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Could something appeal to those readers without being directly in the forcefem niche? That is, if we took out the forcefem, what is left? Strong woman? Male supplicant? She's in charge? He's strong enough to let her be in charge? She's strong enough to take charge? I really want Kria to be appealing and strong so that the story doesn't become one trick with Thor as alpha.

Thank you. After you initially posted, I read a book of the same title by Barbara Deloto, which has a forced feminization plot. I have a secondary character named Kria who is a dominant female, which fits the Viking warrior ethos of Asgaard, and she encourages the heroine to be strong without apology. Kria is strong and direct with her boyfriend, who is strong and silent. However, it probably won't fill the same niche as strong women and forced feminization.

Can you remember the author for The Virgin Bride? The two I found by that name are far from F/m. They were still enjoyable, and one of them gave me a good idea how to handle the god/human duality of Thor in my book (which, as you might guess, is about Thor). Thank you.

Welcome to the party, Tina. Thank you for adding to the discussion. In the F/m romance genre, are there any pinnacle works that stand out as "they don't make 'em like that anymore"?

Mira, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and reactions so eloquently. I've put Lasher in the top of my reading pile. (I may eventually get to the first book in the series.) In my book, I don't have a Beta like Michael to contrast with the Alpha (Thor/Lasher). You have me rethinking this. I made a chart of the contrasting descriptions of the Alpha and Beta from "What Women Want," which describes a similar Michael/Lasher duo, but when I looked back at the books I had read, I saw plenty of good ones that didn't have a significant Beta, so I figured I could go without. But the way yo

Cameron, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Your ideas are helpful. Thor is a strong alpha, so that is covered. You make a really good point about people being more likely to read down in heat for a good story than up. I have a real romance plotted out, as well as some interesting sub-plots. There are plenty of places to have sex that is relevant to the character and relationship arcs, and I had gotten a hint that readers would be looking for something with heat. While the sex can't be pulled out, it could be toned down a bit, but that doesn't really feel like Thor. I'll go back and r

Regina, thank you for explaining. I never would have known the EC aspect. While I have already accepted that it takes more than strong craft to bring strong financial results, I am reassured to find that Kacey's low sales rank despite strong writing is due to special circumstances. I've decided not to be afraid of the BDSM category. This is my first book, so I didn't want to start out doing something that only the established writers can get away with. While it won't be, "Welcome to Asgaard. Here are your nipple clamps," I will give Asgaard some Beauty-like aspects. This will be an envir

Charity, thank you for the pointer toward Jennifer Kacey. I looked at "Together in Cyn". It's well written (thanks, Kindle instant delivery). It does involve a BDSM club, and it's ranked 666,653 overall in Amazon, whereas Sylvia Day's "Bared to You" is 3,183 overall (no BDSM club). Anne Rice's "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty" is 13,556 overall. I'm not sure what conclusion to draw. Does a well-written romance set in a BDSM club draw fewer readers than a well-written romance that is hot without being in a BDSM club (Cross's nightclub doesn't count)? Is Kacey's book not as well written as

I hope this isn't gauche to ask, but can you suggest a book or two that are strong exemplars of this?

This is great information for a newbie. Thank you. Asgaard has enough magic --and Thor has enough alpha-- that I feel free to create and explore ideas outside the standard tropes. In the land of the Norse gods, there are no contracts or explanations of what it means to be a Dom or a Sub. This is an ice nymph, who serves a warrior or shield maiden. Watch what happens. If you go with the ice nymphs, they will prepare you for tonight's feast. Regina, I'm impressed with what you created without including any sex. Thank you for expanding my thinking. Dan

I've been pondering where the erotic romance market is going. Anne Rice's Beauty is still popular, but I've not seen anything like it in erotica or erotic romance. Have others tried and failed, or is this kind of erotica not popular anymore among writers/publishers? Or are there good examples that I've missed? 50 Shades was followed (and preceded) by several books that were marketed as being in the same vein, but none of them (not even 50 Shades) have that much sex. Crossfire has about four sex scenes per book. Why aren't there more? Is that the way readers want it, or are writers hesitan