The Secret Eroticist

I had another one of those encounters last weekend. Someone who knows me from my soccer mom life recently discovered my erotic writing. She said she enjoyed it, but that I was doing a great job of "hiding" what I did. She never would have suspected from looking at me.

Which raises again the question, what does an erotica writer look like? Large breasts? Tight leather pants? Lots of make-up? Basically a porn star? If so, I certainly fail the test.

I didn't put her on the spot, though. I answered sweetly that part of my "mission" was to show that ordinary people just like me have rich sexual lives. My new fan thought that was a wonderful mission, but still, her reaction makes me realize how far we have to go.

Speaking of images, I was looking through old photos as part of my background work for my new novel and came across the one above, taken many years ago by my older sister in her San Francisco craftsman apartment. Can you imagine this young woman would write erotica one day?

You know, I think I had it in me all along....