Joya Ryan | Real Life vs. Fiction in the Romance World

I’ve gotten a lot of questions over the years about how a certain scene is written or how I came up with a certain moment in a book. I’ve also been asked how much of what I write is based on reality. And yes, I’ve been asked about sex. A LOT. And the thing about that is…it’s all connected. But not in the way you’d think.

There is a tricky conundrum when it comes to writing romance. Specifically the gritty-hammer it home-oh baby give me more-take it deeper-yes right there! kind of romance. We’ve all read those scenes. The ones that make us blush and glance around the room to make sure no one could possibly know what we’re reading about. Because the fact of the matter is: Sex is hot. Oh, it’s also fun. The tricky part comes in when fantasy and reality collide. For all the super steamy sex scenes you’ve read, I can guarantee you that the author behind the brilliance of dirty talking heroes and feisty heroines, was at some point scratching her head and saying to herself, “Can a human being actually bend this way?”

No matter! Because in fiction, everyone can bend better than a 20 year old yoga instructor and no one bumps their head, falls down, makes weird noises or does anything even remotely unsexy. Nope, even the cute “unsexy” moments are still sexy. That’s why I love what I do so much. Because I get to live out a fantasy in my brain, write it down, and somehow, by doing that, a piece of my imagination becomes real. However, I’m not going to lie to you. The process isn’t pretty. Even as I type this, I’m sitting in sweat pants, guzzling coffee and wondering if I’ll get around to taking a shower today. (Maybe, it’s just really hard to get my ass up when I could sit here instead, so…maybe not). But! In my book, none of that matters. Creating the fictional land with fictional people who have fictional sex is the best part. Because as all this fiction is happening, it slowly turns more concrete.

Just yesterday, I was trying to figure out how a woman could get stuck in her car. I’m talking butt in the air, stuck as hell. So naturally, I tried climbing through the sunroof of my own car and I can tell you with all certainty that it IS very possible to get stuck that way…like…super stuck. So stuck that you start yelling for help and when you sister comes out to see what you’ve done, she laughs, and takes her sweet time helping you (all while intermittently taking pictures to capture this wondrous moment of embarrassment and threatening to call the fire department). That is real life. There was nothing sexy about it. However, once I was free and the welts started to settle, the scene that followed that trauma to my ego was a bit different. The heroine got stuck in her sunroof, only a sexy sheriff came to get her out and the awkwardness soon faded into sexual tension and her internally begging for him to take his clothes off so she could “thank him properly.”

*Sigh*

Fiction.

It’s a beautiful thing.

And so is reality. Because everything is connected and fun in its own way. It all leads back to the imagination and course of action we take. Sometimes things turn out, other times, not so much. But it all comes from a place of wonder and experimentation. Which is why having a bit of both reality and fantasy is a fun overlap to live in.

About Joya Ryan

National and international bestselling author Joya Ryan is the author of the Shattered Series (Break Me Slowly, Possess Me Slowly and Capture Me Slowly), the Sweet Torment Series (Breathe You In, Only You), and The Chasing Love Series (Chasing Trouble, Chasing Temptation, Chasing Desire).

Passionate about both cooking and dancing (despite not being too skilled at the latter), she loves spending time at home color coding things.She resides in California with her husband and her two sons.

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About RULES OF SEDUCTION

A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint...

He'll be the dream and the dirty fantasy...

Through with both her controlling ex and relationships, Ava Webber is determined to explore the spicy and sometimes forbidden appetites of the exclusive BDSM nightclub, Serve. Here, she'll get exactly what she needs...as long as it's from a man she doesn't know.

Nolan Hart ensures that Serve's clients get what they want, how they want it. But with one look at the curvy brunette, Nolan knows he's the man to fulfill her desires. As the anonymous lover, he's Ava's dirtiest fantasy. Outside of Serve, he's her charming, smartass friend.

But Nolan wants more. More than Ava is willing to give. And as long as the blindfold stays on, she'll never discover that the two men she's falling for are one and the same...