fabulous insight!! I did wonder. I am always amazed by the amount of knowledge that is out there in the world just waiting to be discovered.
(Mary Preston 3:28pm January 27, 2010)
Congrats on all your success, Opal! awesome blog post!
would be aweosme to win
(Beverly Gordon 4:11pm January 27, 2010)
Love your imagination, Opal, and the excerpt for Forbidden Heat was fantastic. Definitely a must read.
(Cathy MacDonald 4:12pm January 27, 2010)
That's why reading to me is so enjoyable. Fantasies take on a whole different aspect when you read something to give it a boost. I like your research style, sounds like fun.
(Theresa Buckholtz 6:43pm January 27, 2010)
Sounds like you have a very
interesting approach to your
research. I always wondered if
erotica authors did a lot of
research or just winged it.
Thanks for all the great
information. I am a fan of
your books, my favorite being
Twin Fantasies! I look forward
to reading future books of
yours!
(Erin Thompson 8:40pm January 27, 2010)
Wow, you must love research as
much as actually writing the
books. Would be hard to keep my
mind on what I was suppose to be
doing(lol)
(Lisa Richards 9:26pm January 27, 2010)
It sounds like you very much enjoy the
research needed for your books. I think it
all adds up to great writing and an
enjoyable reads.
(Sue Ahn 10:30pm January 27, 2010)
Joanne and Lisa, you’re right that doing the research is almost as fun as writing the book!
Carol, I’m glad you enjoyed Secret Ties. That was one of my favourite books so far. And I agree about Antonio Bandera. Mmm!
Diane, I’m happy to see another Ottawa resident here. I’m signing at Chapters at South Keys on Feb. 6th and Chapters at Gloucester on Feb 13th so feel free to drop by and say hi!
Maggie, you’d love taking Tango lessons. If you talk Antonio into volunteering, I’ll drive out to watch all your lessons!
Erin, it’s nice to hear from another fan of my books. Twin Fantasies was the first book I sold to St. Martin’s and has a special place in my heart!
Thanks everyone for the good wishes and encouragement. Good luck to all of you for the draw!
Best,
Opal
(Opal Carew 12:23pm January 28, 2010)
Turn on the fan! It's steamy in here. Fantastic!
(Shirley Jones 1:03am January 28, 2010)
I work in a bookstore in Windsor, On and for some reason we classify your books as "romance" but I begged for an "erotica" section and got it!! They still haven't moved your books but I know where they are:) I love pointing them out to my customers and saying that you are Canadian. I have many loyal ones and they like what I like so it's a lpeasure recommending your books.
PS: I thought research was supposed to be the boring part!
(Amy Thomas 9:51am January 28, 2010)
Thanks for the article on where you get your information! Very interesting.
(Edwina Cowgill 10:54am January 28, 2010)
I enjoyed the article, Opal.
(Patsy Hagen 12:56pm January 28, 2010)
i would absolutely go for my ultimate fantasy damn the torpedos full speed ahead
(Sue Hieber 1:05pm January 28, 2010)
Shirley,
Thanks for telling your customers about my books! If you ever want me to send you promo items (like bookmarks, autographed bookplates, emery boards) please email me at [email protected].
Best,
Opal
(Opal Carew 2:03pm January 28, 2010)
oh my, that cover is hot! ah the joys of a writer :)
thanks for the chance to win!
tina
(Tina Werner 2:27pm January 28, 2010)
This book, Forbidden Heat, sounds really good. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for entering me into this great contest! Keep up the phenomenal writing!
(Natalie Felton 2:27pm January 28, 2010)
I found your research sources fascinating. It actually amazes me at times the research authors do regardless of the subject matter.
(Gladys Paradowski 2:28pm January 28, 2010)
Could hardly wait to get to the bookstore. Sounds HOT!!!
(Kai Wong 9:42pm January 28, 2010)
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